Would you like to buy a 'made' horse...

milliepops

milliepops

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or do you prefer to train your own?

Inspired by a thread I saw elsewhere looking for an advanced horse. It's a theoretical question for me personally, I have no budget available :o so perhaps I'd feel different if I had cash in the bank!

So, putting aside the scenario, say you were a young rider looking to make the age classes, etc where timescales might be a factor, would you want to buy a horse that was already trained and competing towards the top of it's discipline, or do you prefer to make the journey together with your horse?

Personally, I get so much out of training my horses and learning together that I don't think I'd find *as much* satisfaction competing something that already knew so much. I like the steady development of a partnership and sense of achievement more, I think. Though it's fun to sit on schoolmasters and have a play now and then - that just refreshes my desire to train my own to that level :)

Dunno, other than my own personal impatience, I can't see the appeal that much - over to HHO for some different perspectives? Would you love to hop on and go whizzing up the levels?
 
I pretty much have the same view - its all very fun sitting on a horse with all the buttons but i just get off and think ooh i can't wait till i can teach mine that.

I also take a lot of confidence from knowing i've put the training in, i know exactly what my horses limits and strengths are. I feel like having something already trained i wouldn't know and would take just as much to learn all those little bits as if i'd just put all the buttons there in the first place.

I'm also not the best rider so i probably couldn't ride something fully trained! At least if I'm doing the training my horses are quite used to me being a bit of a pleb, something more finely tuned would probably take great offence and my often unhelpful ness! I've spent a lot of time with people who have bought ready to go horses and i can't say they have any more fun than I do!

i also don't have the budget for that so as you say, its all pretty hypothetical!
 
LeannePip said:
i also don't have the budget for that so as you say, its all pretty hypothetical!
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Well that's the thing, it's useful to not feel hard done by when there's no alternative :lol: but perhaps I'm missing something and I should start playing the lottery! Though tbh I still think I'd buy a super young horse and a shedload of lessons.

I think you're being a bit unkind to yourself btw, you are doing a fab job with your youngster! "pleb" indeed :p

I was thinking back to when I was eventing, and I agree, I liked knowing every inch of my horse in terms of strengths and weaknesses then.
 
milliepops said:
or do you prefer to train your own?

Inspired by a thread I saw elsewhere looking for an advanced horse. It's a theoretical question for me personally, I have no budget available :o so perhaps I'd feel different if I had cash in the bank!

So, putting aside the scenario, say you were a young rider looking to make the age classes, etc where timescales might be a factor, would you want to buy a horse that was already trained and competing towards the top of it's discipline, or do you prefer to make the journey together with your horse?

Personally, I get so much out of training my horses and learning together that I don't think I'd find *as much* satisfaction competing something that already knew so much. I like the steady development of a partnership and sense of achievement more, I think. Though it's fun to sit on schoolmasters and have a play now and then - that just refreshes my desire to train my own to that level :)

Dunno, other than my own personal impatience, I can't see the appeal that much - over to HHO for some different perspectives? Would you love to hop on and go whizzing up the levels?
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There are so many variations that every answer will be different, a "made" horse to some is one that is properly established in all the basics, has done some competing with decent results but has not yet found it's limit and is still young enough to progress up the levels, to others it is a horse that has got to the top of it's ability and is now ready to drop down to be a schoolmaster.

Not everyone is capable, interested, has the time etc to start with a really green horse and if they have a reasonable budget they will be more than happy to buy a well started horse, sometimes it can be almost as difficult to get on a made horse and find the correct buttons as it can to start from scratch, I love starting green youngsters but riding a made one can also be fun and rewarding in different ways.
 
milliepops said:
Well that's the thing, it's useful to not feel hard done by when there's no alternative :lol: but perhaps I'm missing something and I should start playing the lottery! Though tbh I still think I'd buy a super young horse and a shedload of lessons.

I think you're being a bit unkind to yourself btw, you are doing a fab job with your youngster! "pleb" indeed :p

I was thinking back to when I was eventing, and I agree, I liked knowing every inch of my horse in terms of strengths and weaknesses then.
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If i won the lottery i think the only ready made horse i'd by would be something to hunt, a been there jumped it sort, point and shoot. and possibly something really smart at 90/100 so we could skip the baby wobbles and lots of falling off, but with not much mileage and then get lots and lots of lessons!

Maybe it is more so with eventing, i think i'd be quite happy to pop on a dressage school master and have a bash at it, but i wouldn't just hop on an eventer and have a bash regardless of whether it was successful levels above my attempts!
 
