Considering new horse purchase (Irish Draught)

[HappyHollyDays]

Insurance wise NFU every time. They aren’t the cheapest but they have paid out on my Connie without a quibble when needed. Some of the cheaper companies tend to argue over things which isn’t very helpful when you need vet treatment in an emergency.

 

[Wishfilly]

Thank you again. Looking forward to being a horse owner again. Had a momentary panic in the middle of the night wondering if I should have bought the Irish Draught but she needed a more competent rider than me at this stage of her education. She also had the ability to hunt/ event which I wont be doing. Our new friend will be a lovely hack for me and will pop round an 80 cm course with my daughter at pony club. I'm booking the vetting tomorrow and compiling a shopping list

Head collars bought.
Bridle coming with her.
Saddle present from my Mum.
Have wheelbarrow and poo picking equipment.
Will need shovel, broom and shaving fork.
Have grooming kit.
Will need buckets, hay net., food bucket and bin to keep her food in
Planning on getting a couple of light weight second hand rugs for now as she is clipped and the weather is so changeable at present
Travel boots, one of my friends has offered to fetch her for me.
Electric fencing is likely to be needed to subdivide her field.
The DIY yard sell hay and shavings on site I have asked her owner what she is currently fed and will buy the same. Is there anything else very obvious I need to buy/ think about .
She will need showing in three to four weeks so I will speak to the DIY yard manager and get her booked in with not of the farriers who already visits the yard.
Any recommendations equine insurance?

Thank you again for reading.

Saddlepads/girth/stirrups.
Buy spare haynets- I find 4 a good number assuming you use 2 overnight.
Basic first aid kit.
Flyspray, as we are getting into that season.

I would not bother with travel boots for one trip, but would get a rug for her to travel in.

 

[lilly1]

I'd do a Google of animal friends. You generally get what you pay for in my experience. Scottish equestrian might be worth a look

 

[Carrottom]

NFU mutual have been great for me but I think it sometimes depends on your local office, for me it's nice talking to local people who also do my house insurance.

 

[QuantockHills]

good luck with the vetting, how exciting for you. I don't use travel boots as they can slip down and the horse could stand on them, my current horse would be a total nightmare in them! If you do want to use them, make sure the horse has worn them before... i've had terrible experiences with insurance so i just put money in a separate account every month...

 

[PSD]

I’m insured with animal friends and cannot fault them.

Went through the mill with my old mare last year and racked up about 10k in vet bills in the end, they paid every single time without question. 250 excess and 6k per claim, they even paid out her insured price when she was pts after I explained she was worth more than what I paid for her ten years ago.

 

[HopefulHorse1971]

Thank you for your replies and advice, the vetting is for next Friday. I am having a few pre horse ownership nerves. I went for a riding lesson last night and told someone I regularly ride with that I was buying a 15.2 They responded oh are you sure that's big enough This slightly deflated me; she felt fine to me when I rode and I will mainly be hacking/ pleasure riding. I am now wondering if I should have held out for something bigger or bought the very green Irish Draught instead (although I know she needed a more experienced rider than me at this stage in her education and had the ability to hunt/ event in the future and I am primarily a happy hacker,) The horse we buying isn't going to be a competition horse but is a lovely hack and my daughter can pop fences at pony club She is a little green as she has mostly hacked for the past few years but has been well schooled for thr past few months and with regular lessons we will be fine. The comment about her size just knocked me confidence a bit.

 

[Wheresthehoofpick]

Just make sure that at that size you can find a saddle that fits both you and her. Look carefully at her back length.

I am 5'8 have a 15.3 ISH and our major stumbling block is that his incredibly short back and my leg length means saddles are a real problem.

