Did you end up with your 'dream horse' or 'suitable' horse?

Archiesmummy

Archiesmummy

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Just wondering really.

When I got the all clear to go look for my horse I had two trains of thought. The first was what my dream horse would be. Imagine Black Beauty or a stunning coloured warmblood type, handsome, not too heavy and I would keep it in the lap of luxury with no expense spared, get jumping, do some shows.

Then reality kicked in. I was a pushing 40 wife and mum of two, working part time and running a home. I needed something to suit my lifestyle and my ever increasing waistline and tight tight time schedule ... oh, and something a bit ploddy.

So, my dream of a Black Beauty lookalikee or warmblood type went out of the window, reality set in. I needed something that pretty much looked after itself, was hardy enough to live out 24/7/365 and a weight carrier. And I found Archie ... he didn't exactly rock my boat or send my pulse soaring when I saw him but I knew he fitted my criteria.

The rest is history. He has turned out to be my dream horse. He is safe, reliable, never ill or sorry, he works around me, not me around him and he can be trusted with young and old around him. I can ride him every day or not for weeks and he doesn't change.

I am so, so lucky. I am surrounded by people who have gone for their dream only for it to turn into a nightmare when their horses do not suit their abilities or expectations.

So many people seem to over horse themselves and go for looks and what a horse has done rather than practicality and suitability. I know of one person who is a happy hacker, bought a TB who is cracking to look at and had evented, done loads. She encounters a problem every time she gets on to ride, she doesn't enjoy her riding, mare doesn't enjoy her riding and both seem thoroughly miserable. She'll never sell and may retire mare as she deems her unsafe. Mare just does not seem suited to her lifestyle. A happy hacker she is not.
 
My dream horse as a child of non horsy parents who lived in a council house was a flashy chestnut arab. At aged 18 I ended up with a flashy grey part arab pony and a cob X foal....the former was lovely and a star for many years (he ended his life with us) - the other was a bit of a bag,and I sold her when I got married at 25.
I got a flashy chestnut TB who I had lots of fun on.......and from then on I have never really liked anything (in the sense of passion) that is not TB - despite having had over 100 different horses / ponies over the years. TB's are just wonderful horses!
 
I made my dream horse!

Everyone says how lucky I am to have Bodey, but what they forget is I actually bought a wild 3 year old and put in a lot of work, time and lessons to get what I have today 3 years later. He is my horse of a life time, I would never sell him.
He is very me though, coloured cobs have been my thing since I was a kid. :D

That’s why I had to sell my TBx, he was never going to be what I wanted.
 
What a lovely story.

I tend to end up with projects, Lil is definitely a project but then it will be even sweeter when we get there!

She isn't my dream horse and at the moment isn't suitable as she gets too excited in company but we're working on that. If she turns out to be able to do a passable Prelim test and jump 3ft xc then she might just be the one !
 
My dream horse-
One that would jump anything and everything (pretty much)
One I could compete without having to think "oh is it too big?"
One that would try everything I wanted to.

My horse-
Jumps anything and everything- pretty much, obviously does have a max. but haven't got there yet.
Compete him in whatever I want, obviously not huge, but I don't want to, I am happy at PC open :D
He tries everything I ask him to do. when i got him we didn't realise he hadn't actually done XC before, and yet the weekend we got him we came 3rd in a hunter trial. genuine?

Hes everything i dreamt of, aged 12 and a whole lot more :D Dream horse and one in a million.
 
I don't think I've ever had my dream horse - but oddly have ended up with my perfect horse!

When I was a kid looking for 1st pony, I tried my 'dream' horse which was prob a welsh B or C chestnut mare (not sure which) - very flashy, floaty, but I couldn't ride one side of it. I was 10 - fortunately my non-horsey parents decided that it was too much and I ended up with a heinz 57 that really taught me to ride.

Later on, looking for my current horse, I was after a 16.2 TB gelding to event. Wound up with a 15hh cob x mare - so none of my boxes ticked, but she was just the right horse at the right time, and I seriously clicked with her personality. Wouldn't swap her for anything now, although I do still get TB envy at shows sometimes :o:rolleyes:
 
I bought my dream pony as a project originally, however about 2 months in I decided he wasn't going anywhere and I still have him 3 years on! I had actually gone to look at another horse but saw this scrawny little hairy bay cob stood tied to a fence and fell in love instantly! I love my Olly bear and can't wait to have him back! 1 week down 51 to go!
 
