How far have/ would you travel?

Antw23uk

Antw23uk

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So a quick question for people who have or would travel to look at a horse.

How far would you go?
Are you a round the corner word of mouth 20 minutes up the road kinda buyer or if you see something you like and having spoken to the owner would you travel the length of the country and back to see a horse?

Would you make your first drive to see the horse with a horse box and if all went well bring it back that day? Or would you travel a few hours to view it with the idea of going back at a later date to collect?

Your thoughts and stories please on this boring Friday afternoon at work :)
 
Have travelled to wales, (from south east) 4hour journey. took the trailer with us, the owner was lovely and let us stay over night, tried and took horse home the next day! I would travel any distance if i belive the horse is worth it and what i want. Have had horses from ireland too but they were brought unseen and delivered (
 
I wasn't going passed Birmingham, ended up nearly at Blenheim!! Viewed once, vetted in the week and picked her up the following week. Best decision EVER! Although broken at mo!!!!
 
I went to look at a horse to loan and travelled 2 hours to see her. Couldnt believe what I had found (esp. to loan) so travelled another 2 hours later in the week to watch her compete.

I had had no luck locally, and spent weeks trawling through adverts on the internet. I saw her advert and just got 'that feeling' that it would be worth the drive! She was :)
 
The furthest I've travelled is about 3 hours. No didn't take transport, as would have wanted the horse vetted.
 
These days I stay within about 30 miles of home, as I've wasted far too much time in the past travelling to see horses which were nowhere near as described.
 
I've travelled from the Midlands to Sussex, didn't take trailer as would want horse vetted, picked him up week or so later as he passed! Journey back was a nightmare though as solid traffic on motorway so took us 7 hours to get back and said horse was an absolute saint bless him :)
 
I travelled about 2 hrs each way to see my current horse, and then had to do the same with a horsebox a week later to pick her up. I wasnt really looking that far away to be honest, but when i saw her ad i just had to go see!
 
With my current horse I travelled from iom to warwickshire to see him. Had already prebooked the vetting for the same day as wanted to be there for it and didnt want to have to fly back at a later date for it. Had him transported to me a few days later on the boat. Lucky I liked him as would have had to pay for the vetting either way
 
I was horse hunting last summer. Part of my criteria was hat I wouldn't travel further then an hour to view. The horse I bought was over 3 hours away :o but on the way there (nightmare journey!!) I decided that if I did happen to buy her I would not be collecting her, she would have to be delivered by the owner or a transporter after she had been vetted.

(She was also a mare - Only wanted a gelding, and she was over budget but for some reason there was something that grabbed me in the advert :D Shame she's a bloody pain now :rolleyes: :D :p :D)
 
I have travelled and would again travel the length and breadth of the country if I thought it was worth it. In fact if I took the notion I would go Europe wide if that was what was necessary :)

I never take transport with me, it just presumes too much. The one I bought from the other end of the country was delivered half way and collected by me for the rest of the journey but I would have gone bak for him the following week otherwise
 
I've just completed a 24 hour round trip to view a horse (I'm also from the IOM). Luckily I really liked the horse and am in the process of vetting/import licence/travel arrangements :-)
 
When I was looking for a stallion I advertised in H&H wanted section, had about a hundred replies, drew up a shortlist and then travelled from SW Scotland down to Sussex along to Devon up through rural Wales, into north of England and home. Took a week to do it and thoroughly enjoyed myself in the process. Saw some lovely stallions and picked the one from Devon.
 
I live in Leeds have bought 2 horses went to this side of wales 3 1/2hr drive to go view my somewhat wild filly of the hills loved her even though she was mental and organised a company with a horsebox to collect her for me within a week of my viewing. the lady who bought her form me 2yrs later after the little devil never grew an inch! (she was 2 when i bought her lol) she came from ipswich to view when she came to collect her i actually put her up for the night at my house so she could set off first thing in the morning with her as didnt want her driving tired she was a nice lady.
My new lad came from wallingford / oxon bout 4 1/2hr drive i drove down to view him fell in love organised a self drive box and my brother (lorry dirver for a living) and went for him 2 weeks later i spent the entire journey staring at the cctv lol if its the right horse its always worht a view think id just kick myself if id of missed out because i couldnet be bothered to drive down
 
Travelled 3-4hrs to see our mare but was through a friend so knew she was as described. However I did buy my horsebox on eBay unseen and got the train from Dorset to Lincoln and drove it back all in one day! About 5hrs each way but worth it as lovely box and nothing round our way similar!
 
i live in wiltshire and we were fully prepared to travel out to the lower regions of holland to go see a horse, but would have had to have bought it there are then!

lucky something came up in newbury........
 
One of my Boarders drove to Florida to see a horse, they shipped it up here then decided that they didn't like it after all and sold it out West. So the horse did a 24 hour trip (2000km odd) then a month later a similar distance across Canada.
 
Furthest I went was about four hours away. Really felt like she was the one and as soon as I got on I was like 'get me off'. It was miserable.
 
When I lived near manchester my mum and I did Newcastle, Newmarket Yeovil and Cornwall in a weekend!!!! Cornwall was the last destination and that was the horse we bought. And this was in the days before sat macs and computer map print outs.
 
I'll look up to about 4 hours drive away but I would need to see a lot of pics and probably video, and have a good few conversations with the owner to go that far.

I have a few friends that live in different areas of the country so when I was looking I would put their respective towns in as well, and if I found one organise to go seem them and probably stay over when going to see the horse. Happily this was how I went to see my horse and even took my friend with me (not horsey but lives on a farm), its a good way to catch up with people!

I don't think I would take transport for first viewing, but I guess if I had my own it might be tempting to just jump in!

I don't see how people who only buy locally can really get what they want, but depends what you're looking for I guess (or not looking at all as it may be). I have a friend who seems to want to buy anything if its in the right county and under 700 quid, she gets bored easily and seems to keep them on a one in one out sort of basis... not quite how I operate :-)
 
I haven't had to travel to buy, but I have had people come 3 1/2 hours to view and buy mine. I always admire people who do that, it shows commitment to buying (even if they don't buy mine) and surely opens up their scope. If you will only travel half an hour, that really lessens your options.
 
Actually..stupidly just remembered...a lady came from Holland last year to view one of mine. She had friends in the area so made a weekend of it whilst here.
 
I cap it at about 600 or 700 miles (each way). Anything further away than that I buy unseen. It's not so much the miles, it's the spare time that I don't have enough of. I don't take a trailer as if I buy I still need travel and import papers done, so I just either go back and pick them up, or have them shipped to me.

ETA, oh no that's not entirely true. I did buy one unseen but I collected her myself and she was 1,300 miles away, so a round trip of 2,600 miles.
 
I would probably travel the length of Britain for a horse. My grey I travelled 4 hours for and my new horse was gifted to me so I didnt even see him, just watched a video of him - he was transported up (took 11 hours). I also bought a 3yo Welsh Cob from Wales (I'm Aberdeenshire) purely from a video because I felt at 3, he didnt have time to be ruined! I'd never take a trailer with me on viewing a horse, I usually go back for it or if its a distance pay a transporter.
 
almost 4.5 hours there and 5 hrs back! then another hour to drop the lorry back and another hour home from there!

start work at 4am, to leave at 8am, done all that travel, home by 10pm then back to work at 6am the next morning!

killer!
 
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