What would you compromise on when buying a new horse?

Age I compromised with Homey and again with Bert. Both times I didn't want anything younger than 7.

With Homey I could not find anything in my budget at the age I wanted so I went to see him as friends suggested I would be ok with a sensible youngster and he turned out to be superb and whilst we did have a few challenges along the way he was really easy and fun and I adored him.

With Bert budget was less of an issue as I had saved 10k which should have been sufficient for a pony. But as I wanted another forester and being a rare breed older ponies rarely came on the market so I ended up with another 5 year old. Unfortunately though he is great and easy he has had lameness issues so not ridden him that much sadly. Hopefully he will remain sound after this recent bout of lameness as he is absolute joy to ride and I feel comfortable with him.

It is always hard with youngsters as you don't know how well they will stand up to the work. I got him vetted and x-rayed. I know a few people who bought youngsters who have once started in more work had all kinds of issues. There is a stunning 5 year old connemara at the yard and he has not been ridden much either due to some issues.
 
No to: prone to laminitis, EMS, PSSM1 or 2. In fact, anything that is a good doer really - I want the horse to live out 24/7 in summer. Hard to catch, won't share a field, badly socialised, cribs or wind sucks.

Must: hack alone, be sound, not be grey, be longer rather than shorter compact model, be up to 16.2h, have a bit of bone, have a pretty face.

ETA: forgot to mention, I won't tolerate a kick along. I want a telepathic horse that is thinking forward.
 
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colour would be the thing i would compromise on.


must haves are

near perfection, [in my opinion] top class breeding, very very bold attitude, natural talent, excellent feet, iron rod legs

if it looks good enough to breed from it is going in the right direction and may be worth buying


having said all that, i am the very proud owner of a cobby small horse who seems to have all the above, except have no clue how he is bred!, and got him by accident for free

sorry not much help
 
All comes down to end use and how much I liked them.
I am fussy about conformation mainly, the rest is all open. For instance in horses to sell I will have a coloured, but will not have a coloured for my own personal horse. In my own I don't mind a few vices or sarcoid (location and type dependent) but will not have them in a sale horses.
 
I've learned the right jorse just comes along and then all 'must have' or 'hard no' criteria go out the window. Dolly was 4 (I wanted 6+, 5 at a push). Already snow-white. (I wanted no greys).

Jenny was 13.2. We were looking for 14.2+. And she is also snow white!

Amber was 16.3. 16hh was my limit. 15.2 ideally.

Lottie was grumpy. Stuck her head in the raftes for bridling. Didn't lead or load very well and would not be caught. I would not have bought any of them on paper, but they were/are all fabulous.

In fact Toby was perfect on paper. 15.2, bay, gelding, sweet, polite, willing. But, much as I was very fond of him, I never clicked with him. I bought him after viewing because I could not think of a reason not to.
 
Colour!

I have a specific list of requirements when over looking for a horse for me and a fairly similar one when shopping for RDA.
For me, it must be a mare as we have a mare herd, for RDA either mare or gelding. Then temperament and great in traffic are the main requirements. We are currently looking for a weight carrier minimum 15.2hh, which would suit me too.
Not that I am in the market for a new horse.
 
I wouldn't compromise and buy a grey, or a mare. I couldn't have another box walker after having one years ago. I couldn't compromise on conformation. I like a pretty head but might compromise if everything else was 100%. Horse would definitely need to hack alone. Age I could depending on horse, height possibly but I like finer breeds so generally needs to be taller.
 
I’ve almost never bought something that fitted “what I want” on paper. Current horse was closest though, other than being 7yo (wanted something 6yo or under, ideally 4-5yo) and being slightly over my ideal budget.

Things I’m willing to compromise on would depend on the horse. I wouldn’t compromise on soundness in a young horse (which I was very tempted to do when a gorgeous young horse with a great record failed a vetting on flexion tests), but in an older horse I’d be less bothered. I wouldn’t necessarily be adverse to buying something with less than perfect conformation, my best horse was a proper cut and shut who looked like about 3 different horses stuck together. I’ll compromise on schooling and quirks ridden/on the ground as long as they’re not actively dangerous or nasty. Current horse is just fantastic, and actually relatively straightforward now but was quirky as anything at purchase!

Big no from me would be: anything that kicks or bites with intent. Chronic stoppers, especially dirty stops. Anything that won’t hack out alone (would be happy to work through a bit of baby/inexperience napping), or anything dangerous in traffic. History of tendon/ligament injury. So actually not an awfully long list!

