Do you think it's okay to investigate your horse's past?

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FionaM12

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I bought my mare back in June. I'm in NW England, but she came from far away in the Scottish Highlands. Her name was Marti when she came to me, but I didn't like it so changed it to Mollie.

Mollie's 17 years old, in very good health and sound but very nervous, which I mostly put down to the trauma of her big change of environment. I'm really curious to know her past, even if possible her breeding.

Her last owner only had her a year or so, she started a trekking business but gave up after one season and sold the horses. She's told me who she bought Mollie from (another trekking place who sold her because they wanted matching Highland greys!). On Mollie's passport there's yet another name of a previous owner.

Do you think it's ethical to write to the names I have and investigate further? Or do you think people might think it intrusive or inappropriate?

I love Mollie to bits, although her nervousness is a bit of an issue, but I'm not blaming anyone else for that! I'd just like to know more about her past.

Do you think I should go for it or leave well alone?
 
No harm at all just writing a letter to prev addresses in her passport (explaining where you got the add from). You could enclose an up to date pic too as well as your address incase they would like to write back. Just say that you are interested in her history, that she is settling in well, you are enjoying riding her etc. People can simply choose not to reply if they don't want to.
 
Hi I think it is fine to try and find out about your horses past, I once had Farmkey freezemarking contact me to see if I would talk to the new owner of a horse I had previously owned. It went very well and we exchanged photos of him as he was and is now. I was able to fill her in on what I had done with him. She was sold him as an elementry dressage horse and I had only jumped him so we compared notes I found it reasuring that he was being well cared for.Good luck
 
I found out a huge amount about my horse by writing to the breeders. They were thrilled to hear from me, and gave me lots of info about him and his equine family generally.
 
Thanks for the encouragement everyone!

By the way, if anyone here recognises Mollie from my pics or remembers coming across a bay mare called Marti in Scotland, please do get in touch!
 
Hi,
just a word of warning... I bought a horse earlier this year and emailed the previous owner to find out about her past and really wish i hadn't!
I found out some things about her behaviour that caused me to loose my confidence with her (she bucked, bolted etc) and i have ended up selling her.
I really don't want to put you off if its really what you want to do, and you are probably a much more confident rider than me, but after i contacted the lady (who had had her from a 3 to 10 year old) i wished that i didn't know as i would have probably been a lot more confident with her.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
I must say that she never bolted with me (she did buck a couple of times) but the thought was in my mind.
Good luck whatever you decide! X
 
Daisy dancer said:
Hi,
just a word of warning... I bought a horse earlier this year and emailed the previous owner to find out about her past and really wish i hadn't!
I found out some things about her behaviour that caused me to loose my confidence with her (she bucked, bolted etc) and i have ended up selling her.
I really don't want to put you off if its really what you want to do, and you are probably a much more confident rider than me, but after i contacted the lady (who had had her from a 3 to 10 year old) i wished that i didn't know as i would have probably been a lot more confident with her.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
I must say that she never bolted with me (she did buck a couple of times) but the thought was in my mind.
Good luck whatever you decide! X
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That's something I hadn't thought of! Still, maybe it was better for you to know the potential dangers and sell her, than carry on in blissful ignorance and have an accident?

I'll bear your warning in mind!
 
I have written to the previous owners of my last 3 horses and they have all responded with lovely letters or e-mails and given me pictures of them as foals etc. Its really nice to know more about your horses past :)

I would say no harm at all, you make your own judgments of your horse and just because he did somthing with one person doesnt mean he will do the same for you.

Good luck :)
 
i phoned the breeder :D as met/brought horse of only other owner.

i found it great to know about the history. and good luck in your seach for info.
 
I have been able to find out quite a lot about Captain's past through a friend, stud book and also through previous owners, so why not? Even if they don't reply at least you know you tried. I would not worry about finding something bad, it is the present that is most important. Hope you find out about Mollie and please share with us if you do. She is a stunning girl, if that is her in your signature.
FDC
 
I found out a lot about our old horse Hazel by contacting people through her passport. I spoke to her breeder, the people who had her as a 3-5yr old. The lady that had from 5-6yr old and the girl I bought her from 6-8yr old. Everyone was really pleased to her from me and see how she was getting on. I found out a lot and it was a positive experience, at the time I was thinking of selling her and they were all interested in having her back so also a good way for a horse to go to a good home if you are selling.
 
Fany Du Champ said:
Hope you find out about Mollie and please share with us if you do. She is a stunning girl, if that is her in your signature.
FDC
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Yes, that's her, and thankyou! I find her quite beautiful, but I then I am rather besotted with her.

On her passport it describes her as a "cob cross" but she doesn't look all that cobbie to me. She's about 14.2 (never measured her) and picks her feet up very high like a hackney when she trots, I do wonder if there's some hackney in her.
 
ohhhh [lease do trust me if they dont want to reply they wont but most will - from a post I put on a site my mares breeder contacted me to say she was so so so pleased I had her - baby went through hell after she sold her to me buying her - her gratitude that baby was with me till that fateful day was heartbreaking - we mailed she sent me piccies of babys mum and was so so rewarding - contact the last owners as you maybe pleasantly surprised :) ps still have her mails and photos and will treasure them :)
 
My horse has her own facebook page and her previous owner is a friend. We put photos up when we get them.
I think there is no harm in making contact, give them address, phone number and email so they can use the one they find most convenient.
 
