Finding the right horse

[tessasmyth]

There might not be the 'perfect horse' but people can certainly aim for the most compatible and appropriate animal.
I am writing an article for Horse magazine about finding the right horse and am interested to hear your stories/tips/advice.

What are your good and bad experiences of getting a new horse?
Have you gone looking for a safe, confidence-giving schoolmaster and ended up with a 4 year old ex-racer?
How did that work out for you?!
What is the most important thing to consider when looking for the right horse?
What should people avoid?

Please post your stories on here or private message me - the more the better!

 

[CHH]

Hi, are you getting paid to write the article?

Sorry just thought I'd ask.

There is a wealth of experience on here in terms of this subject and I am sure they too would love to earn from it rather than hand it over for free for someone else to make a living, sorry if that sounds abit awful, that isn't my intention.

Many years ago had that happen to me. Just thought I would ask.

 

[tessasmyth]

Sorry, perhaps I should have explained in the first post.
I work for Horse magazine (H&H's sister publication)
I work in the office full-time and am doing this article on top of my normal office-based duties.
So I am paid by the magazine - but will not be paid for this specific article.
I want to hear your stories about trying to find the right horse - I know I have had some good ones and some equally bad ones in the past but can't fill the article with my stories - it wouldn't be nearly as interesting as your stories I assure you!
Hope this makes sense.

 

[brighteyes]

Sometimes the most unlikely animals you would never contemplate buying turn out to be your lifetime horse, never mind just 'suitable'!

Where can you start with that? Our forever mare didn't tick any boxes except colour and maybe height. She has turned out to be amazing.

 

[Fun Foals]

I had a very old, very fat 14'2 coloured cob on loan, to mainly see if i really did want a horse. I was going to be giving him back in the feb and look for my own the. But i went to leominster sales in the september before just to have a look at what was around, Ended up comeing home with a 16h 4yr old ex-racer that had raced 16day before. (with me bing rather a novice rider!) I no alot of you will say i was stupid!

We just saw him and fell in love, and i can honestly say i have never regreated a day of it and he is going nowhere!

The only thing to avoid, something you dont click with.