Things I’d only consider if horse was perfect in every other capacity: badly behaved for farrier/vet. Difficult to catch/load. Sarcoids. Anything needing a very strict management regime .
 
Won't compromise on nice person, young, big, well bred and mare. Will compromise on talent, experience and conformation. Might compromise on soundness (if reason known).
 
My musts : 16hh+ (im 5’10) chunky middleweight type , good feet, sound , solid in traffic

Would compromise on : colour , age , would prefer a mare but would maybe consider a gelding.

Definite no : welsh D or ex racer (sorry!)
Anything with no breaks/tanks off. Weaving/windsucking. Cant be turned out with others, kicks.
 
I bought a horse with a really bad weaving problem which started as soon as the stable door was closed. Owners put up a grid but the weaving continued. They closed the top door. The weaving continued. The horse was perfect for me so I bought him. It was easy for me to keep his stable door permanently open and with an electric fence make a walkway to his field. He never weaved again and was happy in his stable - slept there every night and was happy being tied up in it. I had him for 18 very happy years. He did all his droppings and pee outside on the dung heap despite a huge thick shavings bed in his stable. I was advised after the vetting not to buy him due to his serious vice. A horse of a lifetime and very cheap to keep.
 
These comments are all so interesting. I'm still looking (yawn!) as the number 1 thing I won't compromise is soundness, which is seemingly harder to find than I first thought after several failed vettings, and even more that my vet has ruled out after looking at previous x-rays before we've even got to vetting.
I'm now looking at younger / older than when I started looking, mares and geldings (started looking at only geldings so I could turn out with mine), and smaller too, as well as some stable vices, sarcoids etc etc. I couldn't cope with a grey though 😂 I've even upped my budget (not a great financial decision) but that hasn't helped either.

Conformation is a tricky one. I've dismissed lots of otherwise lovely horses down to poor leg / hoof conformation, many of which after consultation with my super farrier, and foot balance (or rather the way they load their feet when they move), but I'm starting to think I maybe am just too picky! I've just seen a lovely 5yr old mare with less than perfect feet, although funnily enough out of 3 horses that I looked at last weekend she was by far the straightest. She has one foot slightly toe in which is also a bit flatter than the other, and she dishes that leg and has a splint on it too. So either her body has compensated by making a splint and she'll be fine, or its a problem waiting to happen. Do horses with evenly matched feet actually exist?
I never thought it would be this hard!
 
flippa_t said:
Conformation is a tricky one. I've dismissed lots of otherwise lovely horses down to poor leg / hoof conformation, many of which after consultation with my super farrier, and foot balance (or rather the way they load their feet when they move)but I'm starting to think I maybe am just too picky!
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I feel your pain as I'm also horse searching and wondering if I'm trying to find something perfect that might not exist!

However having just PTS my 5yo with foot problems, I wouldn't compromise on foot balance. I've looked at a couple of horses which seemed perfect, but they've turned out to have toes in/out in varying severities so sadly I've said no.

Things I would compromise on would be colour, breed and maybe age. Due to past experiences I wouldn't touch something with more than one sarcoid, or one that holds its tail to the side (that one's rather specific!). Bad loaders are an absolute no.

The mare I ride currently is absolutely fantastic, however she weaves without a grill and has history of ulcers and field injury which took a year to come back from. Had I seen her advert I would have passed and missed out on a brilliant horse.
 
Good feet, good legs and a nice sloping shoulder and long neck. Everything else looks wise can be ignored.

Must be forward thinking and responsive to the leg rather than sticky.

Nothing that dangles a leg jumping, I can fix other stuff but not that.

Must enjoy hacking and being out and about.

No history of sarcoids, not dealing with that again.

No sweet itch, cribbing or windsucking either.

Oh and nothing over 15.2 unless it’s a draft because I’m too lazy to climb up that high.

Anything else, I can compromise on.
 
I compromise on breed, color and minor conformation faults.
I love a horse who wants to interact with people and is a bit flashy.
 
I've gone older in most of mine (as safe is a priority).

I won't compromise on some kind of competition record, as if I get older ones, it's so I can crack straight on, and to me it's also an indication that they've been holding up to the job.

Hacking alone, I'm prepared to work on and have lots of hacking buddies if can't get it right, but they have to be good about traffic as we get a lot of farm traffic and HGVs.

I usually end up preferring mares, but have had one gelding and a few gelding shares so open to either!

