How did you all find your horses?

She found me. My Dad bought Star for my mum who wanted a plod. Star had been at livery on their farm and Dad was offered her for silly money so he bought her. the problems started when Star realised that mum was not an experienced rider-so procedded to play her games...... and after 2 weeks, mum never got on her again. Hence I ended up with her. I was totally overhorsed at first, but persevered and now love her to bits.
 
My old mare - the bay in my siggy was word of mouth. She originally came on loan and then about a year later the owner offered to sell her to me

Barney the grey in my siggy was in the local paper I think. He is an insurance right off
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and came on loan. He still is on loan. He's a total toad of a horse, but curiously I am fond of him.

The chestnut in my siggy was through an advert in H&H. Minute I saw her I knew I was going to buy her. She spooked and bucked when I rode her, failed the flexion test and reared in the vetting cos she was fed up of being prodded. I adored that mare, she lived with me until she died of old age.
 
I brought mine from a lady in the village next door. He was the first horse I'd been to see. Perfect, but a bit older than I'd hoped. After having him on trial I couldn't refuse buying him!
 
I found mine on Horsemart. This pic was the first one and got my attention right away as I thought she was sooo pretty. Two days later I went to view her and put a deposit down for her that night!
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-Flame was on my livery yard.
-Abby was in for sale ads from a private home.
-Deb was on Horsemart from a dealer but advertised as private.
-Diamond was one of five they had in at the right size/age/type/price at Two Mills. That is the way to try horses, I'll never bother with answering ads again.
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Rauti (horse in signature): bought him as a four-year-old after looking for over 6 months. Mainly through endless phone calls and visits to breeding studs -- I am pretty certain we visited 95% of the studs in Southern Germany (OH was living in Munich back then and I took advantage
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). He was supposed to be my horse of a lifetime and I can say now, 5 years later, that he definitely is.

Frodo: we weren't really looking for a second horse, but I do enjoy looking at horses on the Internet and fell totally in love with this picture on a breeder's website:
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I couldn't get it out of my head, so I made enquiries and the breeder was pretty enthusiastic about his paces. He actually had bloodlines I was VERY interested in at the time, so we drove the 600km round trip to the stud, saw he had an amazing hind leg, and bought him (by now he was 2).
I do feel slightly ashamed that I've chosen a dressage horse virtually on the basis of a cute picture of him as a foal, but hey, it's worked out!
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Vino, my yearling: Always kept in touch with Rauti's breeders; I was desperate for a foal out of his same dam and had already seen one the year before but I wasn't entirely convinced. Then last year Rauti's dam gave birth to a gorgeous foal by In Flagranti, who is another stallion I'm very interested in, so we went to see him and bought him there and then.
So...three VERY different ways
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Wow some fab stories, Well I guess I will know when I find the right one and I will try not to get all impatient.
Some lovely horses here aswell
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My parents bought my mare at auction in wales back in 1992, she was from an irish gypsy and was as they often are already fully broken at 2yrs of age, kept her ever since.
The other horses we bought were all private purchases bar one other cracking mare we bought at auction, the same auction as my mare now, we then bred the others ourselves, so a mix of everything really
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Here she is about a month ago, 19yrs old

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I will have to scan in some pictures from back in the day some time soon
 
Banner~ I got him from a local dealer, phoned him up after I had lost my old horse (RIP
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) and he said he didnt have anything amazing for the money I had but he had a cob and an ISH, Went to look and was greeted by a VERY overweight but incredibly cute Ban man. He had spent a year or two out in then field but I rode him none the less and fell in love ( even though I was set out to buy a SJ'er!!) Ended up bringing him home 2 days later and 4 years down the line I still love my man to bits
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Lordie: Found him on Diamond horses EU, Went to view and here we are a few weeks later
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I'm also looking at the moment and know what you mean-there's nothing out there that I really like! So typical, a few months ago when I wasn't in a position to buy I saw loads of nice horses. Maybe its just the time of year?

My first horse I bought from my aunt & uncle's riding school, I'd ridden her a few times and my instructor thought I'd suit her. Didn't get her vetted or anything, as there didn't seem much point when we were buying from family. She has turned out to be a fab horse but has been a little too sharp for me at times. She'll be with me now until the rest of her life, because she has a tendon injury and has had to be semi retired, I do love her even though she has been a total madam at times.

I'm hoping I can buy the 2nd horse through word of mouth, or my uncle again, or possibly from this forum. Going to look at a forum member's horse for sale this Saturday in Wales and although I don't want to get my hopes up too much, I'm really excited about it.
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current horses;

Pilfer was 1/2 a mile down the road and was told of him through word of mouth.

Millie was advertised in H&H with her mum.

