To buy - lightly backed or not sat on?

What are you looking for in a youngster?

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EQUIDAE

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Which would you prefer?

It's causing some controversy as people are wanting to know what is wrong with the horse. Yet I (and a few others I have spoken to) would rather have a guarantee it hasn't been sat on.

So I'm doing a poll if you would care to help? Horse has all the groundwork done, knows voice aids, long lines, does lateral work in hand, walks out in hand and on long lines, has had tack on - just hasn't been sat on. Do I back him and sell him as lightly backed or would people rather have a true blank canvas? This is not an ad and when I make my mind up he will be advertised on the main site.
 
Backed and preferably plenty of video and photo evidence of everything he can do. Of course it depends who is doing it and if it has been done right! Make the vids as professional as possible.
 
With the point you're at now I'd get someone to back him and sell on as lightly backed. If someone had done all the groundwork and then not got on (or said that they hadn't) I'd be wondering why, and probably suspecting that they'd tried and failed! Seen it happen and it took 10x longer to get the horse ridden away as the other one which was a true 'blank canvas'.

If buying I'd prefer something that knows basic ground manners (leading, tying, having feet handled) but nothing else. Largely because I don't have the budget for something that's done a lot.
 
The thing is yours isn't a blank canvas - it sounds like you've done everything bar sit on the horse. Ideally I'd want one or the other - completely unstarted or lightly backed. Yours is sort of in between, which would make me wonder why you've not just finished the job.
 
HashRouge said:
The thing is yours isn't a blank canvas - it sounds like you've done everything bar sit on the horse. Ideally I'd want one or the other - completely unstarted or lightly backed. Yours is sort of in between, which would make me wonder why you've not just finished the job.
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I agree with the above, i'd want one or the other, if some one had done that much ground work i'd be confused as to why they hadn't just got on. Or i'd want something with basic handling to do myself.

Mine was lightly backed and it worked well i was able to sit on and have a trot at the viewing see how she reacted to shifts in weight and check how sensitive she was likely to be. worked well for me as even at that raw stage, she'd only been sat on 4-5 times, i got a good idea of her temperament and ride ability so i'd probably go for that again in future.
 
Defo get it backed. It would look highly suspicious to me that you'd done all that work and then not sat on - unless you had a really compelling reason eg it was a tiny pony or you were pregnant etc
 
This for a youngster.
DirectorFury said:
If buying I'd prefer something that knows basic ground manners (leading, tying, having feet handled) but nothing else.
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This for an adult horse.
FfionWinnie said:
Backed and preferably plenty of video and photo evidence of everything he can do. Of course it depends who is doing it and if it has been done right! Make the vids as professional as possible.
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I agree that yours is in between the two at the moment, so really you should probably finish the job and back him.
 
I think you have almost done too much for him to be called a blank canvas or for anyone who doesn't know you to be able to trust your guarantee that you have not tried and failed to get on.
I would rather do the groundwork myself to ensure it is done my way, I would still repeat everything anyway as I have had too many arrive here supposedly lunged or long reined that have no real clue or critical gaps in the work so it still needs doing before backing, I am not brave or foolish enough to just get on one that is "ready to back".

It would probably come down to price in many respects, cheap enough to gamble on him being a doddle or not, if he really is ready to back get him started so people can just see him in walk and trot, they can have a sit on, then they take him home and put in the hard work over the next 12 months.
 
HashRouge said:
The thing is yours isn't a blank canvas - it sounds like you've done everything bar sit on the horse. Ideally I'd want one or the other - completely unstarted or lightly backed. Yours is sort of in between, which would make me wonder why you've not just finished the job.
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This. Just get up on it and sell as lightly backed if you don't want to/have time to ride it away.

Our old pony was a lightly backed 6yo when we got him - been sat on a couple of times in walk and trot. It worked nicely as we could see if we could ride his movement (big mover, we were kids) and it proved that he wasn't actually bonkers :D
 
Personally i would prefer to buy proper blank canvas.

As this is a work in progress i would hop on a few times so that can be sat on at viewing
 
As others have said yours isn't what I call a blank canvas. I would want one that had either just been a horse or with general ground manners or backed and riding away.

I'm always VERY VERY suspicious of one where everything apart from getting on has been done, as I've seen several where they've tried to get on and messed it up big time
 
a blank canvas is a horse that leads and has general stable/yard manners up to the point where it has led in a bridle and had a light rug on. once it has got to the point yours is I would ant to know why it had not been backed. its also better if someone can sit on the horse in walk and trot to make sure they like the feel of it even just on the lunge or wobbling round the edge of the school will give enough of a feel.
 
I am with everyone else, I would rather a complete blank canvas having done nothing except been led and having feet trimmed or something that has done the groundwork and been lightly backed.

At the stage you are I would immediately wonder why the horse hadn't been sat on and wonder if someone had tried and it had gone wrong.
 
Totally agree with the others. Very suspicious if every bit of groundwork done and yet the final obstacle of being sat on isn't completed.

I prefer mine in the past to be headcollared, not fussed about anything more. Mych easier to train my way then, not to unravel others methods of training
 
I've taken your advice on board and hopped on today :) no muss no fuss :) other than a little shuffle to adjust his weight he stood still whilst I leant over and no problems with me swinging my leg over. He wobbled a bit when I sat up but a scratch on the withers and a mint from my helper and he soon forgot :) I didn't ask him to walk on - I'll save that for a couple of days
 
EQUIDAE said:
I've taken your advice on board and hopped on today :) no muss no fuss :) other than a little shuffle to adjust his weight he stood still whilst I leant over and no problems with me swinging my leg over. He wobbled a bit when I sat up but a scratch on the withers and a mint from my helper and he soon forgot :) I didn't ask him to walk on - I'll save that for a couple of days
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Excellent :)
Could advertise in another week or so as 'lightly backed' at ££ cost, price will rise as training is expanded :)
 
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