LizzieRC1313
Well-Known Member
As above & simply out of interest... it's a bit of a pipe dream and would like to hear stories (& see photos!) of anyone that did it!
Did any of you buy your eventers as foals?
- Thread starter LizzieRC1313
- Start date
popsdosh
Well-Known Member
Buy as a yearling or two yo .There is always a premium for foals( cute factor) they will cost you less later in life. Thats from a mug who breeds them!!!!
Once you get to 3yo you are risking buying something somebody else has already screwed up
Once you get to 3yo you are risking buying something somebody else has already screwed up
HashRouge
Well-Known Member
Also you can buy something very nice for less money than if it were older, if you know what you're doing. I used to work for a rider (SJ not eventing) who did that, and he had some very nice youngster come through the yard.
kassieg
Well-Known Member
I agree buy yearling or 2 year old & you will get something reasonable. When you say eventer what kind of level are you hoping for?
I bought as a 2 year old & she turned into an eventer,it wasn't planned! Now I buy unbroken at 3 & 4 & produce. I have been pretty lucky in finding mine. They are out there for reasonable prices you just have to be patient & maybe not go for the most fashionable breeding!
that said I really want a master imp horsey 
haven't got 1 yet though !
I bought as a 2 year old & she turned into an eventer,it wasn't planned! Now I buy unbroken at 3 & 4 & produce. I have been pretty lucky in finding mine. They are out there for reasonable prices you just have to be patient & maybe not go for the most fashionable breeding!
that said I really want a master imp horsey haven't got 1 yet though !
PorkChop
Well-Known Member
No, but I bred them! - I agree a yearling or two year old will most likely be more value for money.
TGM
Well-Known Member
Agree with the above about yearlings and two year olds being better value for money. I've recently bought an event-bred two year old (father and full brother both successful advanced eventers) for significantly less than he would cost as either a foal or a three year old. Whether he will make it as an eventer remains to be seen, but he is nicely put together, moves beautifully and has a fantastic temperament, so hopefully will make a nice ridden horse in some sphere or another. It is, however, always a gamble buying a youngster and so much can go wrong before they even get backed, let alone out to compete. I am heartened by the story of my vet though, who bought a two year old and has produced him to three star level herself, so it does work out for some people!
Charlie77
Well-Known Member
Almost! I bought a weanling who I dressage and sj not go round to the x c bit yet! Life got in the way. I backed him at 3. 5! & tuned away as he was so tall and gangaly started him for real at 4yo we competed up to novice dressage schooling Eli and sj a bit. But then he had ulcers and we sold our house currenty living in rented while renovating our new very old house. Working full time and had my youngster on box rest all summer due to injury. But by next spring I fully intend to (live the dream) and get out eventing. The past 2 years have been totally wasted but have startrd to build our school so will have some were to ride through winter. He's now 8yo 17. 1 so some what over grown. He was a good bye just as the horse prices came down with the recession. He was by mill law. I don't want another youngster but could not afford any thing older. My then current horse was retiring I'd had him form weaning also. Just couldn't face starting over. And yet I did it again soon after I brought another wrangling who is now 3. 5yo! Sadly original retired horse I lost to colic 2 years ago. My now 3. 5yo wasn't even planned I just recognised the stallions name on the add and rang to see if the price printed was a misprint I had no money at the time but I borrowed the deposit and took a loan to pay for him. Next year I hope to event my original youngster and start the second one! Roll on next spring
LizzieRC1313
Well-Known Member
Thanks for replies! It's not something I'm planning on actually doing (certainly not for the foreseeable!!) but something I love the idea of. I was just interested to hear stories of anyone who did as it seems such a mine field from where to source them to actually finding one who wants to play the game!
popsdosh
Well-Known Member
If you ever go ahead please go into it with your eyes open and realise things can go spectacularly wrong. In the space of 6wks this summer I lost a yearling colt and 2& 3 yo half brothers you just have to take it on the chin sometimes. All had different reasons just a horrible coincidence!
