Going to take up knitting

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Ceifer

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Hi everybody

New to the forum but thought I would rant for your amusement.

I have been out of the horsey world for approximately 2 years for various life reasons. But in my time I would have considered myself an experienced horsey bod. I'm now in a position to purchase a horse having moved job and area. How exciting I thought, horse shopping! How wrong I was...


I am looking for a nice all rounder to do a bit of everything with including hunt. 16hh upwards. Must be happy hacking out alone and be good in traffic. I have a budget of 7.5k and would hope that might include some tack. So not too much to ask I thought.

I have had to omit some bits of information below to protect the guilty.
Horse 1. Bay gelding. 8k, so out of my budget but owner stated home more important than price so a bit of room to negotiate. Called woman, this horse is the love of her life. She's devastated to sell him but she's got family problems so it's not fair on the horse that she has no time blah blah blah. Not overly convinced on the story but will give her benefit of the doubt. Horse hasn't ever competed, but has been well schooled and temperament to die for. I agree to a viewing but can't get to her for a week due to work and the fact she's miles away. Then every day I get a text message saying she's had somebody else interested but she likes me so she's put them off, she's booked somebody else in after me so I'll need to make a decision quickly. Naturally the alarm bells are ringing, but I decide to go anyway. I've booked the afternoon off work. I rock up and clearly the photos she's used in the advert are old. Because the horse is obese. He's not fit at all and it's hard to decide what to do. He's not straight, Theres no stepping through in the canter, he chronically stiff and not quite as well schooled as I was lead to believe. I liked him anyway and said that subject to vetting, I'd like to put an offer in. But not at 8k for reasons just stated. She point blank refused to negotiate on price. She'd paid 8k for him 6 years ago and she wanted her money back. So I walked away from that one. She then sent me a snidey email saying that she'd had loads of offers for him. I notice his adverts still up though....

Horse 2.
Short and sweet. Decked the person demonstrating it to me in spectacular style. They still were trying to convince me as i made a very swift exit literally hobbling after me as I reversed down their driveway.

Horse 3. Dealers yard. I'd called this yard on the advice of a friend of a friend of a friend had purchased a horse years ago from them and it was amazing. You know how it goes. Stated very clearly that although I am rusty, I'm not a bad rider and quite experienced. The woman I spoke to said they had the perfect gelding for me. 15.2 all rounder. A bit smaller than I wanted, but ok. I turned up and the it's not a mm over 14.1hh. Disappointing but I've travelled there now so I might as well look. The poor groom went white when I told her my level of experience. She got on it and started desperately trying to haul it into an outline. The pony had clearly never worked in an outline in its life so naturally took exception at being asked to do something that a) it had never done and b) being asked to do something by being jabbed in the mouth every stride. I asked the girl to stop in the end as quite frankly it was painful for everybody there.

Horse 4. Nice horse, large mare. Bit greener than I wanted but it's not far away so I'll go and have a look. I run my hand down her near fore, it's clearly done a tendon at some stage. I query this. I'm met by an awkward silence and side glances between the owner and the yard owner showing it to me. Right...
They tack the mare up. Saddle doesn't fit to start with. But they carry on. Again the owner is harping on about how wonderful the mare is, so easy and bombproof. Just as she says this the mare shoots off in canter. I quite liked her even though she's very green, she's not well muscled and has atrophy probably from the ill fitting saddle. The asking price is 6k and again won't be negotiated.

Horse 5 I'm yet to see. Trying to arrange a viewing through an owner that can't be bothered to email me back as in her words she just wants rid of it and it's up to the pro rider that currently has it to sort things out. The rider clearly isnt too bothered about selling it As everytime I try to arrange a viewing she's busy.

Am I asking too much? I am honest people when I call about what I am looking for.
Am I so far off the market pulse? I feel like giving up horses and taking up knitting.
 
It's a minefield but having been given the dirt by an aunt who's in a spinning/weaving/knitting group, I say get a tank with an armoured floor and stick to the horses. ;)

Good luck, I hope you find one that's as described and sound soon.
 
Ceifer said:
Hi everybody
Horse 2.
Short and sweet. Decked the person demonstrating it to me in spectacular style. They still were trying to convince me as i made a very swift exit literally hobbling after me as I reversed down their driveway.
QUOTE]

Certainly made me chuckle haha!!

Years ago I took one on trial advertised as 16hh been there done that, competed, angel to travel etc etc she did a small buck with me the day I viewed her tiny hop and I liked the horse so took her on trial.

First time I rode her we went in the menage walk - fine, trot - fine, canter - fine until half way round the school she did a handstand buck leaving me on her neck as she galloped off. Got her back and worked through it, I figured she may need more time to settle. She never quite settled kept attempting big bucks so I called owner to say she wasn't for me. Owner couldn't load her to go home so had her rider ride her back (god know how far). My dad saw them 30 minutes later the owner trying to get her car and trailer in front of the now bucking, rearing, out of control horse.

