Would this annoy you if you were selling a horse?

[Annagain]

206743 also looks nice and I've said several times on here I'd love a horse called Malcolm! I'm guessing it's quite an old advert from the reference number but it's never come up in a search before even though I've not changed the criteria ( I always search up to 8k as they might take an offer!) - strange.

 

[splashgirl45]

206743 also looks nice and I've said several times on here I'd love a horse called Malcolm! I'm guessing it's quite an old advert from the reference number but it's never come up in a search before even though I've not changed the criteria ( I always search up to 8k as they might take an offer!) - strange.

yes he does sound good but you would expect a conformation pic and video for a price of £8000, 2 jumping pics dont really show his build etc

 

[Annagain]

yes he does sound good but you would expect a conformation pic and video for a price of £8000, 2 jumping pics dont really show his build etc

Oh yes, I wouldn't be traipsing half way across the country unless I was certain he was the right build!

 

[splashgirl45]

nt equine have a chunky 16 hands called charlie ref 212785, but i am not sure about his front feet and looks like a choppy trot, although walk and canter look good. dont know if they are a dodgy dealer though...

 

[Annagain]

nt equine have a chunky 16 hands called charlie ref 212785, but i am not sure about his front feet and looks like a choppy trot, although walk and canter look good. dont know if they are a dodgy dealer though...

They have an excellent reuptation from the research I've done. I have him on my list but again a bit worried he'd be great in 2 years but maybe not now - in the sense that he needs to fill out a bit?

 

[Leo Walker]

Thanks, he does look nice. I think I saw him a while back and ruled him out as MK seems so far away but I think I'm going to have to extend my search area.

I'm fairly close. I'm happy to go and have a look and make sure hes the right size, height and sound etc before you make a big trip. I can probably find out who owns him and a bit of background as well if you want

 

[Annagain]

I'm fairly close. I'm happy to go and have a look and make sure hes the right size, height and sound etc before you make a big trip. I can probably find out who owns him and a bit of background as well if you want

That's so kind LW. Thank you. i'll give them a ring asap and let you know what comes of it. It makes a bit of feed look very stingy now!

 

[Leo Walker]

ha, dont worry about it. Theres nothing more fun than horse shopping with someone elses money!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Completely this.
ISH is effectively a studbook, not a breed. They contain various % of TB, draught, Warmbloods.
There are plenty of ISH that will carry 14st all day long out there.

If I were particularly looking for a weight-carrier, I would want to evaluate any potential ISH carefully before going to view. I was not under the impression that the horse in question was 17.2 or anywhere near that. I had a 16.3hh IDx but she was most likely crossed with a Hanoverian, there was certainly no TB visible. She carried 14 stone easily, even though she was rather long-backed. In these days of photo ads, it should be relatively easy to decide whether a horse is worth viewing or not, imo.

 

[spacefaer]

I also like the look of 213324

I know this dealer and she has a good reputation for no pressure selling.

206743 also looks nice and I've said several times on here I'd love a horse called Malcolm! I'm guessing it's quite an old advert from the reference number but it's never come up in a search before even though I've not changed the criteria ( I always search up to 8k as they might take an offer!) - strange.

I would be surprised if Malcolm has enough bone for you.....

Would you consider a coloured?? (I know you said no greys....)

 

[Annagain]

I know this dealer and she has a good reputation for no pressure selling.



I would be surprised if Malcolm has enough bone for you.....

Would you consider a coloured?? (I know you said no greys....)

A coloured with minimal white, yes. Buddy the ref above would be fine. The grey thing is manly melanomas but partly that I’ve had my fill of scrubbing. 3 of my 4 horses have been grey.