Llee94
Well-Known Member
I event but cannot afford to buy anything of decent breeding once it has started being ridden so I had to by a yearling to replace my mare once she starts to slow down from eventing.
He was the most expensive horse I have ever got at 2.5k but he was very cheep for his breeding (comes from a small but very successful local yard that was closing down) and was wild when I got him due to having only been halter broken that week by the breeder and had 3 intensive days of handling. It has been a very steep learning curve and quite expensive. My youngster just loves the vets, especially on Christmas Eve and New Years Day for separate incidents!
BUT the best thing is the bond I have with him. He is now a really cuddly horse and will often put his head on my lap and fall asleep if I am sat on a fence near him. He trusts me completely which meant breaking him in was so easy and he does everything I ask him to. He does have his quirks which are frustrating as he can't possible stand still when tied up and he can't be stabled on his own at the moment as he goes ballistic but we are working on those.
The ultimate aim with him is to event him and move up the levels up to 4* (I can dream ehh?!) he has the breeding and the talent so it is just down to me to train him right. No pressure!!
It is very rewarding to get them so young and watch them grow and I think it makes it even more special when it all goes well.
He was the most expensive horse I have ever got at 2.5k but he was very cheep for his breeding (comes from a small but very successful local yard that was closing down) and was wild when I got him due to having only been halter broken that week by the breeder and had 3 intensive days of handling. It has been a very steep learning curve and quite expensive. My youngster just loves the vets, especially on Christmas Eve and New Years Day for separate incidents!
BUT the best thing is the bond I have with him. He is now a really cuddly horse and will often put his head on my lap and fall asleep if I am sat on a fence near him. He trusts me completely which meant breaking him in was so easy and he does everything I ask him to. He does have his quirks which are frustrating as he can't possible stand still when tied up and he can't be stabled on his own at the moment as he goes ballistic but we are working on those.
The ultimate aim with him is to event him and move up the levels up to 4* (I can dream ehh?!) he has the breeding and the talent so it is just down to me to train him right. No pressure!!
It is very rewarding to get them so young and watch them grow and I think it makes it even more special when it all goes well.
kc100
Well-Known Member
Mines not likely to be an eventer....but did buy a yearling gelding, he's now 2. He is by Treliver Decanter (GP dressage stallion with Donnerhall and Dimaggio bloodlines) and a King of Diamonds mare, so he could event but I prefer dressage!
What have I learnt in the first year? It will cost you a lot of money and be prepared for accidents! Within 4 weeks of owning him, he'd jumped a 5 bar metal gate and torn a big hole in himself, 5 days in horsey hospital ensued followed by 2 months box rest and a lot of sleepless nights as he got worse before he got better. £2.5k later he was back out in the field again! Thank god for insurance.
But I wouldnt change it for the world, he is my dream horse and there is no way on earth I could have afforded him as a 3 or 4 year old when he'd been backed. The best part of it has been teaching him all the basics (all the stuff you take for granted with an older backed horse, like picking feet up, leading nicely, loading, having rugs on/off etc) and building a bond with him; I've been lucky he is an absolute dream with a temperament to die for so has been really easy to train and hasnt challenged me yet (I'm sure its coming at some point!).
I had heard about the stallion before I bought my youngster, doing my research I knew he tends to breed nice moving horses with good trainable temperaments. I didnt want a silly WB that was going to be too hot and crazy for an amateur like me, I wanted something that can move but also be my forever horse and be sensible enough to go out on a fun ride if I fancied it as well as being half decent in a dressage arena. And so far he is proving to be exactly what I wanted; he is soft as a brush, loves attention & fuss and is rarely silly. Nothing phases him, he stays calm in most situations and I've been really lucky to find him!
