Someone please give me a shake and tell me I’m being ridiculous

J_sarahd

J_sarahd

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I tried a horse last week and had a second viewing today - a super sweet 14.3/15hh 5 year old connie. We went out for a hack the first time and I genuinely couldn’t fault him. I am not a very confident hacker but I was happily out there buckle-end or one handed. We went for a few canters and he was very polite about it all. And today we went to an arena hire and he jumped round so politely.

He ticks every single box, but today he was really behind the leg and I struggled to get him up into canter. I’m used to a bit more - even Badger was the type to want to just go in open spaces, even though I felt 100% safe on him. His seller got on him and he was really good for her.

He is only ridden 2 times a week and has only really hacked his whole life. Plus he isn’t fed any hard feed because native and he lives out 24/7 in a huge field. So realistically I know there’s things I can do to get that forward but safe horse that I want. I just feel disheartened that I couldn’t get him as forward as the seller.

I lost a lot of confidence with Nova, so maybe he is exactly what I need. I’ve been offered a 2 week trial, which is very nice. And I think I’d find fault with any horse I tried because I’m scared of getting another.
 
I’d take the two week trial 🙂.

Although I’m not brave I’m usually pretty rubbish at getting lazy horses going, I’m much better at steadying a whizzy horse, so I fully sympathise with your conundrum.

It might be that you find his ‘go’ buttons better as you ride him the next few times. If you still can’t find them after a couple of weeks, then you can accept that you might not be well suited together.

Whilst on the whole it’s better to be slightly under horsed rather than slightly over horsed, if he doesn’t make your heart sing then you will soon get bored with him.
 
Take the two weeks trial. It takes time to bond and learn where the buttons are. If he seems a nice person that could do the job you want with a realistic amount of work that's a good start. Is he big enough for you?

Where is he in relation to you? Is there an option to trial where he is and already settled? That would give you more if an idea of what he would be like
 
The seller knows him and how to ride him, you don’t.
I’d take comfort from the fact the owner did get him going better. It shows he can and is willing to do it and that it’s just a case of getting to know him.
If the owner had struggled then yes, probably not what you may want.
Definitely go for the trial if your heart likes him.
 
webble said:
Take the two weeks trial. It takes time to bond and learn where the buttons are. If he seems a nice person that could do the job you want with a realistic amount of work that's a good start. Is he big enough for you?

Where is he in relation to you? Is there an option to trial where he is and already settled? That would give you more if an idea of what he would be like
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He skips round 80cm now with the seller and my ambitions are no bigger than eventing up to BE100. I asked my instructor about size and she says he’s a good height for me and he still has some growing/filling out to do. He feels a good height.

He’s quite close but the seller doesn’t have an arena and out hacking he is a saint, and it’s just in an arena.
 
A 2 week trial is very generous. Take it! With more confidence and an instructor telling you to get on with it you’ll see a big difference. When trialing a horse we never want to ask too much because we don’t know where the line is, but the fact owner got him more forward means that you were nowhere near the line.
 
He is very sweet and very unflappable. I took my coat off and when I was walking off, asked for my coat and the seller just put it over his neck whilst I was still on board and he just stood there. He basically loads himself. He has a good brain in terms of being very sensible - I think I would be completely comfortable taking him to new places on my own, I think I’m just not used to horses that aren’t massively forward-thinking.
 
Ok definitely go with the 2 week trial.
However connie's seem to come in 2 types, whizzy and sharp or laid back and often a little behind the leg. I have owned and worked with both. I have also taken both as far as Novice eventing.
The latter type need to be really fit to do the job. But they seem to be great reliable , fun horses. They also seem to prefer to do most of their work outside the school. I used to school my dun while hacking or in the field. He usually only did one day a week in the school. He did however, always do a super sensible rythmical test and scored really well.
He is only 5 but could easily to taught to be more forward with the right schooling, mainly outside the school.

What is his breeding?
 
My wonderful overheight Connie was a bit dopey by default - but my goodness could he step up a gear when he needed to!
A bit of a plod out hacking and preferred to be following rather than at the front - but super sensible and I always felt safe (and I am VERY nervous!)
Drag hunting - he was like a rocket, he loved it so much. My daughter did SJ with him and he could certainly shift when needed. Had a fantastic jump too.
And then out on a midweek hack he'd go back to dopey. He was so perfect. We lost him at 21 and I still miss him.
 
I took a 7 year old very lazy, very quiet Connemara on loan and got him fit, hunting and eventing. He turned into a total pocket rocket!!!!! Absolutely amazing little Connie.

Similarly boggle even at 5 whilst explosive was often not very forward, he was totally uninspiring to jump. He was young, weak and as soon as he strengthened up he became, well Boggle lol.
 
School surfaces are so much more challenging for horses than we realise, coupled with them not having the mild adrenaline rush of hacking, they're bound to show any training or balance issues more. Canter transitions are always tricky, it's even something that can be "lost" when you fit a better fitting saddle - the fact the horse can move more makes it more challenging for their balance. I would play a little with posture (do you think his ribcage is pitched downwards? Can be, and should be, improved with some easy groundwork, see the FB group 7 secrets of self carriage and have a play), try transitions on a hack first, and only then in the school. Do you also have a trainer who knows you well you could ask advice from?
 
Also remember a horse can change once he is at a different place so I would think he might be more forward going away from surroundings he knows. Better to be under horsed especially if you are not the most confident . Take the 2 weeks trial but I would get him vetted first so you know he was healthy, if you buy him and he isn’t forward enough for you I would think he would sell very easily as there are many happy hacker people out there looking mainly for something safe …
 
He sounds like he would be easy to sell on of you did find him boring eventually but I think he sounds great. If you felt comfortable out hacking and he was comfy to ride then that is 2 good boxes ticked off.

If he isn’t doing much school work then it makes sense he isn’t quite up to scratch and I’m not surprised he rides better for his current owner. It’s kind of the owner to offer a trail.
 
a 2 week trial sounds both generous and sensible, I’d take it and see how you get on. Although I have turned down horses that were foot perfect on viewing for being too “boring” and lacking the spark that I wanted, and have sold them for the same reason. You have met the horse I ended up with and love every slightly unhinged bone of 😂
 
If it makes you feel any better I rode a top ex 4* horse last week and struggled to get it to canter. And it definitely wasn’t that the horse was green!

I do find Connies a bit lack lustre, they’re not like Welshies who are head in the air, ready to go at all times.

I think this horse sounds great for you and the owners are being incredibly generous. They must have thought you were a good match!
 
Take the trial!

But what I would say is consider worst case scenario and protect yourself and the seller. I’d suggest at minimum a ‘loan contract’ and that you get insurance cover and, if I were the owner (and probably the trialler too) I’d be more comfortable vetting the horse at the start of the trial. At least it’s then clear (or not) that you started with a sound horse ….
 
Definitely take him on trial but agree about getting him vetted first because if anything major pops up the trial is pointless, and you may find it more difficult to walk away if you really got on with him.

I took Louis on 2 months trial but they were friends and he was free so wasn't gonna vet him anyway, we just both signed a BHS loan agreement and she kept her insurance going for him.

He never went back😁
 
My current 6yo was fairly behind the leg as a wesker 5yo - he's now a pretty forward ride. Much stronger and can power from behind so you might find that gets better in work
 
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