Looking for a horse... what was on your list?

Last time I got a horse it was meant to be just a summer loan, so I had quite minimal "requirements"

Just wanted something..
Able to carry me (so ideally over 15hh but would look at 14.2hhish if chunky as I'm tall)
Relatively easy as already have a v. Tricky mare so wanted something just to have fun on
Decent jumper - not a stopper!
Somethi that was ready to go right out and do unaff comps.

I ended up with loaning (have now bought) a SUPER Dutch warmblood who had done BE and Bsja up to 1.30m, he only has one eye but he is awesome and I adore him :)
 
When my boy came to me he was:

17.1 - far far too big (I am 5'3 and 8 1/2 stone!
14 - too old
insurance exclusions as long as your arm - I suspect a five stage vetting would have been a laugh
Labelled as 'dangerous' by current loaner and everyone at their yard
Oh an I had 4 others at home at the time and really not looking for a fifth!

Not exactly everyones wish list BUT once talked into it he gave me the most lovely ride and was very safe/ sweet to handle on the ground.

He's now

still 17.1 ! but has never used his strength against me
19 - showing no signs of slowing down
Has never had a days lameness in five years with a little careful management of what I do on what ground
After a few months of ignoring the 'rider frighteners' he showed me and him looking very confused as to why I wasn't getting off and putting him away he hasn't put a foot wrong in years - different lifestyle = different horse. In five years I've fallen off once which was completely my fault as I wasn't paying attention to one of his moments that I should have sat!

Love him to bits and he has been one of the best horses I have competed ever.
 
If its for me it must be a good moving straight horse with good conformation , it needs to be a project that interests me .
It won't be a ID / TB type and it definatly won't be coloured.
It must be good in traffic or have seen no traffic ( so I can train it myself but I won't deal with bad in traffic ).
It will be sharp and naturally forwards in its thinking .
It will be good looking .
And it will have to pass a five stage vetting.

For my OH I look for horses doing the job I want the horse for already ie hunting ideally with someone who rides it only one a week so it's used to being ridden differently all week and coming out to work for some else on a Saturday.
It will be hunting over country similar to ours and it must feel it will be good at point and pop over upright rails which it will do a lot of hunting up here.
It must be easy going but not a slug and not pull .
It will have good limbs and a naturally strong back.
16 h to 16.2 OH does not seem to click with bigger ones my choice will probally be a RID .
It's much easier to find mine that OH's.
 
Went shopping for:

gelding - tick
about 10 - he was 10 when I got him - tick
weight carrier - tick
good breaks - in the end!
been there done that - well, they SAID he had!!
will hack alone and in company - he won't go out without a mate (still working on that!)
under 15hh - he's 15hh 2"
well schooled to help me learn - when he came, instructor said he was more like a baby that had never been schooled!
Under £3,000 budget - well, a LITTLE bit over :rolleyes:
lovely nature - tick, tick, tick :D

He has learned so much in the 2 years I've had him - he is NOW the perfect horse (and worth more like what I paid for him, haha!)

But the most important thing was his lovely nature - the vet said at the vetting that he would never do you any harm and she was right!
 
After a nasty fall on the road my most important requirement was bombproof. When I tried her we took her on a busy A road, amongst all the other traffic which passed us was an empty 3-storey sheep transporter which rattled past on the same side of the road as us. She didn't turn a hair. Needless to say we brought her home and she has lived up to her reputation, it's not just traffic which doesn't worry her, she regularly passes sheep, goats, pigs, barking dogs and the local school playground with screaming children. The only thing I've found that she fazed her was some pegs hiding behind a hedge on an empty washing-line and rattling. It took some detective work to find out what the problem was!
 
i just wanted a happy hacker and love the hunter stamp
vowed i'd never have a mare

ended up with a good hunter stamp.... mare LOL
she was within budget but had many issues - but something caught my eye and i decided that she was worth the risk
she's my horse of a lifetime
 
Easy to maintain,welsh cob project-we got.
As another poster said,our others found us, through various means-word of mouth being the main one-and happening to be in the right place at the right time.
However,daughters new one is some 17.3hh,and I had to change our horsebox in order to be able to travel him as wasn't enough head room in our previous one. Having also said I didn't want anything over 16.2hh!
So,anyone looking now,just be prepared to have additional expenses if your new equine won't fit your existing mode of transport!!
 
Next I buy, in 18mnths or so will be for me to bring on for 2/3 yrs for my daughter to then ride in her teens.
- 3/4 yr old, preferably unbacked, at the most lightly backed.
- connie or connie x tb
- to make 14.2 max, min of 14hh.
- prefer mares, but would consider a gelding.
- good confo. Doesn't have to be a county standard example of a connie, but good general confo is important.
- good temperament, however opinionated mares welcome.
- forwards going.
- and of course healthy.
 
Last time I went looking I wanted a 15-15.2hh exracer mare. Dark bay, liver chestnut or grey with either none or even white markings to do Intermediates on.

Instead I got a 16hh dark bay gelding with one big white sock and a wide blaze that goes down through his muzzle and into his lower lip.
 
