have you ever bought/sold a horse 'from the field'?

[mavandkaz]

just wanted to here from anyone who has bought a horse straight from the field. what do you look for in a horse? what do you expect to see it do (if anything)? what do you look for? what would put you off?

or alternatively have you ever sold a horse from the field? how did you go about this, what did you need to do at the viewing?

sorry for all the questions but i have never done this before and wondered what actually happens

 

[FfionWinnie]

Kind of. I saw my 4 yr old being lunged like a maniac and the guy leaned over her. He wouldn't sit on her. I also saw a vid of her being ridden when she was backed. I spoke to the pro who backed her on the phone as well but it was a long time between the pro having her and her being for sale so anything could have happened meanwhile. I actually think the mare had been getting the better of her owner as she has napped and reared with me, but I don't regret buying her.

I took her for a walk in hand and had them drive past us at speed as well as revving the engine.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Yes, I went with friend to view a pony for her children. 7 yr old pony had been unridden for 2 yrs while a broodmare, we saw her in the seller's busy yard next to a huge box while its engine was started and a carriage winched down the ramp. Then we took her for a walk around the nearby housing estate, came back into the arena and the 'lighter weight' was legged up bareback, we led her round at walk and trot in just the headcollar. Then friend went to discuss finance with the seller.
Pony is an absolute star, completely traffic proof and looks after friend's 2 boys brilliantly, hacking, showing and jumping.

I would never buy a horse, other than a youngster, that the owner wasn't happy for me (or someone else) to sit on - far too suspicious.

 

[Polos Mum]

Yep - treated it like a normal viewing I just didn't expect her to be clean/ beautifully presented / fit! I checked all the normal things and asked her to see everything I expected her to do the day I got her home.
She was a youngster but for a broken horse I'd ask if the owner would be happy to tack up/ sit on, if not are they happy for someone else to sit on (if not I'd walk away!)
My boy had almost a year off while I was pregnant, the day I got back on I tacked up pretty much as normal, then lunged for 5 mins and as he was find, got on and went for a 10 min wander up the lane. He was a little supprised but did nothing naughty.

As with any viewing take a friend, see it caught, led, groomed, feet picked out, etc etc.

 

[mavandkaz]

thanks for your replies
i would actually be the one selling. i have no facilities, just a field (more like bog at the mo) and horse has not been sat on since september. just trying to find out what people would be expecting to see so i can get myself ready.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Why hasn't it been sat on. If you can get it even hacking out it will be worth a lot more and sell easier. I paid 1500 less than the minimum going rate for my mare's breed and potential because the owner could not show her any more than I described.

 

[mavandkaz]

FfionWinnie: he would have always had the winter 'off' due to lack of facilities, although had hoped to try and keep him ticking over with the odd hack, but unfortunately a new job that has turned out to be much more work and stress then first thought meant that i ended up roughing him off.
work hasn't improved and is not going to, and i am now left with a perfectly healthy horse doing nothing in a field - so time to find him a new life as he really does prefer being worked.
I'm not concerned about his price, just want to find a good home.
looks like i will need to make some time to at least get him back into a routine of being tacked up and walked about.
thanks for your input

 

[Brownmare]

I've bought a few out of the field. one was unbroken and I saw her lunged, another I hacked out but with 2 others I was told by the vendor they wouldn't let me ride in case I was hospitalised Both turned out brilliantly but then I was paying so little it was worth the risk.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Both of my youngsters were bought straight from the field and my friend has recently bought an ex RDA horse from the field. She was everything the seller said and she is thrilled to pieces with her..!!!

 

[FfionWinnie]

FfionWinnie: he would have always had the winter 'off' due to lack of facilities, although had hoped to try and keep him ticking over with the odd hack, but unfortunately a new job that has turned out to be much more work and stress then first thought meant that i ended up roughing him off.
work hasn't improved and is not going to, and i am now left with a perfectly healthy horse doing nothing in a field - so time to find him a new life as he really does prefer being worked.
I'm not concerned about his price, just want to find a good home.
looks like i will need to make some time to at least get him back into a routine of being tacked up and walked about.
thanks for your input

Ok well I think you will have a better chance of him finding a good home if you can show him to the best of his abilities. Do you have any vids of him?

It's just the sort of person who will take a chance may not be a home for life type. With my mare I knew she was worth that as a brood mare and if she wasn't what I wanted I would have sold her on. Hope that makes sense, and good luck hope you find someone.

