Will I ever find and How long did it take you?

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indie999

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Well up at 6.30am to go to view.First was nice lady and horse just a bit too small(my legs would have been under belly) looked chunkier in pics than in reality.Shame gutted to be honest as lived on main road just like I do, otherwise I did like what I saw..

Next viewing today thought was going to be another contender but well.....not for me...I double checked and double checked it was 110% traffic then asked to take to main road (nearby) it has never been on it!! urghhhhhhh big urghhhhhh. So 150miles later I am still on viewing. Am thinking of using reputable dealer now. Cost petrol my time etc etc

I looked at about 5 horses before I found my old boy but How Long/Many did it take for all you out there????

Why oh why cant people tell me about being good in traffic(I stipulate HGV/Tractor/ Motor bikes as its for mine and the horses safety etc) then they dont seem to know exactly!!!

Sorry fed up again!!
 
I've said on here a few times I got so fed up the last twice at travelling well over a 1000 miles to horses that were not as described that both times I decided to only look at new adverts

Both times I bought the first horse I saw (both small dealers too)
 
Yes I have posted too recently I am in no rush(just as well at this rate)

Was just talking to someone re reputable dealer and we both agreed that will probably be the best course of action....

It certainly is a learning experience of people and their strange behaviour!!
 
When I was selling our mare I followed my daughter riding her in the town traffic with a video camera then put the vids on YouTube so potential buyers could view them.(this is cos no-one believed me when I told them how bombproof she was with hgv's motorbikes etc!) You could ask to see some videos before you go for a look to save a wasted journey. With phone technology these days it wouldn't be hard! I would certainly oblige if I was a seller!! Good luck xxx
 
Wasn't looking for me, but saw a filly on the internet at 2pm. Travelled the 31/2 hours to view. By 6.15pm, had shaken hands on the deal.
She's matured into one of the best horses I've had, a real cracker.
 
Just reading this I think the dealer may be the best option, but thank you its not an easy task trying to unravel advert jargon..harder than buying a car! Particularly a used one!

Thanks
 
I feel your pain, I have spent months looking for the right one and had no luck, despite concerted efforts. I have bought twice off dealers, once unsuccessfully and know who not to trust now, and once off a very good dealer which ended in a nasty fall and return of horse (with issues) but would def use this dealer again as she is great and wouldn't have known horse had probs and I know she didn't then sell it on (suspect went through sales). I find it very hard to trust private sellers unless through word of mouth as all I've tried weren't as described. So still going down the dealer route but with chosen well recommended ones and trying to be very patient until right one appears! I think you pay a premium through dealers as good ones are selling fast still despite the current market but I like having some come back if it all goes wrong and you never really know until you get them home and good dealers do put them through their paces. Good luck with your search, it is so demoralising especially now the sun's out and you want to enjoy a long summer together before the restrictions of winter set in!
 
With my last horse it took me around 6 months and looking at horses every weekend to find him. If they were far away I asked for videos of them before taking the time to go travel that far to view.
With my current mare I was very lucky. She came into the yard I had the last horse on livery just before he was PTS. The mare came in to be sold on for the owner. And I said that I would ride her for YO. The first time I got on her I loved her to bits. I then rode her a few more times and really really wanted her. I wasnt looking for a new horse at the time but she came along and I just had to have her. lol. My other horse went downhill and was PTS in Dec and I purchased the new mare beginning of year once everything was finalised with my gelding. And I have to say she has been the best horse I have bought in a long time :D
 
oscarwild said:
With my last horse it took me around 6 months and looking at horses every weekend to find him. If they were far away I asked for videos of them before taking the time to go travel that far to view.
With my current mare I was very lucky. She came into the yard I had the last horse on livery just before he was PTS. The mare came in to be sold on for the owner. And I said that I would ride her for YO. The first time I got on her I loved her to bits. I then rode her a few more times and really really wanted her. I wasnt looking for a new horse at the time but she came along and I just had to have her. lol. My other horse went downhill and was PTS in Dec and I purchased the new mare beginning of year once everything was finalised with my gelding. And I have to say she has been the best horse I have bought in a long time :D
Click to expand...

