why is finding the right one so hard = (

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lazyfoxx

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after 8 month's searching i still haven't found the right one, stating to doubt if they even exist, only have few basic requirements aside from age and height yet still its such hard work, been to see dealers horses and private ones and found both good and bad, seen lame horses, half trained horses, been out right fibbed too and some told whole truth. i have a decent budget so its not like im asking for the impossible. worst part is i brought a horse off a dealer who turned out not to be the " safe happy hacker " but was in fact a very green baby 2 yrs younger than advertised who only understood that leg on meant speed up, fair play to the dealer who accepted said horse back, after us persevering for 8 weeks with my instructor who said it needed schooling from scratch, tears all the way back to the yard as by then she had stolen my heart but i just don't have the time or experience to bring on a youngster and getting bucked off at my age isnt nice !, Since found out she's been sold to a driving home...rest my case !... so the search continues for a hw safe sane weight carrying mare 15 to 15.3 cob. aged 8 to 14 must be 1000% as possible with big lorries and skip lorries as unavoidable roadwork , something ok to leave for a few weeks then ride and be the same , must stand still to mount and dismount as i need the stand for this , decent brakes and not spooky or silly, doesnt have to jump or be a show stopper just kind and sane...ploddy or forward.... do you think she is out there somewhere or am i asking to much ? after retiring my old girl who loved tanking off, running from lorries, running from dogs, and being silly around other horses, i really want a less problem horse to keep my naughty oldie company, this is a forever home so i have to get this right = / have even done 200 mile plus roundtrip ( am in surrey ) to see a horse but wasnt suitable for me, any advice welcomed unless you have my girl ? lol i wish
 
as much as I feel for you OP, I feel like you are maybe restricting yourself too much, it's very hard to find the type of sensible horse you're after unfortunately.

out of curiosity, is there a reason the horse must be a mare?
 
I'd be inclined to be less specific about height and age. I sold my last horse to someone who would not have come to see him if I'd put the age on his ad. He was 17 and she'd decided she didn't want anything older than 14. She adores him and he's just right for the her, actually apart from being a middleweight tb/wb he'd fit the bill for you. I replaced him with a full up 16.2. If I'd seen an ad for him, I wouldn't have gone to see him because I'd decided 16hh was max height but he was recommended by someone I trust. He's lovely and will stand like a rock for me to get on and off and apart from height (and colour) he's just what I was looking for.
 
blitznbobs said:
Tbh if you want no reaction to anything - buy a car...
Click to expand...

I sort of agree with this. It sounds like you're looking for a horse with a guarantee!

You're going to need to part with some serious wedge - or do a lot of work yourself - if you want a horse who is practically bombproof, yet a good age and the height most people are looking for. On top of that, you'd like the horse to have impeccable manners, be a weight-carrier, have good breaks and also be a mare.

Is there a reason it needs to be a mare? Could you look at horses over 15.3? Or horses who aren't Cobs?

How much weight does it need to be capable of carrying?
 
And what is your opinion of 'generous budget' - paragons of virtue, even if 'just' for hacking tend to come with a price tag.
 
I tend to agree. Write down your wish list in descending order of importance and work out where you can compromise. The perfect horse doesn't exist.

My share horse really is a saint. My friend's (his owner) very novicey husband has taken him to the beach, her kids (7&8) ride him (he's 17hh), my cousin was cantering on him within 15 minutes, having not ridden for 6 years. Nobody's ever fallen off him *touches wood* just fallen over with the clumsy oaf! He does BS with her, and unaff dressage and low level BE with me, but he wouldn't fulfill all your criteria. He can have the odd little spook now and again and you could never advertise him as 100% in traffic as he doesn't like transit vans coming towards him on narrow lanes. He doesn't do anything, he just freezes until it's gone, but I couldn't in all honesty tell someone he's perfect in traffic.
 
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I think you need to go older or smaller. A horse who is 14+ will have seen more of the world!

How big are you? You might have more luck looking at native ponies.

Also does it have to be a cob? The cobs I know are feisty!
 
Maybe she's currently working in a riding school? You could make a generous offer to them, if you can find her. Agree that maybe you need to be more flexible on height, age and gender if safety and sanity are the most important attributes you require. If/when you find her, move fast as there will be plenty of folk hot on your heels to make an offer.
 
I found not having a massive criteria of 'must or must nots' in what I was looking for really helped, when I spoke to those with horses for sale I said what I wanted to be able to do, where my level of riding was and where I wanted it to get to... I'm probably a little (a lot!) less experienced than you but with every horse I tried I took both my YO and instructor along as they have many years experience. What I ended up with wasn't what I us I mind at all... I had in mind a big (I'm 6ft 4) Clydesdale or similar build, safe sane type in the teens or Therabouts and ended up with a 16.3 9yo ISH. Was a bit of a shock! But he is perfect and although challenging at times was perfect for me. Good luck finding the one that is perfect for you :-)
 
If you're prepared to wait then you may well get something closer to your perfect horse. But if you've been looking for 8 months something's not right.

I've just bought a horse that was slightly younger, slightly bigger, more expensive and grey - none of which were on my list, but boy am I happy with him. So flexing your list might surprise you.
 