 

[JanetGeorge]

Thanks all, I thought that’s what the answers would be. I am having the conversations but some of the answers I’m getting are so vague and no matter how many times I ask the question in different ways I don’t get the answers I need e.g
me: “How much bone does he have”
Seller “oh he’s quite a big chap.”
Me: “Have you measured how much bone he has?”
Seller “he’s a good allround type”
Me: I need to know how much bone he has. I’m 14 stone, will he carry me?
Seller: “He’s 16.1 you know, he’s a tall chap”
Me: I’m more interested in how well built he is than his height
Seller: “he’s not fat, he’s fit and ready to go
Me: “Thanks, I don’t think he’s for me, bye”

That’s probably the worst conversation but not the only one. I just thought a questionnaire might avoid conversations like that!

lol, as a seller of home-breds I know VERY well, those questions would be easy. This pic was taken a year ago, when he was 4 - he's now 16.3 with 91/2" of bone. And yes, he'd carry 14 stone easily - and - as things stand at the moment - throw that 14 stone through the manege fence quite easily, lol. (He started 'taking off' 3 days before a vetting so I cancelled it.) Buyer is still keen (she rode him as did her Instructor before the problem started and he went well - and she was capable enough to trust with a young, green horse.) And - with vet's help - found the latest problem (sharp hooks on the two back lower molars causing ulceration - and pain) despite him having had his teeth done 2 months earlier and misplaced wolf teeth removed. On Monday, we'll have our first try again - but any decisions will take a while. Many buyers would have run a mile by now. I think I should write a questionnaire for potential buyers. It would start with 'do you want a perfect horse with NO potential problems' - if yes, I can't help you.

 

[sport horse]

My last horse sold in 24 hours including vetting! I had over 20 enquiries including a waiting list. Your questionairre would have been binned!

 

[Jellymoon]

Can you not tell from pictures if it’s going to be able to carry your weight? I have no idea how much bone any of my horses have, I’ve never measured them, and if someone not knowing that is ‘your worst conversation’ and seriously puts you off, you perhaps will be looking for a long time!

 

[MagicMelon]

Whilst I dont mind the idea and I'd be happy enough to fill one out, I think others who were perhaps less honest wouldnt do it as they'd worry what was put down in writing could come back and bite them - like if they said their horse never bucked on the questionnaire then it did with you, you'd use it in court etc. I'd probably worry about that too even being totally honest!

I would also start wondering if you were possibly a timewaster who must be looking at an awful lot of horses to need to sit down and issue questionnaires...

When I'm looking for a horse, I write down the questions I want to ask on the phone and listen to how they answer them / change in their voice etc. as you can often tell a lot just from that!

If you're asking about how much bone the horse has - I would have no clue! I'd simply ask you what you weighed then give my opinion as to if you'd suit my horse.

 

[spacefaer]

The bone question is interesting. When I was looking at horses for myself, I never queried the bone, as it was pre-OH and I was looking at the standard 16.1-16.2hh bay gelding event type.
Now I look at horses for him, and will always ask for the bone measurement. If we have ever sold a horse to a man, that's also one of the first things we tell him, or one of the first things he will ask.
As anyone who has read my posts over the years will know, we have 17hh++ IDs. They are all either mwt or hwt stamps and will have at least a minimum of 9.5, usually 9.75, hopefully 10" bone.

The number of times I have rung about a horse to be told "sure and it has good bone" and I sigh heavily. Getting an accurate measurement can be like pulling teeth. I've been told a hwt horse "with good bone" has a measurement of 8".... that's light for a TB - not sure where they measured that one.........

 

[Keith_Beef]

The bone question is interesting. When I was looking at horses for myself, I never queried the bone, as it was pre-OH and I was looking at the standard 16.1-16.2hh bay gelding event type.
Now I look at horses for him, and will always ask for the bone measurement. If we have ever sold a horse to a man, that's also one of the first things we tell him, or one of the first things he will ask.
As anyone who has read my posts over the years will know, we have 17hh++ IDs. They are all either mwt or hwt stamps and will have at least a minimum of 9.5, usually 9.75, hopefully 10" bone.

The number of times I have rung about a horse to be told "sure and it has good bone" and I sigh heavily. Getting an accurate measurement can be like pulling teeth. I've been told a hwt horse "with good bone" has a measurement of 8".... that's light for a TB - not sure where they measured that one.........

I find this very interesting... Which bone is it, and what dimension are you measuring?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I find this very interesting... Which bone is it, and what dimension are you measuring?

https://equusmagazine.com/management/analyze_your_horses_proportions_122809

 

[JanetGeorge]

I find this very interesting... Which bone is it, and what dimension are you measuring?

