irish horse imports?

Widgeon said:
I don't know where you are in the country but up here, Jack Thomas-Watson in Northumberland seems to have a good reputation - they also import from Ireland but they don't turn them round so fast, and they also seem to get a higher proportion of more established horses. I don't know what IHI prices are like - JTW probably charges quite a bit more but he seems to have a decent idea of what he has, and you can ride them. As with any dealer I'm sure he'll get mixed reviews but he might be worth a Google. In my limited dealings with him he seemed very genuine.
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JTW has glowing reviews, I didn’t end up buying from him (only because something turned up on my doorstep) but I would certainly be contacting him again when I’m next looking.
They are more ££ than IHI but not astronomical. He’s got a good eye for a nice horse and is good at matching riders with a suitable horse.
 
They used to import a lot from Ireland but as this poster says they are now buying a lot of thoroughbred. you can see from auctions public information how much they bought the horse for.
 
I've not bought from them, but have known several people who have. Most have ended up with lovely horses, albeit green youngsters. Unless things have changed they give you 14 days to return the horse if you're not happy - which is also enough time to vet it (which I would do regardless of whether it's passed a sales vetting in Ireland). Unlike other dealers I've encountered, those that have failed have been taken back with no qualms. (Obviously this does mean those horses have probably been sold to an unwilling suspect, but that's by-the-by...)
 
annam233 said:
The rider is clearly not an issue, i’ve personally had lovely experiences with IHI in the past. They have a very small selection of 5yos in the mid/higher 5’s but you have to be quick as they get snapped up quickly.

Personally I would say that you’d be better off travelling to Ireland. If you find the right yard, they will have much better viewing facilities and an overall better understanding of the horses background and upbringing.
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Why start the thread then? I understand you are OP and have two different accounts.
 
chaps89 said:
I think this is Gerty’s yard you’re referring to, not IHI. I think with the Ride Ireland ones as she sells overseas you can’t go over and try in advance, but to my knowledge you can try, albeit briefly, from IHI.
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Apologies! I’m sure you’re correct and I was getting the two confused ?
 
BronsonNutter said:
I've not bought from them, but have known several people who have. Most have ended up with lovely horses, albeit green youngsters. Unless things have changed they give you 14 days to return the horse if you're not happy - which is also enough time to vet it (which I would do regardless of whether it's passed a sales vetting in Ireland). Unlike other dealers I've encountered, those that have failed have been taken back with no qualms. (Obviously this does mean those horses have probably been sold to an unwilling suspect, but that's by-the-by...)
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I went, didn't like the set up for me, although I did ride a couple of horses. Many had ringworm/sarcoids, although the ones with ringworm were sent off to a satellite yard to recover, and sarcoids would be 'treated' not sure by which method.

It didn't personally suit me, but they certainly had a huge throughput of horses. They were so busy, you couldn't book to see a specific horse, you had to just go and see what was there and buy straight away, or someone else would be on it and it would be away.

However, I believe them when they say that if a horse is faulty, they are sold warranted at auction when bought, so they simply ship them back. One of the horses I tried had just come in, hadn't been ridden. I knew almost immediately it wasn't for me but, as it had a saddle on, their rider took it up the track as it had been sold as good to hack. They wanted to know as, if it had kicked off, it would have been back on a box and shipped back to Ireland.
 
marmalade88 said:
They used to import a lot from Ireland but as this poster says they are now buying a lot of thoroughbred. you can see from auctions public information how much they bought the horse for.
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They do indeed by a lot from the sales and then bump up the price - they also don't pass on information given to them about issues those horses have had. I wouldn't buy a TB from them at all.
 
I know a horse that came from IHI and has been produced by her owner who was 15 when the mare was purchased - the girls mother is very experienced. The mare has been produced slowly and correctly and is currently BE Novice. Yes you can pick up a very nice horse there but as others have said you need to know what you are doing as they are green. Looking at their website there is a mix of ex racers and imports from Ireland. Some older more schooled horses with prices to match.
 
Thought it was worth sharing this that was shared today. Doesn’t surprise me. My friend bought a 3yo that had ulcers so so bad it’s still having treatment 6 months on.
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Interestingly i was looking at the website this eve. They have a lovely chestnut tb on there i like the look of. I noticed in a few of the horses videos the horses looked unsound.
 
I haven’t been there for years. Bought a very nice horse from them about 12 years ago but they are mostly very green and straight over from goresbridge. They seem to have brought in a lot of TBs, and prices are much higher than 12 years ago when a really nice backed 4 year old by cruising was £3k…

My impression at the time was that they just sell green horses and no promises about them. The owner (male) can be a bit dismissive and cynical. It’s basically like buying at the sales except that you pay a bit more not to have to go to Ireland.
 