Definately go for it! I wrote to the lady who owned our daughters pony years ago, she used him for breeding until she had him gelded as a 10 year old then broke him in and sold him on...we bought him as a 22 year old so it had been some time since she had seen him!
She was thrilled and came down to visit him earlier this year. She brought photos of him when he was shown successfully and loads of photos of his offspring! We are in touch and I send her photos of him now and again. It was lovely to hear about his previous life as a stallion! And she was really pleased that he was a much loved family pony and that he had done so well as a PC pony, as that is what she had hoped he would go on and do when she broke him in.
Send a letter!!
 
I've done this with the last 4 horses I've bought & had some lovely responses. One was owned by top showing people unbeknown to me when I bought him at a bargain basement price many years later, (FMM on here). I found out another had been a twin.

Prepare yourself for things you may not want to hear too - I found out that one had bronked repeatedly as a youngster which led to it being sold on & I always had this in the back of my mind when riding it after this despite it not having done it with me.
 
Go for it! One of my boys is 21. I tracked him down to a 4 year old being chosen off a mountain behind Belfast zoo! Also found out he was a grade B showjumper. Go digging - it can be great fun :)
 
I tried to get in touch with previous owners of my OH's horse (now sold). I think he'd had something like six listed owners in his passport. I wrote a letter, saying what he was doing now, reassuring people that he was in a good home and just asking for an information that people might like to give. I enclosed photos and my email, and even an SAE with each letter. Not a single response. How sad that not one of Echo's previous owners cared enough to respond - of course some may have moved away etc, but I still found the silence a heavy weight.
 
I spent an afternoon on the phone traking down my mares history and spoke to some very helpful people. I was thrilled to find out she wasn't a TBX which is what she was sold to me as but an Arab x Gypsy cob ( my 2 perfect horses ;) )

I didn't manage to fill in all the gaps but really enjoyed finding out about her and the people were more than happy to chat.

I love keeping in touch with my old boy and the new owners ( they have had him 8 years now) are now firm friends and I have regular updates and photos which is wonderful.

Good luck x
 
I made the first step at finding out more about my boy's past by accident when I posted a picture update on here! A friend of the owner before me saw it and contacted me and we keep in touch :D

I then took the plunge and contacted his last trainer when he was racing and sent an email with a couple of pictures. I got a fab response and they were genuinely delighted to hear from me - they even sent me some pictures taken when he was in training. I found out lots about him which made sense of his behaviour and I found it really useful and rewarding. :D
 
Spot_the_Risk said:
I tried to get in touch with previous owners of my OH's horse (now sold). I think he'd had something like six listed owners in his passport. I wrote a letter, saying what he was doing now, reassuring people that he was in a good home and just asking for an information that people might like to give. I enclosed photos and my email, and even an SAE with each letter. Not a single response. How sad that not one of Echo's previous owners cared enough to respond - of course some may have moved away etc, but I still found the silence a heavy weight.
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Poor horse, what a shame!
 
FionaM12 said:
She's told me who she bought Mollie from (another trekking place who sold her because they wanted matching Highland greys!).
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pm me the name of this place, I have a sneaking suspicion I know which one it will be :)


I would love to know my boy's history but I can only trace from when he was imported from Belgium as a 5/6 year old (I'm his second owner in that time). I'm quite interested in warmblood breeding but don't even know his!
 
Spot_the_Risk said:
I tried to get in touch with previous owners of my OH's horse (now sold). I think he'd had something like six listed owners in his passport. I wrote a letter, saying what he was doing now, reassuring people that he was in a good home and just asking for an information that people might like to give. I enclosed photos and my email, and even an SAE with each letter. Not a single response. How sad that not one of Echo's previous owners cared enough to respond - of course some may have moved away etc, but I still found the silence a heavy weight.
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I know how you feel as I had the same type of experience. My mare had some serious issues and the previous owners were maybe covering something up?

Although they were intrested enough to look at my FB page, they could tell me nothing about her or of the cicumstances surounding her being sold?? She was a good SJ but I don't even have one photo.

You just know there is something like a serious injury in the past and that perhaps a problem horse had naughtily been passed on? Maybe you as its final and present owner should really know all the facts, but never will?
 
FionaM12 said:
Yes, that's her, and thankyou! I find her quite beautiful, but I then I am rather besotted with her.

On her passport it describes her as a "cob cross" but she doesn't look all that cobbie to me. She's about 14.2 (never measured her) and picks her feet up very high like a hackney when she trots, I do wonder if there's some hackney in her.
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I thought she might be ID x she just has that look about her.
FDC
 
You'd be mad NOT to. Go for it. I had a poor demented mare that I was at a loss how to deal with. By chance I discovered her penultimate owner, who'd known the mare since birth. He told me everything he knew and it completely changed the way I handled her etc. The best thing that could have happened.

I hope you find Marti's old owners.
 
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