Anything lame or sore back is a no - although I feel like I shouldn't have to say that, a lot that I went to see were in that bag!
 
JGC said:
I've gone older in most of mine (as safe is a priority).

I won't compromise on some kind of competition record, as if I get older ones, it's so I can crack straight on, and to me it's also an indication that they've been holding up to the job.

Hacking alone, I'm prepared to work on and have lots of hacking buddies if can't get it right, but they have to be good about traffic as we get a lot of farm traffic and HGVs.

I usually end up preferring mares, but have had one gelding and a few gelding shares so open to either!

Anything lame or sore back is a no - although I feel like I shouldn't have to say that, a lot that I went to see were in that bag!
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You're right.... you wouldn't believe how many horses I've seen have been lame (to my eye before we even get to vetting) and I genuinely don't think their owners have noticed.
 
I will not have a horse/pony who is:

- grey
- not beautiful
- has a wicked eye
- lazy
- cresty or obese
- currently lame (which rules out a LOT)
- known to buck

They are absolute non negotiables. I’m currently searching for a pony and although I usually would have an upper age limit, I’m not considering anything over 12 this time as I have enough old ponies to manage.

Anything else I’m open to considering. As long as it is beautiful and forward 🤣
 
I wouldn't compromise on forward thinking. I did once before and regretted it. Nothing worse than having to chivvy a backwards thinking horse along every step of the way. I want something that looks through the bridle and marches out in walk.

(I've ended up with three totally different types of horse but they're all plain bay Thoroughbreds with a white star - not intentionally!)
 
I will comprimise on
Catching-its something I have always been happy to work on.
Green-its not really a compromise as its what I tend to want, I want then to be my mistakes and wins not trying to sort someone else's.
Colour- I wanted bay but you don't see it so often in the breed I have been looking for.
age-i would have gone younger and did contact owners about younger- I didn't have to compromise on that in the end.

I wouldn't compromise on the following this time...
Being registered on a breeding appendix.
Not seeming too interested in us at viewing, I wanted a partner not an associate.

She arrived at the beginning of July.
 
Best horse ever was over budget, chestnut, lazy to ride in a field, grumpy, tricky to catch and clip and had we had him vetted would probably not have passed. Offered half price cash to collect next weekend and got him. Safest horse ever and a fabulous hunter which is what we wanted. He didn't like being fussed unless on a Hound parade when he would lap it up. Was as tough as old boots and worked and hunted into his 20s.

We didn't mind his negatives and they mostly improved with age but he was perfect for what we wanted so the rest didn't matter. He was purchased on gut feel and that for me is a biggy. If you don't think yes immediately then walk away. That's always been our mantra.
 
When I was looking two years ago my list of absolutes was pretty small - but it needed to be in work and not just a hack around the block. I didn't want anything that was already potentially broken after the stress of a PSSM horse and another with breathing problems.

I also knew that for anything from a high risk breed type 1 PSSM would have to be ruled out.

The youngster I bought was already in work and both parents had proper working lives. Still got his CK drawn at the vetting though and if that had elevated I would have said no. I just couldn't put myself through the PSSM heart break for the 3rd time.

Otherwise if I like them then they tend to find a place in the field!!
 
To be honest, Ive had success with several who have not had great conformation. For me its temperament and attitude that is THE most important thing. I wouldnt buy anything that had a cruddy attitude to being around or ridden, I think even an "average" horse will go far competition wise if its got the right, nice willing temperament. Ive had 2 expensive horses, top olympic bloodlines and all the talent in the world but I found their attitude difficult so it was always a bit of a struggle as the horses lacked the "want" to do their best for me. Whereas my cheap often rubbish looking horses that I buy off hill sides often turn out far better because they're just nice natured and they try so hard for me.
 
I've never wanted a grey,swore after one problem mare I'd never have another mare,said I'd never ride anything under 16hh & like sporty TB types.... the last horse I bought was a 15.1hh,grey,chunky connie cross mare! Tbf she's an absolute gem & 6 years later I've never regretted it.
 
whizzer said:
I've never wanted a grey,swore after one problem mare I'd never have another mare,said I'd never ride anything under 16hh & like sporty TB types.... the last horse I bought was a 15.1hh,grey,chunky connie cross mare! Tbf she's an absolute gem & 6 years later I've never regretted it.
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I've done this... I wanted 16hh+, chunky gelding, under 10 and not grey. Ended up with a 10yo 15.3hh grey TB X warmblood mare 😂 she was amazing
 
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