First horse reccommendations needed!!

[Snixon]

Hi All,

I am finally buying my own horse! Yay!
I am viewing a few currently but i would like to know the cheapest people/places to cover the following:

To have my horse Vetted when purchased where is cheap?

A farrier (cheap but reliable)

Who to insure my horse with (cheap as poss)

A vet should i ever need one

and anything else people can think of that i may need??


Thanks all. Any help would be grestly appreciated as this is my first time buying, i am pretty much throwing myself right in the deep end!!!

My horse will be stabled in Stockport area in Manchester.

xx Sophie xx

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Quite often in life, you get what you pay for. Cheap horse insurance (there is one notorious company) is sometimes not worth the paper that it is written on.

Ask horsey people in the area who they recommend and take a deep breath because horses are expensive but it is worth paying for the best when it comes to Vets and Farriers.

Good luck with your new horse.

 

[Snixon]

yes i completely agree! i want value for money, the cheapest reliable one there is haha if that makes sense i want to save every penny i can but am definitely expecting the worst lol! x

 

[sharky]

Agreed.
Please don't go cheap with everything esp things like insurance and farriers. Your horses health is the most important thing.

I know its not what you want to hear but if you realistically can't afford to have a horse then wait a while till you can.

sorry i can't offer anything better.

 

[Snixon]

No its ok i understand you completely, you dont know me and for all you know i may want cheap rubbish for my horse. well i can assure you i dont and i would not dream of buying my horse if i couldnt afford it. ive spend a long time waiting for the right time until i can and i am now well ready.

i want whats best for my horse, but like everyone else im sure - i want to save pennies where ever i can. for example my riding instructor is fabulous and only charges 25 an hour, all the others at her level charge 35. So excellent service, but cheaper - this is what i meant

hope ive cleared things up a little and am not coming accross naive as i certainly am not lol! xx

 

[Ashleigh_]

It really worries me that you are so focused on getting everything as cheap as possible. Your priority is to enquire for best quality care for your horse, and only then work it to your finances.

Horses are not cheap, ever.

As others have said, you get what you pay for and sometimes doing things on a budget can be false economy. I'm not saying that horses are for people with huge budgets, i'd say 95% of people on this forum (including myself) work their butts off to keep their horses. Even so, it still comes at a massive sacrifice to other things such as social lives, new clothes/shoes, holidays, nice cars.

There is no harm doing things on a budget, but if it means compromising on basic standards of equine care then i'd suggest you delay and save up. I saved up for Ronnie since I was 6 years old, all my money went into a genuine old school piggy bank and eventually I had enough. I now work every spare hour I can at university to pay for him.

Please have a real think about these things before taking the plunge.
All the best though, it's the most wonderful, testing and rewarding experience xx

ETA: Just read your reply post above. Sorry if I have reiterated what other have said!

 

[tasteofchristmaschaos]

Even so, it still comes at a massive sacrifice to other things such as social lives, new clothes/shoes, holidays, nice cars.

Please explain these terms for me, it's been so long I seem to have forgotton what they are... lol.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

What sort of horse are you looking at and what sort of livery will it be on?

Would you be able to have the horse only shod on the fronts or possibly unshod/barefoot? (Would still need regular hoof checks).

Would a two stage vetting be enough or do you actually want a five stage?

Do you need to insure for loss of use, or do you just want 3rd party and Vet's fees? (You will still need to pay for vaccinations and the insurance excess).

 

[Snixon]

You are all getting the complete wrong ened of the stick here.

never have i once said that i cant afford my horse? i more than can afford it. but some farriers round my area charge the earth and are no better than someone who is £10 cheaper for example.

so please when i say i can afford it take it that i can. a horse is an amazing animal, they have been my life since i was about 7 and will be giving it my entire life so

but in the current economic climate, i really dont see the harm in trying to save a couple of pennies now and again so i dont get ripped off as being new to actual 'ownership' i have never done the choosing on who i use.

I am looking to spend 2500 max without tack or 3000 with tack. vieiwing a horse this saturday for 1600 so not sure whether i would have a 5* but then viewing one sunday for 2500 so would probs go for 5* in this case??

do not think i would insure for loss of use, third party and vets i was thinking but would be nice to hear opinions and stories hense my post on here.
with regards to being shod or not, to be honest if they come shod then i may be reluctant to take them off, but i will be doing road hacking as there is not much off road so would need them anyway i reckon!

my horse will be on part livery by the way. looking for all rounder, that excels in show jumping as i asm hoping to BSJA and local comps. x

 

[Ashleigh_]

I apologise if I sounded condescending.
I would suggest that it might be better to ask people at your new livery yard who they use and for general recommendations so you can build up lots of horsey contacts, it will be a good conversation starter to make friends

Another tip would be to see if your local area has a horsey facebook page? In Sussex we have one, and also Kent has one. They are really useful for word of mouth info, horses for sale in the local area, and finding bargain tack and rugs.

