'the one' - when did you know?

helenchat

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Mine was different to most stories it seems!
He belonged to a family friend, and I was actually there to try their other horse. I really didn't get on with their other horse- he was a lot greener than I expected, and so my friend suggested I tried their other pony.
He was a lot smaller than I wanted, I'd also I'd seen her ride him for years and had never been bowled over by him. I always thought he seemed nice, but not the sort that you dream about owning!
And I had a similar feel when I rode him, I thought he was quite fun, but his flatwork wasn't great and he felt very short striding after my last horse. I jumped a few fences and he felt keen and honest which I liked, and I decided that maybe this is what I needed. Something uncomplicated, honest and kind- and my god has he been a cracking pony for me!
He has turned into my horse of a lifetime, every time I ask a harder question he rises to the challenge, he has transformed my riding and I am so excited for our future together.
So sometimes it isn't a love at first sight deal - I had to put some probably ridiculous dreams on hold to realistically choose a horse that was suitable, but I haven't regretted it for one second.
 

Sukistokes2

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I decided to get myself a new horse, I'd had a tough couple of years, my lovely horse of a life time having to be semi retired and me not gelling with the little horse I'd backed and had had from a foal. My mojo had gone a bit and my confidence knocked. So I was looking about for a dressage horse that also hacked. Booked up to see a horse and the owners kept mucking me about, giving me times and then cancelling, saw a cob type that nearly fell over with me and I felt unsafe on. My friend then tagged me into a post on a shire X , I booked to see him at the dealers yard. When I arrived there was no one there and I spotted the lads head over the door. My heart sank he was miles to big for me. I let myself into the stable and he was calm and gentle. I was back in my car by the time the dealer got there . The dealer rode and showed me all paces and the horse going up the road. I did say the horse was too big, nevermind said the dealer, up you get. ( Easier said then done!) Once up the horse just felt comfortable, I walked him around and then kicked on for a trot, next thing I knew I just pushed on in to canter. Anyone who knows me would realise what a big thing that is. Then this little voice piped up " I'll just take him up the road" I thought who's that !? It was me of course and I did. I felt completely safe and happy, when he napped at his stable, I just kicked on, I trotted up the road and rode back over an open field. He was still too big. When I jumped off I asked if I could give him a polo, he took it gently and I put him away. As I left I looked back and he was on tip toe , craning his head around the door trying to keep me in sight. ( well the polos anyhow ;)) My tummy flipped and I knew then. I still did the second visit and the taking another person but I knew at the first visit that he was mine. When I told my instructor, she sensibly told me he was too big, She then asked me what I had done on him , so I told her and her response to me riding out and cantering was " BUY HIM!" So Kevin came home. Not a dressage horse but there you go and also not a shire x but you can't have everything;)
 

horselady

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When she walked away from a full haynet and kind of nuzzled my neck. She then proceeded to act like the horse of my dreams when I rode her, and she did dressage too. Her feathers were beautiful and she looked like she had stepped doen from heaven to me. She pushed her owner away when he tried to lead her away from me. That clinched it, you are coming home with meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!
 

Bubblewrap

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Our last one was one I wanted the first time I saw him as a youngster, never thought they would sell, it was another 5 years before he was mine. Didn't have to even try him! I had spent many hours madly in love with him from a distance, still have to pinch myself that he's mine.
 

fuzzymooch

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At 10 years old I went to view a pony who would become my best friend. I saw D flying over the field, tail in the air and whispered to my mom I want him. Hadn't even sat on him. After our first ride it was confirmed and inside two weeks he was home.

Years later when I was looking again for a furry I saw an add for an andalucian cross. I text my mom three words, I want him. He's currently in his stable eating me out of haylage :).
 

rachk89

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He ticked none of my boxes. For starters he is a gelding. I wanted a mare, preferably black, cobby type or sporty type, safe, but that once I got my confidence back I could have fun with. Kind of a been there done that kind of horse.

He is grey, half warmblood, was 6 years old and barely trained. He also looked grumpy in the stable and reminded me of a horse called hector who I had hated and who hated me back just as strongly. I took one look at him and thought 'I aint gonna like you'. But I watched him get ridden anyway as my dad insisted he was the one we had to get. Saw him rear at a spooky corner, kind of confirmed my belief he was like hector so I tried the mares they had selected for me too. Hated them both, one had a lot of potential but so not right for me.