I got him vetted (stage 2) pre-purchase to rule out anything major that would have prevented him from being successful in his future career, and having the vetting also means insurance is much easier to obtain as well. I bought him from an independent seller who kept her broodmare at a stud around 1.5 hours from me, so he was born at the stud and spent his first year with his mum then after weaning went into a big barn with 30 other youngsters. Personally I feel this helped a bit with his socialisation, he already knew how a herd works - so no bolshy baby horse that hadnt ever been in a herd and thought he was self important.
When I viewed him first time he was allowed off loose in their indoor school, so I got to see all his paces - what I loved about him (other than his movement) was the fact he'd never been in the indoor school before but went straight to the opposite end away from the door and started sniffing the showjumps. It showed me he was brave, he could have been standing at the door calling for his herd friends but instead he investigated his surroundings and was happy doing so. He was examined all over, led around the yard and again whilst he was a bit on edge (being taken out of a herd is always going to be scary/exciting for them) he handled it all well.
When the vet came next time he was examined again, trotted up....all the things you'd expect from an adult horse bar the riding/lunging part of a vetting.
I did have him living out 24/7 last year as I do believe in lots of turnout for youngsters (helps them develop stronger bones/joints etc and overall better health wise), but turns out my little man doesnt winter out that well as he is very fine skinned so I realised he was going to have to come in this winter. He got lice (there was nothing I could do to stop his coat growing into a massive shaggy thing!) and lost a lot of condition despite the grass being fairly good, but things like that are a learning curve and you do learn as you go along with youngsters. So he is out 24/7 at the moment in a herd whilst its not too cold, but in about 3 weeks time will come in for the winter and will be turned out during the day. I am planning on backing him over the summer next year, then he'll have a break again over winter and I'll pick him back up again in the spring when he turns 4.
I do think the key if you buy a youngster is to do your research on the sire & dam - temperament is a big deal in competition horses, they can have all the talent, scope and movement but if they dont have a trainable brain then you have no hope of progressing up the levels in any discipline. If you can see the sire & dam even better, in my case I couldnt because sire wasnt at that stud and the dam was in foal again; so I spent a long time researching them online and talking to the breeder about the dam in particular (as she doesnt have much of a history to be found online).
It is well worth doing if you have the time and are prepared financially for accidents & things to go wrong, babies are accident prone so you have to be prepared. I love the bond we have, he is so trusting with me and anything I ask of him he'll do. That is partly the bond we have but also partly his temperament, he picks things up very fast and likes to learn new things.
What have I learnt in the first year? It will cost you a lot of money and be prepared for accidents! Within 4 weeks of owning him, he'd jumped a 5 bar metal gate and torn a big hole in himself, 5 days in horsey hospital ensued followed by 2 months box rest and a lot of sleepless nights as he got worse before he got better. £2.5k later he was back out in the field again! Thank god for insurance.
But I wouldnt change it for the world, he is my dream horse and there is no way on earth I could have afforded him as a 3 or 4 year old when he'd been backed. The best part of it has been teaching him all the basics (all the stuff you take for granted with an older backed horse, like picking feet up, leading nicely, loading, having rugs on/off etc) and building a bond with him; I've been lucky he is an absolute dream with a temperament to die for so has been really easy to train and hasnt challenged me yet (I'm sure its coming at some point!).
I had heard about the stallion before I bought my youngster, doing my research I knew he tends to breed nice moving horses with good trainable temperaments. I didnt want a silly WB that was going to be too hot and crazy for an amateur like me, I wanted something that can move but also be my forever horse and be sensible enough to go out on a fun ride if I fancied it as well as being half decent in a dressage arena. And so far he is proving to be exactly what I wanted; he is soft as a brush, loves attention & fuss and is rarely silly. Nothing phases him, he stays calm in most situations and I've been really lucky to find him!
