Did you buy the first horse..?

PonyFeet10

PonyFeet10

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Did you buy the first horse you went to view?? I know you really shouldn't and that you should look at at least a few before making a decision. Now with all of my horses (3 ATM but have had 4) they were the first I went to view and decided to buy without looking at any others! The first was a coloured horse which we found out when we got it home it had been doped so we swapped it straight out for my pony, again the first second horse we looked at (if that makes sense!). Then it was a tb mare Ebony to keep my pony company which we bought very cheaply and she's turned out to be amazing. My last a 2 year old Welsh Section D colt (which was exactly what I was looking for), he was very handsome and perfect in the ways I wanted him to be so put a deposit on him the same day to pick him up a week later.

Ok, so I was just wondering did you buy the first horse you looked at (like I did!!) or did you view more than 1 before deciding? :D
 
PonyFeet10 said:
Wow!!! That is a lot of horses lol :D
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Indeed! I fell in love with the 3rd one, but got told by my instructor that he'd never jump clear above 2'6...he had a bit of an issue with dangly forelegs :eek: :D Then I think I fell again for No.9, who then got sold the day we were going back to view her (with deposit in pocket!) After that came a whole catalogue of disasters - one was advertised as a 15.2 6yo gelding, turned out to be a 16.2 4yo rig (they 'got his age wrong' on the advert, apparently :rolleyes: ) Then we drove 300 miles to find a horse with the most massive parrot mouth ever, and a mysteriously absent owner who told us to '******* off' when we rang to see if she actually intended to meet us. Then I fell head over heels for the most beautiful chestnut gelding, tried him twice, decided he was the one....and then they decided they wouldnt sell him to us as he was 'not the right horse for a young girl'. So I gave up....only to find Ellie, right on the doorstep. She was at a dodgy dealer's yard literally 2 minutes up the road, and she was perfect :D:D:D

That was 10 years ago, and she's just as perfect now as she was then ;)
 
The Appy I have now was the first one we saw, over the years we have bought the first we saw, the second we saw and in one case we travelled the width of the country to find one, that was actually living about 5 miles away! Can't remeber how many we saw when we looked for that one!
 
1st purchase - looking for a youngster to bring on and play with , came home with a 15 yr old Shettie x ! He's 35 this year and still have him.

2nd - I went to a dealer - looking for an aged riding school master as I'd lost my nerve after an accident tried 5/6 on the same yard ! Came home with a half wild Mare ( 8yrs ) ..... £500 take her that day and no return !!!! .... She's 26 this year and has been the love of my life for the past 18 years !!! wouldn't swap her for the world , however first 2 years where a hard hard slog but just made our bound even stronger .... Lol

3rd - Reading Market to Buy a saddle for my Mare , cam back with a 17.hh IDxTD !!!

None of my purchases have been what I'd planned and where very off the hock ( excuse the punn ! ) decisions , but never regret any of them !! Only regret was having to sell Big man when my Daughter was born as I couldnt handle 3 of them and he was being wasted ....... Clyde Miss you ! x
 
Try not to look at any horses as I always buy them!

Bought first horse I looked at when I was 18. Entirely unsuitable, just broken, 4yr old 15hh Welsh Cob mare. Then rode her 25 miles home down an A road as she wouldn't load! Kept her for 20yrs until she died. Very usefull, as she taught me how to stay on when bolting, bucking, rolling, spooking, leaping into deep ditches and cat jumping over jumps.
Things have just gone down hill since her!
 
When recently looking for a 2nd horse, we bought the first one we saw. Unfortunately, the day after she was delivered we found disguised and bleeding sarcoids, so she went back and H arrived on a months trial. He stayed.
 
I saw 6 or 7, some were loans with view to buy or for sale.

Looked at a wide range from a gorgeous filly (who simply needed to much time and attention that I could offer her), a 14.2hh welsh sec D, ex riding school gelding, who had a horrific cribbing habit to an ex racer...

I saw the advert for a 16.2hh, 6 year old, grey mare. Viewed her 3/4 times now and she arrives on the 23rd :D

All the others I weren't that excited about when I viewed them but I knew straight away that she was for me and haven't looked back since.
 
Our first horse we viewed about 15, all of which claimed to be suitable for a novice but were'nt, before we found him. We only found him cos his owner responded to a wanted ad, she hadn't advertised him. He was exactly what we needed at that time.

Our current horse we found through word of mouth (well text of forum :)). I put a wanted post on a small forum I am active on and heard about P. Again, his owner was considering selling but hadn't advertised. Apart from being 16.3 hh not 15.2 hh and being Irish not british native cross he's exactly what we were looking for. Been with us 3 years now and all being well with stay with us for life.
 
With both of mine yes!

The lady who had bella before me walked her out of the stables and nearly straight away i was like YES!!! haha she was my perfect horse - at that time i wanted a bit of a confidence giver after a really nasty fall and she gave me that and now shes a bitch haha shes turned into such a strong but fun horse the more ive worked with her. I took her with me on holiday and we went galloping over the beach which she never would of enjoyed before but i didn't push at all and she was eacing against a 15'3 tb and beat it haha yes thats right my 16h shire cob out rang a tb haha i was well impressed.