You measure the circumference of the foreleg, just below the knee. A big heavyweight horse will have around 10". Like my old boy - 17hh, 10" of bone, a real 'old fashioned' stamp of Irish Draught. (And no, he wasn't slightly sway backed - 20 years old when this was taken and the angle is slightly 'off'.) Obviously it isn'y JUST bone you look at - a good weight carrier must have depth, and a great backside as well. And not too long a back.

 

[Annagain]

I wasn't sure whether to post this - just because I'm so undecided but you lot might have some good advice so why not.

Well, I had a very interesting weekend! I have an acquaintance who does schooling, show producing and has the odd sales livery with her partner. They have one I'd been trying to see for a few weeks and things kept getting in the way - including their arena being out of action so she brought him to my yard for me to try on Saturday. During the time we were trying to sort something out, they decided to sell one of theirs as they're so busy with the ones they're being paid to do, he's not getting a look in so they chucked him on the lorry too.

The one I was supposed to be seeing was far too green and sensitive for me (I can cope with green and I can cope with sensitive but not the two together!) but the 'extra' one was really sweet and I really liked him. I even had a little (really little!) jump on him - my first not on either of my two boys for about 20 years and I wasn't terrified! Our arena is quite 'busy'. It's surrounded on 3 sides by fields, 1 with horses (electric fenced off but only about 10ft away and they were all lined up wondering who the new kid was) 1 with cows and 1 with sheep. There's also a big creaky barn right next to the school and haylage bales stacked on half the 4th side. It was really windy, the barn was creaking and the haylage bales were flapping and he just took it all in his stride even though it was all completely new to him.

There's a twist though - and I'm fully aware how ridiculous this sounds given the way the discussion on here was going - he's a TB! I never thought I'd be looking at a TB and had they told me they were bringing him I'd have told them not to. He's even raced - or as they said taken part in races, you couldn't call what he did racing. He was useless apparently and I can see why as he is so laid back. They've done well showing him in ROR classes for the last 4 years so he's seen a lot of the world but he's not done a huge amount of jumping. He was very calm and honest to a fence though, I rode him really badly and he still popped over nicely and I felt safe on him in that regard.

He's the chunkiest TB I've ever met and about 16.3/17hh (they haven't measured him as they haven't advertised him yet) so I didn't feel big on him at all. The only thing I'm struggling with is he has no neck and shoulders (compared to my two heffalumps at least) and I feel a bit precarious on him. I'm not sure at the moment if it's a case of getting used to it or if I'll always feel uncomfortable. I've always had chunky types so not really thought about it before. I'm taking him out for a hack on Wednesday so will see how I feel after that. I fear it may take me a few goes to decide but I don't want to waste their time by trying him 3 or 4 times and then deciding I can't get over it. It'll be my fault not his/theirs.

 

[be positive]

Tb's can be sane, even ones that raced can be very laid back and with the added benefit of having seen a lot of the world so no reason to not consider buying one with a good proven background which this has.
I am surprised he feels as if he has no neck or shoulders at that size and it may be just a case of getting used to him, I would go for the hack and take it from there, they will need him exercised anyway, know he is not what you were looking for and have not yet advertised him so as long as you are keeping them in the loop I do not see it as timewasting if you are seriously considering him, if he were mine I would be encouraging you to try him as much as you wanted as it would save the trouble of dealing with strangers and if you did not buy him it would only put back the advertising for a week or so.

 

[AandK]

Tb's can be sane, even ones that raced can be very laid back and with the added benefit of having seen a lot of the world so no reason to not consider buying one with a good proven background which this has.
I am surprised he feels as if he has no neck or shoulders at that size and it may be just a case of getting used to him, I would go for the hack and take it from there, they will need him exercised anyway, know he is not what you were looking for and have not yet advertised him so as long as you are keeping them in the loop I do not see it as timewasting if you are seriously considering him, if he were mine I would be encouraging you to try him as much as you wanted as it would save the trouble of dealing with strangers and if you did not buy him it would only put back the advertising for a week or so.

