horse for life

V

Vjay

New User
Joined
12 September 2012
Messages
7
Visit site
Hi where to start .... basically I'm 36 and for my fortieth birthday I was going to get my next horse. I have ridden since ten and had two horses in my twenties dabbling in hunting and dressage before the kids came along. Basically now I want my horse for life. I was going to get a youngster about 5 and bring it on but recently I been thinking about getting a foal and having that bond for life now I have never had an unbroken horse and would have it professionally broken but just wondered if anyone else has done this or would I be better off having the 5 yo. This horse would be with me for life and we would retire together hopefully. Any advice would be gratefully received x
 
I would find a nice already backed young horse so you can try it before you buy, finding a foal and bringing it up sounds like a lovely idea but so much can go wrong along the way your dreams could be totally shattered if it gets injured, it may not turn out to be the perfect horse and your investment of 4-5 years may be in vain.
I think you can find a lovely well started young horse and spend time developing with it, you will still have many years together and can get on really enjoying it as soon as you buy rather than having to wait, we never know what is round the corner, I think I would be looking now, if possible, not waiting until your 40th.
 
As lovely as it sounds, foals take quite specific management and most livery yards are ill equipped to deal with them. Ideally a weaned foal should be out 24/7 with a herd of other youngsters and a nanny mare to teach them manners. There are very few yards that can offer this.

Don't start looking at your 40th start now - horse hunting is awful (though amazing too) and it can take ages to find the perfect horse.
 
Another thought- having being ditched onto concrete recently by my 4yo- is how about getting something a little older? Maybe 6 or 7?

Im 30 and whilst still relatively young, Im becoming ever more aware of the importance of self preservation!

They can still be your forever horse, and whilst I understand that you can't eliminate the risk of hurting yourself- an older horse is less likely to result in injuries!
 
Foals are risky. You never know what height they will make, what sort of person they will be or if you will like them at all! I've had a fair few babies and run them on. None turned out exactly as I thought. 1 I really didnt like as a person, he was a lovely boy, just not for me. His new owner loves him, but I'd have been gutted if that was my forever horse! It was fine, as I had the land and the intention was never to keep them, but just give them a good start in life and send them on their way.

My current boy I bought at 2.5yrs and hes now 5yr old. I know him inside out. I have also spent probably 4 times what hes worth on getting him to this point, and theres still a way to go! I adore him but I have had the same bond with other horses that were bought as adults.

I also wouldnt want to be a bit rusty and trying to start a baby. I am, and thats why its cost so much and been such hard work. In hindsight, and older horse would have been a much better bet!
 
I bought a 2 year old and I still have him 15 years later. He was exceptionally well brought up and was easy to handle, coming from a very good stud. He wasn't quite the blank page that I thought and he had problems and although I had him professionally broken-in, it is what comes afterwards that is hard work and where experience and expertise comes in.
I made massive mistakes. I had very limited experience with bringing on young horses and as I say now, what he is "is all my fault!" Actually, he is a lovely horse but I was fortunate that he has a brilliant temperament and is lazy. But had I had more experience he could have been even better and successful and working at a much higher level.

So I would go with the others who suggest looking for something older. There is an awful lot to go wrong from foal to be able to ride down the road, and people who breed and produce young horses do earn their money. Maybe try and find such a producer, and watch who buys them and how they progress.
 
Yes I have done it twice, but with yearlings rather than just weaned foals. I would always rather buy youngsters now, but it's not for everyone.
 
If you want a 'horse for life,' and you are not experienced with foals or yearlings, don't get one. Even the people who spend millions on a well-bred yearling in racehorse sales are in a high-stakes crapshoot. Once it's five, six, or seven, you can see how it looks and what sort of temperment it has, and you could ride it until it's thirty. Or it could be chronically lame and unridable by the time it's eight. Any 'hopefully' with horses is hopeful indeed.
 
Unless you're competent and experienced enough to cope with absolutely anything a horse can throw at you, I wouldn't suggest you even consider buying something you can't try under saddle first.
And if you're a bit rusty you might want to think carefully before taking on a 4 or 5 year old. However if you do decide to go that route, I would suggest you budget for a lot of training and assistance for the first year in particular. At least twice a week, maybe more if you hit problems.
Things with youngsters can go very wrong very quickly, which is no good for the human's confidence and enjoyment or the horse's future quality of life either, so it's really important to be able to recognise tiny problems before they become significant, and to know what to do to sort it out, and to have the skills and confidence to do it well. Or to have someone helping you who can.
IME there's nothing about buying a slightly older horse that means you can't have an absolutely amazing relationship with it, as long as it's the right horse.
 
I bought a weanling as my first horse - there's a lot of noise about only turning them out 24/7 etc etc but it's really not necessary. The yard I'm on brings all their horses in overnight in the winter - mares, foals, youngstock and all. Providing there's another youngster around that they can play with, you find a yard that's experienced with youngstock (easier said than done, but I sort of 'fell' into mine and it's fabulous), you don't mind asking the stupid questions (you have to forget your ego) and you can sort the people who know what they're talking about from the idiots it's fine :P Mine was in overnight/out during the day for the winter and out 24/7 over summer with an 18month old and 3 older mares and she's turning out just fine. You will need a lot of support from folk who know what they're doing though, so do factor that in, and if you can't get that, then it would probably be best to go for something older. I knew that my yard owner was perfectly happy about me bringing in a youngster as they were set up for it, and I'd been having lessons there as well as sharing a horse on the yard so had already developed a good working relationship, and I trust them completely.

