Views wanted on Arabian to buy

Luci07 said:
Ok, deep breath..

riding once a week for 3 years does not, unfortunately, make you a competent rider or give you any of the skills needed to take care of a horse properly. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you are not a troll as seems a little early but could I just ask the following questions.

1. Do you have any experience of looking after a horse.
2. Do you have any idea of the actual costs? So livery, shoes, insurance, tack, rugs, lessons etc etc
3. What helped you have lined up (trainer, good yard owner)
4. What other horses have you ridden.? There is a vast difference between a well trained and worked riding school horse and another horse used to one rider

Sure others will be wading in..
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Good grief Luci (and perhaps some others who have jumped too)! Do you even know the OP?? Very judgemental.

OP, there is never a "perfect" time to buy your first horse and yes you do have start somewhere... every horse has the capacity to be "spooky", even a cob ;). Where is the rules that say one's first horse must be a bombproof hairy yak?

Good luck and I hope you find that special horse! :)
 
GO see him :) He looks nice in the ad and the only way of knowing how he is to ride is to talk to the owner and try him. My arab is the least hot horse iv ever had and iv had her since 3
 
This is interesting about his background.
http://www.arabianlines.com/forum1/topic_new.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=13687

Notwithstanding all of this, I think he is great and certainly worth a look and long chat to the owner.He looks to be a 'made' horse which will be very advantageous but could be your undoing if you are not ready for him.

I have seen Neposnij stock from when he was at Combe Farm they are very nice indeed. Anglos are possibly the ultimate and very under rated competition horse. He is only 25% TB so high percentage Arab. Very very nice. :)
 
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I think he looks fun and obviously you will be taking your instructor with you when/if you go to try him to give a much better opinion of how well suited he and you are then we can give anyway.
Questions I would like to ask the owner based on the ad:
It says he is good in traffic and to load. What about to clip, shoe, catch, worm, with children (I'm imagining you're planning on keeping him at the riding school where you've been having lessons). Does he load fine into a box or trailer?
Will he come with tack? Him having his own saddle that fits will save you a lot of hassle at the start of your relationship when you want to get to know him.
Any vices?
Can he live in or out?
Good/poor doer?
Open to vet? Will he pass a vet?
I understand from the ad that he jumps coloured poles and XC but talk to her about his experience.
Talk to her about what you want to do with him and see how she thinks you two match up. Good luck with your first horse - how exciting!
 
He looks a nice, fun horse :)

Make a list of questions you want to ask before you ring so you don't forget any, and make sure you take your instructor with you to view him.

Everyone has to get a first horse sometime, just because its an Arab doesn't mean it will be a disaster :rolleyes:

I love how many of the people on this forum seem to know all about you and your riding abilities. No wonder so many people don't bother coming back after their first post :rolleyes:
 
I'm quite jealous - he looks lovely! And I agree with some of the others - there is no reason why he won't be lovely first horse. My parents bought me my first horse when I was 12 and had taught myself to ride at the local hacking yard (and learnt about jumping positions by looking at my John Whitaker & Milton posters on my wall!)

She was an Arab X and had a bit of a reputation locally for being a handful. We bonded incredibly and she was my horse of a lifetime. No other horse I have owned or met even came close.

Go see him. You'll know if he's the one for you.:):)
 
The horse world can be a small place. I know this horse. Not well enough to know if he's def a first horse but he seems a nice sort. Give his owner a call and get more info.

Lots of useful tips around this forum, and on the new owner section, inc questions to ask. Def have an experienced friend or instructor as a second paid of eyes is really useful. And get a vetting ofc. I over horsed myself and it wasn't fun, huge knock to my confidence, so take your time and look at lots of options, it's a buyers market. Buy in haste, repent at leisure :p. If you wanted to be more cautious, I'd look for a slightly sharper horse to share, or go for a loan if you can.
 
tallyho! said:
Good grief Luci (and perhaps some others who have jumped too)! Do you even know the OP?? Very judgemental.

OP, there is never a "perfect" time to buy your first horse and yes you do have start somewhere... every horse has the capacity to be "spooky", even a cob ;). Where is the rules that say one's first horse must be a bombproof hairy yak?

Good luck and I hope you find that special horse! :)
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I did give the benefit of doubt and reined in, but make no apologies when a new poster jumps in, no experience and asks about buying an Arab. The whole post looked odd. I asked questions which, when answered,would show the level of knowledge the OP had. Everyone has to start somewhere but having an appreciation of how much you need to know and the finance needed is the absolute first step. Ensuring you have access to good help is essential. Someone saying they ride once a week for 3 years and wanted an Arab as they wanted something that was a little more lively set off alarm bells.
 
but make no apologies when a new poster jumps in, no experience and asks about buying an Arab.
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What's wrong with an arab as a first horse? There are many arabs out there that are perfect first horses. I have known many that actively pick up the pieces if the rider messes up, real 'look after the rider' types. It really is a case of finding the right one for you.
 
Faracat said:
What's wrong with an arab as a first horse? There are many arabs out there that are perfect first horses. I have known many that actively pick up the pieces if the rider messes up, real 'look after the rider' types. It really is a case of finding the right one for you.
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^^this^^
 
My first horse was a 75% Arabian, 3 years old, just backed. I had him for the rest of his life, 25 years, and never regretted it for a second. By the way, I was a complete novice and we won many, many jumping competitions together over the years.
 
