New horse shopping criteria

splashgirl45

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we all have an idea of what you NEED from other posts previously but not sure what you really WANT......if you now want something smaller and chunky you will have more choice with your budget as the big, safe horses are usually more expensive and out of your budget unless they are a little older. my friend wanted a safe horse and didnt have a huge budget and wasnt the most confident rider. i was the experienced friend:eek: and she saw a few on her own and then asked me to look at a 16 year old mare that she liked. she wasnt the prettiest but a chunky, safe horse. what we found out later was that the mare was 18.. she bought her (i thought she was exactly what my friend NEEDED) and had many years of hacking, pleasure rides and low level competing, she had to stop riding her when she was 27 and was PTS at 29 due to arthritis but she gave my friend so much fun and the confidence to get a more forward going horse for her next one. size shouldnt really matter as long as the horse is a proper weight carrier but you must be sure you can cope with riding on a smaller one and no one else can make that decision for you....we can all keep looking but i think we have already found mr perfect:)
 

Meredith

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To be honest I'm so confused about what I want and/or need at the moment which is why I'm all over the place. (Well I know exactly what I *want*)
I definitely WANT one but I hate trying horses as I always feel really anxious and end up looking like a numpty :( I find this whole process stressful and I'm so worried about getting it all wrong again that I think I end up sabotaging myself.

If you are really confused take a break from searching for a couple of weeks.
If you are not go and view a couple on your own. I know you will hesitate to say Yes but your gut feeling will tell you No immediately.
If you feel a hesitant Yes take your sensible friend. If in the meantime the horse is sold accept that it was not meant to happen.
I am always apprehensive when I go to view and have been known to walk away without getting on. Remember when you walk away politely you probably won’t see those sellers ever agaiin.
 

gunnergundog

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What was wrong with Ari? He's the ch ID g that YCBM volunteered to view on your behalf.

If your sane friend is hors de combat at the moment, it would be well worth your while either arranging to view Ari and meet YCBM there or ask her to do an initial viewing on your behalf. A couple of bottles of wine (or whatever her tipple is) plus some diesel money could be a very good investment :)

(Without wishing it to sound rude, I think that YCBM has been around the block a couple of times! :D )
 

Summit

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If the seller is genuinely wanting the best home for Murphy, I would have thought she would have been happy for you to view the first time by yourself and then for your friend to accompany you to a 2nd viewing. I do realise though, he is quite a distance away from you.

I can’t believe you cancelled the booking :eek: I would’ve still gone because if you and the owner had of gotten on well then I’m sure you could’ve come to an arrangement

I see the spec has changed....are you sure if you really know what you want? :confused:
 

gunnergundog

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Also, just to add that ANY vendor can elect not to sell to a particular individual.....it's just that Murphy's owner is being more up front about it.

I have refused to sell horses to people in the past.....one was a horse that had jumped out of novice but didn't have the balls to cope with int XC; he was advertised as a quality hunter. The first person who tried him wanted him, but as he had elected to jump a square 3'9 oxer backwards in the SJ field, I elected not to sell to him. There have been others.
 

ROMANY 1959

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Oh this is the ad:
This is Meg ... meg weve had over a month now and didnt want her to be fully advertised until we were satisfied she was fully ready to leave ours so weve been schooling her up abit so our clients and ourself are happy....

Meg is around 16.2hh rising 10yro draught mare ( breeding unrecorded )

Been in same home since she was 4 years old.

Meg certainly isnt going to win any races and neither are you going to go anywhere in a hurry... shes got her own pace which is a car with 5 gears not 6.. but shes quiet and thats the main thing!!!.
Shes a steady eddy and likes to please.
I certainly cant see why she wouldnt work out in a riding school because shes a lovely weighr carrier and not phased about kicks and flapping about.
Meg is stunning, she came to us not in regular work so shes quite low milege for her age but at same time shes quiet with it so shes not schooled up to a top dressage test but she knows how to school walk trot and canter
She hacks out unphased by any traffic.
She rides in open fields perfectly
Shes just a nice big all rounder .
Ideal hunter , showing , fun rides , beach rides.
No stable vices. No quirks. Not sharp. Not stuipid. sensible head on her.
No naps no bolts no rears no bucks.
Rare find this type.
Based cheshire.
Good to shoe box catch etc.
No lumps or bumps.
Open to any vetting.
Xrays. Bloods and inspections.
£3000.
Ono
Videos upon request.
Fully shod
Delivery can be arranged. . Warrantys can br arranged

56835749_10161519801140591_5443806902343434240_n.jpg


There more pics, but not sure if I should be sharing from a closed group.....
Seller is a Yana Phoenix?
I know Yana, she is ok.. was on same yard as I had my ID x Gypsy cob a few years ago... worth a viewing.
 

