How do you know if a horse is right for you?

Firewell

Firewell

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Im looking for a new horse and after the time wasting rant below just wondered... How do you know if the horse is the one?

Ive already got one horse that ive had for 4 years and it took me a long while to bond with her. Now we have a strong bond and I love her so much but if I could go back in time I would never have brought her because as a competition partnership we just dont cut the mustard together.

How the hell do you know? I hear about people falling in love with a horse at first sight and thats it. Thats never happened to me
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. Ive never felt that 'wow' feeling when viewing a horse.
Ive ridden them and I know the ones I can get a tune out of and I usually buy those ones. One of these turned out to be the best horse ive ever sat on, another the worst.
The best one was advertised as a not novice ride and no one wanted her, I hated her too at first but I had no money and she was all there was. She took me from being too scared to jump a X pole to winning PC area champs in a year, she was incredible and together we were unbeatable, we would think as one and I could do anything with her.
The worst one was a proven showjumper yet I rarely could get beyond the first jump and he was always stopping with me. We had no confidence in each other whats so ever.

Everytime I go and see a a horse I think, right height - tick, right build - tick, any major confo faults? etc ect. If all the boxes are ticked I think OK, lets ride and see. I never think OMG gorgeous horse, I just know hes the one!!! I always see the horse as just a horse

Do I need to wait untill I fall in love straight away? Or do I take a chance? Im not very good with selling horses so I really dont want to be stuck with the wrong one.

I didnt fall in love with my OH straight away, I knew there was something there but it took a few months for me to think yes hes the one.

Im really scared of picking the wrong horse because it ticked the boxes and I got a tune out of it. what else should I be going on?

Sorry this is really rambling
 
I'm going to see a potential new horse tomorrow and it's actually the first one I will have ever been to! I'm terrified and very very excited. But I am dreading falling in love with him and then him failing a vetting or just being terrible to ride.
Unfortunately my heart always thinks first. You are lucky as you seem to think with your head first.
I am expected to feel something there straight away with the "right" horse, but after what you have written, maybe I should just suck it and see, so to speak!
Sorry not much help really.
 
Personally i think you do it the right way, thats how i do it, i think your comment about knowing if you play a tune with them, is the right one. Building a relationship with a horse takes time. If they are receptive to you when you first ride them then their rideability is good and for me, thats the most important thing. Good luck, go with your instincts but be objective.
 
I don't know really, I just think 'I think I could do something with this horse'
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Obviously it has to tick all the basic boxes like height etc!

With Blu I didn't like her when I tryed her to start with, she came out the stable rather mucky, and went round with her head nodding about in the clouds like a giraffe as she had had no proper schooling.
But when I jumped her, she gave me such a good feel and as I wanted her for jumping, I thought she could teach me something - love her more than life itself now!
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Cara was again bought for her jump. Got on her and she went lovely on the flat, and then had a jump and she was pinging me out the saddle nearly! So bought her for the jump I know she has in her, but just needs bringing out
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So I suppose I bought my two because they were both good at the job I want them to do
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Im not sure you always do know and what is right for you at one time wont always be right.

I went for a pony after my last cesarean, it got me going again. After a while I got the dressage bug and upgraded, when I wanted to go up the levels further I bought a warmblood.

I do believe in horses for courses and that as we develop as riders we change what we look for in a horse as each one takes us further on our learning journey.
 
I tried quite a few horses before I came across mine, I either just didn't get on with them full stop or something just didn't feel right, I wanted a horse to event but used to be quite a nervous jumper and the horse I bought (and have now) was the only horse I felt confident on and I got all excited about popping him over a fence, I made sure before I bought him I rode him in traffic, galloped round a field + checked the brakes!, did some XC fences as well as SJ fences and obviously assessed him on the flat. Whether he is the 100% perfect horse for me I will never know as I don't know what else is out there (and still think about a horse I very nearly bought that was too expensive...although consequently failed its vetting for someone else anyway :S) but we get on well, trust eachother and he does the job I bought him to do!
 
Good question. I have only had my current horse for just over 7 months. I didn't like the look of her in the stable as she was a bit grumpy and on the light side to what I usually have but when I saw her ridden I liked what I saw. Then when I rode her I liked her too. She passed the vet and I bought her.

Since having her I don't feel I've made that connection yet. She can be a missy cow at times and over this winter I haven't done much with her. However I do feel that we will get there and she is the first mare I have ever owned and boy is dhe different! I'm looking forward to better weather and the spring to start on her again.
 
