Irish Sport Equine

[m1stify]

No, I said horses intended for the leisure/amateur UK market. That is a section of the market.

ok fair enough.

 

[Birker2020]

My friend had one from here, she was very pleased with him and he is a smashing horse, very good quality but she's worked hard with him.
She also had another one which she sold as she wasn't suitable for her at all and she regretted buying her. I think some people have had good experiences but they are usually the more experienced people who are in the 'pro rider' catergory.

 

[Kind horse lover]

I bought a beautiful, black 16.2hh 7 year old horse from Gerty in 2021 for £12k. I would agree with all the above, much greener than expected, not handled well from the ground, easily panicked, bolting and rearing. I did read a lot of reviews before purchasing and Gerty did say he was very green in the school, so I was prepared for that and we paid for him to be professionally schooled and took our time with him. He went lame after a few months in light work. Gerty said he had been in a field for 18 months before we bought him because she couldn't get staff during the pandemic - I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions. We've tried all the recommended treatments and spent about £9k on vet bills, and he will now have to be retired. He passed a 5 stage vetting with her vet. Such a shame, he's such a beautiful and generous horse; at least he has had a loving owner and will have a happy retirement; other horses aren't so lucky and get sold on.

 

[Jambarissa]

I started following their Web page in 2019, just because I was considering a Connie and they're hard to come by. Prices back then were close to £3k which felt on the high side of reasonable, now they're £10k.

The age of the horses has gone down too, it used to be 5 or 6 year olds now it's mainly 4 yos, assume they sold everything possible through covid and current stock were too young to go.


They are well presented, but how experienced can a 4yo be?

The 'swap if you're not happy' gives some confidence, if I was tempted to buy I'd vet when it arrived at my yard and just say I wasn't happy if it failed. But obviously you'll have the stress of returning the horse and choosing another, possibly without too much choice.

I'd think of them as barely started unseen 4yos, they're too expensive and risky. Better to go to one of the highly recommended importers and spend the rest of your money having it nicely started.

 

[Sealine]

I've read her ads over the years and her horses all sound amazing in the adverts. All paragons of virtue. I just had a quick look and there are a couple of dun mares I was drawn to as they remind me of my old mare. One of them is a 4 year old who looks physically immature being ridden by a man who is I'd say is too heavy to be riding such a young, under developed horse. I also noticed all the duns seem to have an extra £2k on their price.

ETA: There is 4 year old dun pony advertised as 'ideal for novice children'.

 

[spacefaer]

I started following their Web page in 2019, just because I was considering a Connie and they're hard to come by. Prices back then were close to £3k which felt on the high side of reasonable, now they're £10k.

The age of the horses has gone down too, it used to be 5 or 6 year olds now it's mainly 4 yos, assume they sold everything possible through covid and current stock were too young to go.


They are well presented, but how experienced can a 4yo be?

The 'swap if you're not happy' gives some confidence, if I was tempted to buy I'd vet when it arrived at my yard and just say I wasn't happy if it failed. But obviously you'll have the stress of returning the horse and choosing another, possibly without too much choice.

I'd think of them as barely started unseen 4yos, they're too expensive and risky. Better to go to one of the highly recommended importers and spend the rest of your money having it nicely started.

And now it's much harder to ship a horse back to Ireland than it is to bring one over. Much more expensive for starters with health checks and a lot more paperwork

 

[Tiddlypom]

And now it's much harder to ship a horse back to Ireland than it is to bring one over. Much more expensive for starters with health checks and a lot more paperwork

Is it? That'll suit her business model, then .

 

[Michen]

With the amount of horses she sells there are bound to be good ones and bad ones. If you buy one from her I think you have to assume you need to start almost from scratch on its education. Personally I think you are better off buying unbroken from the sales and then paying for professional breaking, as you will get the same thing but cheaper and probably better started.

 

[MuffettMischief]

I’ve just had a look and they are certainly strong money. Plenty of good dealers over here with nice horses for the same price where you can at least try before you buy

 

[Lexi 123]

People in Ireland don’t jump horse until they are 4 now and when they broken at 3 years old after they are broken they go on holiday until there 4 year old year. There is no difference on the type of horse or what the horse is being used for. There is a lot of stereotypes being said here which is completely false and kids also don’t ride these horses either. A lot of these horses are green because they are only schooled for a few weeks before being sold.

