Tell me about the horse you ended up with, that was nothing like

DJ

DJ

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As per title, tell me about the horse you ended up buying, that was nothing like what you set out to buy.

I`m currently looking and have a "no" list ... but yet I somehow keep being drawn to the ones I`ve said I don`t want lol ... at the moment it is mostly window shopping (still recovering from a nasty accident) ... but would love to hear how things worked out for you all in the long run :)
 
I've done it twice, and each time the horse turned out to be something I wouldn't have been without, in the end.

The first time I was looking for an older mare as a companion to a youngster, that I could ride while waiting for baby to grow up. I ended up with a 3 year old stallion with severe behavioural issues...

The second time I was looking for a Standardbred or PBA type, again ridable. I bought a Fell X yearling with attitude in spades...

I'm going to be horse shopping again next year so God only knows what I'll end up with! :D
 
I went out shopping with these criteria:
Gelding
15-15.2
Preferably connemara or irish sports
4-6 years that had done a small amount
I came home with:
Mare
16h and still growing
Warmblood x
Only just backed

I'm quite happy with my purchase though and have a better quality horse than I had gone out to buy.
 
After: schoolmaster type, black or coloured, from 15.1 to 16.3hh. Something with abit of oomph and able to BSJA if I had wanted.


Bought: 2 year old cream dun highland. No oomph unless it's on his terms! Has a good jump... But not quite BSJA :p
 
I went out looking for a little TB.... Preferably bay. Ended up buying a strapping 17hh grey RID.
Wouldn't change he huge lump for the world! X
 
The only thing that was really on my no list was not to have lots of white and no pink skin. We'd had enough of a battle with Spuds pink skin on his back legs..... So I end up with Wolf who has four big white legs and a big white face with pink skin on his nose, eyebrows and cheekbones. But he had me at hello.
 
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I was hunting for a 14.2 - 15.2 8+ gelding. Had in my mind just a dark bay connie x type. Right useful RC sort. What I got? 3 year old IDxTB mare who is now standing at 16.3.... She was sold as 4 rising 5 discovered she was 3 rising 4 when her papers came through. Got her in the Jan fell pregnant (unplanned) in the June so it worked well for us as she was turned away for 18 months whilst I was pregnant and whilst I recovered (back injury after difficult birth). On paper she is everything I didn't want but her photo caught my eye, looked back a week later still there. 300 mile round trip to see her, smitten. Had our fair share of downs but we are getting there & she has taught me loads. Wouldn't be without her.
 
looked for a dark bay mare,no white on legs, about 8, happy hacker type,not spooky or too lively .....bought chestnut mare, 1 white sock, age 11, VERY fizzy, VERY spooky, really dented my confidence and wanted to get rid after 6 months...still have her after 12 years, she is still fizzy and spooky but I have learnt to cope and she has taught me loads....
 
I wanted:

- gelding
- around 10 years old
- 16.3hh
- short coupled/compact
- Warmblood
- Been there, done it confidence-giving type
- scope to jump Foxhunter.

I ended up with:

- chestnut gelding
- 6 years old
- 17.1hh and still growing (he's 17.3hh now)
- long in the back
- IDx
- Very green - no brakes or steering but forward-going and honest
- Capable of jumping 1.40m+

I didn't like him the first time I tried him but thankfully I was persuaded to give him another chance. :tongue3:
 
Wanted:
Older horse to teach me the ropes
10+
Sane & sensible
Got:
6 year old chestnut made argentine tb just come over from Argentina
Very sharp & quirky
No schooling no breaks & mad as a hatter!
She however has taughte to ride & I love her to pieces just had surgery on her stifle so at 12 will be slowing down now. She hunted & did everything I asked
 
This summer, looking for a 'temporary' project whilst No2 horse has a year out...

Spec - 4-7yo, jumping bred, max 16.2, mare, not chestnut, as little white as poss and NO white faces
Reality - 14yo, dressage bred, 17.1 liver chestnut mare, 3 white socks and a white face. One out of seven isn't bad, oh and she's also a keeper... ;)
 
I didn't have much of a choice as I part ex'd previous horse at a dealers. Choice of a coloured riding school cob or a warmblood who is rather opinionated. There wasn't much choice as I really don't like coloured cobs!
 
I've done it twice - first time was looking for a sensible 15hh ish horse to hack and do dressage with. Ended up with a 14.1 ex bsja crazy arab x welsh pony. Taught him how to do dressage and we had some great times.

Second time round I thought this time I'm looking for a 15.1-2 tb gelding type. Ended up with a hairy 14.1 cob. She turned out to be a delight however.

I'm having a break after having my pony pts in the summer and riding a friends 14hh pony sometimes but in the new year I will look for a bigger horse to hack - wonder what I'll end up with !
 
