What horse did you set out to buy and what did you end up with?

Wanted a 8-10yo, max 16 hands high, been there-done that-happy hacker type, gelding, preferably black or dun or a colored as my first horse 7 years ago.

Well, I got a gelding, but that was the only thing that fit the list. :D Otherwise he was a gangly, green as grass, plain bay 5yo with a big attitude, and he has sice then matured into a massive 16.2 hand heavy driving type. A risky choice, but one of the best ones I've ever made!
 
I set out to buy a bay Clydesdale cross about 15.2 with 4 white stockings unbroken or just backed, three or four. I got an unbroken 4 year old, spot on.

He was bought to test whether I would be happy to downsize from 17th sport horses as I got older, school on and sell.

Only that was four years ago and there doesn't seem to be any sign of him leaving any time soon :D
 
What a great idea for a thread :D

After our losing our special boy, I was on the hunt for a connie x around 15.1 - something sane and fun that mum and I could share - imagine my surprise when mum declared we were having a 16.2 ex racer! Its been nearly a year and haven't regretted our new man at all: he's so different and yet so similar to our old chap - so I guess things have a way of working out!
 
Set out to buy a WB type mare or gelding to do RC and dressage, aged 7-10, no more than 16.2hh. To suit amateur rider. Bought 10yr old, 16.1hh WB gelding that I’ve done RC and dressage on. So pretty much got exactly what I set out to buy.
 
Like you OP I first started looking at WBs but the ones I really liked were expensive and whilst budget would stretch that far I wasn't really prepared to pay those prices in the end

So my final budget would have got me a mediocre WB or a good quality something else.

I went through an agent and my brief was quite loose. 15.2hh to 16.2hh, 4-7 years, any breed, any type, any colour. Nice but not extravagant paces, started jumping, pref been to a few shows. My main focus was on the temperament which is only really something you can figure out when you meet the horse.

I ended up with a 15hh Connemara so very slightly smaller than I set out to buy but everything else suited and his temperament is to die for.
 
I went looking for an overgrown highland or low maintenance native cob, gelding, no younger than 8, no bigger than 15.3hh, must be sensible and good to hack, nothing green.

I got a 7 year old Suffolk Punch who is 17hh (ish). His temperament is everything I could ever have hoped for. He's a bit green in the school so we'll need lessons and regular schooling (with an instructor riding him). I couldn't be happier.
 
Had no intention of buying a horse, went on holiday, spotted a lovely little riding pony and 10 days later DP arrived. Just backed rising 4 year old and not what I needed after 25 off horses and while he can be challenging I wouldn't change him for the world. He is what he is and I enjoy hacking him out.

Bailey on the other hand is exactly what I was looking for. Right age, right height, been there done that and got the tee shirt type of pony. He seems to know his place in the herd of 2 but I am very attached to him now and he won't be going anywhere either.
 
After realising I was going to lose Rupert I set out to look for another horse, preferably something I could ride, well after trying a tb and it not going well I set out to look for the horse breed I have an affinity with, Arabians. I was looking for a youngster I could bring on, but there wasn't that many about, then my family bought me a little colt for xmas, not something I would have ever thought of looking at, a little scruffy, fluffy, bean-rake of a cob x. I instantly fell in love, and have since become very protective over him, he has the most amazing temperament and know he is going to be my horse of a life time :)
 
I buy on a whim when something catches my eye, or occasionally when something fits my budget which is always pennies. So long as its nice looking and big enough for an average sized adult to ride then its fine by me. The next one will be a bit more specific and I havent got a clue how you do that! I even posted on here a couple of months ago asking what people would buy if they were me. I'm still not sure what I want though. I think anything will have a VERY hard job living up to my current horse!
 
BenvardenRach2 said:
Haha I love this!! :D

About 5 years ago i set out to buy a nice been there done it 16.2hh + showjumper, warmblood, few miles under his belt, school master, something I could just sit back and enjoy having broken in all of my previous horses/ponies.
Ended up with a 4 yo lightly broken connie X ISH... he was the best horse I ever owned, took me all over the UK completing in dressage and show hunter, national & county, POYS. I sold him in 2014 due to having other commitments and no time to compete him and give him the attention he deserved. His owner contacted me a few months back to say he not has hock arthritis and basically the insurance will no longer pay out she had lost interest did I want him back?

Ofcourse I said yes, he came home 1st Dec 2107, wish I never let him go he's got a home for life with me, he owes me and my family nothing <3
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That's a lovely story. He's lucky to have you
 
After losing my youngster really suddenly I thought I would settle down a bit with something between 8 and 15 to hack on. Wanted a gelding ideally and something around 15.2 or bigger.

