Midlifecrisis
Well-Known Member
Some of you may remember my account of my mares illness and death at Easter and I was asked to keep you informed of my horse buying progress. As I do not write in as entertaining fashion as many others on here I kept quiet but often wanted to chip in my experiences when others wrote of their horse buying frustrations. However now my empty stable is filled I feel I can share my journey a little.
So where to begin my search ...I let everyone I know I was searching for another horse (Pony Club contacts etc) and everyday searched the websites including dealers. A good friend also kept an eye out on facebook pages for anything interesting. I tried to keep an open mind about what to consider and was very prompt to call an owner for information. Its sad that many sellers don't realise how important good photos and facts only blurb are for attracting buyers. Many of the horses selected from ads I discounted after the initial phone call - we horsey people do love to hear our own voice talking about our horses and slip ups occurred during the calls about the 6 months off with tendon injury as this one had been hoolied round Ireland hunting (not mentioned in ad) or the seller who called all the previous folk who had turned up to try her horse idiots and numpties (I didn't fancy being categorised like that) or the lady who told me that she will probably start riding her horse again tomorrow and wouldn't want to sell him if she did that.
I visited a few horses with mixed outcomes - I met some lovely people whose horses I wished I could buy (one in particular was only vetoed by vets advice...and then I was labelled as a time waster) and I visited some heartbreaking ones - an imported gelding who couldn't physically trot- tail clamped hard to his rump perhaps he was damaged in transit but the owners had bought him unseen so who knows...I walked quickly away but he troubled me for a day or two. Then of course as the months passed the summer projects became prevalent and the prices increased. I became a little disheartened.
My mare that died was a Friesian and I was trying not to look at another for fear I would compare them or be very upset but one of my good friends then took me in hand and insisted I went to view a young mare and to put her age out of my mind and just ride her. At the first viewing I tried her in the arena and then took her for a hack - cantered in open fields and pulled her up - she was brave -led the ride and wasn't spooky and hadn't been ridden in a week. Second time she had a little more schooling and cantered 20 metre circles in a balanced fashion and I took her off the farm on my own to test for napping - she didn't. I saw her lunged/tied up/a yellow dumper truck went passed her in the yard and she was affectionate in the stable....but as all you Friesian owners know..she was expensive and only 4 years old.
For two weeks I struggled with heart and head - I never saw myself with a youngster even one as seemingly well behaved as this one...was I being disloyal to my other mare?....well you guessed it on Friday I hitched the trailer and brought my new girl home. She loaded and travelled well and is getting her head around new surroundings. It ll take her some time to settle - its a much busier yard and not herd turnout. I have saddler out tomorrow in the hope that my existing saddle can be used and need a straight bar snaffle as she didn't like jointed snaffle much. I will spend the summer hacking and introduce more serious schooling in the Autumn with the help of more experienced trainers.
So that, sort of briefly is the story - and if I could post pictures I would!
So where to begin my search ...I let everyone I know I was searching for another horse (Pony Club contacts etc) and everyday searched the websites including dealers. A good friend also kept an eye out on facebook pages for anything interesting. I tried to keep an open mind about what to consider and was very prompt to call an owner for information. Its sad that many sellers don't realise how important good photos and facts only blurb are for attracting buyers. Many of the horses selected from ads I discounted after the initial phone call - we horsey people do love to hear our own voice talking about our horses and slip ups occurred during the calls about the 6 months off with tendon injury as this one had been hoolied round Ireland hunting (not mentioned in ad) or the seller who called all the previous folk who had turned up to try her horse idiots and numpties (I didn't fancy being categorised like that) or the lady who told me that she will probably start riding her horse again tomorrow and wouldn't want to sell him if she did that.
I visited a few horses with mixed outcomes - I met some lovely people whose horses I wished I could buy (one in particular was only vetoed by vets advice...and then I was labelled as a time waster) and I visited some heartbreaking ones - an imported gelding who couldn't physically trot- tail clamped hard to his rump perhaps he was damaged in transit but the owners had bought him unseen so who knows...I walked quickly away but he troubled me for a day or two. Then of course as the months passed the summer projects became prevalent and the prices increased. I became a little disheartened.
My mare that died was a Friesian and I was trying not to look at another for fear I would compare them or be very upset but one of my good friends then took me in hand and insisted I went to view a young mare and to put her age out of my mind and just ride her. At the first viewing I tried her in the arena and then took her for a hack - cantered in open fields and pulled her up - she was brave -led the ride and wasn't spooky and hadn't been ridden in a week. Second time she had a little more schooling and cantered 20 metre circles in a balanced fashion and I took her off the farm on my own to test for napping - she didn't. I saw her lunged/tied up/a yellow dumper truck went passed her in the yard and she was affectionate in the stable....but as all you Friesian owners know..she was expensive and only 4 years old.
For two weeks I struggled with heart and head - I never saw myself with a youngster even one as seemingly well behaved as this one...was I being disloyal to my other mare?....well you guessed it on Friday I hitched the trailer and brought my new girl home. She loaded and travelled well and is getting her head around new surroundings. It ll take her some time to settle - its a much busier yard and not herd turnout. I have saddler out tomorrow in the hope that my existing saddle can be used and need a straight bar snaffle as she didn't like jointed snaffle much. I will spend the summer hacking and introduce more serious schooling in the Autumn with the help of more experienced trainers.
So that, sort of briefly is the story - and if I could post pictures I would!