Luci07 said:
I did give the benefit of doubt and reined in, but make no apologies when a new poster jumps in, no experience and asks about buying an Arab.
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This is a stealth boast that you have to be something special to ride an Arab.
I disagree, a horse is a horse, whether it is a good horse or a tricky horse is pretty much regardless of its' breeding ;)

I like the look of him OP and certainly wouldn't be put off ringing about him by the naysayers on here.
You have to start somewhere and that seems a good a starting point as any!
Good luck in your search for your first horse, exciting times :)
 
quirky said:
This is a stealth boast that you have to be something special to ride an Arab.
I disagree, a horse is a horse, whether it is a good horse or a tricky horse is pretty much regardless of its' breeding ;)

I like the look of him OP and certainly wouldn't be put off ringing about him by the naysayers on here.
You have to start somewhere and that seems a good a starting point as any!
Good luck in your search for your first horse, exciting times :)
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Agree ^^ I know of a very experienced horse owner rider who bought an unbacked 4 year old last year. Lovely friendly little chap. He was backed and is being ridden out without any spookiness..well apart from when he got chased by a bullock :D Now if she'd posted on here about buying this horse no one would have expressed the slightest doubt about her suitability. Reality is that she is a crap rider and its only down to the sweetness of the horses nature that he endures her on his back. It is not always the length of time that someone has been riding that dictates how well or badly they ride.
I really don't see why his breeding has anything to do with it.
Why must people keep perpetuating the myth of the safe cob and that all Arabs are loopy. Look at Faracats thread where she can't find someone to catch and bring in her young chap because he scares people because of his bouncing and head tossing!
I've been riding for less time than the OP and I'd have no qualms about choosing an Arab as a first horse either. In fact I too have been looking at Arabian lines because I'm so impressed by the Arabs and Anglo Arabs that I've met and ridden.
 
He looks and sounds lovely

Mud fever and sweet itch are not a bundle of fun though so try to find out how this is controlled - especially that latter
 
Poor boy is just misunderstood.

It was very interesting when our non horsey neighbours came round and wanted to say hello to the horses. They loved him and thought that he was sweet and friendly. I guess that because they didn't know that not all horses flag their tails and circle their noses, they just accepted it as normal and therefore it didn't even occur to them to be worried.
 
Think this is a good example of how they can differ. . 2 full sister pba fillies the older one is just so sweet and calm but lacks some guts, younger is much more highly strung, quicker on her toes however super bold..

I don't think you shouldnt buy an arab/pba/anglo as a first horse but would choose wisely and not let heart rule head, eespecially as a first time horse.

Good luck :)
 
I don't like Arabs personally...that aside, there's no reason you shouldn't get an Arab as a first horse, as long as you actually like it for its personality and not just because it's pretty.

Certain breeds do (rightly or wrongly) get stigmas attached to them...but at the end of the day, I had a shire-x, ex-RDA, ridden by a total beginner horse buck and rear with me on board!
 
Looks a nice sort, my first was an arab and he was fantastic, like any other breed it depends on the horse, my thoughts would be to message the actual owner of the horse you are looking at, be honest about your ability and see what she thinks about compatibility, whilst yes arabs can be flighty and skittish, so can a cob, good luck :).
 
Cleo said:
Very nice breeding!!

Are you planning on breeding? And or showing?
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I don't think that you are looking at the right horse. The OP is looking at a gelding, so breeding isn't on the cards! :p

On the Arabianlines sale page, click on geldings and then scroll down to Howl An Lor Kemysk.
 
Faracat said:
What's wrong with an arab as a first horse? There are many arabs out there that are perfect first horses. I have known many that actively pick up the pieces if the rider messes up, real 'look after the rider' types. It really is a case of finding the right one for you.
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This.

In my experience, arabs need their own 'person', and if they have found that person it doesn't necessarily matter how much experience that person has as long as they are calm, open minded, willing to learn and and willing to be assimilated.

H was my friend's first horse. As a 4yo unbroken and neglected stallion, many many people said he was insane for considering it and that it was a car crash waiting to happen. But he'd found his 'person' and the car crash never happened. Yes they made mistakes but H was very forgiving. The first horse I ever broke in was an arab, and she was a doddle. Spud is also a 'take anywhere' horse and if we've got a novice coming for a ride out with us we will put them on Spud as he will look after them. Yes he's flouncy but he's all talk and no knickers. He carried my friend's then 8yo daughter across open moor, safe as houses and taking good care of his precious cargo, and instilling in her a lifelong love of grey arabs that she still has to this day.

There is an issue if a newbie decides to get a horse without enough knowledge or without knowledgeable backup or without the finance to keep one, but if they have all that in place then there is no reason why the right araby type would not be the right horse.
 
I am a lifetime Arab fanatic have owned then for past 40 years but by and large I would not say they are a first horse though some are!:D
 
Faracat said:
What's wrong with an arab as a first horse? There are many arabs out there that are perfect first horses. I have known many that actively pick up the pieces if the rider messes up, real 'look after the rider' types. It really is a case of finding the right one for you.
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This, absolutely.
 
Give the owner a call and see him! This horse looks experienced and obviously has a lot of things that it can teach you. The horse i learned to ride when i was 4 was my mothers' arab. she used to let us go in an open field and never needed to worry as she would always look after me. She is one of the most well mannered and genuine horses we've had. Fast forward 16 years and she is still going strong at 30. :D
 
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