They did eventually get her back unharmed and within 2 weeks a friend told me about this amazing horse she was going to a viewing with her novice friend to see 15.2hh absolute angel never bucked or reared great for beginners showed me a picture and it was the same mare!

It is eventually worth it when you find your horse though so don't invest in knitting needles just yet :) good luck with horse number 5!
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They did eventually get her back unharmed and within 2 weeks a friend told me about this amazing horse she was going to a viewing with her novice friend to see 15.2hh absolute angel never bucked or reared great for beginners showed me a picture and it was the same mare!
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How do some people sleep at night, lying in such a dangerous way? :mad:
 
Not all us sellers are bad, though granted I've only had to sell one but I had the opposite problem I advertised her incredibly honestly and was met with numerous numpty buyers who were thoroughly unsuitable, I never bought with the intention of selling but sadly my 2yr old pity purchase never grew (rescued at a big 14'3 and grew to a small 15hh! by 4). She was a wild un handleable filly when I got her and 2yrs of hard graft and I had a mare that was mannerly and easy from the ground but no dope on a rope. COuld be sensible to ride but sharp and if handled wrong or ridden in a manner she didn't approve of could easily turn unpleasant so I knew I had to find the right kind of person and home for her. I advertised her flaws as likely worse than they were and the exact type of rider she would suit, only asking 1800 so cheap and my god queue the idiots that can't ride utter novices who can barely manage rising trot with arms a legs all over the place thank heavens she didn't loose the plot with any of them. My fave being a teenage girl with assured by daddy dearest top class rider has broken and schooled horses competes BD / BS my god she couldn't trot I stopped them several laps in and explained I could not sell the horse to them as either she would ruin the horse or the horse would kill his daughter lots of begging and pleading from daughter about how pretty the horse is and wont she back the other girls jealous and I must have it he offered me 2.5k I still refused I couldn't in my right consciousness sell such a horse to a girl but no matter how politely I explained to the man he wasn't getting it I wasn't in it for the money I didn't want to see his daughter injured.
I fear it was because the filly was luso x and looked very flashy that I was flooded with bad buyers because she was cheap for what she was but at the same time I wasn't going to eb asking 3-5k for a horse that needed a special type of home, it took me 4months before I found the right one.
Keep looking there's plenty of fine horses out there just need to pick though the atrocious owners and dealers. and with a budget like yours might be worth a punt at the auctions for a bargain gem, can always sell on if not right. I've had 2 auction runts that yard owner took pity on both turned out to be superstars one is the most bombproof laid back fun sporty cob i ever known and we paid a whole £380!!! for him lol
 
Good luck with viewing horse 5.

I breed my own now or buy as foals but that is still a gamble. However back in the day when I was looking to buy a horse (looking for a 16.2, TB type gelding) I went to see one that the minute he was pulled out of the stable I knew was not for me but was chatting to the owner whilst we were sheltering from the rain. She knew of another horse on the yard that was for a sale (a 15.3, Dutch wb x mare) who went on to be my horse of a lifetime.
 
I've often thought I should take up knitting instead of doing horses in general... That's without the stresses of buying/sourcing one as you've described in painful detail!

...stamp collecting.., ..gold fish keeping..., drawing..., ...nail painting..

But I just cannot pull myself away from these damn expensive, time consuming, sometimes dangerous and occasionally disheartening, often muddy beasts.
(That might describe some of your sellers :-P)
 
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So far I’ve had one leave the arena with the seller still on it, one buck the rider off (I would have gone back to see that one as it was purely due to the saddle slipping making the mare buck), one that looked like it had stringhalt felt like a humping camel, one bucked me off (think I would have been fine if something hadn’t torn/broken in my foot as I landed after a fence, then again it showed it was quite as honest as I would have liked), one that was described as soft mouth and promptly towed me whenever we headed towards the gate, if I tried to slow down with my seat it ignored me and just tanked towards the gate, didn’t nap apparently thou.
Did see a lovely one but it had some questions about his feet and wasn’t sure he had the attitude I was after but the sellers where lovely and completely agreed with me.
I’ve also seen some that had more in common with a giraffe, one that was lovely but I wasn’t convinced it was 16hh and a few that just didn’t have the jump or movement that I wanted although that is personal preference so nothing against the sellers.
All in all I’ve given up for now, I look at ads and think one sounds great then read between the lines and think not.

