Horse search - am I being too picky?

webble

webble

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I have started looking for a new horse and finding it very difficult please can someone tell me where I'm going wrong and give me a slap if needed. If I wrote a wanted ad it would look like this

14.2 to 15.2, gelding, must be good with traffic and to go out on its own, not a loon in company. Age 7 to 14. Don't want very hairy or or something I have to worry about it's weight, not Welsh or TB. 3 hours of Chester 6k

I don't mind green, I don't want to jump or do dressage I want to hack to the pub/ coffee shop and do fun rides

Everything I've seen has either been miles away, a mare or with a dodgy dealer. I tried increasing the budget but still didn't feel very inspired by anything.
 
If you’re struggling to find anything, then it might be worth looking at expanding your criteria. Could you get away with something a bit smaller/taller? Wider search radius?
I ended up with something a bit taller than I wanted, but he’s ideal in every other way.
 
I think you want what many people do something safe for happy hacking , I’m 5ft 5 and would want something in that height range but prefer mares. Have you tried your local riding club or pony club , maybe put a wanted ad on their websites. I know your upper age was 14 but smaller horses and ponies can do the sort of thing you want into their late 20’s. My friend bought her 15 hand horse advertised as 16 but once she’d bought her she found out she was really 18, she was happily being ridden until she was 27 and friend then retired her and she lost her at 32
 
Mine own meets all of your criteria except that he's welsh.
But will happily hack out alone or in company and will sit front/middle/ back no issue and would stand at the pub/coffee shop/burger van etc happily all day!
I'm also exceptionally Uckfield as he will turnout alone and happy being left out on his own once all the others have been bought in but will equally and does turn out with mares or geldings and stables alone.
 
Would you consider an Arab ?

I find they tend to be on the cheaper side compared to other horses as they are not a breed many people want.

I love them I have 2 and yes they are not for everyone but I've converted a few anti Arab people with mine over the years.

Arabian lines website often has a few riding horses for sale horsequest sometimes have them or preloved.
 
Your budget is not big enough if you don't want native, cob or TB then you are looking a small pool of horse types such as a intermediate show hunter type or part native x tb or arab. A lot of happy hackers are cob/native types. Possibly a retired show horse or competition pony which can only be hacked might work if you don't mind something with a few medical issues.
 
We wanted something very similar to your criteria when we were looking for a new RDA horse. We also needed a weight carrier that could turnout in a mixed herd. It took us over 2 years to find what we were looking for and we had to.increase the budget, even though we would have taken hairy.
 
You probably need something like this but the price is going to be way more than your budget because you are ruling out good doers and TBs

www.horsequest.co.uk

Carrhouse I Spy

<p>This boy is definitely a hoys / RI / dressage/ sidesaddle contender.</p> <p><strong>QUALIFIED FOR 2024 LONDON INTERNATIONAL HORSE SHOW</strong></p> <p>Rupert is a kind affectionate pony with a lot of character and straight forward to ride.<br /> <br /> He Hacks out alone or in company, has...
www.horsequest.co.uk www.horsequest.co.uk
 
Had a quick look on nfed.co.uk but there isn’t much at that price range at the moment (although you could probably get something bigger for your budget - mad that it is). Too far but this is the only one that sort of ticked your boxes:

www.nfed.co.uk

Gorgeous 15.1 Connemara gelding

Full details on the NFED Classifieds - www.nfed.co.uk #horses #ponies #equestrian
www.nfed.co.uk
 
HorsesRule2009 said:
Mine own meets all of your criteria except that he's welsh.
But will happily hack out alone or in company and will sit front/middle/ back no issue and would stand at the pub/coffee shop/burger van etc happily all day!
I'm also exceptionally Uckfield as he will turnout alone and happy being left out on his own once all the others have been bought in but will equally and does turn out with mares or geldings and stables alone.
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My old boy,Welsh,was exactly that too.
 