He is super short backed though. My daughters smaller cob is no problem.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I am with SEIB very happy with them. hope it goes well for you

 

[Jellymoon]

How very exciting and lovely to read about someone being sensible and walking away from the very green horse! This one sounds absolutely perfect. You can always get someone bigger and sportier further down the line when you and your daughter are more experienced and confident. It is best to buy for what you need right now rather than what you think you might need in the future. Also, horses can surprise you, this one may turn out to be more capable than you thought.
As for your height, there does seem to be a bit of an obsession in this country for big horses! You don’t mention your weight (I’m not asking!) but 5ft11 of normal weight on 15.2 is fine.. Yes, you will need a good saddle fitter to make sure you get one that fits you both, but you need a good saddle fitter for a new horse anyway. I would do some research on who is good in your area.

 

[Trouper]

And the only piece of advice from me is not to listen to everyone else who will tell you what you "should" be doing with your horse!! If you need advice, pick one person whose judgement and knowledge you respect and listen to them alone - plus read a lot of course.

 

[HopefulHorse1971]

Another update. I had the horse vetted today. She passed BUT the vet picked up small cataracts in each eye and recommended these were checked by an ophthalmic specialist. The horse is on sales livery and the person selling her isn't sure the owner will agree to this. She is going to ask her own vet to have a look next week. I have no experience of cataracts, the vet said if I owned the horse it was something he would recommend was checked on a yearly basis. The horse is right in every other way but I am aware it could be potentially serious and as its named in the vetting report it will be excluded from any insurance I take out.

 

[splashgirl45]

thats a shame, has your vet said how likely it is that it will get worse.. it doesnt really matter what the dealers/owners vet says so even if if they say its not a problem i would walk away..

 

[FireCracker238]

I'm sorry today didn't go the way you were expecting, but this........

And the only piece of advice from me is not to listen to everyone else who will tell you what you "should" be doing with your horse!! If you need advice, pick one person whose judgement and knowledge you respect and listen to them alone - plus read a lot of course.

Is one of the best pieces of advice a (prospective) horse owner can receive

 

[jojo5]

Just FYI - my old boy, in the pic but sadly no longer with us, had a very small cataract for years which never changed and didn’t affect our time together.

 

[HopefulHorse1971]

Another update, we regretfully decided not to proceed with the horse where cataracts were identified during the vetting. We will howeve have a new member of the family arriving in a few days as,she passed the vetting today. Sfe is 15.2 5 years old, grey and has a lot of Irish Draught in her and is lovely.

 

[ycbm]

Congratulations!
.

 

[splashgirl45]

good news, pictures please when she is home

 

[dixie]

Great news- welcome to the grey ID club.
Pictures and breeding details please ?

 

[HopefulHorse1971]

Grandad are All the Diamonds and WRS Sun Rich. Dad is Derg Showtime

 

[HopefulHorse1971]

She has arrived!

 

[ycbm]

She's lovely
.

 

[Regandal]

Very nice!!

 

[splashgirl45]

what a pretty head, hope you have lots of fun with her

 

[Trouper]

Now I have serious "ID" envy. Can you work out what percentage ID she has? And does she have a name? Questions, questions!!!

 

[Bernster]

Congrats!!

 

[HopefulHorse1971]

Not exactly sure how much Irish Draught, granadadas are both full ID , Dad is ID cross Irish Sports Horse So some!!! Her head looks ID in certain angles but she is quite fine in build. She had a green Irish passport She is now out chilling in the field with a new friend Her registered name is Green With Envy, stable name Clover. She's currently 15.2 but as she is rising 5 (In two weeks) she may grow another inch or so!

 

[Errin Paddywack]

I really like her head and she has a very kind eye.

 

[dixie]

If you log into here it’ll tell you about her breeding and % of ID

https://breeding.horsesportireland.ie/Public/ViewAnimalPub.aspx?RegAn=dtKofJyJCwOTB6fSEzBDxA==

 

[dixie]

She’s 36.5% TB.
I love her name.
Mine is 27.0% TB and same age and height as yours. It’ll be interesting to see how they develop. Mine is also quite fine for a ID so I am expecting him to bulk out a bit.