Does anyone have a horse free to good home or cheap

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andrewwright

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Hi i am currently looking for a horse to learn to ride and eventually have a try at jumping i am looking for an all rounder if anyone has one they no longer need or require im on a very tight budget so free or cheap would help im quite tall so ideally would like a horse that is 16hh upwards..Age is unimportant thanks
 
I don't think anyone is just going to "give" a rideable big horse suitable for a beginner away.... they're worth their weight in gold!

Your best bet is either go to a riding school or look for a loan, although if you're a total beginner I can't imagine someone loaning you a horse. Sorry!
 
LOL, good luck mate;)
Why would anybody give away something they can sell for a fairly decent amount of money?
Either save up and cough up or riding school would be your option to learn to ride:)
 
Firstly hello and welcome to the forum.

I'm sorry but i agree with galaxy23. Horses that are very cheap or free to a good home usualy have alot of problems and would not be sutable for what you are after. (Even if someone says it is, Noone would give a horse away if it was good enough to sell)
 
Thanks for the advice i thought i would ask anyway like they say if you dont ask you dont get... im not a total beginner i used to ride when i was younger just a bit rusty now but really want to get back into it ....
 
Have you any idea how much it costs to keep a horse, have lessons, etc? It isn't just about buying a horse and that is it, the ongoing expenses are what kills you!
 
Thanks weezy i have looked into all that and a friend of mine owns a livery and stables and would be there to lend a hand and that where il be keeping my horse
 
Sorry but I don't think you are going to find a horse free or cheap that is suitable for novice riders anywhere! Your best bet is to ride at a local riding school, share a horse, or save up a hell of a lot of money as they are like gold dust :)
 
Why are people so quick to crusify other posters on here, especially when they are obviously new. It is very difficult for male novice riders to find a good proffessional riding school, where they don't feel awkward/odd one out ect, so I can see why he would want to go done this route.

I think maybe AW you should have just asked for a bit of advice first rather go full out asking for a "Free to good home horse" However instead of crusifying you this would be my advice to get you going...

It may be better to find a part loan horse, one thats getting on a bit in age maybe needs a quieter life ect that will stay at the current yard. This way you can learn the necessaries on keeping a horse and have help with lessons ect. In doing this you will become a more desirable loaner to potential loanees.

I'm not sure where abouts you are but there are a number of avenues/web sites ect you can go down to find something suitable if you need anymore help.
 
andrewwright said:
Hi i am currently looking for a horse to learn to ride and eventually have a try at jumping i am looking for an all rounder if anyone has one they no longer need or require im on a very tight budget so free or cheap would help im quite tall so ideally would like a horse that is 16hh upwards..Age is unimportant thanks
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It's possible my friend got her 15.2hh, 19year old ex racer from our riding school for £1000. He'd raced, evented, done loads of comps and spent the last 4 years teaching people to ride. He can be incredibly grumpy :rolleyes: and acts like a 5 year old when ridden on grass (will still jump/XC). Only sold to her as he needed a quieter life.

Try looking on Horse Hunter, freeads.net and putting adverts in tack shops (looking for older horse needing a quieter life to buy/loan with view to buy (hacking, teaching beginner to ride, small amount of jumping) inc that you will have experienced people around that will help you and horse) :D
 
Jake10 said:
It's possible my friend got her 15.2hh, 19year old ex racer from our riding school for £1000. He'd raced, evented, done loads of comps and spent the last 4 years teaching people to ride. He can be incredibly grumpy :rolleyes: and acts like a 5 year old when ridden on grass (will still jump/XC). Only sold to her as he needed a quieter life.

Try looking on Horse Hunter, freeads.net and putting adverts in tack shops (looking for older horse needing a quieter life to buy/loan with view to buy (hacking, teaching beginner to ride, small amount of jumping) inc that you will have experienced people around that will help you and horse) :D
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Finally someone actually offering some good, friendly advice... Jake you restored my faith!
 
Actually I feel some of us gave very truthfull advise. The OP asked if anyone had a horse to give away/ next to nothing for them to learn to ride on and jump, and some of us pointed out that it was very very unlikely. I don't feel I was rude or unreasonable. If the OP isn't careful and warned they could easily end up with something that would be a total nightmare behaviour / health wise and people pointed this out.

It was pointed out that is was highly unlikely to happen. People just don't give away horses that are suitable for beginners. They're diamonds. What is wrong with that?
 
galaxy23 said:
Actually I feel some of us gave very truthfull advise. The OP asked if anyone had a horse to give away/ next to nothing for them to learn to ride on and jump, and some of us pointed out that it was very very unlikely. I don't feel I was rude or unreasonable. If the OP isn't careful and warned they could easily end up with something that would be a total nightmare behaviour / health wise and people pointed this out.

It was pointed out that is was highly unlikely to happen. People just don't give away horses that are suitable for beginners. They're diamonds. What is wrong with that?
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Agree with this. Obviously it depends on what the OP wants to do with the horse. I think the only way you might be able to get a good riding horse for a novice is search all local tack shops, internet, word of mouth etc. But as OP said age is not an issue, then I would think they may find something in late teens/twenties, or from someone that still wants ownership of the horse so maybe a loan/part loan. Sensible horses for novice riders are worth their weight in gold.
 
flojo1 said:
Finally someone actually offering some good, friendly advice... Jake you restored my faith!
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Thanks :D I started looking for horses similar to what OP is looking for about 5yrs ago ended up loaning 5 different horses over the years while saving for a horse of my own. So I know how hard finding one can be. Thankfully I now have a bigger budget and more experience (have been riding for 15yrs but had no real knowledge of what it takes to own a horse) :D
 
LittleSoph said:
Lol, you'll be lucky.
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For example how is the above of any help!!