I had my dream horse when I was younger. He was a chestnut part arab, blaze and 4 socks and I loved him with all my heart. We had years of fun together and there will never be another like him for me.
I now have 3 lovely girls who are nothing like him at all but who suit me very well nowadays. Two sturdy ponies and an IDX, all sensible and laid back, though those ponies have a fair bit of attitude!
I often look at TB and arabs, especially chestnuts, but I know I'm better matched with my current girlies. I put comfort over looks these days - as can also be seen from my shoes!
 
The horse I had before uni was unsuitable for a 16yo girl... he was flashy and scopey, but backwards, difficult and nappy. But I wanted a project and boy did I get one. I worked hard, nearly gave up, broke some ribs, and kicked myself for not working harder. When I sold him to go to uni, I sold a scopey, forwards horse who;ll never be a novice ride, but I sold him to his dream home. Somewhere that could (and still does) keep him fit and busy, and at 18 he's still eventing at novice level with the same people I sold him to. He taught me a lot about the difference between dream horses and suitable horses.

I think in a way my "dream!" horse and my "suitable" horse are now quite similar, and the longer I've had Ron the more I've realised that much as my heart would love to jump round Badders or Burghley, in reality the odd 5 bar gate out hunting is plenty, or a course at BE100. My passion is hunting, and that's what Ron does best.

He's fun, but safe. He's reliable but quirky. He's loyal and dependable. He goes, he jumps whether I want to or not, he looks after novices and plays up to me. His scope isn't limitless, but neither's my ambition. He'll cuddle me but no-one else and it's almost that which makes me love him the most. He's a horse in a million.
 
The last horse I bought, my girl, Be, is most certainly my dream horse. However, devastatingly she is now written off, so I am looking to buy another... :( Luckily Be is perfectly healthy for breeding, so I hope a baby Be will follow in its mother's footsteps.
 
Well i always wanted an ex racehorse to reschool, chestnut in colour and would jump anything ... well i ended up with the exracer haha
The first horse we went to view was a chestnut and was vg at jumping, done xc n all but had an old injury so we didnt buy ... next one was a grey 4yr which had done a few p2ps, I really didnt want a grey and when we tryed him out (on the gallops) i could barely get the fatty to canter ( he'd been turned out because he was 2 slow and there was no free stables) ... Well we got him and after a couple of years is a completely different horse :D he wouldnt even jump a xpole wen we 1st got him and was really hollow and looked like a giraffe to put it nicely oh and refused to canter on the right rein lol .. now hes on the bit beautifuly and will jump up 2 1meter ... hes by no means perfect but I wouldnt swap him for anything not even a 4* eventer :P hehe
 
My dream horse is in my field BUT I have realised this too late. Shes now arthritic and I am too big. I wish I knew what I do now when I was 13 when I got her we could have done so much more.
 
I was very lucky to end up with my dream horse.
i'd always wanted a foal so in 2003 i took the plunge and bought the first one i saw ,he is an irish x and was suppost to make 15'3 as i knew i wanted something not to big with a quiet temp.
i put a deposit down when he was 3 days old and visited weekly.
Then it began to go wrong, lets just say all was not as it should be and i ended up bringing him home at 4 month completely unhandled ,complete with stangles/worms etc against the advise of my vet.
some how he managed to survive (some didnt) he is now 16'3 and i could not have went and bought a nicer horse with all the money in the world.
yes he has unknown breeding (i wanted something posh & thought id bought breeding)
he was very naughty last year and is far too big for me.
but he has made all my dreams come true.
i broke him and did all the work myself ,he is nearly 7 now and we have just completed our 1st BE90 last weekend.
sorry to all you out there who are having problems i do know how lucky i am.
it hasnt been without a few nightmares along the way but i think im darn lucky to have my dream horse x
 
Roy boy is definitely my dream horse...
17.2hh, stunning fleabitten grey Hanoverian x Dutch Warmblood, and although he is now 24, he still makes me laugh out loud with joy when we gallop.
I never thought I'd get on a horse again after two horrid accidents, but the moment I sat on Roy (after a LOT of persuading), I knew that he was my perfect horse.
He's taught me so so much, and the more confident I have got,the more ridiculous and naughty he has got!
He was a puissance horse in Holland, and then came over to England and got to Grand Prix dressage, so he has improved my riding a gazillion fold, and is incredibly good at sorting out my mistakes and telling me to stop interfering!
I love my other horses just as much as I love Roy boy, but he is my once in a lifetime dream horse, and there'll never be another as perfect for me as him, and I hope that he feels the same way about me!
 
