I am just tired of this.

benson21

benson21

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All i want is a horse! But every one I find that sounds suitable, we go and see and it either bucks, rears, not a weight carrier, being sold dodgily, or we are too late. I know we are asking alot, as we need something thats 110% bombproof, thats suitable for novice, nervous riders, and that can carry 17 stone, around 16.2hh. Thoroughbreds are too fine, I phone for the heavier horses and am told I am too fat to ride. I have seen much bigger people riding than me, why is it ok for them but not me.
Sorry, a bit of a pointless post, but feeling really really fed up now!
 
Looking for horses is never easy - and the right one is there for you somewhere. Usually around the corner........
 
Not sure where in the country you are, but have you tried Emma Hinkley at Clip Clop Traders?
She was a good 3 hour drive away from me, but well worth the trip and I now have my lovely Harvey. He is a full up 16.1, but looks more like 17h. Would probably carry 20 stone easily! And my specific criteria was SAFE and suitable for a novice.
She may not have the right horse in right now, but I believe she will find one if you tell her exactly what you are after. There are several members on this forum who also have horses from her and I have never heard a bad word against her. Good luck!
 
I reckon you should follow the advice of the above posters. I know the word dealer puts alot of people off but, although i have experience myself, Clip Clop Traders seems to come up on here alot as being a very good place to buy.

That way, the hard work of sifting through horses to find something suitable is done by someone else! Don't lose heart......you will find your perfect horse!
 
Chin up Benson!! The right horse will find you!

I can sympathise with your feelings though - I hate looking for horses, I have made a couple of expensive errors of judgement in the past and find my confidence is pretty low when looking at suitable mounts. I have also encountered some unpleasant people along the way. It just feels like a minefield - it should be an exciting time really should'nt it!!!!

I wish you luck!!
 
Oh, dear! It's always a nightmare looking for a horse, but if you have more specific requirements it's even worse!

We were looking for exactly the same type of horse 7 years ago and it took 4 months. I called up about hundreds of horses and dismissed most on the phone. We saw 15 duds, it's amazing the outright lies people will tell! We were after a sunstantial weight carrier and people wheeled out a 14.2hh pony, or they would swear the horse was suitable for a beginner but then refuse to sit on it! HOWEVER, (and this is the good part of the story!) number 16 was Cakey and he has been with us ever since so don't give up! By the way Cakey is only 16hh but because he is a real HW he was more than happy carrying my OH who is 6 foot and weighed 17 stone (at the time - he lost a lot of weight through riding!).
 
Well, what about spending some of your not-yet-riding time loosing some weight? I've no idea if you are fat or not but there aren't many people (international rugby players in full training etc aside) who are really healthy at 17 stone. And there certainly aren't many 16.2 horses around who should be carrying that kind of weight along with tack etc. So, what about a new healthier figure for you and a wider selection of suitable horses? I'm lucky that when I'm slim I can get away with ponies but when I'm not I need something 15hhish although fine is fine if you see what I mean. I don't expect to have as wide a selection at my 'fatter' weights though. Good luck!
 
benson- its not just your problem. Finding a decent horse of any type is fraught with problems. Keep looking, your horse is out there
 
I know what you are saying weight wise, I have been trying for a long time to loose the weight, I certainly would be happier being lighter! Its a long story but at the moment I have a torn ligament in my knee and a broken back, so slightly restricted. Our plan is to get a new horse so my husband can ride, and get it settled in before I get back on after injuries have been sorted.
 
I also felt just like you and the amount of wasted trips looking at horses that were not as described even after you have quizzed them on the phone, I think there are more time wasters selling horses than there are buying them.

The problem I had was although I am an experienced horse owner I will never be a confident rider, and some venders who are selling a slightly dodgy horse find it easy to sell to novices as most novices are beginners who might not know what to really look for. The amount of horses advertised at the age of 12 who when you got there turned out to be nearer 20 was huge, I felt like giving up too !

I became paranoid about what else people would lie about, I was not looking for a world beater either just a nice happy hacker.

I did find the right horse in the end and so will you. Good luck. :)
 
I think part of the problem is you want what many others also want. A Paragon of Virtue, 16.2 hubby and wife horse, go anywhere do anything horse.

!6.2 inconsistent, not suitable for novice, grey git just does not have the same appeal does it? Not that I'd ever part with him.

I don't know where you are, but try recommended dealers as you will normally be able to try a number of horses at once rather than zipping around the country, only to be disappointed.