As for overpriced horses it seems to be the norm. Best example so far. Well bred wb mare, jumped to newcomers, won money and 6 and easy ride about 8.5k, I think really reasonable for what she is, cheap even. Average bred tb, not raced but never competed in anything either, now 7 but seems easy enough, 10k.
I'm not sure if it’s me and perhaps the tb would be worth 10k to someone but if I had that sort of money to spend I would go for the mare every time. I'm just not sure where they get the prices from. I can understand a well bred youngster show oodles of talent for 10k but I would have though the tb would be half that for a nice all-rounder.
By contrast I got my last boy 5 years ago and now realise that there is a very slim chance of me finding something as talented but easy going and forgiving for the same money I paid for him. Inflation aside good horses still sell for good prices and I would need about 8k I think, unfortunately I don’t have that so it’s hard going. So much so I’m house hunting instead, much easier so far, the houses don’t tend to injure you!
 
Ceifer, think not of this as a search for a horse but a voyage of discovery on human nature and honesty.

When looking for my current mare, I decided I wanted a 14'2, 8or 9 year old cob. Done a bit of everything, easy going. Had been through the bringing on the insane/ youngsters etc and just wanted an easy time.

Wow! My understanding of 14'2 and well school was obviously very different from those selling.

The most memorable I went to view was a tiny weeny pony, hadn't actually been backed properly, was about 3 yrs oldI reckoned and was well under 14". And the seller had a go at me for wasting her time because I declined a ride!

As it goes I ended up buying the mare from the first advert I looked at, was a few miles away and owner know to my vet. I didn't view her for a while because she was too big, too green and not a colour that I particularly like.

I'm now the proud owner of an amazing mare, who at 16'2 and part WB wasn't really what I was after, but she's just the best.

Enjoy your study of humans and I wish you the very best!
 
GemG said:
I've often thought I should take up knitting instead of doing horses in general... That's without the stresses of buying/sourcing one as you've described in painful detail!

...stamp collecting.., ..gold fish keeping..., drawing..., ...nail painting..

But I just cannot pull myself away from these damn expensive, time consuming, sometimes dangerous and occasionally disheartening, often muddy beasts.

(That might describe some of your sellers :-P)
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I knit as well as 'doing' horses, I find it helps to have another gentler pastime when the angst or the injuries get too bad!
 
feel your pain ! been there got the t shirt, whats meant to start off as an exciting and fun thing becomes a time consuming questionable logistical nightmare, after stupidly buying with my heart and not my head i ended up with a greener than green youngster that had me off a bit to often and ended up going back to the dealers with much heartache and money spent on teeth , vetting, saddler ect, so i set definate peramiters and after a long hard 8 months of searching found the perfect one i was looking for-inbetween trying nutcases, plodders, ill mannered, older/bigger/smaller than discribed , was out right lied to, by dealers and private sellers, and travelling miles around the country, felt like giving up at times too but.....my god was this wonderful horse i have worth every single moment of it...she came from a private seller who was 100% honest with everything about her...when i first enquired about her she was sold but then i saw her back up for sale a few weeks later, after failing her vetting im so glad the buyers pulled out as after speaking to the vet who failed her vetting assuring me it wasnt a deal breaker, i trusted my instincts in both the seller , vet, and horse, i now own an amazing horse who is loved by everyone who meets her and best of all she is kind, affectionate, and has bonded beautifully with my oldie so keep the faith ! there are a few genuine people and horses out there, keep looking keep trying and keep positive = )
 
I'm not sure where you are, but try PMing Queenie_ on here. She was asking for help with an advert (via pm so not breaking rules) I offered to help as I proof read things for a living and her mare sounded lovely. I think she was only 15.2 but otherwise just what you were looking for and in our exchanges I could tell she was very genuine and only wanted the best for the mare as her circumstances meant she couldn't keep her.
 
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Where abouts in the country are you? For such a big budget you'd be anything to nearly anything in the north (yorkshire) and have money to spare. The dealer round the back of my yard (who I recommend btw - having seen most of her horses sold straight onto our yard so I've seen them on a long-term basis) sells lots of allrounders that would affiliate in nearly anything for 2.5-3.5k, if they're really exceptional they'll go up to about 5k ish.
 
Look at horses in a lower price bracket. There are diamonds in the rough out there. I was horse buying last winter and although not in your price bracket was able to pay up to 3k for an all rounder. First one was a hand smaller than advertised, second one had confirmation issues and bucked in canter, third had a serious cough, fourth was cold backed and stable issues, fifth tried to bite owner when the saddle came out. I viewed number 6 as was local and pretty, wasn't what I was really looking for. Type of advert that I usually pass over. She needed schooling but good action and quick off the leg, was a star when hacked out in a gale and torrential rain. Just needed bringing back into work after having a foal. Advert was nothing special. She has turned out to be a super star and after 3 months of dressage lessons and schooling, is ready to go out and compete
 
Two comments really - when I was looking to sell our pony I was very clear in the advert what the bad points were - still people came to view despite not wanting a pony with the issues out pony had - in the end I gave up trying to sell. When we bought our horse I had a very specific list of what I did and didn't want - ended up with the horse that is everything on the don't want list. I answered 40 ads when looking, looked in person at about 20 (most of which were nothing like they were advertised as). The right horse it out there for you - and it will turn up when you least expect it. Good luck
 
Ah, sure, that's just part of the fun of buying horses. You get really good at reading between the lines, and always take a measuring stick with you.
 
