Second viewing tomorrow! EEk this just might be "the one"

mad4

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Just hoping for some thoughts and advice really,
I have been looking for a new horse for a few weeks and after trying several that were very sweet and nice but just didnt "feel" right i was starting to wonder if i was really ready for a new horse (only had my mare PTS after christmas :() and had decided i would put it on the back burner till the summer.

So last sunday a friend tags me in a facebook ad for a shire x warmblood 3yo mare who is unbroken but has been shown at county level in hand (as a hunter). She is not far from home so instead of a million emails requiesting photos etc. i made an appointment to see her.

it was instant love at first sight from stepping into the stable, she is exactly the type i was trying to find, very calm and polite, no issues at all. as the weather was so bad i only really saw her in the stable and stood out in the yard. i did walk her in hand a little up the farm lane but not much. i was in love!
i phoned the next day to ask for the veterinary history for an old wound that has left a scar above her coronet band (not honestly expecting to get it) and within the hour her FULL vet history since a foal was faxed to my work (im a vet nurse).!!

so im going back tomorrow for a second viewing with my friend (who happens to be a vet :cool:) and i have asked if she can be trotted up for us along the lane (the lady has no school and her fields are sodden) and also loaded for us to see.

my main concerns are..
  • she is going to be a big girl!, she stands 16.3 now, her mum was 18hh!
  • i have started youngsters before but nothing this big - can i honestly manage?
  • once home im on my own with no support unless i ask a friend for help to achieve something specific.
  • As she is unbroken im thinking i can only have a 2 stage vetting? is this a massive risk?
  • she is grey! and her owner freely admits she is disgusting in the stable and worse when in season! - not a major issue really ;)

i honestly this the seller is honest and she is telling me the whole truth about everything but im nervous, this will be my horse for the next 20 yrs and i dont want to get it wrong!!

her teeth look fine, good feet, touched everywhere etc.

is there anything else you would want to see??, ask??, check??

any thoughts or words of advice much appreciated

xx
 
If she's been shown she obviously travels, so any possibility of seller taking her to an arena for vetting so you could also see her long reined/lunged?

I bought my boy 12 months ago and knew he was the one as soon as I saw his head over the stable door. Wonderful feeling, hope it works out for you.
 
She sounds nice if shes been shown at county level she should have seen a fair bit and be well mannered so height shouldn't make that much of a difference. Good luck
 
thanks all, i just so want this to work out. and i dont want to miss out asking any sensible questions because im so in love with her!

must be sensible....must be sensible.......

but i could make her so happy...and we "could" just have the best fun together....

after the heartbreak of losing my last girl at 5yrs old to a heart condition (bought her at 3, was meant to be my forever horse..)i just must be as sensible as i can because i just cannot go through it again...

thanks you for your positive thoughts..i feel less like im being crazy now.
 
Good luck. You have to go with your gut feeling. It's hard enough finding horses that suit our needs let alone actually falling for them aswell. I knew as soon as I saw my new lad he was for me. He could have thrown me off when I rode and I'd still have wanted him lol. Sometimes you just know.
 
"Love at first sight" is better than any advice.

All the advice I had about my "love at first sight" horse was to not buy him. I did, and it was love forever after.

You lucky girl.
 
I can't really offer anything constructive to say other than invest in a pair of step ladders!! Big horses are fabulous beasts but you get a 'no man's land' on the top of back and bum that you just can't reach without ladders!!
 
Neither of mine would pass a 5 stage but the big lads competing dressage novice and will go further and my little one would have passed at your new horses age, wouldn't now, still pops round a decent course, happy to hunt xc etc. Cover off the basics with a 2 stage and crack on. Large mounting block and shares in a shampoo firm - enjoy
 
Wanted to wish you well before I go out to my love at first sight grey mare lol! Even though she wasn't quite what I was looking for all those years ago, it's worked out so much better. Sometimes you just know, but I did have a vetting incase my heart was ruling my head.
 
I'd say if you love her - go for it. Life is too short to pass up on 'that feeling' - it doesn't happen very often.

I got told 100 times over not to buy my first pony - a little dun New Forest with a twisted leg that dished like crazy. Wouldn't pass a vetting in a million years. Bought him because I loved him, turned out he was never lame in his life, got ragged around X-country and as many pony club events I could get to, hacked everywhere, did summer camp every year and was an absolute star. He was my best friend and I love him unconditionally... He's now 26 and enjoying being a 'nanny pony' for competition horses, although he still does pony club once a month with a little girl from the village :)
 
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