Why would anyone buy

not really... I know they can be 'quiet', but they are nearly always potentially sharp. I know someone who bought a really 'docile and quiet' TB as their first horse - as soon as it started getting a bit fit and was being introduced to new situations it started jumping out of the school and chucking her off.

I also have a TB that I would say is the quietest horse I know - I would have said she was suitable for a novice until I let my novice friend have a go.... oops!
 
Because it is flashier than some old cob??? lol Something like 60% of horses bought are unsuitable and have to be sold again.
 
Actually I had a 3yr old ex race horse, just gelded and just off the track when I was 13. There were a lot of tears at first but then we clicked and we were a good team. Had 2 more ex racers after that as a teenager. Maybe not ideal but depends on the teenager.
 
Something that has been around the block and is kind is the most important consideration. We had an ex grand national horse at Uni riding club and he was one of the kindest donkeys I have ever sat on.

Welsh cobs can have a bit too much charcter for beginners as can a lot of the pony breeds. Unfortunatly when people go out to buy they're first horse they need a lot of help to get what they need not just what they think they want.
 
sorry - I misread the post, didn't I? I think a lot of people buy TB's for novices because either a) they don't know any better or b) they want to look good
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how that can happen whilst they cling on for dear life I don't know
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We have one on our yard. Non horsey parents bought it from a dealer with a SJing yard, said it was straight off the boat from Ireland and was "like a donkey" when the 12 yo daughter tried it out. It's meant to be a 6yo but doesn't look it, I'd guess younger, and it's so sharp. Needs a confident and experienced rider, not a kid who's had a few lessons at a RS and thinks they can ride. Horse is now going back to said dealer, 2 weeks after it was bought. They have decided a schoolmaster would be better, something in its teens....
 
One of the easiest horse I have ever ridden was a TB Chestnut Mare, she was unbelievably easy, SJ, Dressage, XC, all so nice! She was a genuine schoolmistress that would look after anybody. Just goes to show though. Not sure I'd describe the current one as a novice ride though.
 
God knows but one of our neighbours bought a 4yo ex-racer for her 13 yo daughter, It was a lovely little horse but scared the kid rotten. Sold as "perfect first horse" but knew aboslutely nothing. They kept it for 5 weeks.
 
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Because it is flashier than some old cob??? lol Something like 60% of horses bought are unsuitable and have to be sold again.

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really? that's shocking
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We must get 10 phone calls a day from people that have bought TB's as 1st horses and then discover they are too much for them and trying to sell.

We personally won't sell a full or say 7/8th TB to anyone as a first horse or for a novice or child coming off ponies.

I do actually like TB's and one of my best horses was an ex NH chestnut mare.

My own personal horses in years gone by were other peoples rejects of TB's that they couldn't cope with, so I get on with them.

We don't sell them to novices, 1 st time owners etc because I am sorry but it doesn't matter how quiet they are, they always think quicker than a novice. They are bred to run, they need properly looking after, you can't just generally expect them to live out like a cob. Also you generally wouldn't expect to see a learner driver in a formula 1 race car, so much the same for horses.

The reason so many unsuitable people (NOTICE PEOPLE - NOT HORSES!!!) buy TB's is pure and simple they are CHEAP to buy.
 
No. TB's I dont believe are suitable for novices, maybe the VERY VERY odd few but I dont think its worth taking a risk when its far safer to buy something you already know is likely to be sensible!
 
Iagree to a degree - when I came back into riding I brought a tb and we have had some hairy moments but that was due to lack of schooling rather than him being a nutter!

I don't know if I'd do things differently though - I've learnt so much over the last year....and I suppose after a 15 year break I could be classed as a novice back then.

All that said, if I hadn't been surrounded by knowledgable peeps I may have given up and sold him on.
 
It all depends on the horse and the rider. I got Honey when I was 13 as my first horse, she was a 3 1/2 year old fired up chestnut TBxID and behaved very much like a TB. I spent most of my 1st year with her schooling her and not being able to compete her.
However she is now 11 and has calmed down so much but does occasionally have her moments. I would not swap her for the world.

As for this horse maybe it was advertised as something it isn't.
 
I had a 3yr old TB who i broke and schooled myself, when he was 4yrs old i sold him, and everyone who came to view him couldnt believe how docile he was in every situation, he was a one off tho, a cob in a TB's body, yes he as a little sharp when learning new things but once he matured he was fantastic
 
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Don't get me wrong, I love TBs I have one. I bought him after a 10 year + gap from riding and with hindsight perhaps I should have got something a bit ploddier as he is very quick. Mainly he is very good but he does have his moments and my daughter has fallen off him a few times, still she should end up a better ride for it (unless of course she ends up too scared to get on again!)
 
I agree with the remark about them being docile and quiet until they are fit but then having problems, I pulled my 18yr old ex racer out of retirement for my sister in law to walk and trot on, everything was going great until she got a bit more confident and was riding well, he then thought she was ready for her first canter! Unfortunately she wasnt and after half a lap of the school she fell off and broke her pelvis! After a week in hospital i suggested maybe we should consider a riding school until she was up to galloping!!

I would never consider my lad as a lively ride, he's the quietest horse I've got but clearly still not a novice ride!!!
 
when i was 15 i had a 12 year old TB ex race horse as my first horse but I had ridden many race horses before, they are lovely creatures but I do think they need to be very brave and concentrate when riding
 
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