Good for you and must have eased your loss. I'm a great believer in fate and this must be the best way to find your new horse but one tends to despair of ever getting there after months and months!!!
 
I took me four months to find my current horse. It wasn't because I looked at alot that were unsuitable, I just couldn't find anything I wanted to look at that was still for sale. My horses ad came up on the internet on Tuesday pm, I phoned immediately and looked at him on the Wednesday and he was home with me the following Monday. He was only 20 mins drive from me too.

The problem I had was that most horses had been sold before I phoned or when I interrogated the owner I didn't hear what I wanted to hear. I remember getting despondent because although the six or so horses I tried were OK I didn't really click with any.

Don't give up. The right horse will turn up just when you aren't expecting it.
 
I have nothing against private sellers (and have been one myself!). I was being somewhat half cocked about selling my horse, keeping an eye on ads and not seeing anything spectecular. I went to a dealer with a friend to look at some projects for her and fell for my new boy. I was lucky, new horse was vetted the following day and I collected him on Wednesday. My previous horse went up for sale on Monday, seen on Friday, vetted following Tuesday and gone by the weekend (to a really really nice couple).

Doesn't often work like that but think someone was looking out for me. I had sat on my hands and kept my previous horse as he was (is) great but the eventing bug finally lured me back!
 
I lost my last pony 7 weeks ago today. I knew straight away that I NEEDED another one and started looking at ads the following day, but nothing stood out and said "buy me". A couple of days later, I was on another forum and saw photos that another member had posted of 2 of her youngsters. One of them immediately stood out and I knew that she was "The One". After finding out that the pony I liked would soon be for sale, I contacted her breeder who emailed me lots of photos. Within the week, I had agreed to buy the pony and travelled from Edinburgh down to the New Forest to see and buy her. I went down on 16th May and my new pony arrived here on 20th May.
I knew exactly what I wanted, a forest bred New Forest Pony, a filly, and a maximum age of 2yo. Callie is everything I was looking for and more. She is settling in very well in her new home and I'm glad I travelled over 1000 miles (round trip) to buy her. :)
 
Sorry every horse I've ever had has found me instead of vice versa!!! I have been out horse shopping for others, but always been youngsters, unbroken etc, so basically you like what you see or you don't!! must be very hard and very annoying, sometimes though I feel people rule out horses based on past experiences or reputation i.e tb's, etc, once had someone looking for a horse for their younger sister who'd lost confidence, we had at the yard a 4 yo tb, who was a complete dope on a rope! I told them to come and see her, they very nearly didn't just because of what she was... a 4 yo tb!! They eventually came and after trying her a couple of times they did buy her, and had a fab time, last I heard was that they were hacking out and hunting together!! But a friend travelled half way across the country to see a horse that when she got there she saw wind sucking (no mention of it on phone)!! Problem is I suppose, knowing who to trust. If you can find a reputable dealer with a good reputation, preferably by word of mouth then definately go and have a look. Or try to find a collection of horses in the same area to view in the same day/weekend and stay over night etc???... good luck. x
 
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9 months 1 failed vetting and still looking :(

Is very hard especially as the market seems all over the place at the moment

Agree with previous posts about being 1st to phone/ view as the true good ones are still going very quickly.

I have got to stage where I won't get in car without a video now but even that has it's challenges - saw a lovely horse few weeks ago e mailed with some questions and request for pictures and video as horse was 3 hours away and got a horrid ranting e mail back about how she didn't have a video because she was not a dealer!??!

I have stayed away from dealers so far but am beginning to think I may have no choice at this rate.
 
It took me 8 months to find the perfect one. Then he only went and popped his cloggs bless his heart.

We get a call a few weeks later from a friend, they said that we can have their pony but he's in a field and hasn't done anything for a few months. We took him home scrubbed him up and he's turned out to be the best (albeit nuttiest) little horse I've ever had the pleasure of owning. :)
 
I bought J after looking at 3 over a weekend, I was looking for an unbroken quality Connemara as my budget would not stretch to what I wanted broken. I bought him on type and temprement only, he passed the vet on the Wednesday and I picked him up the following Saturday. B was similar, I was looking for a pony for a friends son and went to try a pony for them which was perfect, they also had B who had just been backed a couple of weeks so was not suitable for my friends but I liked him so much I bought him, they were not dealers, they were selling daughters 14h worker and B to put the money into a 14.2 JA for her as she had given up showing. I needed another horse like a hole in the head so I planned to bring him on to sell on pretty quickly but ended up having him for 5.5 wonderful years! Maybe I have been lucky!
 
