Update on my youngster - Thought you'd like to see his progress - pic dense

Storminateacup

Storminateacup

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Well, my young horse, 16.2hh IDx Cob Appaloosa gelding, has been away with his trainer 4 weeks today, and he is doing superbly. So I thought I share some pics with you, especially those of you who offered me so much useful advice when I first got him.
As some of you may recall I bought him unseen from the pages of "Done Deal" and shipped him over to Scotland. Many people thought I was as "mad as a march hare" to try and take on a near feral horse "lassoed off" the grasslands off southern Ireland, and I have lost a few friends over him,( well they say you find out who your true friends are when you going through difficult times so maybe that was for the best). Trouble was I knew what type of horse I wanted but could not find that here for less than about £5000, and I do not have that kind of money. Having had large ID and ID crosses in the past that I have had professionally backed I knew it would be the only way to go, but I knew it would be a risky business.

He is now doing walk, trot and canter on both reins and a little pole work to keep his interest and although clearly an athletic fellow, is developing a lovely laid back attitude ( well Claire -his rider says a bit lazy - but lazy is fine by me!!!) Anyway I am delighted. Perhaps it wont be too make longer before I venture into the plate, after all.
They have certainly been doing a fantastic job.

As you can all appreciate, some of you more than others, especially those with youngsters, it has been an incredibly worrying time from day one of ownership until about a week ago when suddenly he just started becoming a nice grown up horse!
I have had more sleepless nights, panic attacks, asthma attacks and migraines in the past 5 month than I have in a year! .......Well aware that the journey really has only just started but to see him like this now is such a relief.....

So here are the pictures.
First one is of me with him.
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This is a great post to read :)

I posted on a couple of your threads, having had bolshy youngsters myself, I know the roller coaster ride they can be.

I hope he carries on being a good boy and doesn't throw too many curve balls along the way.
 
ooow i must have missed your previous posts ,,i am just as mad as you probably as i buy horses un tried to.
Well done he looks FANTASTIC !! looks like he moves nicely to over the poles to ! Nice horse in the making xx
 
Ah - I didnt realise tht was how you got him! Was he from Tipperary?
I actually bought my filly similarly - though I did see her before buying - albeit from a distance. I did get mine vetted as i was doubting her age (she was completely unhandled and couldnt be rounded up for a few days and I had to get back to the UK so got a vet over there to vet her - he wasnt irish btw). Shouldnt have wasted my money - declared a 3yo by vet - but has just lost her central incisors this weekend hence is a 2yo. :( To say im devastated is an understatement! Shes such a sweet horse too.
 
Fantastic post! Really glad to read this as I remember you posting a while back about having to throw in the towel.I have also had to get professional help with my youngster and whilst it has proven rather expensive (prefer not to add it all up! :eek:) it has made an indescribable (sp) difference to him and our relationship. My advice would be to keep him at a professional yard as long as you can possibly afford to - it'll pay dividends in the long run x
 
saddlesore said:
Fantastic post! Really glad to read this as I remember you posting a while back about having to throw in the towel.I have also had to get professional help with my youngster and whilst it has proven rather expensive (prefer not to add it all up! :eek:) it has made an indescribable (sp) difference to him and our relationship. My advice would be to keep him at a professional yard as long as you can possibly afford to - it'll pay dividends in the long run x
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Was only gonna "throw in the towel" because I couldn't find anyone with gentle methods to start him but then I got a recommendation. As to keeping him on a professional yard, - I will if I can, my other cob is on working livery there so I am hoping that youngster can be turned away in Oct and given some time to relax, eat and think about things, then brought back and restarted in the RC next March for say, six months, as I think this will be an excellent start for him to become safe, sane and sensible. ( the first requirements necessary for any horse IMO)

lulataluna said:
ooow i must have missed your previous posts ,,i am just as mad as you probably as i buy horses un tried to.
Well done he looks FANTASTIC !! looks like he moves nicely to over the poles to ! Nice horse in the making xx
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Its a fun way to buy horses and you ve only got yourself to blame if things go t**s up.

glenruby said:
Ah - I didnt realise tht was how you got him! Was he from Tipperary?
I actually bought my filly similarly - though I did see her before buying - albeit from a distance. I did get mine vetted as i was doubting her age (she was completely unhandled and couldnt be rounded up for a few days and I had to get back to the UK so got a vet over there to vet her - he wasnt irish btw). Shouldnt have wasted my money - declared a 3yo by vet - but has just lost her central incisors this weekend hence is a 2yo. :( To say im devastated is an understatement! Shes such a sweet horse too.
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I actually got him from an ad on Done Deal, I was determined to get a good cheap IDx from Ireland and pay to have him professionally backed and schooled on, rather than spend a fortune in the UK. He actually came from a breeder who used to stand the great Mountain View ( my horses Grandsire - now deceased) at stud, they are now in Co Offaly,Southern Ireland (pm me if you want to know more as they have some fabulous stock for sale still). My own grandfather was from Co Sligo and a great lover of the ID and Irish Cob.

My youngster was shedding his laterals when he arrived and vet confirmed he was just rising 4. He is papered with a DNA passport as well, plus I had pics of him newborn, at 1 year, 2 years and 3. He looked a totally different horse in the video Iwas sent at Christmas as he was so hairy and looked so miserable and poor without a rug.
I just had to rescue him!!
 
