Found a brill horse, help?

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Raych

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Hey
well i went to a lovely dealers today and tried out a few horses.

One i particularly liked was perfect in all ways except one.
He loved a fuss, was responsive, safe, good jump on him, good in traffic (i took him hacking along a main road and he didnt bat an eyelid.), good brakes, just a sweet natured horse. He is also occasionally hacked out by a 9 year old boy aswell.

Only problem; i didnt connect with him
It will be my first horse and i want to 'click' with a horse. I've been told when buying a horse, you know immediatly if its for you or not.
This horse had no problems with him, he was so sweet and a really good price, but no 'click'. I just dont know. I'm so confused, i have no instant connection/bond with him, so i dont know if he is for me :(

Any thoughts or opinions?
 
I'm afriad that "click" instantly is rare.... It wouldn't stop me buying a horse.

I viewed a horse Thurs, kept my head and was objective about him. On my way home did the usual discuss and decided he ticked all the boxes. It's only since I've arranged the vetting etc that I'm now getting "excited" knowing if he fails I'll be gutted.

So don't panic. I didn't click, just really really liked him. That is enough!
 
i always thought it took weeks/months to 'click'
Then once that bond is made your a winner - - Its the first few months that might test you - he sounds like a good one - at least those first few months will be safe!!!
 
If he ticks all the boxes then buy him!! Bond comes later.

My first horse I knew he was the one as soon as I saw him, fat and unfit. That was Beacon and he was mine for 8 yrs til I retired him. However in hindsight I may not buy him, he was stubborn, nappy, cheeky, would spin on a dime for no reason. etc etc. however we did win a LOT of stuff and have mega fun times

Micah my current horse, I walked away the first time saying he was not what I wanted. I had been looking for ages. My friend had a fit at me saying what the hell was wrong with him. like you say I didn't click! However I went back and bought him, just cos he ticked most of the boxes (not all he was chestnut with white face, and I don't like either) lol

He too was at a dealers yard and I found him quite boring to start with and very withdrawn. However you should see the cheeky sod now!!!!! A horse with loads of potential, lots of fun in him and so dam sweet he would melt iceland
 
I would say it takes a while to 'click' with a horse.
Could you maybe have it on a trial period and see?
I hacked my horse for its previous owner but it is only since having him as my own and seeing him everyday that we have bonded x
 
I don't think i'd be too concerned about not clicking with
him as I feel that comes with time and both of you learning to trust each other. As long as he ticks all the other boxes then I'd use that as a building block for everything else.

I would ask to go back and ride him again though. I know I was lucky but with my second horse I rode her 3/4 times before both parties where happy (she was on loan) being a right grumpy mare (her not me, although OH may disagree with me on that one) to be honest it took me nearly a year to bond with her and for her to trust me.

Good luck though, you must be very excited xx
 
hmmm i kind of know what you mean about clicking with horse but i also think it takes time to develop a bond with each other-he sounds very sweet and maybe worth a chance- but then again if you dont think hes the one then theres no point in buying him. it took about 2months for me and my loan horse to feel like we had really bonded he now whineys at me(or the food i give him lol),follows me around,trusts me alot more in jumping/hacks and vice verser but i wouldnt expect any of these things straight away if you know what i mean.
but how exciting buying a horse :D good luck and i hope you find the perfect one soon x
 
IME, when buying your first horse, it is far more important to tick the boxes that try and get that 'click'. You will be too inexperienced at this stage to really deal with anything else. The bond will come. Provided you weren't riding the horse and thinking 'god, I can't wait to get off!' then I really wouldn't get to hung up on the instant connection thing.
 
I would go for another viewing, as most people have said it can take a while to click and it very rarely happens the first time you see the horse.

When I got my loan mare she was nothing I wanted, a moody arab mare who was nappy and didn't like schooling or jumping...I had been looking after her at the riding school I worked at for almost 2 years and didn't get on with her much. I only took her on as the livery yard was closing and the owner had no where else to go. It took about 2-3 months for us to click and now I absolutely love her and she would do anything for me.

So don't be too worried about not feeling the click right away, go for another viewing. If he ticks all your boxes and is the right price then I would say go for it and then develop the bond.
 
I never clicked with Merlin when I tried him! I bought him anyway, and still have him 3 years later - he is my first "horse" from ponies (from 14.2 to 16.2 :eek: )

However, now we most definately click - we have a deep bond and I love him to bits :)
 
It took me over a year to 'click' with Fee, less with Chalky, but that's probably because he is a sucker for attention and Fee is more of an Ice maiden :p
 
I think that 'click' is a rare thing. It takes time to build a good relationship with a horse, some much longer than others.

It took me a good 9-12 months to really start to bond with Jack. Now I would probably have him shot rather than sell him (he is a complicated character). He is with me for life.

If you think this horse is what you want, go for it. It's very difficult to truly try a horse in a pre-sale situation, and if you don't get on in the long term, you can always sell it and find another.

(I know people will shoot me down for saying that. But horses are expensive time consuming creatures and there is no point in keeping a horse you don't/can't enjoy if it would be better suited in a different home)
 
I have never instantly "clicked" with a horse in the way you describe. But then all my horses have been the kind that need months to start to trust you. When I bought my cob, we didn't necessarily "click" but I just really liked him, as a person, and he's enjoyable to ride. I came away smiling and so I bought him :)
 
when I went to see Axel I didn't like him first of all, but the guy had spent so long showing us round, showing us the stallion, the mare, his 1/2 brothers and sisters that I felt so bad about not liking him I didn't say anything. I was only when he put him out in the field and I saw his amazing trot that I knew I wanted him.
 
As others have said, the click really isn't necessary or important, particularly when you're buying your first horse.

I've only had an instant click with one horse, and god I loved him to bits, more than any of my other horses, letting him go was the hardest thing I ever did, and with hindsight, the biggest mistake. For all that love though, he was a bit of a nutter and I never could really do what I wanted with him - he was amazing, but totally frustrating.

I've had three other horses and ridden numerous others, and had a fantastic time with all of them, despite not having an instant bond. A bond does come with time anyway, particularly with a sweet natured horse that wants to try hard for you, and its much more important to have a horse that will do the job you want rather than searching for that elusive instant click.
 
hmmm, my 2nd pony - i really DIDNT go wow, or think this is the pony for me... but we decided to get him anyway - great on paper for what i wanted and reasonably priced.. turned out to be my pony of a lifetime .. absoloutly amazing.

My current horse though - i knew instantly ... it was totally wrong on paper... I was 11 at the time i first saw him (was working at the yard where he was a few months after he came over from ireland as a 4yo) So yes.. heres a 16.2h 4yo just backed irish sport horse. You'd think id be totally over horsed? Well, i totally fell in love with him before id even sat on him. He was just the cheekiest horse in the world and i loved him to bits.. I then went out hacking.. another groom was on him and i was on another horse... Love him even more. Anyway, 2 months later we were looking for a horse. I sat on Rocky to try him for the first time and LOVED him even more, even though i couldnt get the right canter lead, keep the canter etc.. in theory we shouldnt have brought him, but we did and it was the best decision ever :) Ive had him 4yrs now, and I still adore him.. ive taught him pretty everything he knows... Jumpes 1.40 at home/1.15 competing, flying changes, shoulder in, leg yeild, walk to canter, rein back etc etc.. and we got our first 9 together DR a few weeks back :) I BEd him to PN 2yrs after we got him, and want to take him Novice next season :)

So.... I would say, if said horse is perfect in every way for what you want, i would say arrange a 2nd viewing to confirm that its perfect... then i would go for it if :) Good luck
 
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