Ok so your post wasn't that bad Galaxy, but what is the point in the those like the quoted above!

I've seen other posts else where in the forum of people doing the same thing and it just really annoyes me with people posting unnecessary comments like some on here, there is just no need however "open" this forum is meant to be.
 
Yes people give away their horses - there is a post up or down (no idea on this new board) where OP is wanting to do just that...well or pts. Now whether that would be suitable or not is a different matter.
I think to be honest though you might be best being a sharer. I have ridden for years and had a pony as a youngster but it was a whole new ball game when I got my first horse as an adult. Only now, 3 years on and lots of instructors later do I feel we are making progress and this was down to the demons in my head rather than my ability. Looking back lessons at a decent riding school (which I had) and a good share horse to practise on (which I didn't have) would have been better. I currently also have a cob which I trust completely and which I let others on my yard and known friends ride on. I don't require any money as it helps with his exercise. Something like this might be good for you.
 
OP, be very careful.

Most people are not going to give away the kind of horse you want because they have value. If they do, it is likely to be to someone they already know personally.

It would be very easy for you to end up with something totally unsuitable - a horse with pain issues that would be doped up when you go to try it, for example.

I would suggest that you start as a sharer and take it from there. Once you start sharing you will meet more horsey people anyway, and from there may be able to find a suitable loan horse.

They reckon on average it costs about £3k a year to keep a horse, so you need to be prepared for that and have contingency funds as well for vets bills etc.
 
Hello.

Right, just to be honest i don't think you will find much luck with a completly free horse. However, there are plenty of cheaper older horses, who's owners don't want them. The only problem with an older horse is the potential vets bills, higher insurance, keeping it to the end of it's days kind of thing.
 
andrewwright said:
Thanks weezy i have looked into all that and a friend of mine owns a livery and stables and would be there to lend a hand and that where il be keeping my horse
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Is your friend knowledgeable and experienced? If so then i suggest you have a good chat with him/her about your options. If they are experienced they will advise as others have- an all round horse suitable for a novice will not be free! also, it is unlikely imo that you will get one on loan as most owners will be put off by your lack of experience.

I appreciate that if you dont ask you dont get but tbh i can see why people get p1$$ed off with requests like this- as in your OP. Its all one way- i want this, this and this- for free! What about what you can offer the horse? Where it will be kept, etc? Anyone with a half decent horse will be more worried about what you can offer the horse than what you want from it. And anyone who doesnt care about your experience and the home you wouldnt want a horse from anyway.

You need more experience and a bit more tact if your search is going to be remotely successful
 
Where are you? I have a couple of horses that need hacking out during the week (or schooling) - if your not near me (Rye - East Sussex) maybe advertise for a share while you save up more money?

I have advertised for sharers for free riding, week days on safe horses, I have never even had one reply! there are 'part time' horses out there, but not for free I wouldn't think.
 
Have you thought about getting a horse from a trekking centre? There's one on Dartmoor I know and they are looking for winter homes for their trekking horses to save them keeping them for the winter, for sure there are other trekking centres/tourist riding places that do something similar in your area.

OK so you'd only have the horse for the winter, but it comes free! Tho' you'd obviously have to pay for shoeing, worming, keep etc., plus insurance and any vets bills, plus transport.

The other thing is that some riding centres (in my part of the world anyway) are starting to do a "timeshare" thing, where you share a horse for an agreed part of the week with another person. This way, you don't have the initial outlay; you don't have to stay with the commitment long term if it doesn't work out for you; plus you've got experienced people around you if you do have any problems; and the yard owner will match your abilities with a suitable mount. Just an idea.

Or you could go to a rescue centre; they've got horses looking for good homes - but you might have to wait a while to find anything suitable as a lot of their horses may be traumatised and/or have issues.

Emmm, sorry if I come across as a bit in-yur-face, but I don't think, realistically, you're going to find a horse that's any good going "free". The horses that no-one wants unfortunately have behavioural issues and you might be putting yourself at risk unless you've got loads of experience, time, and people to help you. Be careful too that people don't dump something unsuitable/dangerous on you just because you're looking for something free and/or cheap - there's people out there that would take advantage of someone in your situation, so be discerning, and careful.
 
Ditto what has already been said. Buying the horse is the cheap bit. You then have to budget for feed, bedding, livery, shoes, insurance, vaccinations, rugs, teeth and that is if the horse remains fit and healthy. Vets fees can be huge.

I would suggest you find a riding school and don't consider owning a horse until you are certain you can afford to keep it and have some contingency money in the bank.
 
I dunno, I don't see what members problems are on here (jealousy, maybe? Because they paid silly sums for their nags?) I see and have known plenty of older horses going cheap/practically free looking for a quiter life as a hack/light schooling which would be perfect for a novice/non-competitive rider. That's how my OH learned to ride by loaning someone's old hunter/eventer which was only suitable for a quiet life.

But then, any excuse to get the claws out I suppose in the world of women and horses *rolls eyes*
 
i doubt you would get a 'free' 16hh horse there are people out there giving them away you just have to keep looking which could take a long long time but my advise is keeping looking and whilst your doing so save a little too.... good look with your search you dont know if you dont ask :D
 
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