Looking at horses - how far have you travelled to view

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Spanish Dressage

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As title really - due to my disastrous youngster who is now blind in one eye and only has some sight in his other eye and semi - retiring my tb, who will both be retired in the not too distant future, I am tentatively looking for a new horse.

I have seen a few horses only an hour or 2 away - looking at one Saturday but it has a few sarcoids, so am unsure, but have seen adverts about a few that are relatively far way - wouldn't be a problem if it was just me, but I have an 8 month old baby who is still bf. I also have very little help from family.

Do I wait until my son is a bit older then look at horses further away if nothing comes along closer? It is frustrating as a couple of them looked perfect!
 
So sorry to read about your youngster. Horses are heartbreaking.

I think you need to think your future plans through. It’s lovely if you live in an area where plenty of horses come up for sale in a two hour radius but to get the right one, many people need to travel.
We live in SW Scotland and horses/ponies are NEVER near! The furthest we travelled to buy a pony was Hampshire!! Didn’t regret a moment of it but you need to do your research before travelling. I am giving you an extreme example here.
I think priorities come in for you, you are obviously restricted with a young baby. You could move on to bottle feeding now so someone else can help. It depends what is most important. My two granddaughters were moved to bottle feeding so could be looked after and neither have suffered for a moment.
If you stick with breast feeding, just keep an eye out for anything suitable that is near and take your time.

By the way, sarcoids would be a no- no from me. Why start with trouble!
 
I have set myself a max distance of 3 hours because my sciatica makes it uncomfortable to travel much further and after that you are realistically giving up a whole day and likely asking a friend or instructor to do the same. I am looking and the horse market really isnt great at the moment, there seems to be a lot of people getting rid of rubbish so they dont have the cost of keeping it over winter. I think I would be patient, keep looking, keep saving unless you're looking for something very unusual or specific
 
Chiffy said:
So sorry to read about your youngster. Horses are heartbreaking.

I think you need to think your future plans through. It’s lovely if you live in an area where plenty of horses come up for sale in a two hour radius but to get the right one, many people need to travel.
We live in SW Scotland and horses/ponies are NEVER near! The furthest we travelled to buy a pony was Hampshire!! Didn’t regret a moment of it but you need to do your research before travelling. I am giving you an extreme example here.
I think priorities come in for you, you are obviously restricted with a young baby. You could move on to bottle feeding now so someone else can help. It depends what is most important. My two granddaughters were moved to bottle feeding so could be looked after and neither have suffered for a moment.
If you stick with breast feeding, just keep an eye out for anything suitable that is near and take your time.

By the way, sarcoids would be a no- no from me. Why start with trouble!
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I know - I wonder why we have horses sometimes. The saddest thing is he would love to work but it's too risky with failing eyesight.
You are right - I think I will have to travel - wow Scotland to Hampshire, that is quite a journey!!
My son is eating solids etc and will take milk from sippy cup but he won't settle without me for so many hours. I think I just have to be patient and wait until the right one comes along or son is a bit older. It's a shame as I have time on maternity to play with new horse over winter.
I know - sarcoids are a tricky one, I was just going for a look as it's close. After the faff with my youngster I just think any horse can have problems even if you buy it with none! As I did!
 
Oh gosh, I don't think I've ever travelled more than 2 hours! Although saying that I have never come back with what I set out to get 😁 So maybe it depends what exactly you are looking for and if you will compromise on things.
 
webble said:
I have set myself a max distance of 3 hours because my sciatica makes it uncomfortable to travel much further and after that you are realistically giving up a whole day and likely asking a friend or instructor to do the same. I am looking and the horse market really isnt great at the moment, there seems to be a lot of people getting rid of rubbish so they dont have the cost of keeping it over winter. I think I would be patient, keep looking, keep saving unless you're looking for something very unusual or specific
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Setting a distance is a good idea. It's not just me who thinks the horse market is really odd at present, nothing is catching my eye apart from the odd one or 2 which are mainly at the other end of the country! Not looking for any special - but I am being fussy as I now have 2 field ornaments and don't want another.
Thank you - I just need to be patient!! Fingers crossed you find something suitable soon.
 
