Going to try a new horse out? ..

[GypsyGirl]

Hey everyone,

I am going next week to try out a new horse.
Shes a 16hh dapple grey connemara x tb, she sounds lovely but she needs bringing on in her flatwork as shes just been showjumping (affliated) and hacking, but she hasnt really done much for the passed year.

I am going to try her out but I don't want to work her too hard as she is slowly coming back into work.

My questions are:

One: shall I jump her? Knowing that she can jumping big, but hasnt done so in about a year?

Two: what should I look out for when the girl is riding her and when shes on the ground?

Three: what type of questions should I ask when im there etc?

and anything else that ive missed please do say

I am taking some more people with me, my field owner, her son, my sister and a couple of others so I have their view on her as well.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Flame_]

Hi there. This sounds exciting and she sounds like a nice horse.

I would want to jump her or see her jump, just a couple of times over a small fence, if that's what you're planning on using her for.

Mainly, considering she's had time off, look out for any slight unsoundness. She should still move freely and not be severely one-sided, even if she's had time off and is fairly green on the flat. Otherwise, what her attitude is like. Whether she goes forward happily with her ears pricked or shows signs of resistance. Try her on a little hack if you want her for hacking.

Enjoy the trip and I hope you like the horse.

 

[eggs]

How exciting for you, I hope it goes well.

How old is the mare?

I would want to know why she has not done much in the past year - has she been injured/ill?

If you want to jump I would certainly want to see her jump and if she looked careful in front, I would want to try a couple of jumps myself. You say she has not done much in the last year so I presume she has been in some kind or work so a few smallish jumps should not be a problem for her.

For me, how a horse behaves on the ground is very important.

I would also want to be able to go on a short hack.

When the girl is riding her I would want to see that the mare is responsive to her aids, isn't spooky or nappy and that she generally seems to be happy in her work.

You have a fair few people going with you but how experienced are they? I would definitely take my instructor with me for a second viewing.

 

[GypsyGirl]

How exciting for you, I hope it goes well.

How old is the mare?

I would want to know why she has not done much in the past year - has she been injured/ill?

If you want to jump I would certainly want to see her jump and if she looked careful in front, I would want to try a couple of jumps myself. You say she has not done much in the last year so I presume she has been in some kind or work so a few smallish jumps should not be a problem for her.

For me, how a horse behaves on the ground is very important.

I would also want to be able to go on a short hack.

When the girl is riding her I would want to see that the mare is responsive to her aids, isn't spooky or nappy and that she generally seems to be happy in her work.

You have a fair few people going with you but how experienced are they? I would definitely take my instructor with me for a second viewing.

The mare is 10. She hasnt been in work/doing much because she was on loan, then the girl who had her on loan got her own horse, so it ment that the mare went back to the owner.

The owner has been diganosed with an illness, and doesnt have the confidence around horses anymore. So her daughter has now been bringing her into work as I rung them about the horse so for the passed week they have started riding her again so I can see her be ridden and ride her myself when I get there.

The lady just said that shes being wasted with her and the horse is really bored and needs to be out doing things.

The people who I am taking with me are very experienced, my instructor can't make it that day, but the people who I am taking with me are experienced enough and the field owners Son, also helps me in flatwork and jumping too so hes also a bit of an instructor lol.

 

[Booboos]

How exciting!

Ask EVERYTHING you can think of and make sure you get the answers in front of witnesses. Start with handling, catching, turning out with other horses/alone, tacking, what kind of tack, etc. ask about her attitude when ridden, is she good in traffic, will she hack alone, has she ever taken off, does she buck/rear/nap, etc. ask about her history, is she up to date with vacs, teeth, back, has she had injuries, etc. ask about travelling, will she load, has she been to any shows, etc. ask what she is like with the farrier, dentist, etc. Just ask about everything and try to see her get caught, trotted up in a straight line on the hard, tacked up, ridden in the school and over a couple of jumps. If you like her, ride her, jump her and hack her.

If she has been out of work for a year keep in mind that she will need a lot of fittening work and will need to spend at least 4 weeks in walk before she starts trot work and a while before she starts canter work. She may also be a different horse when fit. Also, try and double check why she had time off work, just in case she had an injury or lameness.

Good luck!

 

[flirtygerty]

Last year I answered an ad for a gelding, we arrived to view him just as he had ditched his rider up the lane and headed home, the old guy who caught him held him in the stable, saying he will be out if left alone, not a good start, but something about him appealed to me and despite my oh and our rider having doubts, we collected him the next day.
Yes he is an escape artist if he is by himself, but a year on my boy is a star, even my oh admits he has been a good buy, bought on my gut instinct, purely because he had a nice eye and reminded me so much of my mare that I love to bits, but if we have nervous riders or complete beginners visiting, it is my boy that does the job, perhaps I have been lucky but there was just something about him that I liked, going on what we saw I wouldn't have looked twice at him, but he was meant to come to us