Completely agree with this. My new boy is 16hh compared to my 16.3hh that I have had for 17yrs, old boy is a TB type (unknown breeding) but much bigger all round compared to new boy. 4 months in and I am very used to him now! When you are very used to one horse, it is always different riding a new one. I'd go for the hack on Weds and see how you feel.

 

[Annagain]

Tb's can be sane, even ones that raced can be very laid back and with the added benefit of having seen a lot of the world so no reason to not consider buying one with a good proven background which this has.
I am surprised he feels as if he has no neck or shoulders at that size and it may be just a case of getting used to him, I would go for the hack and take it from there, they will need him exercised anyway, know he is not what you were looking for and have not yet advertised him so as long as you are keeping them in the loop I do not see it as timewasting if you are seriously considering him, if he were mine I would be encouraging you to try him as much as you wanted as it would save the trouble of dealing with strangers and if you did not buy him it would only put back the advertising for a week or so.

Thanks, this is what a friend has said too. I think I'm just preprogrammed to feel guilty about everything, it must be that 1/8 of me that's Irish Catholic! His TBness doesn't bother me in the slightest in terms of his temperament, some of the sweetest horses I've known have been TBs. Size / weight carrying ability has been the only reason I've not been considering them. I know what you mean that he must have a decent neck at that size but don't forget my boys are that size AND chunky (A's breeding is unknown but we suspect ID x something slightly lighter and M is TB x Shire x Sec D). They've probably got 80 kilos on him. I'll definitely see him on Weds, and as you say, as long as I'm totally honest they can decide whether to wait for me to try him a few more times or advertise him. If I then miss out on him by being indecisive that's my hard luck.

 

[ihatework]

I think if you are seriously considering TB you need to be hyper critical on confo, limbs and back especially. There is no reason why a 17hh well put together with strong musculature Tb won’t do the job for you. But you might run into trouble over time ifcthe topline is weak.

 

[spacefaer]

Is he big enough? Not many TBs are up to weight - height isn't a guarantee of weight carrying ability.

 

[Leo Walker]

I think people think that but it's not really true. A well built, not spindly TV of that sIe should easily carry 15 stone.

 

[Annagain]

He's huge. Other than his neck and head, there's nothing that suggests TB about him. His backside was easily as big as Archie's and he's very deep. His body didn't feel skinny, I could get my elgs on him easily (I struggled with that on the one I tried that WAS too small) and he wears the same size rugs as my two. I felt totally comfortable on him weightwise and I'm the first to say "no, I'm too big." I'd always err on that side rather than trying with something that felt too small...and yes it's obviously something I will ask my vet to consider carefully. As he's local I can use my vet who knows me well which is a bonues.

 

[Horse2018]

Tb are very strong and can carry a lot of weight . If you like him buy him I remember looking for a 15 hand cob ended up with 16.2 hand Irish sport horse .

 

[Horse2018]

He's huge. Other than his neck and head, there's nothing that suggests TB about him. His backside was easily as big as Archie's and he's very deep. His body didn't feel skinny, I could get my elgs on him easily (I struggled with that on the one I tried that WAS too small) and he wears the same size rugs as my two. I felt totally comfortable on him weightwise and I'm the first to say "no, I'm too big." I'd always err on that side rather than trying with something that felt too small...and yes it's obviously something I will ask my vet to consider carefully. As he's local I can use my vet who knows me well which is a bonues.

If you like these horse I would buy him. horses like him are hard to find and would be sold very quickly.

 

[marmalade88]

I went through a search similar to this last year, wanted a cobx or ISH type: ended up with a bit TB. He's 16.3, big boned, wide, deep and is an absolute dope on a rope. People always ask what breed he is and are slightly surprised by TB because of the size of his joints and head, although bred for flat racing he reminds me of the old big national hunt types.

If you like him don't be put off by he fact he's a TB! Please please please don't. I know what you mean about the neck and shoulders but now my boy has muscled up with work he's a real chuck of a horse, although if the one you tried has been showing I would expect him to have good musculature. I also think they have a slightly natural lower head carriage than the cob types, just with the way the neck is set on the shoulder. Please let us know how it goes!