would you buy this horse?

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tinker88

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Irish Green Passport 6yr mare, 16.2hh, broken and ridden away but since being imported hant done any work for 4 months really, lunges and long reins ok, lovely nature, and good to do all ways - just very very very green..... has recently thrown a jockey off (racing jockey who came to ride her)

i touched her back seems sore - dosnt seem to be around the spine area thou. maybe a trapped/tight muscle.

Anyway - worth a gamble??? Shes cheap and got FAB breeding. Quite a plain looking horse , but should jump.

if she dosnt work out i thought she could be a broodmare, but what would you get for a broodmare with king of diamonds/cloverhill breeding?
 
Sounds my type of horse, I would have a two stage vetting and ask them to especially look at the back. Probably just had the wrong saddle on.
 
all depends what her back issue is, if say it's kissing spines or something conformational/permanent then any future as a ridden or broodmare is fairly dim. Why is the horses back sore if it's had 4 months off work? I'd be having a vetting personally, otherwise greeness wouldn't bother me, but it's unusal for a 6 year old irish import to be that green?
 
No, took a risk on a horse with a sore back (and it's not like I went into it blind, he had clear x rays), similar story to yours, not something I would ever do again :(
 
absolutely not. However if you are still interested, i would have a 5 stage vetting and tell the vet your concerns. A 2 stage vetting in my opinion would not be in depth enough for like this.
 
Nope, my experience of Irish horses is that they tend to be broken early so wouldn't expect a 6 year old to have those problems from beng green, so would presume its tempremental or physical
 
There are far too many nice (or at least healthy) horses on the market to potentially throw good money after bad with major problems, it's a no from me!
 
that was my concern too, most irish 3yr old have hunted etc etc.

The story is that the lady (novicey - in her 50's....dont ask why they bought a green horse to hack - she needs a COB) bought her straight off the boat as a hack, has been ridden in ireland but still green.

The horse isnt a hack and needs schooling so she sent the horsey straight away (in January) to be schooled for 4 weeks, - the horse has been doing well, but she noticed that the guy riding her was sitting gently on her back when he first mounted her.

Then shes hacked her etc, and horse has been ok, she she taken her back home

she didnt ride for a week to let horsey settle in, then got a jockey friend to have a ride before she went out hacking, and horse did ok, but he said she was green.

Then she didnt ride her for quite a few weeks, and got her friend back to ride her again, now the good weather is here. The horse tipped him off ...? (apparently didnt "throw" him off, but dropped her head and shoulder and plop he went?)

and since then (this was 3 weeks ago) they have only lunged/long reined her (and they've not been doing that right either!)

Weve been to view her horse seems great, just a sore back, ive lunged and long rein/double lunged her and she was fine.

I leant over her fine, (after i worked her - but she did seem a bit better once her muscles had warmed up)

The only thing i can guess is that in ireland they have had a foal off her? hence why shes a late starter??
 
if shes had time off work, i would kind of expect her to have a weaker back. she needs to build up muscle.

TBH, i would ask if you could have a back lady out to see the horse and get their opinion.
 
Sounds like they are struggling to manage her and will struggle to sell her. Would they consider a LWVTB so you could do a bit more research?
 
I would be very surprised if this mare hasn't bred at least one foal - probably bred a couple in Ireland - 2 weeks backing and sent off to the UK for someone to buy expecting her to have done at least 2 seasons hunting as would be more usual with a gelding.

If you do buy - buyer beware and all that - I would restart completely as though she has never been backed.
 
I would be cautious but I would do it. I bought a nice big horse who had had the winter off and bought from the field fairly cheaply (for what he is now but expensive for the risk) the owner admitted that he was too big and he used to buck her off. Got him home and he was a bit lame (he hadn’t been shod for 12 weeks) so got a knowledgeable lady to have a look at him and felt his back and was like this horse has never been broke, got his feet sorted and got a jockey on him first and he has been a great horse that my instructors think will go all of the way eventing. He is cold backed and i do have to watch if I haven’t ridden him for a few days but touch wood he has never bucked with me and is great, Id certainly do it again!

