Do you think some people... (£££ on horses related)

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Do you think some people spend far too much money on young warmbloods etc. who have bags of talent which clearly isn't going to be used?

A friend of mine has a really nice horse, I believe they paid about 12k for him as a 3/4 yr old and my friends mum sacrificed having a horse herself, because apparently you have to pay that much for a decent horse! He's HUGE!! At least 17.1, she's had him about 3 years now and is still only doing Prelim dressage and tiny tiny SJ and XC, and doesn't take him hunting - because he's too good for that.
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What is the point?? She would be much better suited to a 16 hands MW that she could have some fun on!

Why do some people want a world beater when the most they are going to do is not a lot?? Seems crazy to me!
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Humm, good for dealers then really!
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I just think it's so weird!! If me and my mum were suddenly horseless and she had money but I didn't, if she said "It's ok Sarah - I'll not bother having a horse because I'll just spend all my money on a 3yo huge warmblood for you" I think would seriously worry about her mental health!
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No, not at all, but I was talking to her mum and she was saying she would really like a horse of her own but she can't have one because they spent all their money on this one! My friend is 29 BTW.
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If people want to spend shed loads on something they are never going to use then thats fine - I just struggle to understand why?? The horse is question isn't really a stunner to look at either.
 
Well TBH, she's a fairly big lass so does need a reasonably sized horse - but not a 17.1! Her and her mum used to share a lovely little mare and both had loads of fun on her.

I agree, nice things come in small packages!
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Although my horse isn't exactly a small package, but he's not being a nice thing at the moment either!
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I spent far too much money on a 3 year old ISH who has more "talent" than I have ever/ will ever use. I'm happy, he is happy- where is the problem?!
 
but did your poor horsey mum have to give up having a horse for it? Thats more my problem.

Whats your horses breeding BTW??
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I'm an ISH fan!
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her mum obviously had a choice whether to spend that much money or not and she chose too for her daughter.

tbh i cant see the problem if your friend is happy - a horse is only as good as you make it so if she is happy doing prelim then why not?
 
To each their own.
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It's not like someone put a gun to their heads or tricked them into buying the horse, is it? I drive a more expensive car than I *have* to have because I enjoy it and it makes me feel good. Where's the harm?

What I do not like to see is people who are unhappy with or disappointed in their horse because it is what it is. When I hear about people trying to make horses jump "less" or downgrade their movement to be more "comfortable" it makes me cringe - isn't that like buying a sports car and then having one of the cylinders taken out because it's too scary to drive? Not to mention that it's no fun and possibly damaging to the horse. Never teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.

But that's a different issue than just spending *too much* money. So long as the person can ride/manage/care for the horse in an appropriate way and it makes them happy, I don't see the harm.
 
Mum is'nt horsey but she gives up an awful lot for him in other ways
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Its no different to somebody buying a fast car and not putting their foot down, or a couple planning no children buying a big house. If you can and its what makes you happy why not
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Bailey is by Master Imp. How are your boys bred?
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Caffrey is just an unknown chappy..

Badger is by Clover Brigade out of a Cruising mare - he was cheep as chips due to being an ugly (thin) duckling and his addiction to his door (i.e. cribbing)
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I've been lucky that I've been able to ride/own a couple of bargain, talented horses. But I have used there ability in the hunting field and I'm trying to progress with my current horses SJing.

I just see it as a waist with my friend and her horse.
 
I did quite the opposite! I had a lot more money to spend then I thought I could really justify - I'm not a great rider and a £10k horse would be utterly wasted on me. I for one would rather have something suited to me and what I want from it rather than spending a lot just for the sake of it. So, I have a lovely youngster who has a heart of gold but who's never going to be a world beater, but we have plenty of fun together!

I think for some people, it's a case of keeping up with the Jones's.
 
My YO does, she'll spend 10k on something that spends most of it's time in the field and then when she takes it out to a show and it doesn't "Perform", it goes up for sale..............
I spent 2k on my TB mare and she does everything and is a pleasure to own.........
 
So what if they are happy, I probably spent well over £10k getting Herbie to the age of 4 I could have bought a youngster for a lot less, but i wanted to breed my own, still money spent though that I didn't have to!
 
if they're happy, then fine, but i think they were probably hugely ripped off! and i agree that a horse each would be fairer, but presumably the mum could get something on loan if she wanted to?

fwiw...
having been a lifelong addict of ISH, about 6 yrs ago i bought a huge babyish warmblood (18h plus) very very cheaply from a friend, mostly because i felt sorry for him in a 10'x10' stable. Bad reasons to buy a horse, part 1.
anyway, i evented him to Novice level, and he was amazing, then he freakishly injured his tendons throwing himself about 20' off the ramp sideways, spooking at a rubber mat. *rolls eyes in despair* he'll never compete again. he's still here, as a nanny/hack, because i can never forget the fact that he is still the best thing i have ever ever sat on, the feeling of power was indescribable. having sat on a horse like that, i can understand people having the guts to come down to a puissance wall. he felt as if he could have jumped a house. even now, just taking him for a gentle canter puts a huge smile on my face. he's awesome.
that feeling is fairly addictive, tbh. i have a few more wbxtb youngsters coming along, but prob won't buy another one - they are weirdly spooky and over-imaginative compared to tbxid, and they're more fragile, guttingly. but the power... wow. if you can ride it (and cope with the spookiness!) it's something else.
 
i spent £1500 on my little mare 9 years ago and she has done absolutely everything i have asked of her since (except the stage of dumping me everytime i sat on her). But she makes me work damn hard for it but keeps me safe. I love riding other horses and am lucky enough to have friend that has horses to sell, break and school which i ride often.

