Looking for a bombproof horse.........

M

marinitagsd

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 February 2008
Messages
1,305
Location
Lancashire
www.marinita-sportshorses.com
...for my hubby and my youngest daughter to learn to ride on and to accompany me out on hacks with my "performance horses"!
Hope this is ok with the forum regulators!
Size unimportant but prob above 15 hands to carry 11 stone, must be bombproof in traffic and be able to go first or last on a hack even though my other girls may be hopping around like lunatics! lol Pref no older than 14yrs and loan with view to buy (up to 2K) so we can make sure this is the right horse. Must get on with my 2 other girls in the field, will be stabled at night in winter. Also must be open to vet.
Hope you can help!
Thanks
x
 
In your shoes I would have a look for a ride and drive, we have had 3 over the years and they are the best confidence givers/novice rides/traffic proof creatures you can find (well ours have been). The other option worth looking at are riding school horses, although you need to be careful as some of them can be a bit more difficult when they don't have the work load. Hope that helps
 
Riding school horses can be great, but so many are very different outside of the riding school environment.
Also they have a tendency to just follow the one in front, they become sheep like after years of it. This means if your leading and your horse bolts, a riding school horse will instinctively follow.

Genuine bombproof horses are so hard to find, and I've yet to see one below 2k as owners know they have a real good one and they are worth their weight in gold.

Good luck, its a buyers market at present so you may find what your looking for within your budget x
 
Mmmm, not sure re. a ride & drive: I had a little section D and whilst he was 100% OK in traffic he was rather too sharp to be a confidence-giver!!! also if they're harness-broken they'll tend to go very heavy on the forehand and you'll have a helluva job to get them to go in anything resembling a half decent outline ..... however, there is a website called "Carriage-link" or something like that, and they;re really good, super people.

I think having somethign that's bombproof is largely about trust between horse & rider and this is something that needs to be built up over time - I don't think you can just go out and buy one "off the peg" as it were, coz the horse might be "bombproof" with its current rider and then not be so confident with someone else; my boy is exactly like this, he tends to go better for quieter, even less confident riders, than he does with the people who are rather more up-front and in-yur-face!

So I would say that if you can find a horse that's thoroughly honest and generally a good sort, then that gives you scope for it developing into something that's what you want, i.e. bombproof. Of course if you go to see something and its skittying around every time a bush moves, you'll know to avoid, but I think it really is a combination of the right horse & right rider. Its magic when it happens!
 
I am afraid that you will need a far larger budget for a bombproof horse. They are in very short supply! I would allow £4,500 for one.
 
I agree you will be hard pushed to find one for 2k unless its a veteran. Also agree that many take time to become bombproof in their new environment.
I dont think many people with a genuine bombproof horse will loan with a view to buy either- i know i wouldnt. far too risky that the horse may get injured or come home again through no fault of its own, meaning it becomes unsettled due to lots of moving. theyre not machines after all
 
OWLIE185 said:
I am afraid that you will need a far larger budget for a bombproof horse. They are in very short supply! I would allow £4,500 for one.
Click to expand...

That's for sure! I turned down a £6,000 offer on my boy, some might think I'm nuts not taking it, but I tell you what, I'd never find another like him! We are hanging onto him! :D
 
Gosh, that is a fair old wish list. Prob is you are after everyones perfect horse! You might also find that you have a bit of a sticking point with the loan with view to buy - so many people will be unwilling to do that because of the risks involved.
Why don't you consider loaning one from a charity? Then you will fit in your budget, and as it is a loan, if the new horse doesn't get on with the ones you already have, then you do have the option to send the horse back.
Lots of luck!
 
Booboos said:
I wish you the best of luck in finding this gem, but realistically I think you will need a substantially larger budget and you'd still need to be very lucky.
Click to expand...