You deff aren't mad! I've done it myself and would always rather buy a youngster direct from a breeder unbroken (even unseen) than buying from a sale.
 
natalia said:
You deff aren't mad! I've done it myself and would always rather buy a youngster direct from a breeder unbroken (even unseen) than buying from a sale.
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Seems to me that way you avoid either getting a horse with problems, or a problem horse at a super inflated price, or just an avarage horse at a super inflated price!
 
jenhunt said:
I'm soo please that he's going well, I think he'ss a super sort. And TBH I'm thinking that the only way for me to afford another one is to do what you did!
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Well I could never afford the prices that so many good ID and ID x seem to go for when they are young and backed and ready. I ve been quoted £6,500 by some dealers/trainers?!!? I reckon mine has cost me around £2300 so far, thats purchase cost, transport and backing livery to date!!!. Obviously I am going to have to spend more over the next year say, with bringing him back into work next spring, and schooling on and there have been equipment costs too, such as new saddle, bridles etc etc but I still think its working out loads cheaper than buying ready backed etc.
There are some truely lovely horses going so cheap in Ireland at this time. You dont need a fantastically well bred animal. Most people want a safe sane hack that can do a decent test and be versatile RC horse. If you are buying from a breeder out there, go in with an open mind, believe only the verifiable facts and drive a hard bargain 'cos there will be something wrong with it, no matter what you buy. If you can get close ups of feet and conformation pics all the better.( my boy had a few sarcoids- now gone due to good nutrition and some Thuja 30c pills) ).
Check out www.donedeal.ie
If you can pick a good horse from pictures, then you are really in with a chance of getting something decent. If its not backed and running pretty much with a herd then although likely to be very unhandled you will have a clean slate to work with.
I did get all the details of his breeding, pics of sire and dam, and loads of pics of my youngster too at the various stages of his life to date. I did a lot of measuring of cannon bones and body proportions etc and looking up his geneology to try to work out what he may turn out like, especially with regard to height. Before I took the plunge........

I have bought 2 horses this way before and both were stunners ID/TB and pure bred ID.
Pictures below are Jozef (cost £2000 at 2years old) ID/TBand Spike (RID) (actually we did see Spike on one occasion at a distance of about 100 yards aged 4 weeks) we picked him up a at 6 months old for £900, cost to back each was £1000.

Both aged 4 years old and had been backed for 6 months at the time of photos.

Jozef
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Spike
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Storminateacup said:
Well I could never afford the prices that so many good ID and ID x seem to go for when they are young and backed and ready. I ve been quoted £6,500 by some dealers/trainers. I reckon mine has cost me around £2300 so far thats purchase cost, transport and backing livery to date!!!. Obviously I am going to have to spend more over the next year say, with bringing him back into work next spring, and schooling on and there have been equipment costs too, such as new saddle, bridles etc etc but I still think its working out loads cheaper than buying ready backed etc.
There are some truely lovely horses going so cheap in Ireland at this time. You dont need a fantastically well bred animal. Most people want a safe sane hack that can do a decent test and be versatile RC horse. If you are buying from a breeder out there, go in with an open mind, believe only the verifiable facts and drive a hard bargain 'cos there will be something wrong with it, no matter what you buy. If you can get close ups of feet and conformation pics all the better.( my boy had a few sarcoids- now gone due to good nutrition and some Thuja 30c pills) ).
Check out www.donedeal.ie
If you can pick a good horse from pictures, then you are really in with a chance of getting something decent. If its not backed and running pretty much with a herd then although likely to be very unhandled you will have a clean slate to work with.
I did get all the details of his breeding, pics of sire and dam, and loads of pics of my youngster too at the various stages of his life to date. I did a lot of measuring of cannon bones and body proportions etc and looking up his geneology to try to work out what he may turn out like, especially with regard to height. Before I took the plunge........

I have bought 2 horses this way before and both were stunners ID/TB and pure bred ID.
Pictures below are Jozef (cost £2000 at 2years old) ID/TBand Spike (RID) £900 at 6 months old cost to back each was £1000.

Both aged 4 years old and had been backed for 6 months at the time of photos.

Jozef
330105-008.jpg

Spike
150505101.jpg

150505249.jpg
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What a fab thread, great to see you both getting along, my youngster was an abs nightmare when i first got her, was on the vergwe of selling her then she annoyed me so much i thought I`m not taking anymore **** off you, got on her and she was a totally different horse! She now has a home for life and goes like a dream :)
 
Ayla84 said:
What a fab thread, great to see you both getting along, my youngster was an abs nightmare when i first got her, was on the vergwe of selling her then she annoyed me so much i thought I`m not taking anymore **** off you, got on her and she was a totally different horse! She now has a home for life and goes like a dream :)
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I am sure I will have some difficult phases, but once they are backed I do find it relatively ok to school them on myself. He will do lots of hacking for the next two years and hopefully serve in the RC for a a period of time too.
Jozef was easy and never put a foot wrong even though he was a tense horse.
Spike would rear when he had had enough work and drop a shoulder to ditch you, up until he was castrated. Then he went off to live with a total novice and they both learnt to hunt with the Quorn, and the chap still owns him, so I hear.
 
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