Friend bought from there. Horse was lame on arriving. Still lame few weeks later. They swapped horse though new one large, weak and green.

My understanding is you can’t vet the Irish import horses before purchase.
 
Zoeypxo said:
Interestingly i was looking at the website this eve. They have a lovely chestnut tb on there i like the look of. I noticed in a few of the horses videos the horses looked unsound.
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was that the Seven Barrows horse by Jeremy ? He went through Doncaster for 1k to them.
 
I was told by a friend with racing connections that they don’t buy that much from Ireland any more, it’s mostly TBs bought from the sales here in the Uk, but maybe that’s not true, I don’t know.
Anyway, I would have thought if she’s that good a rider with an experienced rider, and a wad of money from selling a 2* pony, she doesn’t need to try to find a bargain from IHI. And the other Gerty one that’s been mentioned is more general riding horses and ponies isn’t it? Or am I wrong?
 
Hormonal Filly said:
Thought it was worth sharing this that was shared today. Doesn’t surprise me. My friend bought a 3yo that had ulcers so so bad it’s still having treatment 6 months on.
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Buy an ex-racer, expect ulcers. I don’t see how you can hold that against a dealer who wouldn’t have had the horse for long at all.
 
Irish Sport Imports? If the person had done their research they would have known how IHI work (if they are who she is referring to in her FB post).
 
Why would ulcers be their fault? They probably had the horse a matter of days, and the horse would have been bought from auction then shipped.

I don't particularly have much to like about this dealer but when people complain about ulcers/lameness/whatnot, any horse can go lame days after vetting. Any horse is likely to have ulcers from the turmoil of being uprooted from (probably where they were bred) and put on a boat to a new home, then another one days after.

Pretty unfair IMO. But there is no excuse for what that person saw, although many people seem to go their and not see things like that.
 
stangs said:
Buy an ex-racer, expect ulcers. I don’t see how you can hold that against a dealer who wouldn’t have had the horse for long at all.
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It was not a ex race horse. Not their fault exactly, but it seems pretty common on posts about horses from them. If they don’t feed them right stabled, it definitely won’t help.
 
Hormonal Filly said:
It was not a ex race horse. Not their fault exactly, but it seems pretty common on posts about horses from them. If they don’t feed them right stabled, it definitely won’t help.
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Ulcers are common among their horses because of how they source them, not because of them. As Michen said, they source their horses from stressful situations; they bring them over in an inherently stressful situation. If their horses didn’t have ulcers after that, I’d be surprised.

Even if they put all their horses on omeprazole upon arrival and turned them out 24/7, there’d still barely be an improvement in the few days they have them.
 
I know nothing of IHI but I've known many 16 year olds.
Buy or loan something she can ride & enjoy now & which she will be able/happy to sell or give back.
By the time a 4YO has reached its potential she will have fallen in love (twice), left for college, moved flats, started a job. Unless she is an unusual 16 year old or the family are going to want to inherit this horse, 16 is a bad age to take on a long-term project.
 
I’ve not had dealings with them for a few years. As people have put before - it is what it is.
The guy is very black and white. You can come, look and try out what’s there. They make no guarantees about anything as they import them in, sit on them and then they’re on the market.
If you have a good eye and willing to take a punt you might find something.
A friends brought a horse from there that had been nothing but problematic since she got him. Numerous health issues but when she showed me photos of him when she went to see him I said she was out of her mind buying him, he looked like a hat rack and miserable so it was probably a pity purchase. Although she still paid 8k I believe
 
Birker2020 said:

How We Work - Irish Horse Imports

What can you expect when visiting Irish Horse Imports
www.irishhorseimports.co.uk www.irishhorseimports.co.uk

To put it into context
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I just had a look and if I were t look for one for OP, I would go for...

16.1hh approx, smart coloured gelding16.1hh approx, smart coloured gelding

Moves nicely and has already done training shows. Looks honest to jump on the videos too. I would query why 8K not 12, I suspect there would be something they could tell you about that price point.

16.1hh approx, smart coloured gelding - YouTube

16.1hh approx, smart coloured gelding - YouTube

If I were younger, I might have called about him myself!
 
Red-1 said:
I just had a look and if I were t look for one for OP, I would go for...

16.1hh approx, smart coloured gelding16.1hh approx, smart coloured gelding

Moves nicely and has already done training shows. Looks honest to jump on the videos too. I would query why 8K not 12, I suspect there would be something they could tell you about that price point.

16.1hh approx, smart coloured gelding - YouTube

16.1hh approx, smart coloured gelding - YouTube

If I were younger, I might have called about him myself!
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In the current market anything of that height/ age would be extremely suspicious to me if its under 10k
 
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