Can anyone advise? Adult looking for 1st Horse!

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nic0la

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Ok I'm a newbie on here so apologies if this is in the wrong place! I'm looking to buy (or loan with view to buy, but they're very rare I gather!) a horse/pony 14h - 16.2, any colour/breed but would prefer a gelding. Unfortunately my budget is £900! I am part loaning at the moment so am gaining experience of a TB chestnut mare (who is mostly lovely mannered might i add!). I rode a lot when i was younger but as I am older now and took such a long gap (13 yrs!) i have lost my confidence a bit. I mostly hack out on quiet country lanes/bridlepaths and may get to the beach one day! So am looking for a safe, confident in traffic on own, no bucking/rearing/spinning etc kind horse hopefully between the ages of 6 and 17! He/she would be living out with 2other horses with a field shelter stable so would have to be ok with this. I would consider a permanent loan for the right horse. I love horses and it would definately be a loving home. Please can anyone help or advise?
 
Having seen a few friends with bad experiences I think the most important thing is to find a horse you can enjoy. It's an expensive hobby, so the right horse is crucial. It doesn't need to be a world beater if you just want to have fun doing local stuff.

I think an older horse could be ideal for you - something that's been there and done it and is looking for a quieter life. Not quite sure where you'd find that though. I'm sure there are people out there with ex-competition horses looking for a fun/hacking home. (Contrary to popular stereotypes, not all competition horses are fizzy/mad, especially when not quite so fit and fuelled up). I used to ride an ex-intermediate eventer, and he was like a donkey!
 
Thanks Laurandjack i do want a horse i can just enjoy! One that's not going to mind any silly little mistakes i make in my riding (i'm not perfect lol). I don't want to compete or anything but may want to try fun rides when i get my confidence up though! Not even bothered about jumping either - bit scary yet! I'm only wary about older horses as i don't know that much yet about age related illnesses and being pts - my cat being pts 3 yrs ago still brings tears to my eyes!

Thank you for your advice :)
 
Have to tried contacting riding schools? There are some around us who sell their horses of fairly cheap to good homes after their years of service are up if you know what I mean. They don't retire them because they've had it, but genuinely because the owners feel they've done their part for the school. (mark of a good school I think!)
 
I've never thought of riding schools! I will try the few i have in my area, not that i'm too confident on the phone - can't get my words out and sound a right divvy! Probably why a good few people didn't get back to me about their horses for sale - a gibbering wreck leaving them a message lol! :D
 
i think youve been given excellent advice - regarding the phone calls - write down what yu want to say before you ring - then simply say what youve written - or yu could email teh schools - i hate phones too - if you emailed you could then go in person - good luck from another new horse owner xxxx
 
I don't mean this badly, but that's a very, very small budget for the kind of horse you seem to be looking for. You could certainly pick up a horse that needs work, has problems, needs re-training, i.e. a bit of a project for that amount, but not a nice, steady, confidence giving hack.

It may be possible to find a loan horse like that, but it will require quite a bit of luck. Alternatively you could opt for an older horse that needs a quieter life, but I think there you need to consider plans for his future retirement. An older horse may have more veterinary needs and a retired horse can cost quite a bit to keep.

It might be more sensible to save a bit more money and put it towards the right horse.

Good luck!
 
bluelady66 said:
i think youve been given excellent advice - regarding the phone calls - write down what yu want to say before you ring - then simply say what youve written - or yu could email teh schools - i hate phones too - if you emailed you could then go in person - good luck from another new horse owner xxxx
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Aw thank you bluelady66! Email is my favoured method but sellers don't seem to like it as a first point of contact and i tend to get ignored a lot unless i text too!

Booboos I realise it's a small budget but it's all i have at the moment, hence me asking for advice. I was hoping for a permanent loan or loan with view to buy (i know - rare!), in which case i could have saved more money up and bought a slightly more expensive horse. I have an excellent home ready but that might go if i don't find a suitable horse in the next few months. I know that's not a reason to rush into buying (before anyone says anything) but it would be ideal! :)
 
My advice would be to advertise locally for a horse to loan/purchase so that you can try it out several times before being commited to loan/purchase it. Advertise in local feed merchants/tack shops and also ask local riding instructors and farriers.
 
