Should i buy it should i buy should i buy it.........

He was easily caught, let me lead and trot him round ,he was a bit excited mind, but was happy for me to touch his legs etc~ we were in a field with a filly galloping around in the background lol so he wanted to gallop too!
 
Why has the eventer not bought him if he so good ..?? And so cheap.?? Even if it was to sell on and make some money. That's what I'd be wondering.

There is no such thing as a bargain in the horse world in my eyes. Any cheap horse I've ever seen is either broken , has issues or not really that valuable in the first place.
 
With horses you always have to trust your gut instinct, it can go right - or wrong - where ever you buy and what ever you pay.

It might just be worth seeing if he is microchipped and checking that out though.

And let us know how you get on! Exciting!!

PS I bought a pony for £100 that was in a field, out of pity, after sorting it out it was bought by my neighbour, is adored and has the most amazing home for life, so it can work out well. Just have a back up plan in case ......
 
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After 10mnths off I realise at 5 he won't be able to be tried ridden properly, but you could still walk & trot & get a feel for him at least. It's hard to tell from those pics, but his legs don't look the best, first pic he looks like his pasterns are pretty upright. (could just be the angle & the mud though). I'd not vet for £200, but if there are confirmational defects its hard to say to what extent they'll impact on his future soundness. Depending on what feel I got from a brief ride, temperament, & what his confo looks like in the flesh, I probably would buy. But, not on a 10 week trial. I'd say 3 week trial, 4 wks tops. After 10 weeks, there's the chance they could take him back, having saved winter keep, & with a more valuable horse.
 
I mentioned earlier on that a trial may be a good idea...I dont however think a 10 week trial is a good idea. The reason being I honestly believe 2 weeks is long enough for you to know if this is a horse you can work with...but not improve for the owners benefit if that makes sense...this would be on the proviso that everything else stacks up and it has been vetted. To me the purchase price is always the least of your worries...I really like the look of him but does sound a little to good to be true?
 
Being totally blunt, for £200 quid you could buy him and if he is no good, as long as you dont get hurt, either send him for lion food, or pts. And he still would be a cheap horse.

I would have brought him by now anyways.

Face it if you had a horse and did not have a clue what to do with it, and your mum or wife or sister were seriously ill you would just want rid.

GW
 
£200 buy and shoot it if no good for the job. That's no money at all and a good gamble. I don't know why your even asking on here! Keep us updated!
 
Ive just re read my reply which is all very sensible...forgot to mention none of mine were vetted! The TB was bought out of the field, didnt even get on him and just trusted my gut, the haffie was a little s*** that no one in there right mind would have bought...is now a superstar and the little welshie was bought from a customer (I have a fabric warehouse) who was keeping him in a cow barn and the cows were coming back in so he was off to the sales. She played a blinder but just happening to have a photo of him in her purse and then mentioned he would probably go for meat as he hadnt been gelded and was unhandled (he was 2)...he is a lovely pony who my daughter treats like a my little pony! All of them are sound, none of them have issues that we couldnt deal with and none of them will ever go anywhere so ignore my advice (which im sure you will anyway) and just go for it...trust your gut ;)
 
I would get him vetted and buy him, without the long trial. I think he looks nice even covered in mud.

Are we totally sure that the horse eventing is the same horse though? I had a dapple, and remember they change from winter to summer, so it could just be that, but he looks lighter a year ago than he does now, the ears look dark in the jumping photo, but not in the field, and the chin looks black, but not in the field..
 
He looks lovely... However I don't believe that is a four year old jumping in that picture.

Remember having the passport is NOT proof of ownership, and I really do think you need to ensure a conversation is held with the owner, and a reciept of sale secured.
In addition, if you're not prepared to 5 stage vet, you really should get a 2 stage to check eyes & heart etc.
If he has a heart murmur, this ultimately may just bring you heartache.
Personally, I'm very dubious of any horse that's had time out, especially when a back injury is already on the table.
If you can live with the upset and heartache of it going wrong, and can confirm legitimate ownership, then why not. I however am quite sceptical
 
Gut instinct, based on pics and story: no. Story doesn't feel right and the pics dont look sufficiently like the same horse.
Good luck, and take care of yourself!
 
I would do it he's nice, but*I have space for another so not paying extra livery... purchase price means so little and you could have a little money room for some physio or something if his back is a problem.