Vinnie i wanted an eventing bred yearling, saw his ad on Horsequest and followed the link to Louella Stud where i bought him from.

most others i have had have come from word of mouth
 
Captain- we went to see some horses at a dealer's yard Elizabeth's instrutor knew. None were suitable but he did say "well there is Captain but he is a bit difficult" this was an understatement, as he reared while being tried, bit and kicked when being tacked up , was as thin as a rake and was as bolshy as hell.However Elizabeth and I were in love and he has been with us ever since. He will be til he goes. He is an angel now, well 95% of the time anyway!
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Fany - she also came from a dealer's yard, I think the dealer is a member on here. We saw her, Elizabeth tried her and could not get her to move, as she is classical trained and Fany isn't! But still she fell for her and she is now coming along lovely.
 
The pub!!! (yes really
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)

Had absolutely no intention of taking on another horse, let alone a yearling - one of those things where fate takes a hand and you just know something is right.
 
Bought Buddie 8 1/2 years ago when I was 15 for £60 off my now sister in law, I saw him and fell in love!
Bought Bear after seeing him once, off a dealer friend.
Bought Gimley, Norman and Shenkyn off a pic on the internet lol!
I knew Tia from the day she was born as best mates dad bred her, and OH's mate's mum sold us Mr Dinks
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(saw him once)
 
QR

Mouse - mother decided to buy him as a 10 month old for me "to grow into" - I was too big for him then!!! (He matured to be 13.1hh, I'm 5'7"!)
Duck - an advert for sale in the local paper
Squizz - an advert for loan (but we ended up buying him for £500) in the same local paper
Blackjack - we put a "wanted" advert in the same local paper
Woody - an advert for sale in the same local paper
Jazz - found him by accident as kept Squizz at a livery yard nearby and Jazz needed a rider so I rode him out when a friend rode Squizz, and when Squizz went back, I took Jazz on!

We've had several others we've been asked to ride for other people as well - that was through word of mouth!

Good luck with your horse hunt - I'm sure you'll find a good one.
 
I was working at a rescue centre and Millie was there - I looked after and rode her for a year on and off and realised I couldn't let her go to anyone else! I wanted a 16.2 TB gelding, ended up with a 15h cob mare.. hey ho. Had her 5 years now and she's definitely a keeper.

Previous horses - local paper or word of mouth.
 
My TB- when i was looking for my first horse and i wanted a 'been there/ done that' RC type i decided to go and look at a fresh off the track race horse through an advert in the farmers guardian. he was cheap and pretty, i fell in love with him and he's now with me for life (he has special needs
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)- totally not the right horse at the time, but i learnt so much with him
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the grey in my siggy- i was looking on horsequest and saw a picture of him- he was in portsmouth (i'm in lancashire
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) but he was just what i was looking for- right price, age, experience and i'd always wanted a grey. so after spending a few days saying "its too far to travel" i went to see him and he was back with me within 2 weeks
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my 4 year old- my SJ trainer found him for me. a friend of hers had bred him from her old sjing mare and he was for sale but not advertised or anything- he was just in a field in a herd. i went to see him loose jump and my trainer liked his movement/ shape over a fence. he was just what i was after- a nicely bred 4 year old with nice movement, not too big or pricey and had had nothing done with him so i bought him. he's the best horse i've ever had, i really hope that he's going to be the horse that i can fulfil all my ambitions with
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would get my trainer to find me the next one if i need one...much easier than looking yourself
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I searched high and low for my two yearlings, i bought them as foals. I found them both on their studs websites as i wanted a specific type. I am in west wales and i travelled to hampshire for one and cornwall for the other but looked far and wide! I wanted an anglo arab and found him www.biddesdenstud.co.uk i had to pick from about 6 and i have to say he picked me! The other, i just fell in love with her from her page www.weekorchard.co.uk/Nareco.html she was even better in the flesh!
 
Good luck with your search. What are you looking for exactly?
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Got my girl from an ad in Farmers Guardian, went to see her, got her home a week later and that was 7 years ago
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Here she is when I'd just got her home

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and here she is recently

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My ex-instructor told me that she knew of a very cheap but difficult gelding for sale that she had wanted to buy herself but did not have the room for him and suggested that I go have a look at him. One week later he came home with me (had him for 9 years so far).

Other current one was an unbroken 3 year old kept at the yard where I moved my other boy. Used to fuss and stroke him as I thought he was cute. Few months later, they said they were selling him and offered me first refusal as they knew I liked him.

First ever horse, shared her for a few months and then owner wanted to sell so I bought her.
 
Joe - Called an advert on breed website about something that was sold but she gave me the number of lady selling him.
B - Went to try a friends horse for another friend that was not suitable, they told us about B and he was to green for them so I bought him instead!
 
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