Wild, Risky and Perfect?

Once the cob is out of the riding school you will find it is a lot sharper. You are a novice. You would be completely stupid to buy something other than a very safe cob.

Here's my ex riding school cob in action, think you could manage her? She is totally safe, absolute fun will jump a metre track, rarely touches a pole, is very fast xc and SJ, has the paces for dressage, but put a novice on her and she will plod for them because she has more sense than most novices, to know what they are capable of!

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Completely under the control of a 7yr old racing to win. She can jump her too no problem.

If you can hack that cob out alone and it is safe and doesn't take advantage of you, then you would be a complete fool to let it go, frankly.

Don't you think there could be a reason why the highland is still hanging around and why the breeder has been happy to waste her time chatting to you for months about it? No one else wants it!
 
I think you need to find a new riding school and instructor and concentrate on lessons before you buy - it will save you more in the long run getting that experience. Get yourself involved in the local horsey community, help at shows and riding club. Learn how to handle horses, watch the mistakes that others make. There is a lot of learning to do.
 
Tbh from the sound of this, if you were a friend of mine I would be advising you to find a more reputable riding school that isn't populated by the sort of people these sound to be, walk away from both horses, and look for a nice quiet cob to share for a year or so while you learn more. Scope out the yards and instructors in the area, trial some different instructors on your loan horse, and think again about buying something in a year or 18 months' time.
 
The cob.

FfionWinne is right, once less workload, cob will brighten up and as a first horse is perfect and very sellable should you outgrow him ability wise.
 
You'd be stark raving mad to buy the cob without a vetting, iirc we aren't talking a £500 animal here and you don't have enough experience to make that call and your instructor has said some odd things (as well as don't get it vetted).
 
ester said:
You'd be stark raving mad to buy the cob without a vetting, iirc we aren't talking a £500 animal here and you don't have enough experience to make that call and your instructor has said some odd things (as well as don't get it vetted).
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GOD YES! Get him vetted. What do they have to hide?
 
ester said:
You'd be stark raving mad to buy the cob without a vetting, iirc we aren't talking a £500 animal here and you don't have enough experience to make that call and your instructor has said some odd things (as well as don't get it vetted).
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I often advise people with purchasing horses and always recommend they get them vetted, this covers my back as much as anything in case something goes wrong in the early days, for your instructor to say don't bother is irresponsible to say the least, bordering on criminal if they are "friends" with the dealer, iirc this is definitely not a cheap ex riding school cob from memory it is priced at the very top of it's value and should be vetted if you want to take out full insurance, which after the last disaster at the yard you would be making a mistake to not fully insure.

I think your instructor is giving some reasonable advice but also seems to have some ideas that may not be in your best interests, if you are not totally happy with this cob then why not look around and see what else is out there, the Highland is probably best avoided but there may be something else suitable, there is no need to take your instructor to first viewings, if she is very busy take her the second time just to make sure, that way the only time wasted is your own and you may find your perfect, sane, fun pony.
 
FfionWinnie said:
Once the cob is out of the riding school you will find it is a lot sharper. You are a novice. You would be completely stupid to buy something other than a very safe cob.

Here's my ex riding school cob in action, think you could manage her? She is totally safe, absolute fun will jump a metre track, rarely touches a pole, is very fast xc and SJ, has the paces for dressage, but put a novice on her and she will plod for them because she has more sense than most novices, to know what they are capable of!


Completely under the control of a 7yr old racing to win. She can jump her too no problem.

If you can hack that cob out alone and it is safe and doesn't take advantage of you, then you would be a complete fool to let it go, frankly.

Don't you think there could be a reason why the highland is still hanging around and why the breeder has been happy to waste her time chatting to you for months about it? No one else wants it!
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This. All day, this. I had an ex riding school cob who got sharper and sharper even in the school and who would buck people off and had a bit of a reputation but was always to her dying day safe for novices. I had a friend ride her in her dressage lessons when hers was broken, the instructor loved her because she would pick things up so quickly and found a lot of it easy. Same friend was very nervous jumping and my mare would not go out of trot to the first couple of fences no matter how much leg she used even thou she would do halt to canter on the lightest of touches, she knew what my friend needed better than she did.
She was always safe if not always sensible, would go up of down for the rider, jumped aff tracks, go off the lightest of seat and leg and was generally perfect.

Oh and when I first saw her in the ridding school I thought she was ugly and boring when I first rode her. She was lazy (dead to leg) unschooled (only 4/5 and barely backed) and a cob. What could I possibly want her for.
6 weeks of the summer holidays later I wouldn't have parted with her for all the gold in the world. I had her 15 years in the end and don't regret a day.

Safe does not mean boring, it means you can do all the things you want to do. Less limits because the horse isn't going to fall apart at the slightest leaf twitch or not jump that fence because its the wrong colour.
Also remember that there will always be people who want horse like that, if you out grow him someone will want him for what he is.
 
Cara_E said:
No. My instructor said it was up to me but she wouldn't bother.
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To be fair, it sounds more to me that the instructor would bother if she was buying, not that the OP shouldn't vet. If the OP hasn't actually committed to buying the horse yet then they wouldn't have had to vet yet so still time to vet it.
I do think the instructor should have advised to vet but I don't think she has told her not to either.
 