Went looking for a schoolmaster, been-there-done-that type, easy to keep, nice and straightforward . . . sane, sensible, anybody's ride. Came home with a quirky (and, yes I do mean quirky), sharp, sensitive boy who needs careful management to keep him a) sane; and b) in good condition. I was on a very steep learning curve . . . but it's been so worth it. He is the light of my life. He can spin faster than a 12.2 pony (he's 16.3), is an utter stresshead, HATES change/needs a calm, relaxed atmosphere/yard), won't live out, won't turn out at night, hates being box rested, has a wicked stop in front of a fence at competition, doesn't like hacking alone (very nappy - rears and spins at lightning speed) . . . but he's sweet, kind, a doddle on the ground (as long as the boundaries are crystal clear), a doddle to ride (as long as he trusts you and the boundaries are crystal clear), has great manners, is fabulous with vets/farriers/bodyworkers . . . and he's gorgeous. He is also honest as the day is long, will try his heart out once you have him on side, is incredibly tough and reasonably talented . . . he's given me so much pleasure and when he can't compete any more, I will get so much joy from just having his beautiful silver self in my life until it's time to call the Hunt.

Even though I am now essentially broken due to coming off him so many times (to my shame), I wouldn't be without him for any money . . .

P

P.S. I've just read that back and can hear a hundred fellow HHOers shaking their heads and saying "why didn't she sell him?" . . . I was told to many times and didn't listen . . . and I'm so glad I didn't . . .
 
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Me too. Wanted coloured traditional but always intended it to be hogged and clipped out. Got ... Dun highland with more hair than is sensible but need to leave it on ... (And I love it...!)
 
I went looking for a nice, uncomplicated horse of about 15 hands and aged about 6 or 7 to hack sensibly and do a bit of everything (dressage, jumping, xc etc) with at a low level. Absolutely no buckers, rearers or bolters. Said horse had the poisoned chalice of following on from my horse of a lifetime so was on to a loser from the start really!

I ended up with a 9 year old Welsh D of about 14.3 (although quite fine built with little short legs which isn't really what I was after!) who had very strong opinions of what he does and doesn't like (likes:food... doesn't like needles, farriers, clippers, noisy, flappy things, sudden movements), one heck of a spook, could do 0-60 in the time it takes to blink, did NOT like being on his own (be that in the field, stable or out hacking) and who could probably run rings around me in an intelligence test. Has bucked more times than I care to count (normally when my riding leaves a lot to be desired or when life is very very exciting), reared nearly as many times (see previous) and bolted once (cows are evil and must be run away from at speed)

Nearly 2 years on and through some minor miracle we're both still alive. We've had a go at showjumping (although on the first attempt we did eliminated from a clear round class), dressage, showing, indoor trec and a sponsored ride. We're hoping to have a go at dressage to music (in fancy dress!) in the new year and I'm hoping to have a go at a few (baby sized) one day events in the summer (or at least got XC schooling), do an outdoor le trec event and if I'm feeling brave we may try drag hunting next year (that last statement may be retracted if I'm not!) He also now hacks alone semi-reliably and is a lot better in company than he used to be.

Along the way he's teaching me that my current standard of riding is not up to scratch and needs improvement (getting there slowly via lessons). He's also cost me about the price of a brand new car in vets fees and associated costs and has forced me to re-examine what I thought I knew about horse care. (In particular what I thought I knew about feet, diet and management, although he finds a lot of holes in other areas too). He's put me in touch with people I wouldn't otherwise have met and resulted in me going to places I would otherwise never have heard of. A lot of what I've learnt and I'm still learning will change how I keep every horse I own from now on.
 
My daughter was looking for a new horse and
Wanted
6 years plus
piebald
lots of feather
already being ridden
gypsy cob
15.2hh
Fell in love with
2 year od
unbroken
welsh D x cob
Chestnut
No feathers

Won't swap him for the world he's beautiful
 
DCJACE said:
As per title, tell me about the horse you ended up buying, that was nothing like what you set out to buy.

I`m currently looking and have a "no" list ... but yet I somehow keep being drawn to the ones I`ve said I don`t want lol ... at the moment it is mostly window shopping (still recovering from a nasty accident) ... but would love to hear how things worked out for you all in the long run :)
Click to expand...

I went to look at a 15.2hh black 8 year old TB mare, ended up buying a 16.1hh skewbald 5 year old cob x gelding who was also for sale at the same yard, which wasn't too bad until he filled out, he's almost as wide as he is tall and I'm a slight 5ft 4! But wouldn't change him! I've also bought a welsh cob x chestnut mare and a pretty much broken down ex racer cos I felt sorry for them....don't go horse shopping with me!
 
Lol looks like most of us are the same.

Wanted: sane gelding, 16-16.2hh 10-12 yr old warmblood type, school master for lower level eventing to get me more experienced, hated chestnuts, preferably based in cheshire for ease of getting to and transport etc. Was coming back to riding after five years of off-and-on whilst at uni.

Bought: unbacked scrawny, thin, nervous looking 3yo from a sale in Ireland, chestnut, 16hh, ISH. Didn't know what it was to be caught, barely handled, ear twitched to be shod so head shy. But. He had something about his expression that made me all wobbly at the knee.