I will say though, that to give yourself the best chance you need to familiarise yourself with the type of horse the stallion produces. Even better is if you can find progeny with the same parentage of the horse you're looking at. I knew 2 geldings (shared one) that were by the same sire as my horse and a mare who is a full sister, and was actually looking for a horse by this particular stallion - I knew that he generally threw 16hh+ horses, and the ones I'd met were intelligent, trainable and had lots of personality. I spoke to people who knew a few more, and that was the general consensus. And luckily, that's what I've got - and at 3 she's already 16hh.. :D

Having done it once, I would always go for youngsters now, as it's incredibly rewarding. But you do have to use your head and set boundaries/behaviours right from the start, otherwise you will be in trouble when they get older. And you do have to accept the risk that for the 3 or so years you can't ride them, anything could still happen and you could end up with a broken horse that you will never ride, but that you've put a lot of work/money into.
 
You are probably better off not getting a foal/yearling. Although, my cob landed on my lap as a 6 month old weanling. He was a present. He's 8 now, and I wouldn't sell him for the world. I was recently offered 3500 sterling for him, but said no, as he is part of my family. If he was for sale, I would most definitely have sold him for that money, but he will be with me for all of his life. I'm lucky though, he's a bombproof cob, since he was born.
 
Hi there. Many thanks for your replies. I think I had an idealistic view of bonding with a foal and being together for life but fr
om what I have read I don't think it's going to be the best way forward. Think I'm going to go for a 6 or 7 yo unless I can find the perfect 5 yo. I know what I want an iris draught type 16hh to take hunting. Like a previous poster mentioned being older now I'm more consious that I don't bounce as well as I did in my twenties. I've started going to riding lessons again to improve my skills in jumping and flatwork. Thanks again for the advice x
 
Vjay - you have had some great advice on here - this thread has reminded me that - for anyone who wants advice about horses, Tack Room part of H&H forum is one of THE best places I have found. (The most recent 'advice' I have had is possible and mainly good companies that do major rebuilds of outdoor schools.) The fact that only 1 out of 8 recommendations currently look possible is down to the lousy way these people run their businesses - and the 1 who WOULD get the job, I think, unless his quote is horrendously high has NO guarantee at this stage because my husband (quite reasonably) expects me to get 3 quotes.

For someone who wants an Irish Draught type and is a basically competent rider a 4 or 5 year old is your best bet. I say this because in my considerable experience with them (I breed them - and have for 12 years) it extends the time you SHOULD have them for 2 years, gives you a LOT more input into the horse they'll be at 7, 10 and 20, ensures that almost anything that goes 'wrong' with them - either soundness or behaviour related - you will have a much better idea about what has gone wrong, and the closer a horse's age is to the age at which its FIRST owner - the breeder - sold it the more chance that the breeder will still be around and be able to help you with a 'possible cause'. Of course, how much ANY breeder will be able to help you depends on how 'hands on' they have been in the horse's upbringing, and what age they kept it to before selling it, AND how intelligent they are about KNOWING that being totally honest to current owners is the best chance they have about increasing the desirability of their home-bred horses to potential buyers.
 
I wouldn't get hung up about it being for life. What happens if it isn't what you want in 5 years. You might out grow it ability wise, or it might be too much for you.

I would focus on getting a really nice horse you can enjoy in the here and now.
 
I might get virtually shot for saying this but when I was in OP's position I bought a pony weanling. That way I could establish if I had time, knowledge enough for my own equine etc without it costing a fortune. I did, and after selling said pony ready for breaking at 3 I bought a rising 3 yr old part ID who I broke and kept till she had to be PTS at 25.
Purchaser of the pony complimented me on how well educated and friendly she was when he got her when I saw him 6 months later, and the part ID was always a lovely ride, but fun with it.
 
sunnyone said:
I might get virtually shot for saying this but when I was in OP's position I bought a pony weanling.
Click to expand...

You certainly won't get shot by me. Assuming you don't weigh 14 stone or more (or didn't when you first bought the pony) you bought a pony for one of te many 'right' reasons. You gave it a good start in life and learned a lot from the experience. And of course you ended up with a very nice part ID - so in my eyes at least you have good taste in horse breeds.
 
Get something broken unless you have experience with youngsters.

I had experience with youngsters but even still handling my first foal was an eye opener ... they are little *********s & will do anything & everything to try to kill you if they can because life is just so much fun. If they get away with it your life will be hell ! Didn't help that he was a colt but even after he was cut he was still a pain.
Also foals are really better off being with other foals/yearlings to socialise.
Buying something you know you will want, you buy a foal to make 16hh & it could be anywhere from 15hh to 17hh, its not an exact science !
 
JanetGeorge said:
You certainly won't get shot by me. Assuming you don't weigh 14 stone or more (or didn't when you first bought the pony) you bought a pony for one of te many 'right' reasons. You gave it a good start in life and learned a lot from the experience. And of course you ended up with a very nice part ID - so in my eyes at least you have good taste in horse breeds.
Click to expand...
Thanks Janet. My weight has never been an issue, so no worries there but at 5'8" plus a bit I can look under horsed on a pony.
That particular mare was a half sister to Timahoe Heather and the spitting image of him. I just didn't realise how rare her bloodlines were when she was of breeding age. The part ID is almost always a lovely horse and I shall be riding my homebred mare by Beeston Lord Henry tonight, I hope.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top