Mrs. Jingle
Well-Known Member
Ah well if that's the criteria and if I am allowed to count what I was up to 30 odd years ago then I am also an experienced competition rider....retired!
So personally I would still go for the maxi cob any day!
For those actively looking to buy a horse - how hard is it now?
- Thread starter Birker2020
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So personally I would still go for the maxi cob any day!
Birker2020
Well-Known Member
Ha haAh well if that's the criteria and if I am allowed to count what I was up to 30 odd years ago then I am also an experienced competition rider....retired!
Birker2020
Well-Known Member
Ah sorry, didn't realise.
I'd not want a fast growing horse like that, it would worry me. Lol
Upthecreek
Well-Known Member
I think everyone has Birker’s best interests at heart. You have to be realistic and do what you can to set yourself up for success when buying horses though. You need to be able to ride well enough at a viewing (including jumping) with enough confidence to properly try the horse or take someone with you who can ride and whose opinion you trust. You’ve got to stack the odds in your favour as much as possible, given what a minefield it is, and even then there are no guarantees. We’ve all had to face up to the fact that we aren’t the riders we were 20 years ago!
AShetlandBitMeOnce
Well-Known Member
I don't have a dog in the fight that this thread is about to turn into, but the comment you quoted did make me laugh - I have ridden once in the last 2 years since losing my old boy and I am in the process of backing my 3.5yo.. stupid? maybe.. but dangerous only if I am unwilling to admit/get help when/if I need it.
SO1
Well-Known Member
I know not local to you Birker but this one sounds nice https://www.horsequest.co.uk/advertisment/325346
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
It was a long time ago and I'd probably be terrified jumping anything over 2ft 9 now
B if that's your aim aren't you going to pay a lot more than you need to if you buy something a BS record?
I know nothing about how much a BS record adds to value, so maybe not. I do know that a BE record would likely add thousands.
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splashgirl45
Lurcher lover
I can understand where B is coming from, I’ve always had blood horses and never cobs, and if I now window shop I always like the smaller TB crosses and never the cobs especially the ones with huge feathers, the only cobs I have liked are the Welshies… unfortunately I cannot ride any more but if I won the lottery I would buy my own place and have some rescue TBs or similar as I like looking at that type ….we all have different taste in horses so if you are spending a lot on a horse it must be the type you like, it just needs to have the right temperament and be sound. Good luck and please let us know how you get on at the viewing
Mrs. Jingle
Well-Known Member
Why the heck is it about to turn into a fight?
That's pretty negative and a comment that would most likely ensure it does!
splashgirl45
Lurcher lover
He does look like a nice type but I always question why there isn’t a photo , untacked showing conformation
AShetlandBitMeOnce
Well-Known Member
Why the heck is it about to turn into a fight?
I hope it doesn’t, it’s just a turn of phrase as in, I don’t have a point to make on what horse B should get, it’s nothing to do with me, but a post up thread gave me a small inside laugh.
Upthecreek
Well-Known Member
It doesn’t have to be a cob, but the horse has to be able to comfortably carry the weight of the rider, and not be too tall to fit in the trailer, which does limit the options. Having a type you like the look of is all well and good, but practicalities should take priority.
HollyWoozle
Well-Known Member
If we all went out and bought the horses other people thought we should ride then I’d love to see what some of us would be on. 
minesadouble
Well-Known Member
You're not far wrong! He has a JMB certificate for 13.2 but it's just an annual and I would put him at not far short of 14hh now.
He's an absolute star, won his class at Great Yorkshire Show in his younger days, has been to camp with my middle daughter and is currently being ridden by my youngest daughter whilst her Connie is slowly coming back into work after Arthramid.
Super in traffic, hacks alone and in company, you can clip him without tying him up, loads and travels like a dream. He has a mighty pop in him too. Though he's not a big fan of jumping he'll give it a go if you need him to.
There's nothing not to like - except the maintenance of the white feathers
Mrs. Jingle
Well-Known Member
Well I would be on a wooden hobby horse for sure!If we all went out and bought the horses other people thought we should ride then I’d love to see what some of us would be on.
expanding_horizon
Well-Known Member
Birker has shared lots of past photos of her show jumping the horses (before the last one who was never sound) to a fairly decent level in the not so distant past.Personally I had no idea that Birker is an experienced competition rider and as I am not and never have been, well not in my opinion anyway, I will therefore withdraw my unwanted opinion. Apologies all round.....but I would still go for the handsome Irish cob.
Mrs. Jingle
Well-Known Member
And your point is? I do not follow Birker or anyone in particular so why would I necessarily be aware of that? I have already commented on my lack of knowledge concerning Birkers riding expertise directly with Birker, and my own lack of expertise. What do your want me to say?
Barklands
Well-Known Member
Not quite sure what you are trying to say with this and whether this is aimed at me or OP? (Please read as very non argumentative and simply trying to understand what you mean! Hard to convey over the internet haha!) My response to OP was simply that of encouragement, if she is competent, don't let something such as not riding for a while put her off trying the type of horse that she has her heart set on is what I was trying (and possibly failing to convey!).
