Inviting Opinions - Pros and Cons of buying this horse

T

Tobiano

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 August 2010
Messages
4,233
Location
Norfolk
Visit site
Hello all. My heart is in my mouth a little but I am going to take the plunge and invite opinions!

I am buying a new horse as my previous mare developed a back problem meaning I am now too heavy for her so have sold her.

I have been offered a mare to buy, by her breeder. She is a lady I have known for 10 years, I have bought a horse from her about 8 years ago and she bought him back when I later found he and I were not suited.

I am 50 and no longer want to be galloped, bucked, reared with or generally terrified by a horse.

This mare is only 4. She was backed at 3 and has had light work on and off since, only ridden by very expert riders.

I have ridden her about 5 times in the school. She has come out for a hack ridden by her owner, with me on my daughter's horse, and did not put a foot wrong. She has done the same with me riding her this morning. Her owner has hacked her a mile along the roads on her own - no issue. She is lovely to ride, very gentle on the ground (though a bit mouthy being only 4) and really no trouble to have around.

Having had a bit of a look round at older horses for sale (I have tried a few) it is SO hard to know if you are going to get on together if you don't have the chance to try them over a period of time in different situations and it's hard to find a seller who will permit this. Also, just who on earth do you trust when buying a horse?!

I have thought of the pros and cons between buying this mare and deciding not to and keep looking for an older horse.

Inviting your thoughts on pros and cons and particularly any non-obvious ones that I may not have thought of!

Thanks for reading this far!
 
Do you like the mare? If you trust this breeder and know she has had great early years AND has taken everything in her stride..she may well be a better option than an older horse who has not.
 
Bearing in mind....with an older horse they're not always sane sensible schoolmasters, often they have quirks and issues. Might be better off getting something young and unspoilt, if the breeder has put time in getting the basics sorted?
 
HBM1 said:
Do you like the mare? If you trust this breeder and know she has had great early years AND has taken everything in her stride..she may well be a better option than an older horse who has not.
Click to expand...

I agree, a young horse who has been started well and ridden carefully will not have developed any of the bad habits that an older horse may have; generally they will be more trainable and more of a blank canvas for you. If you are confident enough to bring her on, then see if you can have her for a trial period. Also she may be an angel now but they generally go through a teenager phase when they're about six, so be prepared for that! ;)

Also is there a reason why she's only been ridden on and off since being backed? (aside from a usual 'turned away' period)
 
Thanks already guys! :) I do like her.....

The 'on and off' work is just that she had the winter off and other bits of time when her breeder was very busy with other horses.
 
If you plan on riding alone on a regular basis I would want her to have been out more than a one off walk down the road, is there a reason she has not been hacked alone more, my main concern would that going alone may mean she loses confidence, at this stage in her training it can be very fragile.
Otherwise a well started confident youngster is often a better prospect than an older wiser horse with ingrained habits, I am just not sure this mare is quite there yet, it does sound as if the breeder would have her back if things do not work out, that is a big bonus.
 
The only person you can trust when buying is yourself and your independent instructor - you only believe what you can see with your own eyes.

Given your description of youself/ what you want I wouldn't buy a youngster - not really because of how she behaves now but because many many of them go through a teenage year (aged 6 ish) when the most lovely genuine 4 / 5 y/o can turn into a nightmare! (anyone who's had a teenage child will know the overnight transformation) - they come through it into being lovely genuine 7/8 y/os but in your position it doesn't sound like you want the grief of working through this phase.
If you have lots of lovely support/ help around you and you don't mind paying for this when she hits teenagerhood (or the breeder would take her back for 6/9 months) then maybe I'd go ahead.

A good seller would be more than happy that you wanted to try the horse multiple times and in different situations. Good horses rarely appear in adverts, I'd put the word around farriers, Y/os, riding club / pony club leaders etc and see if you can find something that way - another benefit would be if they aren't advertised there won't be the pressure of other people looking at the horse so seller will be happy for you to take your time.
 
So Tash88 and Polo's Mum, thanks for the advice about the 'teenage years'. I have heard that before. Can anyone tell me what sort of things you mean please?

Also, I guess this means that a 5YO is not really any better bet than a 4YO (and in fact if you buy a 6YO it might be just about to become a 'teenager' !) so 7 is probably the youngest I should look at if I look for an older horse.