In theory I would be prepared to travel a long way. But when I was buying privately, almost all the horses I saw were not remotely as described even with good research and long chats with owners first. It was just such a huge waste of time. Travelling all day for horses you don't even even get on because they deck the owner (or they refuse to ride first) is soul destroying!

So now I would limit myself to 2 hours. But actually I avoid private sales anyway in favour of quality dealers/producers with good reputations.
 
4.5 hours! Several times, we ended up buying from that distance too...had lots of long conversations on the phone though before to check the horses were vaguely ok. Some were as described but several were not despite my best efforts!
 
Yorkshire to Ireland... twice. Once was a day trip to see a private one and once a weekend with an agent. Both wasted journeys.

Next time, I bought unseen from a dealer with a great rep. Fab horse.
 
Spanish Dressage said:
Setting a distance is a good idea. It's not just me who thinks the horse market is really odd at present, nothing is catching my eye apart from the odd one or 2 which are mainly at the other end of the country! Not looking for any special - but I am being fussy as I now have 2 field ornaments and don't want another.
Thank you - I just need to be patient!! Fingers crossed you find something suitable soon.
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I would join the dodgy dealer groups too and research like hell. I went to see one recently with a really lovely lady who buys odd ones to sell, the horse was great but wouldnt work on my yard or I would have bought him. She had sent me a video of the horse in a school and said it was the only time he had been in there. She also added a dealer had told her to take a few changes of clothes and saddle cloth and make it look like the horse had done a lot more than he had 😬, this is what buyers are up against

I had a couple of quick looks on horsemart back in sept when Kiki went and there were around 890 ads on horse mart, today there are 727 and that has dropped in the past week (I have a brain notices these things!)
 
Sorry to hear about your youngster. I would say before you go and view get as many videos as you can of the horse, to save yourself wasted travel. Ask to see them trotting up on a hard surface, photos of the horse from the front and side, and their feet. If under saddle make sure you see all the transitions. Have trusted friends/professionals look at them and be happy the horse looks sound before travelling to see it.

You wouldn't believe how many people swore blind their horse was sound/straight moving/correct when actually they were pretty unsound or had significant conformation defects which are easily hidden on the initial advert. People are more than happy to let you travel hours in the hope you'll overlook things when you arrive.

I told myself I wouldn't drive more than 2 hours to view a horse, until I saw my current one who was 3.5 hours away. I had loads of photos and videos of her moving beforehand and she was exactly the type I wanted albeit unbroken so felt it was worth it.
 
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I have quite often sent friends who live closer along to look for me before I make the travel. I haven’t really ever travelled that far but not that fussy and tend to be limited by budget. Depends where you are and what you want.
 
I had a friend who couldn't travel far for various reasons. She found a local sales yard she liked and trusted.

Spent time trying what they had on site then explained exactly what she wanted And they called her as things came in
Took a bit longer as obviously nobody can pick what you like and feel best on but allowed her to eventually purchase whilst not travelling far.
It's more expensive than private and can be longer If they don't have what you want but if not in a rush can work well and if you trust the yard can help alleviate any fears with dealers etc
 
i drove 4hrs each way to south wales to look at one before i bought diva - ended up buying a welsh from the yard my mum is on🤣 the one i viewed in wales wasn’t even full welsh! it was actually a really nice drive, id be less thrilled to be driving through massively built up areas
 
We drove up to Scotland from Northamptonshire to view a foal as a prospective stallion. Over 400 miles but we able to stay overnight with the breeder. We bought him and they delivered him on their way down to a sale in Reading. He was worth the travelling but I wouldn't do it again.
 
Went to ireland, made a weekend of it. We had a great time, although the pony wasnt what we wanted. We where looking for a confidence giver connie type for my daughter and someone i knew had recommended this particular pony. It was lovely, and wouldnt put a hoof wrong, but that was half the problem, daughter couldnt get him going at all. Ended up buying a super pony 5 mins around the corner from us.

Going to view one in the cotswolds this weekend, so have made a weekend of that too.
 