Lammy

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What was wrong with Ari? He's the ch ID g that YCBM volunteered to view on your behalf.

If your sane friend is hors de combat at the moment, it would be well worth your while either arranging to view Ari and meet YCBM there or ask her to do an initial viewing on your behalf. A couple of bottles of wine (or whatever her tipple is) plus some diesel money could be a very good investment :)

(Without wishing it to sound rude, I think that YCBM has been around the block a couple of times! :D )

I posted this horse on page 4 and was poo pooed for being broken only two years. Although I still think he’s worth ringing about as he ticks every box! Just depends on if he’s what the ad says. YCBM will be a good judge of that, I’d bite her hand off if it was me who was interested.
 

chaps89

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If you like the look of Murphy, I'd go and see him. If he's nice and you're interested, go back for a second viewing complete with additional person - sane friend/local HHO-er/ instructor etc.
2 viewings is relatively normal in horse buying and if someone is particularly keen that the horse go to a good home I'm sure they'll see it as a positive.
I wouldn't be put off by Meg being cheaper if she's vetted - it's less faff and hassle for the yard so worth 'incentivising'. I would however be thorough in my choosing of the vet (As I would be anyway tbh) and make sure that was something they were aware of.
In your case I'd 5 stage vet, but only after going over the horse with a fine tooth comb myself so there's no nasty shocks like a little sarcoid that if it's going to put you off anyway, you could have at least saved the vetting fee on if you found it first.
I like the 1 AA posted (She has such a good eye for a horse!) And if you're going to try a smaller one to see how it feels I'd suggest that's a good one to start with!

Also, I'm sorry that it's a rubbish time of year for you.
 

ycbm

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What was wrong with Ari? He's the ch ID g that YCBM volunteered to view on your behalf.

If your sane friend is hors de combat at the moment, it would be well worth your while either arranging to view Ari and meet YCBM there or ask her to do an initial viewing on your behalf. A couple of bottles of wine (or whatever her tipple is) plus some diesel money could be a very good investment :)

(Without wishing it to sound rude, I think that YCBM has been around the block a couple of times! :D )


I could practically walk there, I don't need any diesel money 😂. And I just love looking at horses. Quite disappointed that you haven't asked me to go SLH........

GGD I'll let you off the last comment 😂😂 😂
 

AdorableAlice

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Perhaps he was a part exchange..?

Something very sad about exchanging a grand old servant for a new model. But not everyone is a sentimental old fool like me I guess. My horses must be very lucky, they have all stayed with me until the final goodbye. I have exchanged a husband but never a horse !

Facebook and the like, is full of people offering their wonderful, ancient and with 'so much more to give' to someone willing to give £50 and a 10 star home. Grinds my gears !
 

tashcat

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Any luck OP? When I was catching up this morning after a few days away, the search had really escalated and I was half expecting to hear about a new furry friend!

Agree with the others about not putting too much pressure on yourself, and can understand why you want a friend there.. but I think popping along to viewings will only be a good thing - and theres no rush to buy one until you're completely happy!

The ad for Murphy seems to have gone - has he been sold?
 

splashgirl45

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Something very sad about exchanging a grand old servant for a new model. But not everyone is a sentimental old fool like me I guess. My horses must be very lucky, they have all stayed with me until the final goodbye. I have exchanged a husband but never a horse !

Facebook and the like, is full of people offering their wonderful, ancient and with 'so much more to give' to someone willing to give £50 and a 10 star home. Grinds my gears !

i feel the same, would never pass any of mine on, they only went to one place once they were not comfortable to go in the field every day..i had my loan horse for 2 years and had to give her up due to my physical problems. it was very hard even though she went back to her home where she was born. i still miss her every day and i freely admit there were tears when i left her....
 

splashgirl45

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Any luck OP? When I was catching up this morning after a few days away, the search had really escalated and I was half expecting to hear about a new furry friend!

Agree with the others about not putting too much pressure on yourself, and can understand why you want a friend there.. but I think popping along to viewings will only be a good thing - and theres no rush to buy one until you're completely happy!

The ad for Murphy seems to have gone - has he been sold?

such a shame about murphy i would think he has been sold now.., SLH cancelled her viewing as her friend was ill. the sellers had people coming both days this weekend and wanted to choose who he went to....
 

Tiddlypom

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If SLH is having time out from horse hunting to decide what she REALLY wants and needs, if indeed she really wants to buy another horse, then that will only be a good thing. But once she decides what to go for, she will indeed need to move fast to get a good one.

I'm one of several long term HHOers who have tried to offer advice and assistance during previous horse searches of hers. In this one from 2015, the chosen horse seemes ideal, then it all went wrong (various riding and handling issues, plus she decided he was too small). He was sold on within a few months.