Tried the gelding as my dad was still insisting and I was fed up so just decided I had nothing to lose. Once I got on that was the first time I saw his ears go forward. Figured OK he seems happy now let's try a walk. Cool he is OK with walk let's try trot. Nearly fell off on the first attempt of trot. Second and third attempts went better, not used to bouncy horses like that.

He confirmed it pretty much on the hack I took him on, stupidly by myself. I gave him every reason to bolt, to spin, to ditch me and leave me there to cry, but he never did. He didn't rear with me at the spooky corner, he even went into it with no issues after some persuasion. He is the horse that got my confidence back to even get on one, and I am actually gaining confidence in jumping with him. If only I could learn to ride the jump better and not end up pitching forward, but technique will come later once I am fearless (or at least less consumed by fear). He is very much like me in personality, probably why we get along so well haha.
 

AppyLover

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I wasn't looking but knew when I started I wanted an older been there done that as hadn't ridden in a good 10 years but of course that didn't happen 😂

A friend tagged me in a post about an 18 month old about 40 mins away and after some convincing I messaged them and booked to see him the next morning, turned up in the yard with my sister and a friend to get in the yard owners car and went 10 mins down the road to a field of about 105 acres and the 4 of us started walking in hopes of finding the herd of 30 of them sooner rather than later 😂, didn't take long thankfully and was told which of the massive herd was Ted and it was love at first sight he was everything I didn't need when it came to been there done that but everything I needed to pull me out of a very dark and downward hole my mental health had fallen into 😍. We then got introduced to all 30 of the herd and then his father and his mother and what felt like half his family 😂.

My little 18 month old turns 4 next month and we've had our ups and down of me stood in a field balling my eyes out cause I can't work out what I've done so wrong to my first sit and ride on him a few months back where I was wondering if I'd make a fool out of myself for crying happy tears haha luckily that didn't happen, he should be coming back into work in a few months and that both excites me and terrifys me when the day comes that I'm handed his reins by his trainer and told he's done now he's all yours and I go to weekly lessons. He feels like mine in every aspect but ridden as he's been an expensive field ornament for 2 years.
 
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Shooting Star

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I've always known at the point I've realised that I can't risk leaving without paying a deposit

... although in all honesty it's before that point, usually in the first minute or two of getting on board - never before then though as they can look lovely, move beautifully & have a fantastic temperament but if I can't get them to go for me then it's no good.
 

Mule

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I didn't know at all. I got my horse with a family member. We both ride him. It's only since I've had him for a while that I have come to appreciate his calm temperament. He's ideal because he has a lot of blood but has the temperament of the average Irish draught.

Left to my own devices I've always been drawn to flighty and complicated types. I wouldn't have tried him if it was solely up to me.
 

FfionWinnie

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Some of them (Ffion for one!) I bought from a photo as I knew she was for me. My recent horse I bought because of his abilities and temperament. I probably didn't think he was "the one" the first time I rode him and when I first saw him I thought ugh look at his big skinny body yuck! When I tried him I took him out on the road and a car over took us at around 80mph. Neither of us heard it coming and he just jumped a little (so did I).

Anyway I think he's the only horse that has come close to making me smile as much as Ffion has over the years but Ffion will always be my number 1. Last night I hacked her out in the snow by moonlight. Was one of the best rides of my life. I wouldn't do that with the big lad but his purpose in life is very different to hers.
 

Bradsmum

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When I first arranged to view B I couldn't ride him cos he had gone lame and was on box rest! I saw this huge animal in the stable - I had previously ridden a 15hh slim boy but B is 16.3 and chunky but in loved him. I stayed in touch, arranged to ride him and got a call the night before to say he'd had a slip in the field and she wasn't sure if he was sound. I went down anyway to make a fuss of him and we took him into the school but sure enough he was lame again. At this point I should have walked away but no - there was just something about him. I went down the following weekend (now some 2 months since first viewing him) and got to ride him. The rest is history and he has now been with me 6 years and never been lame - touch wood :)
 

southerncomfort

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My girl was given to me by my Dad when he decided to give up horses. As a welsh cob, I would never in a million years have considered her suitable for me and in all honesty I was a bit daunted. Definitely didn't consider her to be 'the one'.

She has turned out to be everything I've ever dreamed of and more. She brightens my day more than I can ever say. Just the sight of her grazing in the field makes me smile. Riding her is an absolute joy. Before I had her I suffered with a huge lack of self belief but she has convinced me that quirky (slightly batty!) horses can also be safe and fun! She's also taught me what true partnership means.

