Irish Sport Horse Dealers

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nikki84

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Hello,

I am looking to buy an Irish sport horse and was wondering if anyone could give me any experiences good or bad (pm me if you'd rather) so that I can try and not make a bad choice.

The dealers that I have found so far are:

Irish horse imports
Irish sport horse agent
Gavin Reilly
Shane Walsh
Treverr Gray


Are there any others that people would recommend?

if anyone could advise me I would be really grateful.
 
I viewed one at Bradshaw Elite Equine. He was not what I was looking for but they seemed like decent people, although typical dealers in lots of ways
 
Heard good things about Shane Walsh, apparently very honest and straight.
Looked at horses at Irish Horse Imports, again very straight but horses are green and pretty much straight off the boat. Don't expect flashy facilities and all the horses are rough and ready to look at. Nothing for me (well one was but nearly a hand to small) but thinking of going back when I start to look again.
Don't know about the others I'm afraid.
 
vam said:
Heard good things about Shane Walsh, apparently very honest and straight.
Looked at horses at Irish Horse Imports, again very straight but horses are green and pretty much straight off the boat. Don't expect flashy facilities and all the horses are rough and ready to look at. Nothing for me (well one was but nearly a hand to small) but thinking of going back when I start to look again.
Don't know about the others I'm afraid.
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Thank you very much, that's good to hear about Shane Walsh and Irish Imports would be worth a look aswell, thank you
 
My boy came from Shane Walsh and hes lovely! (The horse that is) Shane was totally honest, there was no pressure to buy and so long as you are honest about your capabilities you will be fine. I know 3 other people who have bought from him in the last 3 years and their horses are super too.
He would be my first port of call if i was looking for another one.
 
Another one for Shane Walsh. I bought my horse off him in July and he is brilliant for me. I was upfront about what I wanted, what I could put up with and what I didn't want. Saw a couple but fell for mine pretty much as soon as I saw him. He is a yard favourite as is an absolute gentleman at all times. We will event next year. Irish Horse Imports - great description. Yard is not uber smart, they have in some 20+ horses on each load. Horses are well bred, 4 or 5 year olds, green BUT David and his wife are really good at knowing their horses and don't tolerate vices. You have to be quick there though as horses go fast. You really will turn up, try out and if you want it, you will need to put a deposit down. Shanes horses are more money, and tend to be produced on plus its more of normal sales cycle.
 
My new lad came from irish horse imports, had him 6 weeks now, had our first jump under saddle this weekend and our first solo hack! He's a real sweetie!!

ditto what others have said about facilities go with eyes open and know what you want and you should be fine! They have just had a new shipment in.... some very nice looking ones!! :D
 
I agree with all those comments, when I was looking back in January this year, spoke to both David at Irish Horse Imports and Shane Walsh. my budget didnt stretch to Shanes horse prices, as his are more produced, but he was very helpful and would have happily sourced a cheaper, greener one for me.

ended up buying my boy more locally from Gavin Reilly, found him great, straightforward to deal with, the horses are green, maybe not quite as green as Irish Horse Imports- he does spend time working and assessing them before sale, so has a pretty good idea of temperament etc and also gives them a makeover :-) ( clips, shoes them has dentist etc, so they all look pretty smart) and his yard is nice with decent facilities to try them.

my boy was very green and the cheaper end of Gavins prcie range, but I knew that and was prepared to do the work, it has been lots of work , but he is a super chap and I am still loving him ;-)

Luci07 said:
Another one for Shane Walsh. I bought my horse off him in July and he is brilliant for me. I was upfront about what I wanted, what I could put up with and what I didn't want. Saw a couple but fell for mine pretty much as soon as I saw him. He is a yard favourite as is an absolute gentleman at all times. We will event next year. Irish Horse Imports - great description. Yard is not uber smart, they have in some 20+ horses on each load. Horses are well bred, 4 or 5 year olds, green BUT David and his wife are really good at knowing their horses and don't tolerate vices. You have to be quick there though as horses go fast. You really will turn up, try out and if you want it, you will need to put a deposit down. Shanes horses are more money, and tend to be produced on plus its more of normal sales cycle.
Click to expand...
 