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/alfie-is-home.710048/
 

Summit

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splashgirl45

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exactly what i h ave been saying as the original criteria was nothing under 16 hands and this makes the search more difficult as there seem to be quite a few at 15.2 that would do the job as far as i am concerned but SLP feels too big on anything under 16 hands, at least thats what she says, i am really confused :confused: and have given up now
 

be positive

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exactly what i h ave been saying as the original criteria was nothing under 16 hands and this makes the search more difficult as there seem to be quite a few at 15.2 that would do the job as far as i am concerned but SLP feels too big on anything under 16 hands, at least thats what she says, i am really confused :confused: and have given up now

I agree but also know that so many horses are advertised as being a certain height when in reality they are often 2 inches smaller, sometimes more, so looking at 15.2's that may be barely 15 hands is a waste of time, 16 hands as a minimum does make the search harder but unless you know the vendor has measured properly it should mean seeing nothing under 15.2 when you get there.

I think the OP may have taken a step back as she has been flooded with opinions, suggestions, links to horses of various types and that is making her even more confused not less so, it is not going to be easy to find the right horse and at this stage there is no need to change the basic criteria.
It will be a waiting game where she needs to keep looking at the ads, read them properly, phone quickly about any that seem to fit and be ready to go to view within 24 hours if they sound really suitable, there is no point in viewing just for the sake of it if the horse only ticks a few boxes, none will tick every box but one will tick most.
 

Summit

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It will be a waiting game where she needs to keep looking at the ads, read them properly, phone quickly about any that seem to fit and be ready to go to view within 24 hours if they sound really suitable, there is no point in viewing just for the sake of it if the horse only ticks a few boxes, none will tick every box but one will tick most.

OP ... is your heart really in this as the criteria has changed quite considerably and that sounds like desperation to get a horse just for the sake of it.

I agree, when making the call, you need to be prepared to go quickly and alone if necessary. Follow up visits can easily be arranged. I think Murphy is the horse that got away :(
 

SatansLittleHelper

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Hi everyone. I was indeed taking a few days away but my friend has been reading the thread and has told me to come back on.
I've been overwhelmed by the help and advice given...you've all been fantastic❤ despite the fact that I realise I'm probably trying the patience of a fair few of you 😳🙈

TP has mentioned the cob I bought in 2015 so I'll address that first:
I was a few months in from selling the horse I've loved more than any other I've had, admitting I was well overhorsed was a very bitter pill to swallow for me as I used to be so capable. It tipped the edge on what was already a truly broken heart...a couple of months before that my daughter died. She was 6 years and 10 months old. She had severe disabilities, so while we knew it would happen, it was still a shock. Only, she didn't just die; I had to agree to stop the resus team from trying (in vain) to keep her going. It was the hardest and easiest decision I will ever make in my life. I absolutely know in my heart I did the right thing by her but there will always be that little nagging doubt "what if?"
So, my confidence in my decision making skills has been somewhat screwed over to be honest.
I bought Ralph the cob because I was told by several people and friends that he was the sort of thing I *needed* and he seemed quite nice, plus I'm a sucker for hairy types. He was supposed to be 15.2 but always felt small to me, I kind of ignored that and got on with it. He turned out to be 15hh on tippy toes when measurements were done properly and also he was a pig to catch, and napped like hell. I couldn't get on with him and really didn't have the mental energy to be bothered. Selling him was such a relief.
So, coming to now. I didn't cancel my viewing with Murphy because my friend couldn't come, I cancelled it because she was driving me. My Fibro means driving longer distances can be really really hard for me so I simply could not do 3.5 hours there, try a horse and do the same back. So I missed out, wasn't meant to be.
I have viewed a few horses over the last few days which has opened my eyes a little.
One was a 17.1 Shire x who actually freaked me out totally. I've realised I'm just not up to dealing with that height any more. I ended up also viewing another Shire x who was 16.2 and much better in size but had something not right in his transitions (almost tripped over his own legs going into trot, twice) so no good. I also tried a friends 15.3 maxi/show cob, not for sale but just to see what he felt like and I really liked her, also their 16.1 3/4 ID which I'd have bought on the spot if I could lol.
So basically I have come to the decision that 15.2/3 might be a consideration if the horse is the right build. 17hh is just to big for me now, I found it physically and mentally overwhelming.
So I guess at this point my "perfect horse" is a 16-16.2 ID or ID x.
YCBM, Ihave tried to call about the one local to you and left a message.
AA, I'm currently awaiting more photos of the 15.2 cob you suggested, he does sound perfect.
And I'm waiting to be able to view Meg. Her ad disappeared so I thought she was sold but the seller has had a few issues with her not wanting the bridle on so they want to get to the bottom of that first.
So all in all please understand that I really am listening, I really am extremely grateful for the help...I've just had my brain blown a little lately with various things x

ETA: I'm going to see a 12 yr old 16.2 Clydesdale mare tomorrow afternoon too :)
 
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