I came home with a little gypsy mare, between 3 to 4 years old. She was a rescue from rough circumstances and cost basically nothing. She's only 14 hands now but growing like a rush. Not at all what I wanted but I knew when I saw her that she was the one :)
 
Went out looking for a 15.2+ gelding nothing too heavy set completely bombproof been there, done that rock solid type I could have fun with and do some dressage with.
Came back with unbroken 13.2 heavyset cob mare with more issues than vogue who is currently in the (slow) process of becoming a ride and drive. I wouldn't change it for anything :D
 
Leo Walker said:
I buy on a whim when something catches my eye, or occasionally when something fits my budget which is always pennies. So long as its nice looking and big enough for an average sized adult to ride then its fine by me. The next one will be a bit more specific and I havent got a clue how you do that! I even posted on here a couple of months ago asking what people would buy if they were me. I'm still not sure what I want though. I think anything will have a VERY hard job living up to my current horse!
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Yeah I think that's my problem. I start out looking for something specific and then get distracted by something 'interesting' instead :o
 
I wanted a safe but forward-going all-rounder, polite on the ground, no biting, bucking or rearing, 14 -15.2h, 8-12 years old. I had no preference as to colour, breed or sex, but didn't want a TB as I'd previously had one who proved to have kissing spine and was a witch on the ground, probably because of the ks. I had two fail the vet and eventually bought an 8 year old welsh x KWPN 14.2h mare, a mainly-white coloured, who is everything I wanted, if a little spooky and opinionated. We describe her as having lots of personality. The only thing I would change about her is her colour - she's definitely hard to keep clean, but I love her to bits.
 
I wanted a big coloured confidence giving cob gelding. Ended up with a 14hh unbacked ex broodie black cob mare who is massively opinionated! Wouldn't part with her for the world now
 
I went not-really-looking for a 15.2 - 16.2 gelding, preferably 8-12yo, schoolmaster type to do some BE with. Any colour apart from chestnut and with a bit of blood, absolutely no cobs. At the time I'd had a 3 year break from riding and hadn't had any experience with youngsters.

I ended up with a 3.5yo Welsh D chestnut mare who was 14.2 and had been sat on ~10 times when I tried her. She's now 15.2ish so at least I got that bit right...? She's been absolutely fabulous and has taught me more about schooling and riding on than any other horse. It could have gone so badly wrong though, I've no idea how she didn't kill me in the first 2 years.
 
The ônly horse I set out to buy in the last 10 years was a 16.2 TBxID or TBx native, hardy, sound, sane and sensible that could jump

Ended up with a 17hh German warmblood, stroppy, opinionated, mostly lame dressage diva...wouldn't swap him for all the tea in China

The others just found me through pity buys, rescues and accidentally buying without viewing after having a few too many sherbets
 
daffy44 said:
I went out to buy a 3 or 4yr old gelding to produce for the Burghley Young Event horse classes and sell on....

I bought a 10yr old mare who had evented to Intermediate before totally jacking it in, I bought her for 2K and she came with two almost new Albion saddles and a double bridle for that price. She was the horse that got me into dressage, she trained to Grand Prix, changed my life and stayed with me til the day she died.
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Love stories that ^^.If you'd have posted on here what will a £2k budget get me, you wouldn't have had any responses with your girls description.

For me, many moons ago, I went out looking for a chestnut mare, came back with a chestnut mare, who after a few years of fun, then bred me to lovely foals. Shes now enjoying retirement.

My new ride, I went out looking for a full ID, in bay or chestnut, gelding 5+ Came back with a full ID grey mare 4YO. ( although, I had my fortune told many years ago, and was told a grey mare would be my horse of a lifetime). So when I viewed my girl ( an Indigo baby) and sat on her , after a couple of strides, I knew the fortune teller meant her, I told Janet when I was trying her, and she gave me that ' you are not right in the head look'. However, fortune teller got it right, Pip is amazing.
 
I went looking an 8-12 year old, ISH or TB, around 16hh to dressage, show and hack quietly on.

I bought a pretty feral 5 year native that just makes 14hh when on tippy toes with a (then unknown history to me) of changing hands & dumping riders.

He's tenacious, black and white in what he likes (and doesn't believe in 'putting up' with anything ...!) but once on side, will dig incredibly deep for you when necessary. Loves jumping & hacking - he hacks for miles over any ground and tolerates dressage as long as he gets to hack & school work is kept varied. He's pretty much converted me to try longer distance rides!

Wouldn't change him for the world 7 years later. He owes me nothing.
 
First time I wanted a chestnut Arab and I bought a dark bay ex-racehorse.

When she died 20 years later I set out buy anything but an ex-racehorse and I bought a three year old ex-racehorse :D

I'm now looking for another horse to balance out the madness of the ex-racehorse and am looking for a safe and sensible all rounder that likes hacking. Wonder what I'll end up with??
 