stilton said:
My boy came from Shane Walsh and hes lovely! (The horse that is) Shane was totally honest, there was no pressure to buy and so long as you are honest about your capabilities you will be fine. I know 3 other people who have bought from him in the last 3 years and their horses are super too.
He would be my first port of call if i was looking for another one.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much, that's really helpful
 
Luci07 said:
Another one for Shane Walsh. I bought my horse off him in July and he is brilliant for me. I was upfront about what I wanted, what I could put up with and what I didn't want. Saw a couple but fell for mine pretty much as soon as I saw him. He is a yard favourite as is an absolute gentleman at all times. We will event next year. Irish Horse Imports - great description. Yard is not uber smart, they have in some 20+ horses on each load. Horses are well bred, 4 or 5 year olds, green BUT David and his wife are really good at knowing their horses and don't tolerate vices. You have to be quick there though as horses go fast. You really will turn up, try out and if you want it, you will need to put a deposit down. Shanes horses are more money, and tend to be produced on plus its more of normal sales cycle.
Click to expand...

Thank you, I think I will be contacting them both to see what they have
 
Arniebear said:
My new lad came from irish horse imports, had him 6 weeks now, had our first jump under saddle this weekend and our first solo hack! He's a real sweetie!!

ditto what others have said about facilities go with eyes open and know what you want and you should be fine! They have just had a new shipment in.... some very nice looking ones!! :D
Click to expand...

Thank you, I have seen the new ones and they do look nice, I will contact them, many thanks
 
monte1 said:
I agree with all those comments, when I was looking back in January this year, spoke to both David at Irish Horse Imports and Shane Walsh. my budget didnt stretch to Shanes horse prices, as his are more produced, but he was very helpful and would have happily sourced a cheaper, greener one for me.

ended up buying my boy more locally from Gavin Reilly, found him great, straightforward to deal with, the horses are green, maybe not quite as green as Irish Horse Imports- he does spend time working and assessing them before sale, so has a pretty good idea of temperament etc and also gives them a makeover :-) ( clips, shoes them has dentist etc, so they all look pretty smart) and his yard is nice with decent facilities to try them.

my boy was very green and the cheaper end of Gavins prcie range, but I knew that and was prepared to do the work, it has been lots of work , but he is a super chap and I am still loving him ;-)
Click to expand...

Thank you very much, that's gives me some others to think about
 
We've used Shane Walsh and Irish Horse Imports. Very good experiences with both and heard good things from friends who have used them too!
 
If you do go and look at some at Irish Horse Imports would you come back and tell us about them. I am looking at the new batch on Facebook and like the look of a few of them.
 
michelledud said:
Have you tried HM Sporthorses? They're just a small family business but they bring some really nice horses over from Ireland.
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Thank you, some one else has mentioned them and I have had a quick look and they look like they have some nice ones on there I will look at them more.Many thanks
 
Have a chat with Geraldine Graham at Lenamore Stables. She's not a dealer as such but does buy and sell from time to time. Good facilities too. She backed my boy for me donkeys' years ago.
 
Sprig said:
If you do go and look at some at Irish Horse Imports would you come back and tell us about them. I am looking at the new batch on Facebook and like the look of a few of them.
Click to expand...
They go really quickly....I never went to look at a specific horse but when there was a new batch in and said what I wanted. Last one I bought was a big grey horse that someone else has seen and was thinking about. He ticked all my boxes and my trainer so I put a deposit on him. David contacted me before vetting to say the previous viewer had been dismayed to find I had bought this horse and offered over the asking price. He gave me the opportunity to talk directly and effectively sell on at a profit. I didn't do it as wanted the horse but if you like something there, be prepared to put down a deposit as they do not hang around.
 
Luci07 said:
They go really quickly....I never went to look at a specific horse but when there was a new batch in and said what I wanted. Last one I bought was a big grey horse that someone else has seen and was thinking about. He ticked all my boxes and my trainer so I put a deposit on him. David contacted me before vetting to say the previous viewer had been dismayed to find I had bought this horse and offered over the asking price. He gave me the opportunity to talk directly and effectively sell on at a profit. I didn't do it as wanted the horse but if you like something there, be prepared to put down a deposit as they do not hang around.
Click to expand...

Thank you, that is good advice for me to think about
 
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