Think I've finally found 'the one' but..

What do you want to do with this horse? Looks V nice on paper - tell the owner your capabilities, your aspirations - will it do the job? Maybe ask for a 2 week trail? But if you are a novice and hopeless, then you may wreck the animal in that time....woe be tide the owner who is prepared for that to happen! Just sometimes their has to be a leap of faith...or try buying the animal you have comfotably leaart on from the riding school - but I bet that animal is different when you get it home , and it goes from 3-4 hours a day directed lesssons, to 3-4 hours a week work?
Passports, don't you just love them.....I now get calls about horses / ponies I owned 4 years ago....a horse at 4 years - is very much different from a horse at 8 years who may have had 2 -3 changes of home.....For me I have telephone calls from people that I sold a pony for 3 years ago for £300, that 3 years on they brought for £3,000 - how can I make a judgement on that horse / ponies capabilities now?
 
I've only recently got my 1st horse. 17 yrs old and passed her 5 stage vetting. I would not have wasted my time looking at a horse if the owners said they were not open to 5 stage vetting. An older horse needs to be assessed more thoroughly than a younger horse to make sure you are not taking on any existing issues.

Even though I don't jump yet I did want to see the horse jumping and the owners were happy to do this for me.

She also had to be galloped during the vetting to get her heart rate up.

I posted several horses on here for opinions - each time I thought I had 'found the one'
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Everyone on here was very helpful with their comments - saved me from buying the wrong horse on more than one occasion.

They kept telling me to be patient - the right one would be out there - they were right and I've had my girl for 8 weeks now - and I think she is perfect.

As 1st time owners I think we can so easily get it wrong.

Good luck in your search - Holly B
 
If she wont let you vet it I wouldn't even look at it, If she don't want you to canter it then I would say absolutely do not buy - asides from the possibility of lameness, it might be a nutter as soon as it hits third gear. sorry but everything about this horse sounds dodgy.
 
The whole thing stinks hun. You could easily end up paying out a fortune in vets fees and still end up with an unrideable, uninsurable and unsellable horse. Walk away. The right one is out there somewhere but you need patience x
 
OK. He is NOT your perfect horse as you have not even seen him, let alone ridden him. As a first horse, you don't buy one that you can't canter and jump before you buy unless you have no intention of ever doing either thing.

You don't buy a horse without a vetting.

You don't buy a horse from someone you think is in any way trying to cover things up.

To me, this shouts very loudly that this is NOT your perfect horse. You are buying something to ride, not entering a photo show - please just put this one back wherever you found it and find something else!

Also, whoever said lunge the horse yourself on a 5m circle on concrete. Please do NOT do this. Many vets do not believe this is safe, and indeed one of our HOYS horses was injured by a vet doing this and was off work for several weeks (never had a days lameness in his life and was 2nd at HOYS). Flexion tests (although with different results from each vet usually as it depends on which angle the vet holds the leg) should not do long term damage and should give an idea of whether the horse is going to remain sound or not.

Your whole post and subsequent posts fill me with horror - please be careful.
 
Ditto FMM. IMO the fact you have some "buts" suggests he isn't the one.

My mare failed a hind flexion test but I went ahead and bought - but I knew her history, had the same farrier, got vet's history etc. Turned out she had a sore back (which was treated accordingly) and it was showing up as very slight lameness in the flexion test.

Lots more will come up in the next few weeks so I would keep looking, it certainly seems a but fishy. Why did she contact you if the horse isn't "ready" ?

Good luck :-)
 
I would be VERY careful.

Normally people who are funny about having there horse vetted have something to hide...

I always ask if there open to vet and if they hmm and ermmm then I don't even go and see the horse.
 
Thanks for all the opinions. Ive had a PM with some other horses to consider so fingers crossed!

Owner definately has something to hide. This is the reply I got after asking about vetting and hiring a school;

Hi, No the flexion test is only part of a 5 stage vetting and not a 3 stage. I will not agree to have this done as it can cause lameness if done badly.
I have not got a school that can be hired locally, if I did I would hire it myself. I can't show him to the best of his abilty at this time of year as I have explained before.
It is probably best that we forget it as, if I could work him in a school I would want much more for him anyway. He has been jumping 1.20m at home so I could ask much more for him in the summer months.
I can understand why you want a vetting as it is your first horse but at this time of year we are not setup for it. At £1250 with tack it was the home I was looking for, which will be easier to find for him when the weather improves.
Sorry to have wasted your time.

On to the next!
 
In one breath she says no school or trial facilities, but in the next breath says jumpimg 1.20 at home, so where does she actually do this if there is no where to show him off, there must be a jump some where if this is what she does. The whole thing sounds mega DODGY. I think you are the luckey one, not having wasted all that petrol going to look at him
 
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