Good luck!

I drove for the best part of 2 hours in pouring rain and a howling gale to see a horse that had been advertised as 15.2hh ... he must have been all of 14.3hh on his tiptoes, and very finely built. I was barely on him for 5 minutes because I just felt RIDICULOUS. Such a waste of my day, and the seller's!

ETA - I don't know where you are, but in this neck of the woods you'd get a hell of a horse with that budget.
 
Thanks for the replies :). It's made me feel slightly better that it's not just me!
I'm just south of Oxford. So an expensive part of the world :(. I notice that there are some lovely ones up north. It's just going to cost me a fortune to go and see them and then transport. :(
 
OP your post did make me laugh! And in a way I am quite jealous as I love the excitement of looking for your new horse! I agree with those saying look at some cheaper ones. V little correlation, often, between price and quality. I found my horse of a lifetime after about 9 months of looking and encountering most of the ridiculous situations possible. He cost less than £3k to buy (though another couple to fix his feet, lice, condition) and he is looooooovely! Am sure you will find one too, especially as you seem very sensible and knowledgeable about the buying process. Keep us updated and good luck :)
 
Hanson said:
Ceifer, think not of this as a search for a horse but a voyage of discovery on human nature and honesty.

When looking for my current mare, I decided I wanted a 14'2, 8or 9 year old cob. Done a bit of everything, easy going. Had been through the bringing on the insane/ youngsters etc and just wanted an easy time.

Wow! My understanding of 14'2 and well school was obviously very different from those selling.

The most memorable I went to view was a tiny weeny pony, hadn't actually been backed properly, was about 3 yrs oldI reckoned and was well under 14". And the seller had a go at me for wasting her time because I declined a ride!

As it goes I ended up buying the mare from the first advert I looked at, was a few miles away and owner know to my vet. I didn't view her for a while because she was too big, too green and not a colour that I particularly like.

I'm now the proud owner of an amazing mare, who at 16'2 and part WB wasn't really what I was after, but she's just the best.

Enjoy your study of humans and I wish you the very best!
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Lol Hanson. That cheered me up : D
 
Another knitter here, I spin my own wool, which led to us getting our own sheep, learning to shear them etc, so it can get just as complicated :p
 
I read all these posts about people having such nightmares looking for a horse and each time a truly appreciate how lucky I was when I found my current boy.

I was only half-heartedly looking at the adds on Horsequest just out of idle curiosity really then I spotted this little grey and white ISH that just caught my eye. There was a nice unfussy video showing what you needed to see, walk trot canter and a few jumps. Persuaded OH that I should go and look. Went on the last Sunday in Jan 2013 when it was torrential rain, howling winds and bitterly cold. Horse behaved impeccably, so much so that I asked if could try a couple of jumps on him, this is me who's petrified of jumping horses I don't know. I fell in love with him there and then and a week later he was mine.

Every day when I go to the yard I feel so lucky to have found myself the prefect horse at the first viewing. I didn't pay a ridiculous amount of money for him either.

Good luck with your search OP. I'm sure the perfect horse for you is out there somewhere.
 
I was in the same position a few months back. Not quite as dramatic as you but a mixed bag. I was almost persuading myself over ones that I liked but weren't really the one. Hung out for a bit longer and found a cracker through my instructor.

Sounds like you know what your doing, what you want, and you have a good budget. Hang on in there, you'll find it!
 
Ceifer said:
Thanks for the replies :). It's made me feel slightly better that it's not just me!
I'm just south of Oxford. So an expensive part of the world :(. I notice that there are some lovely ones up north. It's just going to cost me a fortune to go and see them and then transport. :(
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It won't - I drive London to Leeds for £35, give or take. I can recommend a lovely transporter who just yesterday transported two of my horses from Leeds down to London for under £200. Make a day trip to a reputable dealer up there and get him to bring your horses down, it will save you a fair few Ks out of your budget that's for sure!
 
Have you looked on nfed.co.uk? Most are not too far away from you and there might be a gem in amongst them!
 
quick! quick! see this is why I find looking such fun - there is a GORGEOUS big palomino over there >>>>
Or a very nice piebald cob, … and yes they seem to be up north, get in the car NOW OP! :)
 
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