Bad enough the other way round, trying to sell/loan and the nutters have come flying out of the woodwork.
 
I was quite lucky finding my current boy. I was looking for a horse and in the mean time was clipping our local dealers hunters. He has a lot of horses come and go, I tried a few but didn't click with any. He then picked up a horse he had sold as the owner just couldn't get on with him so dealer bought him back to sell. When i enquired about him he was out of my price range :(, anyway a couple of weeks later horse was in my stable and dealer said try him. Mentioned again I couldn't afford him, and he said if I liked him I could buy him for what money I had :) result!!
 
My first girl - started looking in June, found her at the end of August. The only boxes she ticked from my original list were temperament, size and straight movement. I drove hundreds of miles, called many many numbers and probably actually saw about four or five before her. Still got her, she's been my best friend for a long time now.

Second one - fell into my lap. Was in same field as the other one, owner knew me and asked if I'd like her. She then chose OH so she's his now as she's devoted to him lol!

Third - ad on horsequest - first I went to see. Wanted something young to back and play with, she ticked the boxes. On loan now.

Fourth - ad on horsemart. First one, loved her, good price. She's maturing slowly but we will get there and she will be my dream dressage mare if she keeps herself in one piece. She had quite a few 'issues' but the price was right and I had the time lol!
 
Buying horses is a nightmare! Our best ones have been word of mouth/found us. I brought two from dealers who lied and it didn't work out.
I'm helping my friend horse shop at the moment and we drove a 5hr round trip to see this 'amazing' horse. Friend has a very big budget to buy dream horse. Arrived to see it napping on the yard.. It had to be led to the school where it then napped by the gate and kept napping everytime it went past the gate. Not very helpful when one wants a dressage horse!
We only stayed 10 minutes before we began the 2-3hr drive home, on the way back the bloody car broke down!
We have learnt our lesson though and will be looking local from now on! It was a super expensive dressage horse as well but it didn't even move that well.
The only good thing to come out of it was it made us realise just how nice our current horses are!!
 
I think being prepared to travel is really important, even in spite of the strong possibility that when you get there it will be a clear case of "not for me" and a long journey home again.

if there are a lot of boxes to tick, you either need to suck it up and get looking all over the UK, or be prepared to wait potentially a long time for the right one to come to you.
 
I was very lucky with mine. I went to see one who ticked all the boxes, but didnt really jump out at me. A week later i went to see my boy, fell in love with him (even though he didnt necessarily tick all the boxes on the day - i wanted something to low-level event and this one was so nervous with his old owner he wouldnt even go over an 18inch x pole, even tho i'd been told she'd team chased him) and a week later after vetting ect he was mine. After alot of time and patience, he's now jumping up to 3ft6 at home, and i'd have taken him to hunter trials this summer if i wasnt pregnant!

i think its important not to go to a view with the thought that 'this one is perfect in the ad, it must be perfect when i get there', as most of the time that wouldnt be the case. I think its important to know when to compromise, and understand what you may be able to work on yourself (like i did with mine) and what you really can't live with.

when i started to look i decided i didnt want to travel out of more than 100 mile radius (as i didnt have my own horse transport and would be hiring), so because of this i resigned myself to having a long hunt ahead of me. but like i said, i was very lucky.
 
This is the pony I have just bought
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After seeing a few photos online of her, her sire, dam, grandparents and her dam's dam, I arranged to go see her. Her temperament is fantastic, as are her parents/grandparents. This is a forest bred New Forest pony, born and lived there all of her 2 years, and was brought off the forest for handling just 3 weeks before I bought her. I bought her as a future all rounder for myself, as I have arthritis and a bigger horse would not be suitable for me. As well as M&M showing, we will do a little dressage and riding club level competitions. :)
Don't give up hope, the right horse for you is out there somewhere :).
 
Off to see another so will let you know what happens this time round!!! yawn yawn....sounds too good to be true AGAIN
 
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