Good luck and don't give up.

Paddy
 
You have my sympathy Benson21, I've been looking for a horse big enough to share with hubby, and safe enough not to scare him but still with enough potential to keep us challenged for months and have had lots of disappointments (and a few bruises).

I have heard some good things about these guys:

http://www.stubleyhollowhorses.com/

I haven't used them personally and have no connections with them, but they have a few sensible weight carrying types on their website and will look for something to suit you if they don't have what you are looking for.

Good Luck.
 
Sounds like an Irish draught could be just your horse a nice mare or gelding. You should see the number out hunting with hacking great blokes on and I am no lightweight but a good Irish horse will take you anywhere whatever you weigh and keep you safe and sound.

A friend of mine in UK was looking for that type of horse and ended up with a real sweetie Irish mare from a place called Safe Cobs, they do horses as well. I have not a clue about UK market these days but she rated them quite highly.

I think also it is very important for you NOT to be too impatient, I understand that you want to have another horse to help heal the pain from your awful accident but you will know when the right horse arrives and sometimes they just do that. So spend your horse seeking time knowing the right one will turn up and remain calm and heal yourself too. Good luck
 
Benson have you tried Duckhurst Farm?
I have bought lots of horses/ponies from there over the years (I used to have a riding school) and also taken livery clients there to buy horses.

They will let you go as many times as you want to try one out, and ask exactly what they have and haven't done with it (they will be honest); for example if they have never galloped it around an open field or hacked it out in busy traffic ask a member of staff to do this so you can watch.
 
Yes! I know just what you mean; when I was looking for a horse a few years ago I was looking for what everyone else seemed to want; i.e. "15hh'ish, cob type, suitable for mature rider, good in traffic, nicely forward going but not fizzy, pops a fence, good to shoe and do" etc etc. But that perfect horse eluded me.

I went to a few places looking, one was a very shifty dealers yard (no longer trading under their old name coz they were done by Trading Standards apparently); another dealers yard tried to sell me stuff that was blatently not suitable and would have fobbed me off with something that had a mega big quidding problem, the other one was a poor horse that had got tied up in wire and had awful scarring all down its legs tho' having said that it was probably OK temperamentally, but would probably have been traumatised and difficult to shoe.

Eventually I made a wrong choice from a person who should have known better than to sell me the horse, and got something that wasn't right for me at all. I had to give up after six months and had to sell the horse on - he was a sweet boy but just too sharp for me.

Then I gave up! Sod this I thought, I'll have to resign myself to plodding along at the local riding school as there's nothing out there to suit me.

Then I saw an advert in the autumn, for a trekking centre who were looking for winter homes for their horses, on a loan basis. To cut a long story short, I took on the most ugly looking cob you could ever have imagined, who had never been hacked solo and had rather a lot of issues, BUT at the end of the winter I had somehow thought that we might just get on OK, and bought him! But he wasn't at all the sort of horse I had envisioned I would have!! I've had someone to help me with his "issues" and its worked out fine; he's a sweet boy and we've come on together nicely.

I just tell this story to give you some hope; there IS the right horse out there for you, but its so easy to feel pressured and despondent and make a wrong choice out of sheer desperation. Believe me, having the "wrong" horse is worse than having no horse; and the "right" horse might come in a funny disguise!!! He/she might not be what you'd originally planned; you never know what you might end up with!!!

With my first pony, a real darling, I went to a local riding school who had a good reputation and who did a bit of dealing on the side, as it were, and had a lovely pony from there, a pony in a million and worth his weight in gold. So there are some good dealers out there; its about asking around and not necessarily being impressed with posh fencing and new gates everywhere, but also being determined and walking away if you don't feel the place is "right". Also if you have an instructor or horsey clique pass the word around that you're looking.

Have you thought about a "rescue" centre? Yes, I know these horses may come with issues, BUT, to be clear-headed about it, one advantage here is that if things don't work out, you can hand the animal back. But I think they do charge don't they? But its just a thought. Or you might find there's a riding centre/trekking centre near you which is seeking to downsize (but make sure they don't fob you off with something problematic, plus if you do solo hacking like me, bear in mind their horses may have confidence issues when hacking alone).

But good luck!
 
Finding the right horse is a nightmare and can take many months, but dont give up hope, you WILL find something.

Patsy at Stubley Hollow is good.
Avril at Mysafecobs is very good, and certainly has a quiet up to weight for sale at the moment.
Lia at Safecobs may have something suitable.

Good luck. :)
 
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