Dream horses, still regularly pinch myself when I go to the stables. In some ways not the most suitable for a short, amateur, short on time girl but the I feel a million dollars when I ride them & as mastercard says, that's priceless :-)
 
There are some lovely stories here. It really made me smile.

My horse is a dream come true in that he's mine and I have him!

He is my dream horse in that he has lovely paces and the feeling I get out of him when doing dressage is amazing. He is my dream horse in that he is spirited, he is an anglo and has a beautiful face.

He is the suitable horse in that I can do anything with him in the stable and he is friendly so my non-horsey parents love him too.

He is not necessarily sutiable in that the little jumping I want to do with him is not always possible away from home (is at home though) and he can nap sometimes, which I just set straight and generally don't mind, but sometimes it is annoying.

So I compromise on some things, but nothing that is unbearable or unsafe and I love him to bits! X
 
Nope, not at all! I went looking for a reasonably built (i.e ID type) that I could just point at things and it'd jump and that I could spend hours out really riding.

Enter, Darcy.

Within the first 6 months I came off more times than I care to remember, he spends a significant amount of time on his back legs if he doesn't get his own way , he's spooky, nappy , does horrifying dirty stops and throws his toys if god forbid he doesn't get a wee before we ride.. I know...

But, having said that we're clear of all but the last 2 issues. They 'rear,' (ha) their ugly head every so often but we've moved on from scaring each other.

He's my buddy, and not going anywhere!
 
Well, my dream horse criteria when I began looking after B went on loan was....
4-5yo
16.3hh
ISH
Coloured or dapple drey
Mare.

I brought home a 16.3hh, rising 5yo, coloured ISH mare.

I wanted something big, so i wouldn't have the heartbreak of outgrowing it again, 16.3hh and growing should be fine for me ;)

I wanted a coloured of grey because they stand out, and I just love the colour, it would have had to been just that bit more amazing to be chesnut (sorry chesnut lovers), which I wasn't going to get unless I found an extra 2k.

I wanted a mare as I get on with them better, I think you can get a better bond with them, and when you have that connection, they will go the extra mile for you. Also you could breed from them....not something I'm planning on atm though!

I wanted an ISH as I like them, good allrounders generally.

And I wanted a youngster because I wanted a project. Boy did I get a project. But it will be so much better when we get there, knowing that I produced her, and no one can take that :) It is bloody hard, but we are on a high at the moment :)

So yes, hopefully, the "dream horse" is in my stable. :)
 
Hm. Don't know what I would have been dreaming of if I'd dremt up the Dizzy one lol :D.

Tiggy was my dream horse - she was the three and a half year old mare that I bought when I went looking for a four or five year old big gelding :D. Loved her. Lost her. Got Dizzy... I know that to get the 'perfect' horse for me, I just have to keep at it with Dizzy :). She has her moments, but she isn't really a spooky horse and (so far!) has shown no tendancy to bolt, which is my greatest fear. So, I'm working on my dream horse :D :D :D
 
I had my dream horse in Cercano, my Spanish boy who was just one of the most generous horses ever made - flashy, quirky, huge jump, and utterly drop dead gorgeous :)

Sadly when I moved over here he had to stay over there and it broke my heart :( So 6 years ago I bought Stan, big BWB, 17.2hh, 4yo and green - totally unsuitable after having 2 children, being rather fat and short of time, so I decided to sell him, but then he dropped dead...and only now do I realise what a great horse he was!

So then I bought Zante, impulse buy as she reminded me of my Spanish mare - she hunted well but jumped everything as if it were 5ft and got a tad dangerous, so I PX'ed her (and since found out she had a brain tumour!)

Splodge was next and I adored him but I impulsed bought a new Spanish stallion and he had to go....a lot of the reason why was because my YO hated him, for no real reason other than he was accident prone! In retrospect I should not have bought Chico and should have kept Splodge for a while longer.

Chico got sold as he was too small for me and I had an ex-Intermediate eventer on loan who was very quirky at times, it didn't work out...

I bought Porridge who was lots of fun, fantastic hunter, but didn't have the competition ethic that I was after and I found her a bit boring at times. Had an ID on loan at this time too, who was a bit of a fruit loop, but he was too much like hard work and very strong so he went on to be sold too.

