Grr!! Horses that are nothing like the advert!

I was looking for another driving horse and went to see one at a riding school that did RDA riding and driving, found a really nice hefty cob, well behaved and nicely turned out, only for sale as it wasn't a riding horse and they needed them to do both. Ok let's get him ready then but there was no harness to be found. Turned out that one of the disabled drivers didn't want them to sell it as he liked it so he'd nicked the harness!

After an hour of phone calls to this chap I left and said call when you have the harness, took them a week to locate it and by then I had found another horse.
 
my first pony was advertised as a 14.2 12yo connemara x arab jumping pony.

He was probably only 14hh with his high heels on and the vet that came out to vaccinate him a year later said he was most likely in his late teens, 16-18. But he was perfect for me and i wouldnt have learnt half as much if i didnt have him.

Funnily enough, after we sadly lost him when he broke his leg we went to view another horse and it was the same people selling! so we got chatting about him and all his naughty habits etc. funny none of this was mentioned when we bought him ;)
 
Love said:
my first pony was advertised as a 14.2 12yo connemara x arab jumping pony.

He was probably only 14hh with his high heels on and the vet that came out to vaccinate him a year later said he was most likely in his late teens, 16-18. But he was perfect for me and i wouldnt have learnt half as much if i didnt have him.

Funnily enough, after we sadly lost him when he broke his leg we went to view another horse and it was the same people selling! so we got chatting about him and all his naughty habits etc. funny none of this was mentioned when we bought him ;)
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My daughter finally picked a very sturdy 14.2hh supposedly rising nine-year-old as her second pony ( I was disappointed because we'd seen far better for the money but her mother wasn't sure that they were "safe" - of course they weren't! You ain't going to get to Wembley on a donkey are you?) so he had some work to do to bring me round. Yet I kept him till he turned his toes up about six months after my mare ( what a flipping great year that was!) he was such a character! As soon as we turned up for second viewings we were greeted by ear shattering bellows - daughter went off with two other slightly older girls hacking and a mini event course on their home farm - as you do. She came back in front, caught my eye and said - "get yer cheque book out!"

Every Pony Club and show we took him to we met yet another young lady that "Shadow" had taught to ride or tank off with and he still could ... hahaha the little ratbag! I reckon he was at least twice the age we bought him as! Not to worry though, he was an amazing find and suited daughter until transition up to horses where she would later ride some of the best showjumpers and one lovely dressage stallion professionally. I loaned him out to yet more young riders and was very lucky to find three excellent ones, diligent and caring - then I had a go at the beginnings of driving, walking him miles around the village in training harness - had one experienced old codger pull up next to us and ask "how long have you been doin' that" "Oh, couple or three weeks" I said "Ah - he's done that before then"!
 
I tried a horse in 1980, the first 'real' horse I ever owned and who went on to be my pride and joy for 24 wonderful years.

Father and I arrived and met the owner who was so straight forward. She simply said the horse was 4, green, pure ID and had come from Ireland via a dealer who was a family member, and had been bought for her son who had got himself a girlfriend and done nothing with the horse, hence the reason for sale.

I was a teenager and as green as the horse, but we ambled off on a hack around the outskirts of Wolverhampton and within 10 minutes I had fallen in love with the 16.2h middleweight whose coat was like a dappled rocking horse.

£1000 was a lot of money in 1980 but father agreed the price and the horse was mine - or so I thought. The vendor told us not to pay her until the horse had been delivered. She would bring the horse to us as she wanted to inspect our facilities and if she did not think we offered a good enough home the horse would not be unloaded. I spent the week cleaning and scrubbing the stable and making everything look lovely.

The horse was unloaded and I received a christmas card every year from the vendor and each year I wrote to her telling her about the hunting and competing I did with the horse.
 
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