With regard to his looks compared to the picture, the shading around his neck looks the same but in the jumping pic it looks like he has white socks on his fores, in first pic he may just be super muddy so can't see them!
 
My friend has been given a horse for free recently. It seems to be working out. But at 6 he'd been in a field for 18 months doing nothing and she still saw him ridden and rode him herself. And spoke directly to the owner.

He seems to be working out so it can end happily. She's hasn't ridden him again though as she's starting him again from scratch but he's lunging we'll.
 
For that price I think I would buy. I would like others worry that after 10 weeks hard work over the winter they have had you do all the work and want him back and be able to sell him on for a few more zeros.
 
Go for it, I would if I had the money and time for pay and do another horse. None of mine have been vetted. We just get vet out next day to do a quick eyes, heart, lungs and trot up.
I really like the look of his face.
 
for £200 i'd take the chance!, i got gifted a perfectly sound slightly mardy mare purely because of her owners marriage breaking down, she had so much on her plate at that time all she wanted was a good home for her girl. If he turns out to be a dud you've lost £200 and given yourself a bit of grief, could just as easily happen with a 2k or 20k horse and i know which i'd prefer to take a chance on;)
 
ha ha... well don't come on here if you were looking for a definitive answer! Vet, don't vet, walk away, buy..

go with your gut. I would get a vet to look over for anything obvious. If evented then you can easily check this against the passport and see that breeding, times add up. I would ensure a direct conversation with the owner as well. As for the event rider not buying.. most event riders are struggling to keep going financially and as we all know, its not the purchase, its the keeping and they well may feel that another head to feed with a possible question mark over it is too big a risk. I was at Ascot last week and saw nice 4 year olds, obviously out of a field and unbacked, but looking well.. go for £400 so times are tough. I spoke to the owner of one and he sold so cheaply because he could not afford to keep so many horses over the winter.
 
Ibblebibble said:
for £200 i'd take the chance!, i got gifted a perfectly sound slightly mardy mare purely because of her owners marriage breaking down, she had so much on her plate at that time all she wanted was a good home for her girl. If he turns out to be a dud you've lost £200 and given yourself a bit of grief, could just as easily happen with a 2k or 20k horse and i know which i'd prefer to take a chance on;)
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This! The lady who fitted Ned's saddle said she know a woman who bought a horse for £10k (minus the shipping costs!) from somewhere in Europe, I don't remember which country.
It died a week later in the field!

Ned cost £600 and although he could go tomorrow, he has only been lame twice and even then it wasn't serious.

Cost does not equal a long, carefree life with a horse.
If you like him OP, go for it! He could be the horse of a life time! Even if that's not him in the eventing photo, who's to say he won't be a cracking horse?
 
Vet and go for it.
£200,£2000 or£20000 there's no way I will work with a horse until I know it can see and it's heart is ok I could have killed my OH when I nearly did not vet a horse that had been vetted three months earlier and was being sold again because of probelms that where not to do with him he had had a virus ( vets thought) and was a death trap that taught me always vet.
Even vetted it's still a great deal hope you get him.
 
I agree about vetting. Certainly if there is noone to ride the horse when you view - alarm bells always ring.
A cautionary tale - a friend went to view a dressage horse - well bred, being sold 'from the field' as not in work and no rider available, keenly priced. Anyhow it turns out horse is too big for her petite client so she pursues no further. However the client mentions to another dressage rider friend and neighbour about this lovely horse and she goes ahead and views and buys it. She then the next day or so after getting it home saddles it up and gets on board and horse goes ballistic and poor rider ends up with 3 broken vertebrae in her neck - months of rehab and never able to ride again.
It turns out that the horse had a condition/problem with it's wither and as soon as the weight of a rider was added it pressed on the nerves and caused immense pain causing the explosion. The owner is sorting it as it is fixable, but what a price to pay.
Remember MANY sellers are unscrupulous and the horse world is definately one where you cannot afford to judge others as being like yourself!!! That's a sad fact.
 
I'd take the risk. I've done it and luckily been very very pleased with a fantastic horse at the end of it! Paid £500 for a horse out of a field. No vetting. He was an unbroken rising 8 year old. I'm now having so much fun on this horse and he is just fantastic to do in all ways. Same story....owner was very ill (terminal cancer) and he was just desperate to get his horses in to good homes quickly.
 
For those interested, here's a couple of pics of the new boy! Didn't bother vetting, not really worth it IMO! Will iron out any problems as we go along, but so far he's lovely!

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