Sold Porridge and bought Ted....aaaaaaaaah Ted, at last I have found my dream horse. He is full of personality and I adore him almost as much as Cercs. No, he won't hunt, no he will never do brilliant dressage, but he is a fantastic jumper! However, we have been blighted with nothing but trouble and I fear we won't still be competing together in 10 years time, which makes me very sad, but I will keep him sound and healthy for as long as possible!

So yeah, lots of *suitable* horses bought en route to *dream horse* !!
 
I would definetly say i have my soul mate,i bought my cob x tb who was 18 months old,a long gangly legged baby with a big head and not very much to look at,i did want a hunter or cobby type horse.
For the first 6 months it was a hate relationship and i was pregnant,i went in to labour on the yard(i thought it was braxton and hicks),i was also a month early.She went crazy wouldnt let anyone near me,shouted everytime i went to the toilet and dissapeared off the yard.It was a 5 min walk to turn my girly out,so un-broke she pretty much carried me down the road whilst i was in aggony and stood at the gate watching me till i was back in the yard.A week later after having my son i went up the yard and called her out in the field to find her galloping up to me,and since that day we have never looked back and neither have i!I could never get a more honest horse than i have now and have sworn i will never sell her,shes now ridden and going from strength to strength.So i would have to say i have got my dream horse but also gained a friend for life!!!Oh and what a stunning horse she is now as shes 5 this year,and has a temperment to die for.
 
I am yet to find my dream horse! I've had some great horses and ponies, but most have been far too forward going and not at all keen on flat work. I have never had a horse that has been an easy ride, but my horse buying budget has always been miniscule, so my choices have been limited.

The most suitable one I have had was a 14.2 NF I had on loan. He was great, would do everything jumping wise, was a great hunter, safe but not boring and not really a dressage pony. I loaned him in his late teens, and when he reached 20 he started to tell me that he was not happy jumping anymore, so I gave him up. Still see him regularly, he is now thrity and resembles a woolly teddy bear!

I will be looking for another soon, just waiting for the money. What I would like to do with a horse and what I can do are two different things! Like the OP, I now have two small children and a home to run, so the time I have to myself is now limited, so I need a horse that will fit in with that. I need something that can live out, is easy to deal with, won't go mental if it's not ridden for a few days and safely take me round a fun ride or hunter trial when I get the chance to do them. I have promised myself that I will not have any more strong, whizzy speed machines, but I don't want a plodder either!
 
Archiesmummy said:
So many people seem to over horse themselves and go for looks and what a horse has done rather than practicality and suitability. I know of one person who is a happy hacker, bought a TB who is cracking to look at and had evented, done loads. She encounters a problem every time she gets on to ride, she doesn't enjoy her riding, mare doesn't enjoy her riding and both seem thoroughly miserable. She'll never sell and may retire mare as she deems her unsafe. Mare just does not seem suited to her lifestyle. A happy hacker she is not.
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I couldn't agree with this more. I see it all around our area and it drives me nuts. I feel so frustrated for the poor horses, the owners can't ride them, but won't sell them as it would bruise their fragile egos to admit that they are not the rider they would like to think they are.

Back to the subject: My OH has ridden since she was tiny, I rode in my 20's and then not again until I was 48. We started looking around for something my OH could ride, as it looked at the time as if she would be retiring her mare, but something that I could also occasionally ride.

After a false start, Harry arrived, a chunky 14.2 New Forest. This was not the 16 hand hunter I had in mind.

He was green, I was green, he was nappy, I was nervous, but bit by bit we grew on each other and built a trust and a year after he arrived we did our first fun rides together.

He's a star and we now know and trust each other totally and despite the fact he actually belongs to my OH, she only gets to ride him when I'm not about. :D
 
I would never be able to afford my dream horse (a black PRE) and as for the 3 I own being suitable, they do suit me on the inhand showing side as I enjoy that but I will have to wait on the riding side of things as they are all of non ridden age at the moment but hopefully they will become the calm sensible all rounders I can take anywhere.
 
I 'thought' I had bought my dream horse in 2006 when I bought a 2 year old WB mare. Stunning to look at, well bred and was going be be huge (i love big horses), a little tricky on the ground as a youngster and when backed a little tricky but those 'moments' where there if few and far between. The plan was to back her and produce her myself for dressage and just go as far as she would take me. Sadly she was PTS 2 years later.

However i now have Elsa another WB mare but a 6 year old who is only 16.1 and a real poppet. Not really complicated and will never be a world beater but I adore her and haven't enjoyed my riding this much in years.

In hindsight this is what I should have bought back in 2006 she is my dream and most suitable horse.
 
