Which horse would you choose?

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Scotslad23

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Been looking for a new horse and as the budget is low I've come up with two potentials ... but now in a dilema about which one is more realistic ...

Any help would be appreciated, my brain is now officially frazzled thinking about it :eek:

14 years old, gelding, hacks alone/ company and 100% bombproof. Loves a fuss.
Down side is he has not been worked for 9 months and he can't be left in stable or field alone (not the end of the world being on a livery yard) Not the best legs so no hard jumping but once brought back into work he will be a super safe happy hack who will pop a jump or two easily.

Or

8 yrs old, gelding, hacks alone/ company and 95% bombproof
Loves a fuss. In work hacking and light schooling.
Forward going ride and pulls faces when fed/ rugging. Suffers from mud fever (I dont find this an issue dealing with)

They seem so different but yet both of them could be the right horse for me.

If im realistic then the younger horse has more potential but then realistically I doubt i will ever be travelling around competeing so perhaps just a happy hacker is more my thing!

Seriously confused and to ad insult to injury one of them is over a hundred miles away! :confused:
 
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HaffiesRock

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What budget do you have OP and where are you?

Neither of them sound great, and you don't sound sold on them either. Don't just make do with something because that will end in tears. x
 
ShadowFlame

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HaffiesRock said:
Neither of them sound great, and you don't sound sold on them either. Don't just make do with something because that will end in tears. x
Click to expand...

Ditto this. Horses really are going for peanuts at the minute, even on a limited budget you should be able to find something that ticks the "sound happy hacker" box. If you're set on those two, go and see them. That will make the decision for you :)
 
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Polos Mum

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Have you been to see them both and ridden them? which felt better to you?

They are for quite different 'jobs' so it really depends what you want to do.

When you say 95% bomb proof is that your description or the sellers - if yours what makes you question his reactions? (if the sellers then could just be a cautious person - I'd never describe one as 100% because they are living breathing creatures all of which can have a bad day once in a blue moon).

Horse 1
Few horses are happy turned out on their own, and in a stable I'm assuming you mean needs something stabled next door (not in with him !!)
Why has he been out of work? what is actually wrong with his legs?
I assume you'll get a vetting done - they will be best placed to comment on how much of an issue the legs are.

Horse 2
Have you seen him pull faces or was this sellers description, being fed - lots like their space, rugging would bother me a bit if it's bad as they usually don't 'pull faces' without a cause.
Mud fever - are you happy he won't be insureable for this/ similar skin conditions - how bad is it now? If you have to have him on antibiotics all the time that isn't great, if you just need to manage him carefully probably not a major issue.
 
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Scotslad23

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ShadowFlame said:
Ditto this. Horses really are going for peanuts at the minute, even on a limited budget you should be able to find something that ticks the "sound happy hacker" box. If you're set on those two, go and see them. That will make the decision for you :)
Click to expand...

Thank you you are right. sorry should have added these are horse I am due to see, not seen yet but discussed at length with the owners.
 
hnmisty

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I'm confused as to whether you have been to see either?

Personally, I'd keep looking. Neither sound like a once-in-a-lifetime chance. There are so many for sale out there atm that I'd be tempted to hang on rather than rush into it.

Bear in mind you should ideally go to look at them more than once before buying, so you will be doing that 200+ mile round trip at least twice.

Back in my pony club days, I nearly got my ribs smashed by a girl's horse who had been left in his stable on his own (there were about 20 horses with him but all had been taken out and he was the last left in). He was dragging his rider all over the place, so I went to help her and he threw me into the fence. When she tried to put his boots on, I was seriously scared that I was about to see her head get kicked in. Put me off buying anything that couldn't be on its own (and not just because I kept mine at home...on their own!). you never know what circumstances might cause you to need your horse to be stabled on his own. Say it's summer, and everyone else in your block is turning out, but your horse is on box rest...

Maybe I am more bothered by that problem than others, but it's something that would make me think very VERY carefully.

I don't think you can ever describe a horse as 100 % bombproof. My old pony was as close as you could get, but even then she would suddenly spot something and be silly. So I'd personally avoid something that is freely admitted to being not bombproof. Especially if you are planning on doing a lot of hacking. My second pony was terrified of tractors. I am from rural Somerset. There are a lot of tractors. We did an awful lot of running and hiding from them...

Also, think with no 1- in a year's time will you be wanting to up your level of riding and be frustrated that you've got something that isn't suitable? I also don't understand what you mean when you say he's not got great legs. A variety of images are popping through my mind right now!

Have a serious think about what criteria for your dream horse you are willing to compromise on. And don't be afraid to keep looking! Better to wait a month longer, than rush to buy something and regret it.
 
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Polos Mum

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I'm not sure I'd go 100 miles for either, neither sound perfect and there's a good chance they won't be as described anyway!

Ask around locally for what your looking for (local yards, farriers, PC etc, even wanted ads in loacl feed shops) you'll be supprised what's out there that hasn't been advertised yet!
 
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rossiroo

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Personally I would choose neither and carry on looking, as neither horse seems to meet your requirements there may be something more suitable out there. When I have bought horses it has always been a ' this is the one' sort of feeling.
 
kc100

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I'd say go look at horse number 2, if your budget is limited then a horse who already has leg issues is going to end up being expensive in the long run even if he is cheap now. But if horse 2 is the one that is over 100 miles away, then I wouldnt look at either of them. There are plenty of horses up for sale and neither sound perfect for you to be honest.
 
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Scotslad23

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cyberhorse

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It could just be the angle of the photo but it does not seem to be jumping level. The front legs look like they have swung sideways. If it is not just the photo then that is not a good sign at that height of fence.

Says no vices but you need to ask about medical history - sarcoids, stringhalt, shivers etc... You do not want to waste time or a vetting to find out these things.

TBH if you are looking to spend about £1k then you should be able to get a fit and healthy basic all rounder (not world beater) with no vices or "issues" if you allow for the horse being either slightly green or a little older. I think realistically you can also be looking at adverts upto £2k. The market is dead at the moment and dealers are offering about £800 for horses that would have gone for £3-4k a few years ago.

Do not be in a rush and if we get into summer be aware you'll be paying more for less until September when the bargains start to appear.
 
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