I got him vetted (stage 2) pre-purchase to rule out anything major that would have prevented him from being successful in his future career, and having the vetting also means insurance is much easier to obtain as well. I bought him from an independent seller who kept her broodmare at a stud around 1.5 hours from me, so he was born at the stud and spent his first year with his mum then after weaning went into a big barn with 30 other youngsters. Personally I feel this helped a bit with his socialisation, he already knew how a herd works - so no bolshy baby horse that hadnt ever been in a herd and thought he was self important.
When I viewed him first time he was allowed off loose in their indoor school, so I got to see all his paces - what I loved about him (other than his movement) was the fact he'd never been in the indoor school before but went straight to the opposite end away from the door and started sniffing the showjumps. It showed me he was brave, he could have been standing at the door calling for his herd friends but instead he investigated his surroundings and was happy doing so. He was examined all over, led around the yard and again whilst he was a bit on edge (being taken out of a herd is always going to be scary/exciting for them) he handled it all well.
When the vet came next time he was examined again, trotted up....all the things you'd expect from an adult horse bar the riding/lunging part of a vetting.
I did have him living out 24/7 last year as I do believe in lots of turnout for youngsters (helps them develop stronger bones/joints etc and overall better health wise), but turns out my little man doesnt winter out that well as he is very fine skinned so I realised he was going to have to come in this winter. He got lice (there was nothing I could do to stop his coat growing into a massive shaggy thing!) and lost a lot of condition despite the grass being fairly good, but things like that are a learning curve and you do learn as you go along with youngsters. So he is out 24/7 at the moment in a herd whilst its not too cold, but in about 3 weeks time will come in for the winter and will be turned out during the day. I am planning on backing him over the summer next year, then he'll have a break again over winter and I'll pick him back up again in the spring when he turns 4.
I do think the key if you buy a youngster is to do your research on the sire & dam - temperament is a big deal in competition horses, they can have all the talent, scope and movement but if they dont have a trainable brain then you have no hope of progressing up the levels in any discipline. If you can see the sire & dam even better, in my case I couldnt because sire wasnt at that stud and the dam was in foal again; so I spent a long time researching them online and talking to the breeder about the dam in particular (as she doesnt have much of a history to be found online).
It is well worth doing if you have the time and are prepared financially for accidents & things to go wrong, babies are accident prone so you have to be prepared. I love the bond we have, he is so trusting with me and anything I ask of him he'll do. That is partly the bond we have but also partly his temperament, he picks things up very fast and likes to learn new things.
asommerville
Well-Known Member
I've got one with Donnerhall bloodlines too, just bought her at 8 yo seems to be a chilled out horsey 😀
OwnedbyJoe
Well-Known Member
Not an eventer but I bought my endurance horse as arising 2 year old and the next one is currently in the paddock having come to me at weaning at 6 months.
When I got Joe he was pretty feral and hadn't had much handling so we have done it all ourselves (apart from the actual breaking which was done at 3 1/2 by a professional). He's now 10 and only five people have ever ridden him.
I don't know if it's his personality of if it comes from having him at such a young age but we have a closer bond than any horse I have ever had. It's a pretty special feeling completing a 160km ride and being able to say "Yep, I made that horse". We have developed our own little rituals as we have grown together - having to have a little head hug before bridling and the like, and I know him inside out.
Time will tell whether it is time or personality that leads to that bond - the new baby arrived when even younger but she is a VERY different personality.
When I got Joe he was pretty feral and hadn't had much handling so we have done it all ourselves (apart from the actual breaking which was done at 3 1/2 by a professional). He's now 10 and only five people have ever ridden him.
I don't know if it's his personality of if it comes from having him at such a young age but we have a closer bond than any horse I have ever had. It's a pretty special feeling completing a 160km ride and being able to say "Yep, I made that horse". We have developed our own little rituals as we have grown together - having to have a little head hug before bridling and the like, and I know him inside out.
Time will tell whether it is time or personality that leads to that bond - the new baby arrived when even younger but she is a VERY different personality.