If the person is very genuine sounding it would help. But I would still get a vet and possibly chiropractor. Are you close to her, maybe you could go and work with her for a few days get a good feel maybe get on her. The jockey may not have been that great, my horse struck out at the jockey to begin with but he was a bit to big and bold for my horse if you get what I mean and he softened himself and my horse instantly softened.
 
It's a gamble. I agree that vetting should be done and get someone out to look at her back.

Don't trust a thing the owner says, as above treat it as buyer beware.
 
Yes I would buy her if she passes vetting. It is likely that the horse has gone backwards with a novice new owner. She maybe a clever mare and got the better of her quickly. If you have the experience to bring on a green horse you could end up with a horse worth twice the current asking price in a year. Not all horses here (Ireland) are hunting at 3 or even broken by 4. With a green book there must be previous owners listed on the passport - try to contact them or the breeder.
 
No - I really wouldn't. There are too many hoses out there with no issues to warrant buying one with no matter how cheap. Odds on she'll cost you more in the long run than if you buy one without back issues. I've been through it all with a kissing spines horse, so sore backs are a big no no for me.

And why would you want to breed from her? She may have lovely lines, but if she herself has not proved to be useful than how can you justify breeding from her?

Walk away and keep looking - you'll find a better one just round the corner......
 
Not one for me but I have no experience in anything less than straightforward beasts so could never even pretend to be abe to have a little project as id fail the horse big time. If its cheap as in a few hundred then yeah as it sounds like it needs a summer off and then re backing. If you have the time and two grand to spend on physio good tack and all the other crap that could be your way then yeah?
 
Just thrown off a jockey?! I wouldn't beleive the woman for a second!!!!!! There are plenty of nice horses out there - horses like that are best left to professionals, you will end up getting hurt! The story may be genuine but i still wouldn't gamble on it!
 
As above post! I wouldn't necessarily believe the 'dumped jockey' explanation. I assume she meant 'race' jockey? Maybe she used the term loosely, as in it was her inexperienced 11 neice riding her (jockey) and got dumped???!!! All the real jockeys I know aren't phased by normal messing about and stick in the saddle pretty well.

Dont always trust 'oldies' - even we older people get desperate and embelish to truth on occasions. And I can especially imagine it happening if you're one stuck with a difficult horse to 'get rid'.

Also, not sure I'd want to breed from a plain looking mare, and particularly one that's got no proven record. You'll never know if she can jump if you can't get her going! Beware the breeding plan, too.
 
Agree Spyda!

Although I would say don't be put of by the 'plain horse' front cover, there could be a lot more behind it! Do you have papers for the mare/know how its bred?
 
£1k is way too much for the horse you have described.

Can you not sit on her where she is and see what happens?

I wouldn't buy anything with known issues unless I sat on it or saw someone else sit on it before handing over any money.
 
5 stage vetting, obviously - but doesn't sound as if there's anything wrong with the horse other than having a novice owner, no work and possibly a cold back.

If you're up to the task - then why not??
 
i did lunge and long rein teh horse, and lean on it when i went to view, so did flexion tests, trotted up etc. seems a genuine place, with numpty owners tbh.

The jockey was a race jockey, who because when he rode it the last time horse was like a donkey - altkhough green she said he was relaxed, and horse tipped him off (this is the bit im not sure about?)

i have broken and sold many problem horses, and enjoy doing it. and this horse dosnt seem half as bad as some.

she has fantastic breeding and a good friend has a great ID stallion that i could use if needed.

so apart from the vet doing bloods, eye tests, what else could they tell me, apart from its not lame?

the lady who owns the horse lives in race horse country so she sent the horse to a "training yard" to be re-schooled??? (why choose a race horse yard - but she said it was a friend of a friends who needed the work, she says she regrets it now.)

i quite fancy the horse but im just not decided.

the horse WOULD be eventually to bring on and sell, but not till its competed and done well. (not an in and out job - i normally keep them min 6 months)
 
You obviously want the back checked.

As for sending the horse to a training yard - they do a really good job of the basics, so wouldn't discount it at all.

Let us know what you decide and how you get on.
 
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