Yes indeed, I wish the OP luck as well.....our boy is so laid-back that anyone can hop on him....he is my husbands boy really, a 16hh Highland X with an elephant...! We would be crazy to part with him, he is our 'Old Faithful'....though not so old at 12...! We have had him 5 years now. :D
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
Mmmm, not sure re. a ride & drive: I had a little section D and whilst he was 100% OK in traffic he was rather too sharp to be a confidence-giver!!! also if they're harness-broken they'll tend to go very heavy on the forehand and you'll have a helluva job to get them to go in anything resembling a half decent outline ..... however, there is a website called "Carriage-link" or something like that, and they;re really good, super people.

I think having somethign that's bombproof is largely about trust between horse & rider and this is something that needs to be built up over time - I don't think you can just go out and buy one "off the peg" as it were, coz the horse might be "bombproof" with its current rider and then not be so confident with someone else; my boy is exactly like this, he tends to go better for quieter, even less confident riders, than he does with the people who are rather more up-front and in-yur-face!

So I would say that if you can find a horse that's thoroughly honest and generally a good sort, then that gives you scope for it developing into something that's what you want, i.e. bombproof. Of course if you go to see something and its skittying around every time a bush moves, you'll know to avoid, but I think it really is a combination of the right horse & right rider. Its magic when it happens!
Click to expand...

Sorry I have to disagree. As YorksG says we have had 3, actually it's 4, no 5, they have all been truly bombproof under virtually any circumstances. There may well be ride-and-drive horses which are not suitable for novices, and I have to say personally, I would never consider a WelshD as suitable for a novice child. Ours have ranged from a Welsh A to a Clydesdale. 3 of them had done some work in a RS at some time in their life.
The Clydie was hacked home, left previous home along A road, was passed by 40 whooping and hollering cyclist in a race within 300 yds, didn't turn a hair, was later past by an ambulance with flashing lights and a milk tanker (twice) along a fairly narrow road. She was bought for a novice OH and me to share. The first time I hacked her I was literally shaking, having had a very nasty incident on a previous horse. She just continued as though nothing was happening - a real bombproof confidence giver!
The others all took novice riders and scaredy horses past all sorts of hazards.
The latest is ridden by 2 novice boys and looks after them brilliantly. She certainly isn't getting her confidence from them. - She was very cheap!
 
My haffie is R&D and is absolutely rock solid in the heaviest of traffic.....not quite a novice ride as he has a hefty buck and very strong opinions ;)Most ride and drives seem to be sensible (with the stunning exception of my Welsh D) and they do tend to have "been there, done that" types. They are also used to not needing as much guidance from a rider, if that makes sense? due to harness horses having to listen to voice a lot more.

Yes, they can be a little heavy in front and many don't learn to canter until they are under saddle but nothing that a little schooling won't cure...
 
Agree with others, for that kind of horse you are probably going to have to substantially increase your budget to at least £4 - 4.5K or even higher.

Also, you will probably have trouble finding anyone who will let a horse go on a trial....too many horror stories having broken/scarred horses returned etc etc.

Its been talked about on here before and no one would allow it unless they knew the buyer as a personal friend or there were exceptional circumstances.
 
Fany is as bombproof as you are ever going to get. EG. Elizabeth was riding past a hedge and a guy the other side started a strimmer, she took a step sideways and then carried on. However she is not a novice ride really, because she is very strong and needs a firm hand to encourage her to make her understand who is in charge, she will head for home or take the p*ss if she has any doubts about it.But she is still only newly broken. So I would be aware that not all bombproof horses are novice rides.

I also agree with another poster, don't assume Ride/Drive or driving horses are novice rides. Captain was driven, but under n o circumstances would I describe him as a novice ride, he is a rearer if he is given the chance but he is bombproof when in traffic.

I hope you find your ideal horse, have you tried http://www.safecobs.com/
or their cheaper sister site http://www.hackinghorses.com/ There is a gorgeous grey on there!

Good luck I look forward to seeing what you end up with. Also remember that the smaller drafts can be excellent for beginners and are often used for RDA.:) Ardennes ( Trait Ardennais) are small, Fany is 14-2hh but are weight carriers. Fany is only not suitable because she has only really been broken for a year and is still learning. Get one experienced and they are fantastic.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top