I do wonder somtimes why people think you have to spend £££££ on a horse for it to be good. But also as they are happy more fool them I say spending all that money on something they dont make the most of. I get upset sometimes when i see a good horse being wasted but i dont think that the horses are worried by it I think its just me being jealous as untill i finish uni i cant have another.
 
sorry santa claus i disagree with you on this;
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lines the pockets of dealers over here who make a decent contact over there as their price always at least doubles once crossed the water


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many people over here actually have very little if any idea what has to be done with the horses once they come over here and the additional costs that are endured when importing horses, yes there is a profit to be had, or else no one would do it, but its my far not doubling the horses price by bringing it on to this country
 
i agree and also i think that when you have bred a horse and payed lots of stud fees etc and spent a lot of time with the foal you cant just sell it off very cheap and especially if you have brocken it and backed it.
 
The OP was not about the price of horses and weather people should sell youngsters for a lot of money. I think you have missed the point.

I was just wondering why individuals pay large sums of money for scope/talent that they are never going to come close to using. I don't have a problem with it, just wondered why!
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I agree with starbucks.
I can understand people buying a horse that turns out to have bags more talent than they will ever use and keeping it, i can understand people who can afford to spend huge amounts of money on bags of talent they will never use, and i have no problem with horses not being used to their full potential as long as both the rider and the horse are happy.
What i dont understand is people scraping every penny together to buy a mega talented horse that they wont use to its full potential. Its the same a someone scrimping and saving to buy a powerful car to drive them to work every morning. It doesnt make sense, struggling with money when something cheaper would have made far more sense!
I also dont understand people that have these mega talented horses and dont enjoy them. I dont mean going grand prix with them, but these horses are often super clever and need a challenge to occupy them, if the are just stuck doing something they find easy they can become difficult and then no one is happy.
 
But people aren't very sensible, are they?
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Why do people buy Maseratis or Lincoln Navigators? No one NEEDS cars like that? I have a car that apparently goes 220mph but I don't ever intend to go that fast in it. It would also cost new (which it wasn't to me) as much as many people make in a year. I'm sure many people consider it totally wasted on me but what the heck, I enjoy it. So long as I look after it properly and drive it safely it's no one's business but mine.

I did have a horse which to all appearances cost far more than I could have ever afforded. (I didn't actually pay much initially but he worked out VERY well.) People kept telling me I should sell him because the money would make such a difference to my life. Isn't that kind of the same thing? I *should* have had the money instead of the horse. I didn't sell and I don't regret it for one minute - that horse gave me more than I could ever have wanted and knowing him was a privilege. Plus, sue me, I LIKED having a horse other people coveted.
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I agree it seems odd to scrape to have a fancy horse but look at all the people (many on here . . .) who apparently scrape everyday to keep a horse. I'm sure most people would consider that foolish - why do without for a HORSE?!?! It's a difference of degree, not of kind.

Although, as said, if the horse isn't SUITABLE, that's a different ballgame. An expensive horse is still a living, breathing thing and needs what it needs, regardless of what people want. If the cost is seen to somehow justify not managing the horse properly well, that would be like buying a flash car and then saying there was no money left to service it properly but that somehow didn't matter. Or if the cost is an excuse to do dangerous things above one's skill level, then that is clearly not on.
 
I knew someone who used a credit card to buy their horse, which cost far more than they could afford. The horse had more talent than they could handle and it ended up scaring them, then they struggled to sell it for what theyd paid as it had become used to getting its own way. They ended up in debt and with their confidence knocked all for a horse that had looked good to other people.
That to me seems silly, why not buy something that will do the job, build confidence and not break the bank.
As i said i have no problem with people spending their money on whatever they like, and i have no problem as long as both horse and rider are happy, however i dont see the reasoning behind breaking the bank to have a horse more talented than you need. Especially if that horse ends up knocking your confidence.
I know this doesnt apply to everyone so please dont everyone jump down my throat. In my experiance people that have bought a more talented horse than they need, have been inexperianced people who then find problems when the horse is learning quicker than they are. I am not suggesting this is the case in the OP, or the case with anyone who has posted, just in my experiance.
 
I think the girl I'm on about could easily afford, I wonder if her mum was using it as a bit of an excuse?

Anyway - she's not the most confident rider ever either and even though he is a good boy I'm sure she would do more stuff if she had a smaller one...

some interesting opinions guys, thanks.
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I think that it's good to have a horse that has potential to do more than you are aiming for. My main reason for this is that although when you buy a horse you may have a specific aim, once you reach that aim you may actually then change your mind and want to go further, if the horse has the potential to do so then you won't find yourself having to sell and if you don't decide to go further then the horse isn't going to care.

Also is this girl doing prelim because that's as far as she wants to go or is she just taking it slow because she's got a big horse that develops slowly? Ru is 17hh rising 5 and i am happily taking things nice and slow because he's slow to mature and i want to get everything right and not rush him, i also want to have the time to enjoy everything. i'd like to do elementary in the future but this year i'll prob just do a few walk/trot tests.
 
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