MTA - Be Positive: thanks. Yes - her breeder doesnt do much hacking with any of her horses, and their hacking facilities are not that great. They boxed her over to my livery yard to hack with me - which was pretty much her first time out. And yes I agree I would want to hack her out on my own before deciding.
 
Last edited:
How old is she?
Just turned four or rising five?

Either way, what do you feel about her being young?
Is it going to effect the way you behave on her (within reason)?

I think it's down to your attitude, if you take the view "Mozart was performing in public and writing music at four so asking for a nice calm walk is not asking that much" I reckon you will be OK.

If however you sit there thinking "omg, she's only four" doing the same nice calm walk, it could end in tears.

You sound far too sensible to be lectured about what a 4yo is expected to do but that's different to being worried about them doing anything.
 
A friend of mine bought a 4 yo gelding 18 years ago and we all thought she was a bit mad because back then she was a novice. She's still got him, he's never put a foot wrong and he's still going strong.

At the end of the day it's your choice although I would say most youngsters will have their moments as they develop and are asked to do more. Dpends how confident you are and whether you will have help around incase of challenging times. Having said that horses of any age can be challenging :)
 
Teenagerhood can range from mild testing the boundries (which if you handle/ ride confidently and consistency - you may not even notice) to some bad napping which can easily grow into the bucking/ rearing you've said you'd like to avoid.

Like people every horse is different

And no I wouldn't look at anything below 7, over that they have had the miles on the clock to have seen lots of things and hence not be bothered by new situations.

Also I don't believe they physically stop maturing until 6/7 so physically they are capable of a lot more over 7.
 
Not all horses go through a naughty phase.
I bought a 3 1/2 just backed horse and she hasn't put a foot wrong in the time I've had her. She has now just turned 8.
Yes, she was green and looked to me for confidence but has hacked alone and in company since day 1.
Not saying all 3/4 year olds are so genuine but there are some out there :)
 
Thanks! Aarghimpossible pony - sweet of you to say I sound sensible but I am not sure I really am that sensible!! One of the main things that is on my 'against' list - pathetic for someone of my age - is other people's disapproval of me having a 4YO and being ready to say, if there is a problem 'aaaah.... we knew that would happen'. I have a tyrannical 17 year old daughter very much of that mind!

As for confident - I am OK-ish. I think one advantage of being 50 is that I am very patient - which helps with a youngster I think.

(I am embarrassed to admit that I also own a 2 year old who I bought when he was 6 months - with the aim of riding him when he is older - and of course he will be 4 one day... and - gulp! - 6 one day!)
 
The breeding would have an influence if I was making the decision. Many of our native breeds, ID's and cob types can be very tender in years but more than sensible in their heads and outlook.

The best horse I bought was a 4 year old and I was a total novice, he was ID and we bumbled along together for 25 wonderful years. Many things could have been done better but his temperament allowed for my uselessness.
 
I bought my haffy as a green 4 year old, he's not really a sharp, spooky or troublesome sort but we went through a fair bit of bother at the 5 year old point. Mainly bucking and carting off, bit of napping. He's nine now hasn't bucked in at least 2 years and is generally a lot easier to get along with and much more trustworthy
 
Personally I would be looking less at the age of the animal and more at her type, breeding and current way of going.

You haven't give us much info on the mare - if she was a 4yo TB or warmblood then I would say no way, if she was a 4yo ID, cleveland x or similar then I might be more inclined.
 
I'm in a similar position in my mid forties and have plumped for a 14 year old haffie schoolmistress and we are having a blast. Last year I bought a 6 year old ISH / Holsteiner and we were totally unsuited as he was still growing into his size and learing how to control his body. I'm still paying for his retraining (he is now an affiliated eventer) as I'm determined he will have a good future even if he can't be mine. It has been a massive , painful and expensive learning curve.
 
tobiano said:
Thanks! Aarghimpossible pony - sweet of you to say I sound sensible but I am not sure I really am that sensible!! One of the main things that is on my 'against' list - pathetic for someone of my age - is other people's disapproval of me having a 4YO and being ready to say, if there is a problem 'aaaah.... we knew that would happen'. I have a tyrannical 17 year old daughter very much of that mind!