In Monica, I found my dream horse. I was a crazy kid, who loved fast, wizzy, amazing jumping ponies, and that is what I got. Yes, she had some issues where she would throw in the odd buck or rear, but I loved that, and thought it was really funny. Even though I rarely ride her anymore, and we're looking to sell her, she is my soul mate. When I was upset, she would always give me a good ride, and as I grew up and wanted to take things more seriously, she seemed to grow up with me. She really is, my dream horse.

In Wings, I probably found a bit of a nightmare horse. I bought him thinking I could go out and compete, without putting too much work it, yet when I got him home, he couldn't walk over a coloured pole without freaking out. The first few months were a nightmare, and I was really cold towards him, always giving the attention to Monica, not him, and riding him because I had to. He then got an abcess, and leading him in from the field hopping, it really brought home to me, that I did love him. I had been cold towards him, because I felt it was unfair to love him as I did Monica, as he was new. Through those days of polticing, and waiting for him to get better, our bond grew and grew, and when I could ride him again,it was like a fresh start :p. 2 years on, and I must admit, he has turned out to be more of a dream horse, than a suitable horse. We have such a connection, that he tries his heart out for me, and we just go together so well. It does seem weird, that such a terrible event (dealer selling him for not as he really was), has given me such an amazing horse, where we can now go out, have fun, and win!
 
The Spooky Pony is neither my "dream" horse, nor particularly suitable, but he's the pony that needed me, and he's here to stay!

I wasn't planning to buy a horse when he arrived: I had only got into riding again about 6 months before, and the "plan" was to take lessons for 2 years, pay off post-grad debts, and then buy a horse to do dressage on, and a bit of jumping. However, a friend of a friend had this pony hanging about a field not being ridden---they had actually been unable to catch him for quite some time---and asked me if I would ride out with her sometimes...I ended up taking him on loan after sitting on him twice, having been dumped in a mud puddle the first time, and despite discovering quickly that he was completely green and utterly frightened of everything except food (and not the "well-schooled child's pony" that she had bought him for!), I bought him. So now instead of a leggy Trakehner or Hanoverian, I have a 14.1 hairy pony that's very slightly bum-high, has taken well over a year to relax enough to even start thinking about working in a consistent outline, has had me in A&E repeatedly in arguments regarding very small cross poles, and is an expert at sideways teleportation at the sight of the most random things, such as branches. *sigh*. :p Oh, and he has a giant pregnant-looking belly that, it seems, no amount of exercise will shift! :confused:

It wouldn't be fair to him to ask him to do things beyond where his abilities lie, so someday, I'll buy myself the tall warmblood that's probably the "suitable" horse for my long legs, very German seat, and dressage aspirations. In the meantime, we'll continue to plug away at our flatwork, build our jumping confidence so that we can at least do a small course happily, and go on lots of endurance rides---something he shows some talent for, as near as I can judge: he's sound as a bell, reasonably sensible out and about at speed, and seems to have a relatively high level of natural fitness. I've learnt an enormous amount from my spooky little pony...not least a renewed respect for ponies! :)
 
to a horsey child any horse was a dream horse. When I was 29 I was lucky enough to get my first horse. I had Sid for 5 years and while he was far from suitable ( he bit, he kicked,he cribbed) he was mine and was perfect for what I wanted at the time. I lost him Xmas 2008 and was devastated. By this time I had bought Ru in 2006, she was far from what I wanted, I didn't want a youngster, or a mare, and While she was really sweet and amenable We didn't bond.... that is until I lost Sid. Now My little (16hh ish) mare is by far the most perfect and most suitable horse I could have wished for.
 
my dream horse would be flashy warmbloodish, bay and gleaming, fun and kind, and ace at dressage and sj and super safe and unspooky. The reality though is that even if I could afford such a horse I wouldn't be able to ride one side of it!
My girl is turning into my dream horse. One year ago when I bought her she was in v little work, skinny, v low on muscle and without an idea in her pretty little head about schooling, working properly or moving forwards! Now she is well muscled, a stunning oversized pony, schooling is improving, she has learnt that her front legs aren't for hauling herself along on, a legendery safe hack and a total love who is full of character. She has taught me more than I ever thought I could learn and we are still learning. She is my dream horse and becomes more so everyday as she is as safe as houses, though can be a tricky and akward ride and really makes me ride properly as I wouldn't get away without doing so, she is my best mate and I love her to bits, she is the horse of my dreams, I just didn't realise it when I bought her.
 
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