 

[thatsmygirl]

I brought one from the field and 10 yrs later iv still got her. Best horse iv ever owned but owner had over horsed herself. I brought her for £800 untried/not vetted and not had a problem. She's just what I like forward going and full of it

iv also sold from the field as at the time I wasn't able to get the horse going and got very annoyed at the amount of people that wanted to take him hacking and for a canter in the field. Sold from field = sold from field. If I wanted to get him going he would of been up for more money

 

[Polos Mum]

OP good luck with your sale, maybe 'from the field' will keep some of the less experienced people away (hopefully). If you can get someone to sit on him for you so he's happy when someone tries him you'll have more chance of finding him a nice home - I would have thought.

 

[MissTyc]

I sold a warmblood from the field - boggy field during a rainy March.
I sat on her to make sure she was still sane (I was injured so this was difficult but felt I owed it to any buyer), gathered up millions of photos of her previous ridden career, gave permission for vet to discuss her med records with the viewer and the priced accordingly.

At the viewing, they trotted her up and handled her. Then I sat on her after using mounting block and rode her up the lane and back. They got on and rode her up the lane and back and that was that. For £1200 (was back when horses were still worth something and she was nicely bred dutch warmblood) they were happy. She went to an experienced low level dressage home.

 

[fizzer]

Bought a horse once that lady was frightened of and hadn't been sat on for 3 yrs. I offered her silly money, tacked it up and rode it home ( wouldn't load). Turned out to be fab little horse.

Most recent purchase was a 2 yr bought from field, fantastic horse also.

 

[katastrophykat]

I bought a mare from the field, she had been P2P and hunted two seasons, old couple had bred four and were selling up as couldn't handle them any more- I paid silly money really after seeing her trot in the field (she had the most fantastic straight elevated paces) and handled her... She refused to load for quite some time, took a wobbler over a fence and tried to put me through SJs, and best of all, took about 40 mins to get a bridle on. Every time I tacked up. At a show one day the people next door called the RSPCA as they thought we were beating the horse in the box. Damn horse was beating me as I tried to tack her up!!! Sold on better than she was when she arrived (bridle to pieces and about ten mins) as a hunter- she was happy to do that all day long... She's now an even happier broodmare!! Lost a fortune, and wouldn't do it again. Too much risk unless its for pennies x

 

[TbLover]

myself will be watching this thread closely

 

[noodle_]

i have never bought a ridden horse from the field

but did buy my youngster from a choice of two.... scratcher her nose and parted with the money lol


cant see her being the "best horse ive ever owned" as ive already had one and lost her....but she will be a nice horse im sure

 

[Megibo]

Yes we have bought from the field... but she is only 9 months old

 

[mavandkaz]

well its nice to hear that some people are willing to take a gamble and buy a horse with little more then looking at them/handling them, as that may be all i can offer!

 

[Holly Hocks]

Both of my current ones were bought from the field. In fact the TB couldn't have been more "from the field" - we went up to the top of a fell, looked at her for about 2 minutes before she p!553ed off with the other racehorses and she was delivered a few days later. Cash handed over from me, horse and passport from the stable lass. She has a number of issues (physical) but none of them would have shown up on a vetting as apart from the tooth issue (long story) all the leg problems started after I'd had her for a while.

The youngster was also pretty unknown but the owner was so honest (you know when you get a gut instinct about someone) that after we'd handled her in the stable and seen her trotted up, we just loaded her into the box which we'd taken with us and brought her home. She's been everything the owner promised - absolutely lovely pony!

 

[rowy]

Bought a totally unhandled and pretty much feral exmoor pony. She was a 2 year old so just made sure she moved straight and not lame, had decent conformation and was a good 'type'
Bought my connie x from the field as a 3year old. It was a bit easier with her because she was friendly but was difficult to see her move as she was in a field with a lot of others. I did take a bit of a risk with her but she was such a nice character and so friendly that was what sold her to me.

 

[peanut]

Someone I know sold a very nice Selle Francais straight from the field basically because she was over-horsed and wasn't able to ride it for any perspective buyers. Sad, I know

 

[Chellebean]

I've bought a few out of the field. one was unbroken and I saw her lunged, another I hacked out but with 2 others I was told by the vendor they wouldn't let me ride in case I was hospitalised Both turned out brilliantly but then I was paying so little it was worth the risk.

And they worked out well for you! (not habouring any love for a Black Diva you have )

I loaned from the field... does that count

He has turned out to be my horse in a life time and if anyone ever tries to remove him... I will commit a crime