As for confident - I am OK-ish. I think one advantage of being 50 is that I am very patient - which helps with a youngster I think.

(I am embarrassed to admit that I also own a 2 year old who I bought when he was 6 months - with the aim of riding him when he is older - and of course he will be 4 one day... and - gulp! - 6 one day!)
Click to expand...

I'm 52 and bought an unhandled, rising five this spring, forest pony off the forest.
Not so much bought from field, more a case of if you slog across that heath, find the stream and follow it to the left you might find the herd.:D

But she's so pretty.:o
Never had a pretty horse/pony before.

And patience is the solution, the only real solution.

Except for the time she prompted my user name by jumping out of the field shelter nearly bringing the roof down on both of us, we have had fun.
 
It's a tricky one. Having bred and bought quite a few youngsters I've found that some of the lovely and sane four year olds get a fair bit trickier as they get that bit older whilst others stay the same sane horse.
 
Ideally you want this horse in four years' time, when it will have spent those four years going out and seeing the world with a confident and sympathetic rider.

If you think you could be this confident and sympathetic rider and have access to regular lessons, a safe enclosed space to ride in, and another sensible horse to hack out with you can take a risk but for every unlikely partnership that does work there are dozens that do not.
 
I bought a rising 4year old as my first horse. My husband is a nervous rider and the plan was to share. It seemed crazy. She had only hacked once before we tried her. And wasn't a sensible cob or draught type either (wbx).

However she had a lovely attitude under saddle, she clearly didn't have a nasty bone in her body and was eager to please.

She has been brilliant, I wouldn't swap her for an older horse for anything. My husband hacks her out alone, my 11 year old nephew has done handy pony on her, she is the top choice to escort spooky or nappy horses out hacking. She is a total Saint we can take her anywhere and do anything alone or in company and know she will be her usual sensible self.

So if you like her and think her attitude is right go for it. My 4 yo is far more sensible than most 14 yo horses.
 
I think, if she were 6 or 7 and sweet like you say, I'd say go for it. But at 4, in the next 2 years she'll grow considerably in strength as well as size, and is quite likely to go through some really awful phases- especially (sorry to stereotype!) as a mare. Al's baby was cute as you like last year when she was weak (5, but just rebacked), but this year she's grown and is being an utter horror...
 
Yes, a quiet 4 year old could remain that way; but a quiet 8 year old got that way and is less likely to change. As a general rule I would advise anyone who wants a quiet life to look at the older horses first.
 
Thank you all. I am glad I asked - there are one or two points I had not fully considered. The mare is a lusitano cross - I wouldnt have even thought about a 4 YO warmblood! They probably grow by about 2 hands from that age!

Key new point for me is the one about maturity - and at my age I dont want to have to cut back on what I want to do with a horse whilst it builds its full strength, as while its strength is building mine is definitely waning!! Also a good reminder that whatever I get now, I will need to keep until my foal is 7 or so for the same reason.

It is a shame because she is a lovely horse and as someone said, if she was 8 now I would have her like a shot (though she would probably cost 3 x as much!).

So my feelings just now are that I should go back to the drawing board.

Anyone know of a nice safe 16hh 7YO plus........ !!!!
 
Having read more of this thread I think that you are probably doing the right thing is looking for a seven year old plus, then you don't have to worry about having a teenager! FYI I bought my WB x TB as an angelic five year old, when he was six he started having spinning fits and scaring himself when I landed on the ground a few times - not great for a new partnership. He was also a bit stroppy in the school, touchy about his legs being groomed and bargy but I just rode and handled him through it. He turned seven a couple of weeks ago and has steadily been getting better - likes being groomed again, whinnies at me, easy to handle, hasn't spun since November *touches wood* and is schooling well, so hopefully he's getting through it!

Good luck in finding a new horse - it's a buyer's market at the moment so you should be able to find something!
 
If you like her, have her I do not see the problem. I bought a 5 yo mare in October very green but honest. She is quieter, easier to hanlde and clip than my other 2 boys who are early teens. Yes she has filled out big time since I got her but would be a far safer horse than either of my others. :D

No one knows what is right apart from you. So if you like her go for it. It's your life and your horse. :)
 
In two years time your present youngster will be ready for backing and riding away. The mare you are considering buying will be six then and possibly testing the boundaries. Can you handle them both ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top