I spent a long time waiting to see if I was ever going to know whether I had found the right one or whether I was just being picky! started to get very concerned would never know and nearly bought something in hindsight would have been totally inappropriate.

My current pony was bought by someone else locally, I had seen the advert but also the distance and the price and it was early in my search. I really liked him when he arrived and kicked myself for not going. 3 months later she wasn't getting on with him, he was stopping and being nappy etc. I bought him, prob for more than should have paid with the issues he had developed but just knew. Took a year for him to settle but since has been generally fab. Has his quirks but love him to bits and wouldn't swap him (all choked up now- oh dear!)
 
I tried to do it right, decided what sort of horse I wanted, native type no bigger than 16hh max. But ended up going to look at George because he had a nice face (!!) and was only 5miles away, when the owner got him out of his stable I thought he was too big for me as at 16.3 he was the biggest horse I'd ever ridden. But when I got on he just felt so safe and dependable yet forward going, the owners let me groom him after and I just felt that we could be great friends. Which is how I ended up with a 16.3 3/4 TB, who turned out to be a real gem and a great friend.
 
Even when you've bought a horse which seems perfect it can still take 6-12 months to work out for sure if it's the right one for you.

When viewing I literaly have a check list which I go through line by line. I don't care if this makes me look nuts I'd rather make sure I ask all the right questions ! That said I had a horse which ticked all the boxes but still didn't really suit me.

I always take one of my most cynical horsey friends and never any of my fluffy ones.

Current horse was a bit of love at first sight BUT did still tick all but one box and has worked out even better than expected.
 
i like to think i can get on with anything, i don't get this thing about 'bonding' with them... i treat them all the same (unless they're evil, in which case they get sorted!), and try to make my training black and white. if they really won't/can't do what i ask them to do then i check that i'm asking the right question in the right way, get a full M.O.T. done again (teeth, back, saddle), and have more training! as to whether they'll be good enough to cope with what i really want them to do eventually, only time will tell. i've bought because vet said so, and because of l.a.f.s.... the one the vet told me to get was my best horse ever!
 
I went to visit my pony 3 times before i said yes. Im very indecisive and wasn't sure, i had some nagging doughts, but at the same time couldnt stop thinking about her. She failed the vetting once but we had her re vetted and she passed. Had her 6 weeks now... No regrets shes a star
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Just over a year ago I went looking for a four or five year old gelding. I saw a three year old 16hh-ish chestnut mare and thought 'blah, and don't like her eye'; and then I saw (on my own out in North Wales) a 15.1hh (she was meant to be 16hh) three year old spotty mare - and knew I'd have her. The daft thing is, I didn't get a singing feeling in my soul, more of a 'just knew it was right'. When I lost Tigs a year later, I saw about thirty horses in one week (there were a lot at one breeders yard!), and I saw the chestnut mare I'd seen a year ago, and fell in love with her. She has a lovely face and kind eye, and a very sweet and slighty dizzy disposition. She's not the brave little mare I had, but she is her own horse and we'll no doubt have our own fun.
 
i have a list of 'must haves' and then a list of what i'd like. so for example i need to be able to jump 1.20m but i'd like it to be pretty etc.
when i go and look i assess conformation but i'd always want to see it move (as you all know from my timewasters rant!!) but then if i didn't like what i saw or movement not enough to put me off not liking conformation i wouldn't get on.
then i'd get on and see how i felt on it. i wouldn't be too concerned if i couldn't get an especially nice tune (i'm one of those riders that takes a few weeks to work out how a horse needs riding- not enough variation!) but i'd want to feel nice paces and a nice approach to a jump that gave me confidence. i would have to feel that i could work with the horse given time.
finally i'd get instructors (flat and jump) to give their professional opinion about suitability...and even if i was in love...if they didn't like i wouldn't buy....
having said all this....i'm going to see an unbacked youngster tomorrow so i won't be able to get on it so god knows how you decide! lets just hope its paces and loose jump are so WOW that its an easy decision!!
good luck firewell with the hunt!
 
Gut feeling I think. So far it hasn't let me down, and the ones I did have reservations about did get sold on in the end (after over 12 months, so they got a fair chance). I think there is that "you know this is the one " feeling once you get on and ride.

You've got to be careful with this box ticking thing, you should always be prepared to be a bit flexible, deciding which is the most important (eg temperament) and then see if you can work around the other things. I was looking for a 14hh+ gelding for my daughter with shattered confidence, I ended up with a big strong 13.1 mare. Body size of a 14.1 and a temperament to die for. We are so glad we stopped looking after we met her.
 
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