My shopping list was as follows:

Bold, scopey jumper with the ability to jump 1.10/1.20s
15.2hh - 16.2hh
Nice personality, genuine nature
Aged 4 - 14
No major vices or hang ups
Healthy and sound

What I got:

15.3hh (and growing) 4yr old ISH, loads of jump, really bold attitude. He has a lovely personality too. Very green, had hardly done anything but so far has taken everything in his stride and I hope will develop into my horse of a lifetime.
 
Not too big height wise I am only short.
Around 10yrs.
No youngsters.
Good weight carrier.
Suitable for an older beginner rider.
Prefer no coloureds.
Just wanted something to explore the countryside with and have a bit of fun on.

What I got was a 12yr old Dales pony. Ex broodmare. On paper she wasn't the right one as apart from produce foals she had done very little. She has proved over the years to be a perfect match for my level of skills.
I was very lucky and had fantastic support network.
 
posie_honey said:
i just wanted a happy hacker and love the hunter stamp
vowed i'd never have a mare

ended up with a good hunter stamp.... mare LOL
she was within budget but had many issues - but something caught my eye and i decided that she was worth the risk
she's my horse of a lifetime
Click to expand...


thought i'd elaborate more as i did have a few requirements...

- half decent confo (shes long in back but generally not bad)
- clean limbed (ok she had windgalls and splints but no obvious big injuries)
- no coloureds/unusual colours (sorry just not my thing :o)
- kind eye (yes)
- preferably had hunted (she had) and a hunter stamp (yes)
- not too big to over horse myself (16hh is about right for me)
- something had to click in my heart/mind when i saw/rode then them (it did)
 
My list (in order of importance) was:

Sane and sensible, but with lots of character
At least 14.2hh
Gelding
Between 4 and 10 years old

I agree that everything else can be worked on. But temperament was number 1 on my list.
 
I was shopping for a foal to be my next dressage horse. My current horse is only 11 but will not go any further competitively but I will enjoy the next few years working on my riding and playing about at home.

The shopping list for the foal was simple, good movement & temperament, colt or gelding not to make more than 17hands within budget.

I did indeed find a fantastic little colt, dark bay with 4 whites to make 16.2 ish. He's got a fantastic temperament and moves nicely, not too extravagant. He was under budget but not by much, however I couldn't be more pleased with him :D
 
My List-

Safe and sane
14.2-15.2
Easy to do
around 8-10 years old
Not grey or coloured (chestnut or palomino are my favourites)
Good in traffic
Cob type or native

What I bought-

15hh chestnut gelding
Welsh D so sane-ish
Good in traffic and easy to do
6 years old

Not a bad match- love my boy :)
 
With ebony, nothing was on my list.... We just stumbled across each other, with my first pony pickles... I wanted three things, something with 'go' something big enough for me to not have to sell on (I was 13) and something that needed work. With my most recent, Ben, the only thing on the tick list was that it would be a foal to make around 16hh, I hadn't got further than that and was window shopping when I went to a friends for a barbecue and saw him at 2 weeks old.
 
Just that it was a horse :D

After riding since 5 I eventually reached 16, saved from my pub job & bought a 8 month old Sec D Colt!! I still have him now 15hh 8yrs old & I love him to bits, brought him on myself, steep learning curve & not the "correct" way to do it but there we go!
 
When I lost my TB gelding last year I was looking for a mare as I already have another mare, so wanted to make it easier as far as turnout at the yard I am at goes. I wanted something young, but not too green, didn't matter whether schooled, but hacking alone was a must, as the other horse I have had lost my confidence hacking out, 15hh+ and a solid colour middleweight type.

I ended up with a 2 year old skewbald filly, standing at 13.1hh! But she has been an absolute angel and now at 3 and a half is just amazing and just standing at 14hh and bum high still, so hoping she will go up a bit more. I took her for her first hack totally alone this morning without anyone walking with her and she was lovely - I felt safer on her than I have ever felt on my TB mare!!
 
I wasn't sure I wanted another horse after a very bad experience with an unsuitable one. But knew i wanted something safe but fun, something that kept all 4 feet on the ground, that would hack alone and in company and do RC level activities, had great manners on the ground and had to be a gelding (previous mare put me off for life).

My YM found max as available to loan as mother and daughter weren't sure they wanted to sell him but wanted a break from horses. He was 5 miles down the road, we were the first people to see him (thank god) 2 weeks later he moved to our yard, 4 months later he became mine and almost a year later I have had the best year of my horse owning life and he has turned out to be perfect. It was however 4th horse lucky for me and after making compromises on the other 3 I was not prepared to compromise again!
 
Must not buck, bolt, rear, bronc, be too nappy, be hairy or cobby (puts tin hat on, just personal preference) or have too many miles on the clock.

Must be able to walk, trot, canter balanced on each rain, sensible in traffic and hacking alone, nice paces, done enough not to be stupid, chilled temperament, stunning looking and be a gelding.

Both of mine have been stunning with super paces, but at times failed on the behaviour criteria!
 
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