which one shall i buy?

[jes_nibley]

ok, so, to set the picture:
I am in the process of buying a 2 acre field and a house 5 mins away from each other - sorry for those of you that have heard this already - all the paperwork is with solicitors so it's ticking along nicely.

I'm currently based in Gloucestershire but am moving to Reading some time in the next 6 weeks.

I own a welsh section A who is 9 yrs old, i rescued him when he was a yearling. He is very sharp and as a result i will never sell him - he has a habit of ditching young riders - i ride him 6-7 days a week so he's fine and he is show in hand during the season.
He is currently kept on a nearby farm with the farmer's wife's mare and is surrounded by cows and sheep.

My new field in Reading is bordered on all sides by (currently empty) fields.

As he has lived surrounded by animals all his life i can't keep him on his own and wouldn't expect him to anyway. When i move, he is going to live with another friend for a few weeks until i get my new field fenced, then he will follow me down.

I am going to work in a very busy hotel as restaurant manager so initially will be working a lot of hours (circa 90+ a week - that's hotels for you).

So, my indecision is down to the type of friend i should get him.
I have seen: A 30+yr old mare - a no go, he'd beat her up when she wouldn't play with him.
An assortment of shetlands, broodmares - no, don't want any foals just yet. 2 geldings, a possible but at £400 a pop for a completely wild unhandled yearling - hmmm.
And, my favourite, a very cute 9 month old colt foal with very similar bloodlines to my own welshie! all for £150.

Of the above, the colt foal gets my vote, my vet's vote, and my best friends vote.

But, do i go completely the other way and get a big horse that i can compete dressage?

I would like a 'proper' sized horse but firstly, not sure i could afford to buy one. Secondly, with rugs, tack, shoes, worming etc etc they cost more to look after. And thirdly, I' going to be working all the time anyway.

My theory with getting the colt foal is that i've a few years that i can handle it, teach it about the world, show it a bit and settle into my new job and then, i can break it and sell it (we all know i'll get too attached and it'll be with me for life).
Then buy the bigger dressage horse i've always dreamed of.

I guess the shortened version would be: colt foal now as companion with potential to do something and dressgae horse in a few years, or, dressage horse now and struggle to ride as often as i'd like?

I'm also putting 2-3 stables on it before winter after we've got planning permission.

Or, the one i'm not so keen on, is not buy anything, try to find someone that wants grass livery and possibly have mine living on his own for a while?

Very well done if you've kept up with and understood this, and thank you in advance for any answers, comments, queries, etc. x

 

[the watcher]

Tough one. My only comment on the colt foal is that in my opinion foals need regular attention and handling on the ground to give them a foundation for later ridden work, and it doesn't sound as though you are going to have much time. Would a couple of sheep be out of the question?

 

[jes_nibley]

He chases sheep. Also, i want to post and rail fencing as he tends to get his legs through sheep wire.

I'll be at the field at least twice a day so handling will be fine, the little fella is quite timid but i spent 15 mins with him today and when i turned him out again he didn't want to go away, kept coming back for more cuddles and scratches which was really cute. (It took three people to herd him into the yard before i got there)

What i'd struggle on, to begin with, would be to have one-two hours free every day to ride / exercise which i think is why i swaying toward a youngster that can just be handled in the field to gain trust and experience.

When i got mine, he wouldn't come within 15 foot of you but through time and perseverence he gained trust in me and followed me anywhere.

 

[Folara]

My thought would be that if you got a youngster (foal/yearling etc) then what would you do with it when you wanted to take your pony out? Youngsters get very tied to their companions and this could be a potentially big problem.

 

[Gentle_Warrior]

Donkey ??

 

[1588]

Sheep??

 

[Folara]

Apparently pony chases sheep (in previous post).

What about a youngster and a goat?

 

[Evil_Cookie]

I'd see if you could loan a companion or get sheep or a goat in the meantime just as a companion and then when your all settled consider getting a larger horse, suitable for dressage on loan, I suspect you'll still need some sort of companion for your boy though as if you do get a riding horse, you probably won't get much riding done if you can't seperate them.