Not me, but one 0f my youngsters was at a yard in north Yorkshire being started, I had chatted to a lady about him previously, who after seeing pics travelled up from near Exeter to try him 😍 love at first sight, then she came back a month later to ride him again as his training progressed
 
In the past we have travelled quite far to view horses from Central Scotland as it can be difficult to find what we were looking for. The furthest we have gone is Southampton which turned out to be a disaster, our return flight was cancelled so we had to stay overnight and on vetting the very vigilant vet uncovered quite a few discrepancies in the seller's story (for which we were very grateful). Another time my son and I flew to Bristol and spent four days driving round viewing horses, one we liked failed the vetting and then three weeks later we found my son's horse of a lifetime 20 miles from home.

I do remember viewing horses a few hours away when my son was tiny and still BF, TBH I didn't find it too difficult as he was still pretty portable then and there was no problem needing bottles heated etc as long as I had someone to hold him when I was actually handling or riding the horses we were looking at, I suspect it would have been trickier when he was a toddler so I left him at home with Mr EM or my mum then.
 
2.5 hours was the furthest I've travelled but it was to a friend's yard with multiple horses and a semi social visit too! That was pre-children though.

I probably wouldn't have gone that far with a baby in tow (and now I am tied into doing the school runs) but I am lucky to be in an area with lots and lots of good horses within an hour of home.
 
Thanks for all of the responses. Think I will wait a bit and if nothing comes up closer which I like, I will then travel when my son's a bit older and less reliant on me, will only be a few more months and the horse market is a bit odd at present anyway!
 
I'll travel to wherever looks like it has what I want.... UK wide, Ireland or further afield in Europe. Flight are cheap if you shop around.
 
dapple_grey said:
Sorry to hear about your youngster. I would say before you go and view get as many videos as you can of the horse, to save yourself wasted travel. Ask to see them trotting up on a hard surface, photos of the horse from the front and side, and their feet. If under saddle make sure you see all the transitions. Have trusted friends/professionals look at them and be happy the horse looks sound before travelling to see it.

You wouldn't believe how many people swore blind their horse was sound/straight moving/correct when actually they were pretty unsound or had significant conformation defects which are easily hidden on the initial advert. People are more than happy to let you travel hours in the hope you'll overlook things when you arrive.

I told myself I wouldn't drive more than 2 hours to view a horse, until I saw my current one who was 3.5 hours away. I had loads of photos and videos of her moving beforehand and she was exactly the type I wanted albeit unbroken so felt it was worth it.
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I have noticed this already on videos, so so many horses videos I have seen the horse is not sound. Even when I am just scrolling through ads and not particularly interested in said horse!!
I would want masses of videos if I was seriously considering travelling a long way.
 
Having travelled around looking both of ours came from the diy yard 2 miles down the road having been bought by other people a couple of months previously. One ran out of money, the other he was the first of 7 ponies that person bought in 9 months as they’d stop jumping with her. - I actually fell in love with him when she hacked past our house and wished we’d gone to see him.
I jested I wouldn’t bother travelling to shop again just wait for a reject 😅
 
I travelled from Orkney to Cumbria to see my one. It was an overnight stay but it’s pretty much to be expected when living on an island. There’s hardly any horses for sale up here anymore.
 
We travelled the length of the M62, several times, when looking for the mare that eventually turned out to be a Clydesdale within hacking distance of home. After that, I set a limit of 50 miles/ 90 minutes and have always found what I was looking for.

Then when we were looking for a weight-carrier for RDA, we gave up several full days travelling to destinations as far apart as Cumbria and Leicestershire, bought a 13hh cob in Lincolnshire and then found what we were really looking for at a dealer's yard less than 30 miles away.
If I were looking for myself again I would stick to my parameters, there is no point in travelling for hours to view something that isn't as described.
 
Drove from Hampshire to north of Dundee to view an absolutely gorgeous overheight Highland. He failed the vet. 😢
Drove from Hampshire to the very end of Pembrokeshire to view another Highland, vendor insisted he was 14.2. Got there he was the same height as my daughters 13.1 welshy, just wider 😂
Gave up on Highlands.
 
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