I dread the day I lose her, I really do.
 

scats

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I nearly didn't buy the diva. I had 2 injured horses at the time and was in two minds about getting a 3rd, so I wasn't time wasting). Owner was selling her after four months as she was too much for her young daughter, who now refused to ride her. Anyway, I liked the pony, she was smaller than I expected, but I thought she would be a fun project, but my sensible head was saying that three horses on my own was a bad idea.

I thanked the owner and said I would have a think. I went away and really had an internal battle. I liked the pony a lot, but the thought of three during the winter months was stopping me. Owner text a week or so later to see what I was thinking but I still was in two minds. A few days later she got in touch and said they'd had a few other people see the pony and knew none of them were right so turned them down and they desperately wanted me to have her and they would accept a much smaller amount from me and would throw in everything they had for her.
So I said yes, whilst questioning my sanity!

And she was the best thing I have ever done. I still keep in touch with her old owners and they enjoy following her progress. The pony has gone on to do so much more than I ever expected and she is my soul mate. I trust her with my life and I completely worship the ground she walks on.
 

milliepops

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I haven't actually been out and chosen a horse since I was 14 years old.... the ones I have had have kind of found me.
Millie ticked none of my boxes, I wanted a big TB gelding to event but I was working at HAPPA where Millie was living and I got to know her. Funny little cob x mare, She had a fabulous funny personality, so nosy and full of herself and loved hacking. She was utterly useless in the school and had no natural balance at all. We got her going and she was rehomed, but it didn't work out and that broke my heart as her groom, as I really thought a lot of her. It became clear that I was going to have to rehome her myself, and having made that decision we never looked back. She has been such an amazing partner and I was worried that I'd never find that kind of fit with a horse again.

Then Kira came into my life. I was offered her by a friend of a friend who had been over horsed and turned her away after a riding accident. I had intended to get her restarted and sell her on, but she started to grow on me which was just as well, as she was IMPOSSIBLE to bring back into work. Difficult, dangerous, you name it.. but her personality was so sweet and she was very needy, it became clear that she was a bit damaged mentally. There were times that I was ready to give up, but something about her made me want to keep going. I couldn't be without her now, I feel quite a strong bond with the funny little thing and I think we understand each other well. She's still complicated but she enjoys her work and learns fast. I keep getting glimpses of amazing things and even though she's a 14hh cob, I feel really excited about the future.

So... In short I didn't know straight away with either of them, but was in the right place at the right time and just followed my nose.
 

DabDab

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Big lad that I have now is as close to 'the one' as it's ever going to get for me I think. The only picture of him in his advert was him lying down in the field and I wasn't really looking for a horse at the time. I went to see him on impulse, and watched a very uneducated 3yo walked out of a field, ambling all over the place, no concept of walking in a straight line, plonked in a stable that he'd never seen before on his own, where he stood quite happily licking dust off the beams. And I thought 'yes, that's the horse for me'
5 years down the line I wouldn't care if he broke down tomorrow and had to be retired. He's my best mate and I love him. My world is an infinitely brighter place for that stupid idiot of a horse being in it.
 

Flame_

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My horse would have to have been lame or done something insane at the viewing for me not to buy him. I wanted a very particular stamp of horse with fairly specific breeding and was very fed up of there being barely any worth viewing. As soon as I'd seen pictures of my horse I wanted him and I bought him while he was out of work. He's fabulous and really too good for my low level aspirations but I like beautiful, quality horses to ponce around on so he's stuck with me!
 

JustMe22

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I had been looking for a while with no luck and heard about an auction for horses currently in racing.bought a plane ticket and went to the auction. There were about 400 horses but saw him come off the truck briefly and he caught my eye. Looked up his lot and saw he hadnt won much on the track. When he came into the auction ring i got brave ans stuck my hand up.

