Dealer for normal/hacking horses

charterline

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I’m on the lookout for a reputable dealer that “specialises” in normal horses, nothing fancy.

I am on the hunt for a cheap happy hacker.

Before I get any rude comments I know a “ready made” bombproof well schooled horse does not come cheap.

I know there are dealers out there that sell what I want, it’s just a case of finding what I want at the right price
 
What area of the country are you in??

Agree that finding a decent happy-hacker is a nightmare; I know, as I searched for nearly two years for something half decent, without finding it. In the end a sweet little just-backed youngster just came up to me in the field and "found" me, and that was that!

But finding these horses isn't easy, not easy at all; to be a happy hacker the horse/pony has to have the right mindset and temperament and be able to cope with everything they're likely to meet out on the roads, from speeding trials bikes in narrow lanes (like my youngster & I encountered the other day), to combine harvesters, tribes of cyclists, tractors, buses, lorries etc etc., not to mention errant plastic bags that blow along the road towards you (yesterday morning's ride!!).

Yes these horses truly are rare gems to find.

I would be inclined to ask people you know in the first instance; i.e. local Pony Club, Hunt, Riding Club, and your instructor, and ask them to pass word around. Horses are aplenty at this time of year, but this sort of genuine horse is always hard to find.

If you post in one of the Regional Boards on here, that might be more helpful to you??

Good Luck!
 
You are best to find a safe laid back bombproof/spookproof horse through recommendations from friends etc. Also put up wanted notices in local yards, feed merchants and ask local farriers and pony club. I wish you the best of luck but should warn you that a safe sound horse will cost sensible money.
 
Ooooh what are the specs? - so we can all go trolling round websites of horses for sale.... even though 99% of us do not need another horse!
 
A couple of people I know have had really nice hacking horses from Chilver House Stables in Norfolk, they were young horses but had been hacked a lot and the dealers were very genuine and honest in their descriptions...not cheap though
 
A couple of people I know have had really nice hacking horses from Chilver House Stables in Norfolk, they were young horses but had been hacked a lot and the dealers were very genuine and honest in their descriptions...not cheap though
Gosh I had heard not great things about Chilver. CnG do seem to have lots of nice ones but I think word of mouth is better . Good luck in your search.
 
Gosh I had heard not great things about Chilver. CnG do seem to have lots of nice ones but I think word of mouth is better . Good luck in your search.

I guess like any dealers there’s positive and negative experiences...agree word of mouth is always the best
 
It does seem with CnG you have to be prepared to buy unseen because they are popular (I'm not sure I'd call them cheap generally either)
 
Yikes that’s tricky as this level of horse, price and potential buyer could fall prey to a ropey dealers quite easily sadly. Not sure if she’s still going but I used to look at equine agents for this type of horse, or clip clop traders. But that’s old knowledge now I suspect.
 
I have a ex polo pony. Best hack I have ever had. Look at Polo Pastures,or Retired polo ponies on Facebook.
 
CNG are in Stoke on Trent and they do have some nice horses but as said above they seem to get snapped up as people buy unseen. I had arranged to go and see one but it was gone before my appointment. I'm local to them and could go anytime but still didn't get the chance. Ended up buying another Arab instead.
 
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