I bought a very "made" horse, but I didn't buy him because he was made - I bought him because he deserved a chance, and his owner at the time wasn't able to give him that. She bought him to do a job, and he couldn't/wouldn't. I don't condemn her for the choice she made - I'm very grateful that she did.
I have no real competition aspirations, and I'd already bought a baby and produced him, so I didn't have any boxes I really wanted to tick. I knew how to ride a horse like Alf, so felt that he and I could have some fun together - and we have had tonnes! He is currently off games, possibly permanently, but he doesn't owe anyone a thing, so if he needs to retire, then so be it.
I can't take any credit for his ability to do the GP moves, but I like to think I can take some for prolonging his life a lot longer than was in the plan.
 
be positive said:
There are so many variations that every answer will be different, a "made" horse to some is one that is properly established in all the basics, has done some competing with decent results but has not yet found it's limit and is still young enough to progress up the levels, to others it is a horse that has got to the top of it's ability and is now ready to drop down to be a schoolmaster.

Not everyone is capable, interested, has the time etc to start with a really green horse and if they have a reasonable budget they will be more than happy to buy a well started horse, sometimes it can be almost as difficult to get on a made horse and find the correct buttons as it can to start from scratch, I love starting green youngsters but riding a made one can also be fun and rewarding in different ways.
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Absolutely agree there's hundreds of answers, am not looking for a 'truth' ;) for reference the thread that inspired my question was looking for a psg horse so assuminga high degree of competence in the rider.

LeannePip said:
If i won the lottery i think the only ready made horse i'd by would be something to hunt, a been there jumped it sort, point and shoot. and possibly something really smart at 90/100 so we could skip the baby wobbles and lots of falling off, but with not much mileage and then get lots and lots of lessons!

Maybe it is more so with eventing, i think i'd be quite happy to pop on a dressage school master and have a bash at it, but i wouldn't just hop on an eventer and have a bash regardless of whether it was successful levels above my attempts!
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Good point about the hunting, it's the one thing I hate starting off and I've been putting off taking my baby horse .... in fact I think I've talked myself out of it, hehe.
 
Me too, mine will go through life never knowing the sound of a hunting horn! I will miss it, but i just won't do it from scratch again - was a bit naive doing it blind the first time around!
 
Have spent what felt like most of the past ten years teaching young/green horses how to trot in circles, and being thwarted by circumstance (end of ride, injury, loss of horse) I wanted something at least slightly established that could take me straight out at Prelim / Novice, and progress from there.

Of course, I promptly came off, hurt myself and lost all my confidence, so I'm STILL stuck trotting in circles, but at least I'm on a ten year old that knows wheelybins won't kill her, so I'm better off than I would be with a wobbly youngster.

I don't think there would be much fun in something entirely push-button, though, so I'm in the middle.
 
Yes I would because I think it would be helpful to me in terms of training all the young green horses I do have. One ride on JFTD's Fergus taught me such a lot and I went home and taught my horse somethings I did on him.

So if anyone has a spare school master kicking around, please can I have it.
 
I would much prefer a "made" horse or a "been there done that" type , gives me confidence to know they can do what I'm (trying) to ask and hopefully know enough to help me out. Despite lots of lessons I would worry I was teaching them the wrong things.
 
be positive said:
Not everyone is capable, interested, has the time etc to start with a really green horse and if they have a reasonable budget they will be more than happy to buy a well started horse, sometimes it can be almost as difficult to get on a made horse and find the correct buttons as it can to start from scratch, I love starting green youngsters but riding a made one can also be fun and rewarding in different ways.
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This - I was lucky enough to be given the ride on a fabulous mare who had medium dressage points, had 36 BE points and several hundred pounds BS - someone had spent a lot of time and money making her into a good competition horse. First time I rode her, I asked for walk to canter.... and stayed in walk. I was so intimidated by her record, that I assumed that I was wrong... then I gave myself a good kick and we got a good understanding but it took time to get to know her and find her buttons.

She was great though, as she helped give me mileage at higher levels than my other rides, and my own horses. I had to learn not to assume that she knew more than me!!

I would love a "made" hunter - I spend years making them for other people, and as soon as they are civilised, my OH sells them. It would be nice to keep one for myself (or to buy one that someone else has done all the hard work on lol!)
 
I went out to buy a ready made horse as I just don't have the time or the will power to train a horse in this stage of my life....so I bought a 4yo Connemara. Thankfully he has read the text book and lived before so it's like riding an established 10 year old!

If I were to buy again I'd still look for an established horse, riding club level as I have no competitive aspirations.
 