 

[ycbm]

People in Ireland don’t jump horse until they are 4 now and when they broken at 3 years old after they are broken they go on holiday until there 4 year old year. There is no difference on the type of horse or what the horse is being used for. There is a lot of stereotypes being said here which is completely false and kids also don’t ride these horses either. A lot of these horses are green because they are only schooled for a few weeks before being sold.

Not true of everyone in Ireland. Check the photos.

3 Year old ride/hunt and drive gelding cob for sale in Co. Dublin for €5,500 on DoneDeal

A genuine all rounder cob 3 year old gelding 15H will make 16H he did it all will make the right family pet or a cob for a hunt or riding school or even...

www.donedeal.ie

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

People in Ireland don’t jump horse until they are 4 now and when they broken at 3 years old after they are broken they go on holiday until there 4 year old year. There is no difference on the type of horse or what the horse is being used for. There is a lot of stereotypes being said here which is completely false and kids also don’t ride these horses either. A lot of these horses are green because they are only schooled for a few weeks before being sold.

Sorry but the above statements are absolutely not true! A high majority are still broken at 3 and jumping and hunting and very few of them will even know what a 'holiday' is! If you go to a reputable breeder here you might find something that has been more corrctly started and sympathetically schooled and given appropriate time to mature.

Not sure where you live but there are plenty of kids around here still being used as jockeys for the breakers. And excellent little riders they are too with amazing stickability if not quite so refined in the art of schooling that you might hope for with a young horse.

 

[Quigleyandme]

People in Ireland don’t jump horse until they are 4 now and when they broken at 3 years old after they are broken they go on holiday until there 4 year old year. There is no difference on the type of horse or what the horse is being used for. There is a lot of stereotypes being said here which is completely false and kids also don’t ride these horses either. A lot of these horses are green because they are only schooled for a few weeks before being sold.

If only! Perhaps you mean they can’t compete in jumping classes until they are four.

 

[Puzzled]

I’m one of the U.K.’s biggest dealers in connemaras (especially 3/4 yr olds) I can’t understand why anyone would buy unseen. I view everything personally in Ireland myself and even with my experience it’s not easy. It’s also not true that they aren’t jumped until 4 yrs old! There are some excellent Irish dealers but some equally dodgy ones (the same as in U.K….. but it’s much easier to send a horse back in U.K. plus you can view AND pick a vet of your choice). This year I’ve never sold so many Connies to people who have previously bought unsuitable horses unseen and from sales.

 

[Oldernewbie]

I have a friend who gas had three from ISE. One was a literal lunatic and would explide when mounted to the point even professionals soon refused to ride him. He was returned. The Second, a mare was a really nice horse (connie) and was coming on well but then suddenly colicked and died (bad luck not Gertys fault obv).
The third and current horse also a connie aged around 8/9 has now developed a serious musculoskeletal issue and may need surgery, cannot be ridden. So, overall its been a tricky experience.

 

[Red-1]

I’m one of the U.K.’s biggest dealers in connemaras (especially 3/4 yr olds) I can’t understand why anyone would buy unseen. I view everything personally in Ireland myself and even with my experience it’s not easy. It’s also not true that they aren’t jumped until 4 yrs old! There are some excellent Irish dealers but some equally dodgy ones (the same as in U.K….. but it’s much easier to send a horse back in U.K. plus you can view AND pick a vet of your choice). This year I’ve never sold so many Connies to people who have previously bought unsuitable horses unseen and from sales.

I never understood it either, I need to feel a connection with a horse so need to see it in person. Also, I saw so many horses who sounded great on adverts, with great histories, much video etc, where I arrived to find sarcoids, lameness, undeclared behavioural issues... I was looking for over a year and everything was not right. The difficulty was, I felt my age and wanted something that had done a bit. Most of those, if they are nice, are being sold because they are no longer 'nice' for whatever reason. Although I rejected them, at least I was able to get to view.

Then covid happened and I could not buy one for love nor money! I could not even get to view and I was able to view pretty much as soon as an advert came out. Everything was being snapped up immediately. I made my budget 3 X bigger, no difference.

I bought mine unseen, but not from Gerty. I would not have bought from her, despite the lovely adverts. No, I did a lot of research on the lady mine came from, 4yo, in Ireland. He was a lot cheaper than he would have been in England. Still, I would not have bought unseen, so I arranged to go view, no issue, except... someone was going to beat me to a viewing.

So I bought him. He was delivered. He is ace!

That is why I went to the dark side!

 

[teapot]

Is it? That'll suit her business model, then .

Tbf anywhere in the EU now requires a lot of paperwork, bloods etc for export purposes.