He sold cheap to me and has been lovely until now - has recently entered the teenage stage and js testing my patience but i have high hopes for him in the future :) he's got a lovely bold personality and a bit of a sharp streak but so curious and cuddly.
 

chaps89

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I bought mine because I was fed up of looking and so decided to buy a project on the basis they'd grow on me and I got a bargain or I could sell on and have a bit more capital for the next one. She is everything I didn't want! (Cobby, coloured, mare) But she ticked all the boxes (sane, easy to do, hacks alone, safe, fun, jumps) It took 2 years to say I loved her. That said, she did spend most of that 2 years at horsepital and on box rest and rehab so hard to tell how much impact that had. I love her to bits now though. It is very different to how I felt for my old boy and even my old share horse though, and next time I won't buy unless there's 'that' feeling as well as ticking all the boxes
 

Crosshill Pacers

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Didn't buy (as she's homebred and was gifted to me by my parents before I moved), but there was a moment that it dawned on me that I was never going to let this horse go. It wasn't an instant thing, it happened over time without me realising it. I think the exact moment at which I thought 'she's the one' was out hunting when a fellow Standardbred rider turned to me after a particularly hairy, motor-bike-turns, rough terrain gallop and said 'I was behind you back there on that corner and how you're still onboard I will never know!'. It wasn't my riding which kept me there, it was Star's overwhelming self-preservation gene. I got home that night and realised she'd been keeping me safe for some time, only as a byproduct of keeping herself safe but I was safe on her nonetheless! Riding her is like putting on my comfiest pair of boots - it just feels right!
 

Sparkles

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Never gone shopping so just fate has given me my horses I've had.

Tbh, none of them I've gone 'this is the one' as like I said never shopped for them. But they've all been made into the 'one' over time and always been everything I've needed.
 

Pearlsasinger

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We have always said that ours have all chosen us :) Of the current four, the Older Appy was the second my backside hit the saddle, she filled up like a balloon and then went like a dream, the younger appy was standing on the yard, tied up with a hay net, when I walked up to her she wiffled my ear with her nose, in just the same way as my late Old Appy used to do, unless she had been dog lame she was coming home :) Sis's draught mare let us know that she wanted to come with us, when I got off her in the school, I for some reason, left her standing there and she walked over to Sis who was standing at the fence side, about 2 meters from the then owner, that absolutely meant that she was coming to us :)

Then there was the first Appy, who was hoof perfect when I went to try her, w/t/c in a massive field with jumps set up and horses over the fence, in any direction I asked, she was just about the most comfortable horse I had ever sat on and her paces were to die for. We got her home and wondered what on earth we'd bought! She was a complete nightmare and tbh if we had thought we could show her to anybody we would have sold her on but she wouldn't even walk in a straight line and she is the only horse who has ever *walked* away with me. Instead we changed yards and kept her for the next 23+ yrs but she was always quirky to say the least. Goodness knows how she held it together on viewing day!:D
When we bought the 1st Clydie mare, we popped in on the off chance after hearing that she might be for sale, owner was out but staff let us meet the mare. When we went to try her, she called to us as soon as we walked onto the yard. We always said she was saying "Get me out of here!". She really hadn't enjoyed RS life.
 
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Theocat

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The last time I went shopping, I went with the mindset that it was the last time I'd be shopping - too much heartbreak and expense was making this one the last throw of the dice.

On paper, she ticked every box Trying her in a sodden sheep paddock in heavy sleet, I was cantering round with a grin big enough to split the top of my head off - say goodbye to any chance of serious negotiating! Realised within about twenty minutes this was probably my horse of a lifetime, offered (and had it accepted) before I'd even dismounted.
 

horselady

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When she walked away from a full haynet and kind of nuzzled my neck. She then proceeded to act like the horse of my dreams when I rode her, and she did dressage too. Her feathers were beautiful and she looked like she had stepped doen from heaven to me. She pushed her owner away when he tried to lead her away from me. That clinched it, you are coming home with meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Sorry just have to add She is no angel but am so glad It's me she has to be a pain in the neck with! :p She even was the three things I said I did not want: marish, dislikes men (I said had to be good with people) and she was a kicker. (working on kicking and marishness though) :)
 

pepsimaxrock

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When the owner of my regular school horse was leaving our yard, and thanks to falling out with the YO, had no intention of selling my girl to the yard. I was so horrified when I saw the advert that I more or less instantly messaged her to say nooooo, sell her to me! I had planned on at least another year or two of lessons and livery before buying any horse, but the principle of you never know what you've got until it's (almost) gone worked here. No regrets :)

Almost exactly this for my first horse. My much loved RS was closing down all horses for sale. I had no plans for horse ownership wanted to wait for retirement. But hey!! Someone else would buy my lovely Max!! No chance. I secured first refusal and he was mine ❤️❤️❤️
 
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