What type of horse should I look for?

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indie999

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ok I am a happy hacker but now my old boy is retired am just thinking as to what to buy next?

Before buying my old boy I brushed up on lessons & had a few on him as well, learnt to pop a pole(that was my experience of jumping)!!
I know I need 110% traffic and good with farrier. So I now look at adverts that are showing showjumpers etc etc. Am I looking in the wrong places?

I am going to go again for some lessons just to get myself more active(the last few years have been pretty slow due to arthritic horse etc) before viewing any horses to get myself back in the saddle properly and I wouldnt mind learning to jump and go a bit higher(if you know what I mean). If when I find a horse I will gladly be happy to continue mine and its education etc but not a youngster.

My friend told me to look for a schoolmaster but does that mean they will be good on the road as well??? What age should I go for?

I am 12 stone 5 foot 6 so what type of horse should I look for. All rounder or school master or pony club etc. I dont want to ruin a good horse that excels at showjumping or competing when all I would like to do is safely hack around the countryside but good on a busy A road?

sorry to waffle, lots of confused questions, but I keep looking at these fantastic pictures of showjumper horses and am really confused that I will end up overhorsed etc! These are obviously not for me then?

So what type then? Breed, height etc which advert section should I look at? Just point me in the right direction...

Thanks
 
I would go for a RC type horse, probaly between 8-14, 15.1/2/3 & I would say more cobby than tb.
if you want pm me your budget & area & i'll see what I can find ?
 
Many horses can be safe hacks and do other jobs (including high level competition) so I don't think you should have any problems finding a good hack that is also a bit of an RC allrounder (with the right budget of course, as a lot of people want this kind of horse!). An ID cross sounds nice for you if you prefer something a bit more chunky, older than 8 I would say so that it has some experience going out and about and can help you out with your jumping lessons, height depends on what you feel comfortable on.
 
I would say go for something with a bit of life expiereance so at least 8 or 9 and possibly 14-16 hands although it will probably be a more chunky 14 hands. Have you thought about some thing that is ready to retire from a competitive life, it would have plenty of expiereance in several situations and would be great to get your confidence up jumping as it will know what it is doing. It would also probably love to go out to a little show every so often and would know what to do if you did decide you wanted to have a go.
 
Thanks I suppose when I am looking at the adverts I realise that people want to show off their horses great jumping skills but it puts me off too as I think my goodness will I be expected to jump those great big jumps(which I cant)!

I am getting that impression that what I am looking for is much sought after. I know I was dead lucky with my old boy. There were queues forming for him but perhaps the market was good as well.

I also know some experienced horse folks who have been caught out before as well.I often wonder why such fantastic horses are for sale, perhaps I am too cynical despite a recession!! But thank you for your responses. keep them coming as I trying to learn from all these threads too from everyone elses experiences!
 
maybe get a schoolmaster(yes should be good at any and everything IN theory)! personally i think that also means looking at something older that has been there and done it all as you can learn from it and u dont end up in a viscious circle of miscommuntication...! i would say size doesnt matter too much unless you are nervous try horsemart, horsequest and h&h(obvs)
 
You sound like I did 2 months ago and I got a 15.1 cob type m/weight mare. She's 7 and verrrrrrry quiet but weirdly before she was injured she LOVES to jump, never refuses! :D best of both worlds. I did hunt hard to find her and kept getting people offering me horses that are still eventing and show jumping to massive heights arrrrgghhhh! All I wanted was a sane sensible heinzy cobby ploddy thing, actually she's a smart looking mare. There's some really nice ones about though if you keep looking. Also I'd put the word out around any stables you know, sadly people aere struggling to afford them lately so I was inundated with offers of perm loan horses or WVTB.

I would say IDx cob type of about 15.2 but I am biased!! :D
 
I think something around 10-12, that knows it's job a good hack but could do some local shows. There seem to be a few of this sort reasonably priced. I have an IDx and couldn't fault him, would recommend the breed and perhaps 15-15.3hh nothing too tb. There's no harm in ringing up when you see adds and telling the seller your level of riding, what you want to do with your next horse and asking if they think their horse would suit you. Good luck finding a lovely horse :D
 
ok many thanks I am going to take your advice and go looking. Will let you know how I get on.Am going to treat myself to a new hat in the meantime, get some lessons to get up to speed again

Thanks, yes I agree I do sound like many of the searchers on here!
 
TBH there are very few horses that are not capable of competing in any discipline to RC/local show level. If I were in your position (and I have been), I would concentrate on the hacking requirements and so long as you don't buy a horse with a previous injury which means that it can't jump for some reason, you should be able to enjoy yourself safely, whatever you choose to do.
IME you need to look at ALL websites, not just the 'fashionable' ones such as Horsemart/Horsequest to find what you are looking for. Over the years I've bought several that have worked in RSs at various stages of their lives and all have been capable of doing whatever we have asked of them.
 
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