Good luck to you

 

[Snixon]

its ok thanks Ashleigh!

Yeah thats a really good idea i will defnitely do that whilst im looking around etc im on a yard at the moment part loaning still so will ask there first and then at my new one when i move.

thanks again x

 

[Meowy Catkin]

You are all getting the complete wrong ened of the stick here.

Please don't be offended, we have had some shocking people post on here and I'm really glad that this was a misunderstanding.

Out of my horses I had one 5* vetting, one 2* vetting and two not vetted at all, so I do believe that it depends on the horse that you are buying, what you personally want and your experiance.

I have found that for tarmac, gass and sand schools, shoes aren't really needed so this would be an option to save some pennies. There are some very good barefoot experts on here if you want some more info. You may decide that if you need studs that you want to keep the horse shod.

RE rugs (my favourite ) I like to buy quality turnout rugs with high denier outers in the sale. This works out much better overall as the low denier cheapo ones are destroyed so quickly that I was buying a new one each year.

I would say that 3rd party insurance is a must. What if your horse injured someone? The BHS has insurance with it's Gold Membership. You could always save money in a 'vet fee' savings account rather than insure for vets fees. This is something that you need to think about and decide what's right for you.

Some people get caught out when they but a horse with tack and the horse doesn't come with the tack that they tried it in, so please be aware.

 

[Snixon]

Yes i can imagine i have read some in the past and they are shocking! i can assure you though i am a genuwine horse lover and all my money will go on he/she if necessary, but i am definitely a saver - so if there are ways to save then i will but its not as easy as that haha!

Yes, insurance is a biggie for me, not sure what i should insure for at all! definitely 3rd party without a doubt and probably vet fees so i dont need to worry but i am thinking that will be it.

with regards to the rest of your comments, thanks for the advice!! xx

 

[Ashleigh_]

Also, don't be fooled into thinking that you need a TB or ISH to jump BSJA. Whilst they are beautiful and very good at their jobs, stereotypically they tend to have slightly higher running costs. I think there is even a group on here called tb injury hotline clique or something! I'm sure you do get hardy ones though.. there is exceptions to every breed stereotype!

Maybe consider something with a bit of chunk to it, easier to keep weight on in winter so less feed to be bought, also slightly thicker skinned so might not feel the cold as much so could live out 24/7 grass livery which is cheap? Something with good strong feet could go barefoot, even if you're doing road work provided they can cope, there was a post in the hunting forum about barefoot hunters just for an example of how strong they can be when maintained properly

Obviously, I can understand if you would rather not get a big chunky cob (although you will get floods of people insisting cobs can jump! thought i'd cover myself incase they pounce!) but for example my friends ex racer costs nearly double in 'keeping costs' than my boy.

Best thing to do is suss out what your new horse needs and tailor your care to suit them, if they need shoes then have them, if not take them off. You might find something that is a good doer and looks great on adlib hay and good grazing but is always injuring themselves.

It's swings and roundabouts! Just go with the flow and enjoy!

 

[Tammytoo]

I think probably it is the use of the word "cheap" which is upsetting people here. The best way to find out what you are asking for is personal recommendation from your instructor or other liveries at the yard you use. Generally you will find that good farriers charge more or less the same. The cheapest bedding is straw, but not necessarily the nicest to use and very smelly! A proper horsey vet is a must, not the local small animals one. You can pick up good 2nd hand rugs from tack shop notice boards, pre-loved etc. The Horseware Mio range is very good value for new rugs. 2nd hand saddles are a good buy but make sure you get one fitted by a good saddler or you could end up ruining your horse's back. There is no best place to buy an "inexpensive" horse, but set yourself a limit and spend hours, days, weeks, months looking for your perfect horse. Finally, no matter how experienced you are, take your instructor or a knowledgeable friend with you when viewing.

Good luck!

 

[BlackVelvet]

It really worries me that you are so focused on getting everything as cheap as possible. Your priority is to enquire for best quality care for your horse, and only then work it to your finances.

Horses are not cheap, ever.

As others have said, you get what you pay for and sometimes doing things on a budget can be false economy. I'm not saying that horses are for people with huge budgets, i'd say 95% of people on this forum (including myself) work their butts off to keep their horses. Even so, it still comes at a massive sacrifice to other things such as social lives, new clothes/shoes, holidays, nice cars.

There is no harm doing things on a budget, but if it means compromising on basic standards of equine care then i'd suggest you delay and save up. I saved up for Ronnie since I was 6 years old, all my money went into a genuine old school piggy bank and eventually I had enough. I now work every spare hour I can at university to pay for him.

Please have a real think about these things before taking the plunge.
All the best though, it's the most wonderful, testing and rewarding experience xx

ETA: Just read your reply post above. Sorry if I have reiterated what other have said!

Completely agree with this! Horses are anything but cheap and there is always something else they need, and just when you think you have abit of spare cash, they need the vet! I would always budget more than you think you need..