Went to choose my first horse, a western trained criollo from a dealer herd of about 40, wanted age 7-10, easy and suitable for kids to ride as well, for funrides, possibly endurance, and western. Got sold (and 5 star vetted, thank you Mike O'Gorman) a 15ish - according to his teeth and my good dentist - "been there, got the t shirt, the scars, the damaged joints and teeth, the tricks and the wilyness to survive" 14 3 dun. That's 10 years ago - I bet he's been sound for 2 of those years at best, managed 1 fun ride and broke down, and is now a field ornament and companion to my second criollo. I'm fairly bitter about it, but the pill is sweetened by how much he has taught me over the years, and he's a brilliant companion, can be left alone without issue. His ridden times have shown what a super horse he once was and should still be, sharp, fearless, telepathic, and "horse of a lifetime" material, it's so sad for him, and for me.
 
For my last I wanted a Welsh or sports pony 12.3-13.1 Male 2-7yo broken to drive ideally. Got a 4yo chestnut welsh C ride and drive gelding :)
 
I didn't buy either of mine - both unwanted freebies.

I was exercising horses for a yard owner near me and had asked him to keep an eye out for a small-ish TB (he used to get a lot of ex-racers through the yard). One day I turned up to find an obese, angry appaloosa mare on the yard. She'd already kicked the YO and had a sign on her door, saying 'keep out'. For some odd reason I knew instantly she was going to end up with me. The only thing 'right' about her was her height!

I made absolutely no attempt to get involved with her as they tried to back her. She went over backwards on the work rider and shortly after was dumped in a field. I got fed up of seeing her getting fatter and more bad mannered so about a month later offered to take her on as a project, get her going and then they could sell her. YO didn't want her back so gave her to me. She is far from the horse that I would choose to have, but once I'd dug into her background and worked out her physical issues I made her a promise she'd have a home for life. Progress is slow (she's my one with PSSM), but every step forward is hard won so means a lot.

At some point during her training the yard was given a semi-retired Ardennes who was there to work with disabled children. He was turned out in the fatty paddock with the appaloosa and about 6 months later when they realised his legs weren't up for the work and he was going to be moved on I asked if I could keep him. Now that absolutely was the best decision of my life. I've probably ridden him just a handful of times, but every time I see the nose my world lights up. He's an absolute superstar and I dread the day his arthritis gets too much.
 
Wanted something not too large so I could get on from the floor, that would live on fresh air and was a confidence-giving hack capable of doing a bit of low-level dressage and jumping. Didn't mind mare or gelding but wanted something aged eight or over so that I wouldn't need to show it the world.

Ended up with a 15.1hh coloured cob gelding who would be capable of low level dressage and jumping if he wasn't a bundle of nerves. He certainly isn't confidence giving and has a number of issues, some of which are now solved, such as standing to be mounted, and some of which, such as being clipped, are still very much works in progress... His passport (which is vague to say the least) claimed he was ten when I bought him but we now think he was probably nearer five - looking at his teeth has been another "issue" so probably wasn't as well checked as it could have been at purchase.

But he does live on fresh air and I can get on from the floor!
 
My viewing for the Sec D has been cancelled as horse has sold. Think I will try and go back to by original brief now. I hate horse shopping :(
 
First Horse - I wanted an older been there done it type the more experience the better and potentially ex riding school. Something that enjoyed a bit of schooling and good to hack out, and ideally 15h and low maintenance.

Came home with a 3yo traditional cob mare 14.1, tons of mane and feather and had been broken a couple of months. Left her to mature over the winter as I have no facilities anyway and brought her into work in spring. She was bolshy and ended up tanking down a main road out hacking. Nighmare. Gave myself an ultimatum to either sell or give her benefit of doubt and try again taking her back to basics. Decided on the latter, did lots of in hand and hacking with her, left the schooling as she was so unbalanced she would often fall. Fast forward a year and there is never a dull moment with her, again she has had most of the winter off apart from hacking once a week if weather permitted. She is now 5 and about 14.3, really looking forward to working on her schooling this year and getting out and about on fun rides.
 
Went out looking for a 16hh + Cob, been there, done that, 8 years old + as a first horse for me as a teen. I came back with a 14.3 OTTB, like, stright off the track. She did grow to 15.2 in my defence.

3 years later moved to the UK, horse was PTS and I went out looking for a dressage schoolmaster type, I love dressage and I'd "done" the youngster thing, I wanted something that had been out at Elementary, training to medium at home. In walked an ex eventer, 16.1hh 10 year old Dutch warmblood. We have never "got on" under saddle. She knows EVERY evasion under the sun, she wrote the damned book and it was just infuriating. She then developed a muscle tear at her hip so was relegated to a light hack/low level type, until she bolted with her teenage rider and I decided it was no longer safe. She is retired now at 16.

My newest that came as a kind of trial arrived in October. I was not looking for a 2nd horse! :D A massive, ginger, ID type mare, 9 years old, 16.2hh+. She was my friends, but the mare was nervous, the friend was nervous, it wasn't safe and my friend knew it. So I took her on. She's had alot of homes, passed around, through sales, from her reaction to things we also suspected she's been beaten. She's very sweet and the nerves are calming. Just "re-backed" her and she is coming on leaps and bounds. I think, she may be "the one"!!
 
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