Even the cob could be too much for the op! Consider, this cob is tired and bored from X yrs in RS. Worked goodness how many hours per day and ridden on as little food as possible to help make profits for the owner. Once taken out of this environment, less work, more food it could be a four legged devil!!!! Especially if not ridden /handled correctly by experienced person. Ex riding school ponies can also be a prone to nappiness, they have a" follow the leader regime", this is intentional, keeps the novice rider safer and less problems for the ride leader, when the op rides out on her own she may find a certain reluctance to go forward alone. (obviously good riding schools do have some more highly schooled horses and ponies who are the essence of obedience, both alone and in company!) So, even if you have ridden this cob in the school and been out on escorted rides do see how she goes on her own.
A full vetting would be a very good idea, especially considering your last experience.
 
J&S said:
Even the cob could be too much for the op! Consider, this cob is tired and bored from X yrs in RS. Worked goodness how many hours per day and ridden on as little food as possible to help make profits for the owner. Once taken out of this environment, less work, more food it could be a four legged devil!!!! Especially if not ridden /handled correctly by experienced person. Ex riding school ponies can also be a prone to nappiness, they have a" follow the leader regime", this is intentional, keeps the novice rider safer and less problems for the ride leader, when the op rides out on her own she may find a certain reluctance to go forward alone. (obviously good riding schools do have some more highly schooled horses and ponies who are the essence of obedience, both alone and in company!) So, even if you have ridden this cob in the school and been out on escorted rides do see how she goes on her own.
A full vetting would be a very good idea, especially considering your last experience.
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Agreed.
Have a friend who bought a cob mare from a RS, thinking she's a RS pony, she'll do well to teach her daughter the ropes. How wrong was she! The mare is absolutely LOVING life, but terrifying the poor kid as a result. She refuses to go forwards regularly, because she knows she can. She'll buck when forced to go forwards, because she knows she can. She drops her head and shoulder and tips poor kiddo off, because she knows she can.

Yet, with a more experienced and tactile rider, she is SUCH fun. Jumps anything you put infront of her, flies around XC, does an ok dressage test.

Whilst this is one way of teaching a kid how to ride, since the pony does go forwards if told she has to, it's not doing anything for the poor kid's confidence. To get anything out of a pony like this, you need to have atleast the basics down and be a competent and confident rider to start, with additional lessons to boot! Otherwise it's a sure fire way to terrify the kid and make her not want to ride. In addition, she feels like crap about not being able to ride her own pony well when she sees that the pony goes well for other riders. Poor kid!
 
Not getting it vetted would be another foolish move but a good instalment in the story if we are getting our chains yanked here. I can't imagine why an instructor would remotely suggest not getting it vetted. Why would you not, plus you must, to insure at that value.
 
I would normally say the cob.....but firstly I wouldn't want to inflict any cob with an owner that isn't absolutely taken with them. Secondly I think once a couple of weeks out of the riding school, the cob will frighten the crap out of you.
The Highland mare that is ' not a novice ride' will probably frighten the crap out of you far better....and quicker.
 
I would certainly move to another riding school and have lessons there before thinking about any pony. I certainly wouldn't advise you to buy the cob or the highland at the moment. Get more experience before buying anything. I'm very suspicious of the cob and your instructor. Is she in on a cut of the price if you buy it and why doesn't she want it vetted?
 
There is some good advice here but lets not rain on OP's parade too much. She should be looking forward to enjoying her new horse and is open that she is a novice herself. Some of these replies come across a little more harshly than I think they were intended.

Points to take up on: 1. Vetting. Absolutely get this horse vetted. Also make VERY sure it is not a vet that this Riding School uses. Ask on here if you need recommendations and when you book it, just to be sure, ask the vet practise if they are the vet for x riding school
2. Go for what you can ride now. Its something I have tried not to deviate from and when I have, its with the full knowledge that my competing/heading out is on hold while training takes place. As an amateur riding 1 horse it can take a very very long time to get to the point when you can do what you want to. Now that I am older, my friends and I all agree we would never buy another 4 or 5 year old again. Nothing against the horses but at that age, they are 1 - 2 years off being able to do what I want to as I am not a pro rider.
3. Think the advise of looking elsewhere for a yard and support is not a bad one either.

Good luck!
 
I agree that your best bet could be the safer cob but my cynical side is saying that I'd be wary of your instructors motives. In your previous thread I believe you said your instructor was keen to use the cob to give someone else lessons should you buy him. Meaning that the cob has possible earning potential for her in a way that the sharper highland won't have. Cynical maybe but I'd wonder if she see's a chance to gain herself a good lesson horse with an owner she can manipulate.
 
I wouldn't want the cob and would advise against the highland. what you are looking for is not a plod nor is it a fiery temperamental who will have a nice thick neck to pul against you. i think you just need something that is honest. A horse that is really going to try for you is going to be way more fun than something that has no desire to work (either of the two you described!). I knew the moment i saw my two that they would suit me because both are very honest but also opinionated (i have never truly enjoyed riding anything that didn't at one point try to buck me off haha) but i waited 7 years before buying a horse sooo
 
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