Ex school horses

L

LuanneCat

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 June 2005
Messages
701
Location
South Gloucestershire, UK
Visit site
Does anyone have one and what were your experiences? and if you don't have one would you consider it?
smile.gif
 
The only thing you have to remember is that they are polite etc because they are getting regular work. If you buy one and it's charcter changes look at the amount of work it is now getting
 
Yes, the horse I had on loan before getting my Welshy was a school horse and he was just fab. Let me make all my mistakes, learn which way round brushing boots went, etc and just let me get on with it all without getting annoyed!

The horse I then bought had also been in the school (I bought him from the same people) bu only for about 6 months. He hated the school environment so was used only for the better riders who wanted a "challenge" or for the hacks, where he just switched off and plodded along at the back. Took him out of that environment where he was in regular work and he did get very sharp. I have to make sure he gets worked every day and he needs plenty of variety, but that's his character rather than because he came from a school environment. He wasn't happy in the school and thrives on one-to-one contact, having the same person for everything.
 
I had an ex riding school pony and she was the best mare I ever had, wasnt a typical rs pony was sharp, But was safe with it. Would do it again it took some time to school her properly but we ended up winning at county shows so cant all be bad.
 
My second horse was a school horse & he was ideal for what i wanted him to do. He was a fab alrounder, he was good at dressage, fab to jump. He taught me how to jump all you had to do was point him at the jump & he would do the rest. He was great fun to hack out & good out hunting, but i suppose i had an advantge that i worked at the riding school he was at so i knew exactly how much work he was doing. Some of the school horses where i worked would go abit sour because they were over used because they were good school ponies. & some wouldnt like to be groomed or tacked up from having kids being rough wih them. So i think there is alot of pros & cons & would definatley consider another ex school horse. When my OH got on him he would go round like a plod but then when a rider got on him he would pick up.
932_mini.jpg

RIP Dunc love ya loads!!
 
Ella is an ex school horse. I was looking for a safe, sane happy hacker and she is all of these and more. She isn't fazed by anything, hacks out on her own and in company and is just a lovely kind mare - she'll never set the world on fire, but you then neither will I!
 
Chex is an ex-school horse. I'm not sure I would have another though. He changed so much once he left the school. He was really nappy, completely ignored the rider most of the time and didn't seem to have a spark. But it has been lovely seeing his personality coming through over the years, and seeing him happy and content. I don't school at all, after years of going round in circles I don't blame him for hating it.

School horses are fine, as long as you realise that they will change when they become a single owner/rider horse and aren't being worked for hours each day!
 
My first ever pony was a riding school one and she was perfect for me at the time, she was so safe and well mannered and took care of me
smile.gif


Not sure if I would go for one now, I think it would depend on the individual horse and my needs have totally changed.
However saying that I sometimes go for lessons at a RS in London when I can't get home to Scotland to see April and some of the horses they use are fantastic.
 
My pony was sold from a riding school because she was considered a liability, I've had her six years and she's shown successfully WH, M&M, Equitation, and she's at Elementary level dressage now. The riding school were using her as a lead rein pony and she obviously knew she was above that.lol. Bless her, wouldn't swap her for the world.

I only found that out with a bit of delving into her history, otherwise I dont think I would have considered buying an ex-riding school horse as I like a fair challenge and a lot of character, I actually bought her from a local dealer for my son, she sure taught him to ride, all be it the hard way.

I know a lot of people who have ex riding school ponies and they've all been perfect and passed on to loads of kids to teach them the ropes, so I suppose there are definate ends of the scale to these things.
 
Lady was an ex-school horse, but only ridden by the better riders.
They had sold her because she had stopped letting people on her back, i bought her and this settled with only me riding her, but she now will let others ride her again.
She is a great horse can have issues at times but is a horse that can be left and then still be the same when ridden again.
 
Hattie was a RS horse, she was there for 2 years. She was used for the heavy beginners and was very switched off when I got her. After lots of fun, hunter trials, galloping around fields, hacking etc she switched on again and is fab. She can be very lively at times and strong with it but is 100% in traffic and I feel very safe in everything I do with her. She was sold because she kept going lame, they told me she can't do circles but I have been placed at nearly every show with her and in our first dressage test, doing circles without one day of lameness. I was offered alot more than I paid for her yesterday, but she is staying with me, for the time being away.
I would get other one but would be very careful, considering how much work they do and whether they would be safe out of a riding school environment.
 
Pickle is on working livery at a RS and is used for beginners and is fine even after a week off. This week we are having building works donw all week on the yard so horses/ponies will have a week off, then will be ridden as usual at the weekend and they will be absulutely fine apart from maybe one horse who is nutty TB most the time!
 
my first pony was a riding school pony but we kept him at the same yard on DIY livery. He was an absolute saint to handle/do in the stable but the only thing i found was that because he was grumpy and hated working properly(used to throw in all sorts of bucks and running backwards tricks!) having lots of different people ride him didn't suit him well. I'd certainly consider having another ex-RS horse as all the ones at our yard are completely used to tractors/quad bikes/dogs/screaming children etc!
 
My girl is an ex-school horse. She is lovely when she wants to be and I've found that she is reliable most of the times for what I want to do with her. I've spent a lot of time and money removing the school shackles and though there is a long way to go I think she'll be brill this time next year. I think they overprice these horses because they are "safe" however I've spent in the region of £2K on her this year undoing the neglect of the past. My advice is to treat the purchase as if it were one from a private buyer
 
H was worked at riding schoold, bought and moved him and he is a different horse, he now responds to the leg, has a sparkle in his eye and loves life every single day ! he has challenged me and taught me a lot of how to deal with things. All I will say is that is horse is at riding school and you move it, it WILL change !!!!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top