He's the horse of a lifetime. Now 9yo and 17hh. Nothing that boy can't turn his hoof to. Working at elementary and now focusing on dressage, done XC, SJ to about a 1m before my confidence gives out on me, fun rides, hunts, beaches. so good on the ground to handle, secret red head 6th gear when under saddle when asked, genuine. I took my time with him, he may be "behind" in some people's mind with his education, and perhaps someone else would have pushed him further earlier. But he's happy, healthy and enjoys his work. and I like that he has had a reasonably broad education. In 25 years of riding and being around horses, I have never met a horse quite like him, although, I am incredibly biased!! I know he isn't perfect, he has a capped hock on one side, he's a bit stupid with motorbikes and pigs and sometimes things in hedges really are trying to eat us, and occasionally when he finds something hard work he throws what my instructor and I call "a ginger moment" when his toys are flung from the pram, but even when stroppy he forgets about it within a few minutes. But he is the best money I have ever spent and feel incredibly lucky that he's my ginger ninja. I'd consider swapping my OH before I'd swap him, and my OH is aware - he knew what he was marrying into ;)

I've been looking for another horse on and off for the last six months. Not found anything yet because keep comparing them to my boy...

Lol.. as you might guess I do love my big boy!

I have another a 14.2 bit of a mixture, he's a cracking lad, super jump on him. He's mostly as a companion at the moment, but only because not had the time to work both, am a bit tall for him but I can get away with it as he is somewhat of a rotund creature. Cute as a button. Stubborn as hell.
 
I wanted:
Gelding
6-12 years old
15.2hh - 16.3hh
Been there done that, something to do BE90 with.
Absolutely no cobby or native types.
Good hunter with brakes.

I got:
Mare
3 year-old
14.3hh (though now 15.1hh)
Been broken 3-4 weeks, sat on 10 times max.
Sec D
Hunting was....interesting :p.

She brilliant and I couldn't ask for a better horse :).
 
I was 15 and wanted;
-Coloured Gelding
-16hh+
-8-12yo
-done a bit of everything but not fussed about competition record
-possibility to event
-warmblood/ ISH type

what i ended up with was the polar opposite
-bay
-Yearling
-Filly
-Part bred Welsh
-Compleetly wild!

however she has turned into (almost) my ideal horse!
she's almost coloured
almost 16hh
slightly less wild
and almost ready to event!
and lots of people ask me where i found a little warmblood :L

She hasn't been easy and 5 years later we still have lots of ups/downs/disagreements & tantrums but she is honestly the best horse i could have hoped to find, and i thank my lucky starts everyday :)

_MWB4116_DxO_zpsed5e70fc.jpg
 
My wish list was:

Bay or grey
Gelding
Arabian or Welsh cross arab
15 hh
About 5
Canter established
Great endurance potential

After my beloved old boy was pts I bought

6 year old
Green not established in canter
Jet.black
Fell pony
Mare
13.3 hh
Gets too excited to do endurance

It's took me two years to realise she is simply the best choice crap at what old boy was good at excellent at what he was rubbish at. Respects his memory really. Lovely character rather like an enthusiastic guinepig, looking forward to dressage showing n trec next year :-)
 
Bought chunky jumping pony, exactly what I wanted. Got offered the racehorse I used to work ride straight off the track and sold chunk so I could have him (chunk had started naffing off with me). Chunky jumper is totally my type. 16.3 tb is not. 2.5 years later i adore the lanky sod and have learnt to like dressage!
 
Last one I bought, I was looking for a CB or sensible mw type. Ended up with a very fine TB, tiny head and feet, tiny mouth. Napped, spun, cribbed, weaved, mud fevers and ulcers!

Im pleased to report he does none of those things now though and the medical probs are cleared.
 
For my first pony I set out to get something over the age of eight, broken and a generally good allrounder that was safe and sensible. Preferably a gelding and definitely not a grey.
I ended up with a two year old feral new forest x thoroughbred from a dodgy dealer down the road. Obviously he was not broken... he also turned out to be a rig, which we found out after two years of ownership, and a year of ridden work (he had been so chilled until the mares had foals that the vets wouldn't believe our suspicions). He was the absolute horse of a lifetime and I wouldn't have changed him for the world! Oh... and he was also grey.
 
Two and a half years ago I started looking for a suitable horse for me (mid sixties, arthritic, osteoporosis, low confidence - non horse related). Wanted something cobby, bay or black, leg at each corner, been there done that, about 15hh, 10 years old to plod about on. What have I got? Eric is now rising four, just being slowly backed, 16hh(and still growing), looks and moves like an Arab not very cobby (though Dad is a proper trad cob) and a coloured mud-magnet (think Kid in Persil advert!!) cannot see him plodding anywhere. He is, however, the light of my life and has a temperament and desire to pleaseto die for. And a wicked sense of humour!
 
Leannepip- your mare looks lovely!

I wasn't even looking for a horse. My friend asked me if I wanted to go and look at some Welsh cob foals with her, she was thinking of buying one. She didn't buy one but I did! And now my foal is almost 7 years old and the love of my life :-D
 
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