If it's a standi you want hav you tried any trainers? I don't know if any personally but there are a few in north wales definitely and the track at kimmel bay, might be worth getting your details out there.
 
webble said:
I've just reread my post and it's completely wrong, I'm just feeling sorry for myself. What I actually want is a project otsb and I'm being impatient finding the right one so I started looking at other options

I have reminded myself to be patient and possibly travel further apologies for the moan
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Well then speak to Adam Ferris and get what you want shipped over from Ireland. All his are on FB if you want to take a look.

https://www.facebook.com/100000953333788/posts/27597414833206923
 

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When I was horse hunting in 2010 then again in 2014 one of my main criteria was must be good in traffic and hack out alone. I had a decent, for the time, budget and there were a lot of RC, competition types that fit my other, very loose, criteria but time and time again it was the hacking/traffic bit that ruled them out. So few hacked of any type and quite a few that supposedly did when you asked further questions turned out to only hack in company/didn't like tractors etc.
 
I would broaden your criteria. I’ve known plenty of 6 year old geldings who were grown up enough to be very safe and sensible, even some 5 year olds.

Equally type - at 14.2-15.2 you will usually have pony or cob in there somewhere to bring the height down. So they’ll be a good doer. Or a little hairy. Or a small TB. All of which you are excluding. You could go bigger and get more of a true horse, or maybe accept something like a Connie cross and accept it will need a muzzle in the summer.

Overall I would say - browse the ads, go and see geldings you like the look of. You can clip off the hair or feed up something lighter or stick a muzzle on in summer. None of those things are really of consequence. What matters is the personality of the horse in question and whether you like them and enjoy riding them.
 
webble said:
I have started looking for a new horse and finding it very difficult please can someone tell me where I'm going wrong and give me a slap if needed. If I wrote a wanted ad it would look like this

14.2 to 15.2, gelding, must be good with traffic and to go out on its own, not a loon in company. Age 7 to 14. Don't want very hairy or or something I have to worry about it's weight, not Welsh or TB. 3 hours of Chester 6k

I don't mind green, I don't want to jump or do dressage I want to hack to the pub/ coffee shop and do fun rides

Everything I've seen has either been miles away, a mare or with a dodgy dealer. I tried increasing the budget but still didn't feel very inspired by anything.
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Try and find an arab. They really are the loveliest general riding horses and, if anything, they're actually cheaper than most.
 
webble said:
Yes. That's what the one I went to see on Tues was, he was amazing apart from one issue which wouldn't work on my yard, but there will be others I just need to patient and travel a bit further
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Have you tried Jack Thomas Watson. It may be too far for you though, he is in Northumberland. He appears to have a very good name. I haven't bought from him but have spoken on the phone to him. He has a good selection of horses.
 
Also look at horses that are over budget.
If the ad has been around a while it's worth contacting & discussing if there is any movement on price?
Its not the best time if year for selling you might be lucky.
 
Lady Jane said:
I think your requirements and not hairy are ruling out connies but your budget is probably the big limiting factor
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I think what I'm really looking for is my old horse and that's what's driving my unrealistic requirements, even when I upped the budget to 8k I wasnt inspired, I'm not sure I'm ready
 
Flame_ said:
Try and find an arab. They really are the loveliest general riding horses and, if anything, they're actually cheaper than most.
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Not all of them. I have two, the older is just as you describe (except he's scared of tractors and wagons but not dangerous) and the younger one is a lot more challenging. I'm sure he will improve with age and experience but the older one was younger than the baby one is now when I got him and he's always been a lot kinder and safer.

A woman I met at a clinic recently told me it's because the older one is Crabbet lines (younger one is Russian/Polish). But also I know the older was home bred by a lady who hunted and did useful stuff with her Arabs whereas the younger came from a small stud that I think was more about the showing. So just pick your lines carefully if you go down the Arab route.
 
Sometimes the best horses are the ones we weren’t looking for.
I never wanted a hairy cob type. Then I got the Diva who was a hairy cob x and she was my dream pony who I trusted with my life and could do literally anything with.
She definitely made me more open to looking outside of my normal type.
 
scats said:
Sometimes the best horses are the ones we weren’t looking for.
I never wanted a hairy cob type. Then I got the Diva who was a hairy cob x and she was my dream pony who I trusted with my life and could do literally anything with.
She definitely made me more open to looking outside of my normal type.
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I was looking for a hairy cob type when I bought Kiki 🤣
 
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