I don't think people on an online forum are able to judge what the OP should or should not be purchasing so I was simply expressing if she feels competent, to hell with everyone else and go for it!
AdorableAlice
Well-Known Member
RID’s are the slowest maturing breed , hence me saying about having the time to produce him.
Caol Ila
Well-Known Member
As a total digression, Dr. Deb Bennett has been saying for years that there is no such thing as a 'slow maturing breed' or a 'fast maturing breed.' This, I believe, is backed by some pretty solid evidence. You can read all about it here, for instance. https://www.writingofriding.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/deb-bennett-maturation.pdf
All horses of all breeds skeletally mature at the same rate.
No horse, of any breed, at any time, has ever been mature before the age of six. All of them. None are faster or slower than any others. That is urban myth, which sorta useful if you want to start your QH at 2 and need to convince yourself it is a 'fast maturing breed.' It isn't. Nothing is.
You may now carry on with your regularly scheduled thread.
I'm Dun
Well-Known Member
But she doesnt feel competent and thats part of it. No one would in her situation. Shes also 18 stone and the horse has to fit in a trailer designed for a maximum of 16.2hh, be a RC all rounder and a nice person, and sound. The chances of finding something suitable in a competition horse is very, very slim. It doesnt have to be a cob, but something with less blood and shorter has a much higher chance of staying sound and fitting in the trailer which is important to her for several reasons. Lots of competition horses of 17 hands or so are kept together and sound by very careful management and good riding. That stops and they can fall apart as Lari did. No one needs to experience that twice when they can stack the odds in their favour of it not happening.
People are only trying to help and stop another mistake being made.
ihatework
Well-Known Member
There is more to it than just skeletal maturation.
Bigger horses definitely take more time to develop musculature and relative strength for work.
Barklands
Well-Known Member
I must have missed the post where OP said she doesn't feel competent. Are you suggesting OP's horse wasn't well managed or ridden well? Apologies if I am misunderstanding but if not, I don't know how that assumption can be made via an online forum?
nutjob
Well-Known Member
I read this as OP is concerned about trying out strange horses in a strange environment. The horse buying situation is fraught with problems. Last time I was horse shopping I had a nasty fall from a horse which went berserk as soon as I sat on it. I did a 6 hour round trip to spend 3 seconds trying it out. I also tried out another horse which the dealer knew had kissing spines, I was OK, but the person who eventually bought it tracked me down and I sent some footage of me riding it as it had subsequent reared and gone over backwards causing serious injuries. The horse itself had to be euthanised, it had passed a 5 stage vetting.
Peglo
Well-Known Member
B has mentioned in other threads that because of health reasons she cannot afford to have a bad fall and a safe as possible horse needs to be a priority for that reason, hence people suggesting ID’s or cobs over a blood type I think.
Bernster
Well-Known Member
Now that seems like a fun thread! Do you think we’d all be on 15h cobs?If we all went out and bought the horses other people thought we should ride then I’d love to see what some of us would be on.
. Thinking about it, many of us probably should, inc me
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
I do understand what you're saying here but I think it can be misinterpreted as a criticism of B's management and riding.
I don't think Bs management or riding were the cause of Lari falling apart, rather that the professionalism of the sellers hid that he was falling apart. I saw his sales videos and I think she was sold a horse who should never have passed a vet. I contemplated writing her a PM to say so before the vetting and I've kicked myself daily since that I didn't. She's knows all of this, I have told her, I'm not talking behind her back.
She was done to, big time.
I'm sure she won't be using that vet again!
ETA and boy didn't that horse land on his feet with the care he's had since?
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nagblagger
Well-Known Member
I just like seeing the photos of what people have bought and how happy they are. it's amazing what's 'out there' and the different tastes, I like the ugly ones. 
lme
Well-Known Member
@Birker2020 maybe a Traditional Irish Horse x WB would suit you Mine is maybe 25% ID, 25% TB and 50% SJ bred WB. She's 17-ish hands and substantial, but doesn't feel huge when you are on her. She moves nicely, has a decent jump (both wasted on me as I don't do dressage and rarely leave the ground these days). I'm sure she would make an upmarket riding club horse in the right home, but she does her current job of trunding round the lanes with me beautifully.
teacups
Well-Known Member
I’m not so sure about the cob thing either. They can (in my experience) be very thuggish, strong, prone to bad behaviour, plus have a choppy trot which isn’t comfortable for all, and often very wide which also doesn’t suit everyone.
The first three can apply to lots of other horses and breeds too of course: I’m just saying that I don’t understand this idea that all cobs are saintly, quiet and bombproof. Anyway, there’s a whole thread about cobs somewhere… ;P
Good luck OP. I agree the idea of riding a horse new to you in front of a critical audience is nerve-wracking.
The first three can apply to lots of other horses and breeds too of course: I’m just saying that I don’t understand this idea that all cobs are saintly, quiet and bombproof. Anyway, there’s a whole thread about cobs somewhere… ;P
Good luck OP. I agree the idea of riding a horse new to you in front of a critical audience is nerve-wracking.
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