£900!?! I think you definately want to go older. Nothing will be perfect at this age, you will probably need to manage a bit of a spavin, or something similar. He/she may only give you a couple of years in the saddle so you will need a plan for retirement.

If you can afford to keep a horse then I would advise holding off for a year and saving the money you would spend on the horse in that year, then you could face the market with a decent budget.
 
best of luck with your search. Would advise that you ensure you choose a safe and fun ride. Ensure you get the right type for you. If you're 5ft 2, stick to something under 16hh, and maybe look for a cob type. Don't go for something just because its cheap or pretty. Get something you feel safe riding, and think you will get on with, a school horse or older horse might be just the ticket. Get your confidence back, and enjoy yourself.
 
doonrocket said:
£900!?! I think you definately want to go older. Nothing will be perfect at this age, you will probably need to manage a bit of a spavin, or something similar. He/she may only give you a couple of years in the saddle so you will need a plan for retirement.

If you can afford to keep a horse then I would advise holding off for a year and saving the money you would spend on the horse in that year, then you could face the market with a decent budget.
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Yes, thanks for that - if i want to feel depressed, I can just read the above comment! Don't sniff at the amount of money i have thank you, you don't even know me or my circumstances. "If you can afford to keep a horse"?! Brings back memories of being bullied in school...

Thank you to everyone else for your positive constructive comments to a new H&H forum member. I will try riding schools or loan wvtb in my area. Probably won't be back on here as don't like being sniffed at but thank you again :)
 
Doonrocket was only giving her opinion, and someone having an opinion you dont like isn't bullying. If you aren't prepared to respect the opinion of others, maybe a forum isn't for you?

I have no idea where in the UK u live, but here in Scotland you would get nothing even half decent for that kind of money. There are horses for sale in that catagory, but they are either dangerous, to old to be ridden, injured or only babies.

I couldn't even get my daughter a 13hh pony for under a grand.

People with sane sound sensible horses that are confidence givers dont give them away, they know they are worth their weight in gold.

So you are really only left with 3 choices.
1. loan a horse.
2. save up further to give yourself more choice.
3. Compromise on what you want, whether that be age, medical problems you think you can manage well, or a project type horse that will require a lot of work and training.

Whatever you decide, good luck, its really not easy finding the right horse and it can be quite daunting especially if its your first one x
 
Nicola,
I certainly did not mean to upset you. But having been put through the buying a horse ring twice since learing to ride as an adult you must be sensible and realistic. I learnt at 30 and bought my first horse at 33. I thought I did everything right. Chose a horse with experience, got my instructor to ride it and had it vetted.

5 months later spavin in both hocks appeared and (by the way I'm an idiot bloke) I persevered riding a dangerous horse , getting thrown 5 times and breaking my ribs and elbow in the process. He was £2,800.

I'm not saying you can't get a good horse for you for that money. Honestly £900 could be to risk your riding happiness.

I'm sure you have done the maths - all I was saying that you know it costs per month to keep a horse, so every month you don't buy one you add this to your kitty and every ones a winner. Please don't think I'm being negative , I'm just pointing out the beneffit of being patient.

Ed
 
Agreed that you will struggle with a decent horse for that price, but it is do-able.

If all you want is a gentle happy hacker then an older horse would be perfect: been there, done that types who are usually sensible and quiet, and they are much cheaper as they have a much shorter 'shelf life' :o Do be aware that they may well spend many years towards the end being unridable due to age however.

As well as scouring the adverts, try putting up ads of your own, advertising for a 'home for life' for a horse 'looking for a quieter life' etc. There are a huge number of people who are desperatly trying to decide what to do with their oldies once they are no longer able to work at the level they're wanting.
Someone who wants something just to toddle about hacking would be perfect.

