My horse hunting is not going well :(

I'm afraid its nearly always the same. It took me 3+ months to find my new one. I say new I've had him a year now

I found the adverts that were more than 2wks old were not worth ringing about, no matter how good they sounded on the phone there was always a reason they were not sold!!!

I would NEVER EVER travel far to see a horse that had been advertised more than 2 wks no matter how good it sounded or the current climate.

I travelled over 1000 miles and rarely even got on the horse when I got there!
 
I would just say keep looking and try to keep your chin up! Got my girl at the start of October after looking for probably a similar amount of time to you and had got really frustrated with looking - one reared with me on the road, one was fab and was going to buy him and then owner changed his mind, one totally not as described etc etc. Had narrowed the area I was looking in as I was fed up with driving so far and nothing coming of it, then saw my girls advert and bought her on the first viewing. When the right one comes along it will make it all worthwhile :)
 
I think if I was selling a good horse I'd wait until the Spring ayway, you're right, there's just drips and drabs around now. I'm always more suspicious of people trying to flog a horse around Christmas time. The Winter is great for word of mouth though as people may tell you they're planning on selling the horse early next year so you may be able to do some networking that way. I might have to sell mine next year for various reasons so have already let a few people know who might be interested, but definitely wouldn't advertise until the show season is underway and he has some decent results.

So just be patient and I'm sure the right horse is out there :)
 
Not selling mine atm - no point, I haven't sat on him for 3 weeks (couple of lunging sessions do not count), he is fluffy and losing muscle.. he will be put up once he is properly back in work and "looks" more like his normal self and allow for a proper try out for buyers.
 
soulfull said:
I found the adverts that were more than 2wks old were not worth ringing about, no matter how good they sounded on the phone there was always a reason they were not sold!!!

I would NEVER EVER travel far to see a horse that had been advertised more than 2 wks no matter how good it sounded or the current climate.
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Well the horse I bought this year was advertised since I started looking and I decided not to call as he was a gelding and I always aim to get a mare, and because he was very green and had never hacked but still had a pretty hefty price tag.

Two months, two failed vettings, many miles and lots of wasted money later, he was still advertised so I went to see him. Bought him, for a significantly lower than advertised price and he is absolutely wonderful.

So OP, I wouldn't be put off phoning about something advertised for a while, it can just be coincidence or it may well be that they are over optimistically priced, in which case the seller might well be ready to take offers. :)
 
i hate horse hunting, the constant worry of when going to view one and wondering whats going to be wrong with this one!

i tried four horses when searching for mine, i also rang lots, only to find what was said on the phone was completely different to the ad!

We rang one person who said said horse had a small scar, i wasnt bothered as long as it was a safe, reliable horse that i coult trust,

when arriving he had 4 scar all over his neck ! not happy, to top it all off, was told horse had a lovely steady canter to jumps, when i pointed said horse at a jump it nearly galloped at it! so that was a no go also when i mentioned vetting he wasnt too keen, horse also had a slight limp on front lef that i noticed, when i quetioned this i was told he was totally sound!

I then found another to go and view, and jokingly on the phone said "now before we start does he have any scars" and we mentioned what had happened with the other one, she replied no, when we drove in the first thing i noticed was a large 4" scar on his shoulder again not happy!

third horse i saw was a lovely laid back tb mare, she was lovely i jumped her and hacked her she was fine, although she failed her vetting and it was discovered she cant jump anymore :( although maybe it was meant to be as the horse i bought i found the night we found out that the other had failed the vetting?

although im glad to say my horse was perfectly described and lovely in every way, even if he is a nosy bugger:D
 
I think you are looking for the same type as me! Sadly there doesn't seem to be a lot in the South West that meets that spec for sale at the moment....I have been looking since May! I was looking forward to horse hunting but now I have grown to hate it.

Have seen a few horses however none of them were as advertised/stood out/some even had leg injuries that required a few months of box rest and field rest before they could maybe be ridden (and owners still asking about £3/4!).

I have seen adverts for a few quality horses in my budget however they are either way up North or in Kent!!

I do know plenty of people with horses that are now waiting until the Spring to advertise again. I have given up my search now (mainly to save up and concentrate on my career) and maybe next year or the year after the market will be a bit better, I am in no rush to find my perfect horse :)
 
Im horse hunting and have seen 5 horses since September feeling quite fed up with the whole thing. Im looking for a 16.1-17 hander, not huge budget of 3.5k, beginning to think I wont get a suitable horse but hopefully come January they'll be more for sale. Vix - Ive PMed you.
 
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I am really bad, i tend to buy the 1st or 2nd horse I see. I tend to do a good bit of research and read between the lines in adverts but keep an open mind. Out of the 10 I have bought only 2 havent been perfect. Never had any vetted only 1 ever had a problem, it did not affect her performance and she was 100% sound but was a shiverer. Good luck. And do call horses that have been posted longer than 2 weeks, I was having a really hard time selling my last boy, maybe as I was too honest, but he was on the market for about 2 months has now found a great home.
 
Have also been looking for a while and can't seem to find anything!! It's just not fun anymore-I never enjoy horse hunting, and it's so stressful!:mad:
 
Thanks guys for all your help and tips and experiences! I'll still keep looking. There are a few to ring up about, hopefully the perfect one will be along soon :)
 
a woman on my yard has got an almost perfect horse for sale that i would buy like a shot if i wasnt stuck with mine ! shes had it advertised for 2 weeks now and had only 3 phone calls 2 had horses to sell and the other couldnt get the 250 miles due to weather ! i thought it would sell the day she advertised it ! i am sure it would if the weather was normal or it was spring ! she chose now because she was panicking about hay and added up what she will have spent by spring !:eek: ( dont advise anyone with a dicky heart to do that ! ). the longer the horse is on she feels it does get embarrassing with people maybe wondering why , but i think that we do have exceptional circumstances this winter and it is worth looking at horses that have been on a while.
 
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