With Alfie - we drove 7 hours just to view him and i knew straight away even at two weeks old that i wanted him - he was not like anything i'd seen and was just lovely. 5 month later he was away from his mum and on his way home with me =) he's the best 1yr old ive ever known and astounds all off us every day as he just isn't scared of anything and will do anything u ask of him =) Xx
 
My old horse, yes. We were after a 15hh-ish cob who'd hunt and do low level dressage and hack safely- NO jumping. Preferably under 16yo. Went to see Cheeky on a spur of the moment thing and fell in love with the 15.2hh TB ex-racer, who was 21, nearly 22. He spent the last 5 years of his life with us, and I miss him dearly. Truly was the most amazing horse I could have ever owned, and gave me my confidence back. But he really didn't do dressage, hunt, and was a bit iffy out hunting!!!
 
I viewed around 18 over a period of a year! took so long as we were buying one horse for two completely different riders, (calm and more nervous happy hacker sister, and me being quite confident into fast jumping and schooling) but in the end bought an unsuitable 5 year old mare who was a complete pain but taught us both how to ride better, and now she is a fab little mare we can both ride with a great temperment!- we didnt know what we were doing tbh and its very lucky we got such a well tempered pony.
 
I spent ages looking for my horse, tried about 15 horses and still managed to end up with a dodgy one!! Next horse was the first i tried and i've had her 5yrs now and she is perfect :) I have also just brought a youngster, he was also the first I went to try - so we shall see how that one works out!!! :p
 
I didn't even want mine! She was being given away from where I work and was told by the head lass that she would be perfect for me. I didn't like her at all, the first time I met her she dragged me the whole way in from the field and then charged me out of her stable about 6 times before I got angry and gave her to someone else to deal with. Took her on intending to sell her and get a bit of money from a free horse. I've now spent more on her than I'd have ever got for her, and I've only had her 6 months! But I wouldn't/couldn't change her for the world :)
 
Like many I spent ages looking at adverts in magasines & on line then eventually go of my backside & went to view. Ist horse I went to see I walked passed as it was nothing like the advert. Needless to say I didn't buy it. The next horse I went to see was lovely, he was 6 & didn't know much but was a lovely person so we bought him. That was 6 years ago, we still have him & he's a lovely all rounder. Second horse was actually found by daughter's trainer, went to see him, tried him out & he was ideal, has great paces & a fantastic jump so we bought him. That was 2 years ago, still have him & he's doing very well.

So we bought 2nd horse we saw & then 1st horse we viewed. :)
 
I didn't buy the first horse I saw (too green) but my YO did! She paid £1200 and sold him 6 months later for £4000. Though she did do a lot of work on him in that time!
I bought the horse that was perfect when I tried him, until he took off up the field, bucked me off and I got concussion.
Saw several others after him but, lord knows why I went back to try him a few more times before I bought him.
He was a monster for the first year and a half, but now he is the (slightly naughty) horse I always wanted and has taught me so much, hopefully I will be able to keep him forever and ever.
 
Yes I did my 15.2 bought for £700 vet put her at AGED!!!! Sold her for £1200 I reckon she was about 20 yrs old still going strong amazing horse. Next 16.2 TB x ID bought for £1000 took it to intermediate level eventing sold it for £6000 fab horse. Horse I have now bought it for £8000 its now competing at advanced level dressage and although I wouldnt sell in a good market I could probably get £15000. All of the above are the first horses I have seen!! I trust my gut instinct and I guess it hasnt let me down
 
My first horse i looked at over 40 horses, it took me over a year to find her.
I got a horse 4 weeks ago yesterday and he was the first one I went to look at, he has turned out to be the best horse i've bought!
 
i think i have only been to see 2 or 3 horses i haven't bought- the rest were bought on the spot (15+ horses).

it does take a lot for me to actually go and see a horse though and hundreds are discarded at the advert stage.
 
Um yes, six times :D

Although to be fair I was only actually looking for one on two occasions - my first horse who is still with me 21 years later and a pony for my elder daughter who is now going great guns with my younger one. The ones that appeared unbidden are still with me too including the 18 month colt who is at HOYS as a stallion this Friday (so excited....), one mare who has now been with me for 19 years, another who has been here for 11 years (where does the time go?!) and the lovely pony mare that my elder daughter now rides who arrived as a very bolshy 2yo free to a safe home.
 
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yep! Joey was the first horse I viewed and I walked away with a deposit down on him!! lesson learnt though cause to cut a long story short, he was most likely doped when I bought him and I was very novicey with buying horses - they saw me coming a mile off!
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glad I bought him though!
 
Thankyou for all your replies, all of your stories are very interesting and each and every one is different :D I love how the first horse to be viewed and bought generally is something completely different to what the buyer was after but end up keeping It anyway for it to turn in to something amazing!!

PC Steele, that is a hell of a lot of profit to be made, how I would love to make that kind of money in that way! Fantastic!!
 
I brought the first one I saw, something just told me as soon as I saw him he was perfect for me and I have had him for 6 yrs now. Love him to bits! I was distraught when he came out 1/10th lame on the vets check.... luckily it turned out to be only a loose shoe though... I burst into tears on the vet before he even had the chance to say "but" lol he must have thoguht "crazy bint"
 
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