Please as be very aware that any younger horses (i.e 5-12yrs old) going for that price WILL have something wrong with them. No-one sells sensible horses for that kind of price unless there is. They just don't always tell you ;)
 
OP, all I can say is good luck with your search - it will be a difficult one. The thing is, everybody is looking for the same as you, and where there is demand that is much greater than supply, the prices rocket...
For something healthy, vice free, nice size, confidence giving and easy to do/look after you would be easily expected to pay in excess of £3K, add to it a bit of a jump and half decent paces and you are looking at the ultimate allrounder - the seller can just name their price...
I do a bit of buying and selling etc, and with hand on heart I can tell you that nothing remotely suitable for you (from the requirements you posted) would leave my yard for £900, in fact, the only thing you could buy for less than £1K is a 14hh pony that needs rebacking:)
 
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martlin said:
OP, all I can say is good luck with your search - it will be a difficult one. The thing is, everybody is looking for the same as you, and where there is demand that is much greater than supply, the prices rocket...
For something healthy, vice free, nice size, confidence giving and easy to do/look after you would be easily expected to pay in excess of £3K, add to it a bit of a jump and half decent paces and you are looking at the ultimate allrounder - the seller can just name their price...
I do a bit of buying and selling etc, and with hand on heart I can tell you that nothing remotely suitable for you (from the requirements you posted) would leave my yard for £900, in fact, the only thing you could buy for less than £1K is a 14hh pony that needs rebacking:)
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I found exactly this when looking for a new horse recently.
I paid 3k for a coloured cob aged 4, he's a gentle placid lad with a lovely nature yet no plod and is a real fun ride - his type are so hard to find, even when the selling market is poor due to recession, they still hold most of their value x
 
I don't want to be negative but I don't think you have a chance of buying a safe happy hacker for £900. You would also need to consider the cost of tack.
I think loan would be your best bet but if you have had a break from horses for a long time this might also limit the offers.
Why don't you try one of the horse charities? They must have horses available due to the recession.
The other alternative would be to advertise for a horse to part loan in your area.
 
oh I am sure you will find something for that price, I bought a clydesdale x for less than that as the owner was behind with his livery bills and had no way of paying them and was going to be chucked off the yard. He wanted £3,500 for him but wanted him to go to a good home.

Word of mouth is very good, and you could always put around that you are on a very small budget. Believe me if you had lost your job and had no way of paying another months livery you would be glad to know your horse had gone to a good home, its not the price of the horse its the price of keeping the horse thats the problem. Also when you see horse thats over your budget go and talk to owners. Being cheeky is the way at the moment, if you dont ask you dont get.

How about long term loaning?
 
I think it is possible to find a horse for that price but there are things to consider as to why any 'ideal horse' IS that price! Certainly it's possible but it's not easy. Also, obviously not knowing your financial circumstances, I assume you have budgeted ofr costs of upkeep as well. Ultimately it is not the purchase of the horse that is necessarily the expensive bit but the other bits such as livery costs (unless you have your own land), worming, shoeing, vaccinations, tack, feed etc. Not to mention any vets bills if someting did go wrong so, to maybe cover them you'd need insurance BUT on an older horse insurance is likely to be limited in what it would provide.

I assume that maybe you've budgeted for all that but I would maybe agree with others, save up a bit more if you can as you certainly aren't likely to get tack thrown in for £900.

Trying a horse charity may well be a good idea - WHW, Redwings, Bluecross, RSPCA etc quite often have some horses who are suitable for what you want and, as you never officially own them, if for some reason down the line you were no longer able to care for them then they would take them back and rehome if possible.

Good luck in your search!
 
Hmm, its possible but you may be waiting a long time. YO got one of these at £600 cos owner lost interest and old owner knew he was going to a home for life. He is also on and off lame tho (which YO was aware of).

I have purchased horses that meet this criteria for this price but from markets. Not something I would advise anyone looking for a first horse to do. I would put an ad up on all the free sites. Asking for horse cheap/free to good home. You may be suprised. Ppl get desperate and want to get rid of their horses quickly. If this happened to me the free sites would be the first place I wuld look for a new owner (other than friends and word of mouth).
 
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