Be prepared to be flexible as to age and height. And then look on Pre-loved and Dragon Driving, where you will see loads of animals that you would not touch with a barge-pole but there will be what you are looking for.
I have had several horses that were just what you are looking for, well one was a gelding, and never spent a fortune and found them all well within 50 miles of home. Consider ride and drive horses, they are usually excellent in traffic and unflappable.
 
I think your biggest problem is that you're looking for exactly the type of horse that is highly sought after and those sorts are normally either held onto for life (Cos if they're that good who in their right mind would let them go except in unforeseen circumstances) or sold by word of mouth. Also you may have to make one or more compromises in the end. I can't think of a single horse I've ever met that would tick every single box on your list. I think you're either going to have to go younger and get a horse who has the right basic temperament and just needs a bit of polish and a bit more life experience to improve their bombproofing or go a wee bit older for the "been there, got the t=shirt" type. You may also need to explore other weight carrying breeds of a slightly larger / smaller height unless you have a specific reason for wanting a cob
 
What about a highland? My 14.2 takes up leg, ok he's not a particularly quiet pony but according to the chap whose broken my 5 year old she's bombproof! My mothers 14 H&H is seriously wide and I'm big and tall but look fine on her!
 
Sounds like I was lucky, I looked, saw one I liked, rang up, went down next day and tried/picked up. However my only stipulations were age 5-10, height 15.3 to 16.2. Horse was 2 months off 5, green and slightly over budget and a gelding which is what I preferred but I wouldn't have discounted a mare.

Think long and hard about your "must haves". Remember most sellers will tell at least a white lie or omit details but many small issues can be sorted or may not matter. Also, my new horse is only just starting to settle after a month, his personality is coming through and he is much calmer and more settled so it does take time after getting them home.

Good luck
 
I don't think the OP is too restrictive on her requirements, safe, sound, good in traffic and basic manners such as standing still to be mounted are hardly asking for much, 15-15.3 is a reasonably range, 8- 14 is sensible as she does not want a youngster or anything too old so she can enjoy a good few years with her, it does not need to jump or go in the show ring so presumably a blemish is not a deal breaker, if the budget is realistic it should be easy to find without having to move the goal posts too much.

I have one that just about fits all the OPs expectations but it is a gelding and I think he is just a normal well educated horse that is a nice mannerly hack.
 
only because my oldie will be sharing a feild and she doesnt like geldings much at all but has been very happy in the past with any mares, sadly she is the only mare on the yard, even hacking her out with a gelding was hard work = /
 
Basically agree with what quite a few people have said- be less restricted with your age and height boundaries. Also why not be more flexible on breed and sex!
I have a ex race horse who is great hacking alone, with heavy traffic, and although he is 17 now, he was the same at 8. I could go on holiday for a month (which I did about 7 years ago) and hop back on him and he was fine. I actually know some people who have tried to go down the 'cob' route as they believe them to be 'safer' but have got much more highly stung horses than my ex racer or plenty of peoples Irish sport horse types.
age wise- if you really want something as safe as houses and happy to not be kept in regular work, I would look at 15 years +. You may still have 10 years riding out of them. especially as it sounds like you just do hacking, so not too much wear and tear. They have seen the world but still have lots to give.
height: like others have said, a smaller weigh carrier pony could work, or a taller horse. I have a 16'2 chunky mare- but I am 5'4 and light, who did not need a horse that big, but she is great. by just looking a few inches higher or lower you may find one!
finally, I love my mare, but on hormonal days she can change quite a lot! geldings to tend to be more level headed.
 
my budget is around 3k possibly more for the right one, weight fluctuates 12 to 15 stone i dont like being up high , 16h is where i lose confidence being high i know it sounds stupid as i had a big spill off a 15 hander - airlifted to hosp broken back and pelvis 6 yrs ago- i brought leah 3 month's later when she was aged 18 and last summer had to retire her due to ongoing lameness had her x rayed and bone scanned severe damaged deep flexor tendon damage i could of had her injected and been ridable but thats not fair to stop the symptoms and continue damaging the root problem i wouldn't do that to her as she gave me my confidence back after that horrendous fall and for me that was priceless, so she lives a happy life in the field, stabled in winter, i still walk her out in hand and have a little play with her in the school to keep her mind busy. The yards on B road but we do have a working quarry and 2 skip depots nearby so week day hacking means facing big lorries.my main worry buying a older horse again is the limited riding life it may have but i know everythings a chance you take. main reason i was looking at another cob was for the weight tbh, and yes i agree that this kind of horse is what alot of people are looking for but i dont mind if it cant jump or has splints long as its generally healthy, I just have to get this right for myself thank you all for your opinions and advice, some food for thought !
 
Try looking at horses £4-6000 to see if you need an bigger budget as in all honesty think £3k is on the low side for your requirements.
I know you said you are not bothered about splints or jumping BUT there are so many people the same as you

My mare didn't jump when I got her she cost me over £4k
She now jumps and if I sold her I would be looking for over £6k. Purely because she is such a good fun ride.
 
be positive said:
This has just gone on, it is 16 hands and a bit over budget but otherwise looks perfect, I would be on the phone now.

http://www.nfed.co.uk/cgi-bin/class...lay_db_button=on&db_id=117709&query=retrieval
Click to expand...

This looks a good horse for the job.

OP - you budget isn't that 'decent', it would be on the low side for a saint, so you will need to move quickly on adverts like these as they pop up - there won't be an abundance of them. For 3K you will probably get either younger/greener or older than your ideal.
 
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