Can I send you Basil? :p

spacefaer said:
This - I was lucky enough to be given the ride on a fabulous mare who had medium dressage points, had 36 BE points and several hundred pounds BS - someone had spent a lot of time and money making her into a good competition horse. First time I rode her, I asked for walk to canter.... and stayed in walk. I was so intimidated by her record, that I assumed that I was wrong... then I gave myself a good kick and we got a good understanding but it took time to get to know her and find her buttons.

She was great though, as she helped give me mileage at higher levels than my other rides, and my own horses. I had to learn not to assume that she knew more than me!!

I would love a "made" hunter - I spend years making them for other people, and as soon as they are civilised, my OH sells them. It would be nice to keep one for myself (or to buy one that someone else has done all the hard work on lol!)
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Mine reminds me of a 'made' horse at times. He is young and green but he will try anything he is pointed at. He may not succeed as well as others but he will try. He is pretty brave too he just can use napping and "spooking" to scare me and gives up when he knows it won't. For a 7 year old he is quite intelligent really but he does need more advanced work done with him which I hope to do eventually.

I think if you want to go out and have fun immediately a 'made' horse is far better. Depending on the green horse you may have to be very slow with training and can't have fun and go competing. The 'made' horse doesn't have to be a school master though just one that is confident in its job and will do it without hesitation. I should have bought a horse like that really but I got mine.
 
Just thinking, friend of mine bought a "made" dressage horse - trained to GP, competing inter I. She was riding her own RC type homebreds at the time.

She has had a huge amount of fun over the last 2 years learning how to ride him! He knows his stuff, but is not push button - she's had to learn to push the right buttons.
 
OP I think it depends on the horse. Mine is not a made anything, he had never really competed until I got him on full loan in October. He's green but not a baby so although he's not made, nothing's been too difficult so far. I certainly would buy a made one to gain experience on if I had the money (and didn't have my boy!)
 
I've never had an experienced/made horse, mine have been a green as grass 6yo and an unbroken TB 3yo... However I was young and silly then, and if someone offered me a perfect horse now, I think I'd take it :) The hunting comments struck a chord especially, I have hated hunting since I lost my welsh cob, he was perfect at it, and my TB is not, so I haven't bothered :(

For kids, I think the more made the better, and I'd definitely pay for safety, and not having to do all the preliminary work (until child was over 12 anyway)....

Fiona
 
Michen said:
I'll send him up when he eventually stops trembling after hound exercise today!!!!! X
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The art is to take them as often as they can physically can take it - the more often you can take him at this time of the year, the quicker he'll settle - lots of walking and standing :-D

Sorry OP - got a bit off topic but it's a bit of a passion of mine
 
I always make my own horses, I usually buy foals as they are more in my price range, so yes, thats about as green as it gets. The first horse I trained as a dressage horse was a reject eventer who was being chucked out, I knew nothing of dressage at all, but together we learnt so much, and got to GP. I had an incredible trainer as neither the horse or I had a clue what we were doing, but we managed, and my goodness I learnt so much and loved every minute. It has got easier as I have trained more horses, but it never gets any less fun, and every horse has something different to teach you.
 
I have a made horse .
He's an three star horse I bought him because he's the perfect size for me and I had always liked him .
He's been unlucky with his health since he arrived but he's back on track now .
He jumps very very well is a fantastic hack (he loves hacking )and he will love hunting when he gets the chance .
I really enjoy him ( apart from the health / injury scares but that's horses )
IMO bad luck apart ( he broke a rib in the field ) he was good value for money .
I don't have any huge ambitions with him I just enjoy riding him .
 
Goldenstar said:
I have a made horse .
He's an three star horse I bought him because he's the perfect size for me and I had always liked him .
He's been unlucky with his health since he arrived but he's back on track now .
He jumps very very well is a fantastic hack (he loves hacking )and he will love hunting when he gets the chance .
I really enjoy him ( apart from the health / injury scares but that's horses )
IMO bad luck apart ( he broke a rib in the field ) he was good value for money .
I don't have any huge ambitions with him I just enjoy riding him .
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He sounds perfect GS
 
spacefaer said:
Just thinking, friend of mine bought a "made" dressage horse - trained to GP, competing inter I. She was riding her own RC type homebreds at the time.

She has had a huge amount of fun over the last 2 years learning how to ride him! He knows his stuff, but is not push button - she's had to learn to push the right buttons.
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This is the kind of experience I'd like. Something where the horse and I learn things from each other, rather than it being more of a one-way thing.
 
Through my life I've mostly had either young ones I've done myself or other people's cast offs. I got to a point where I was getting a bit frustrated with seemingly not progressing. I then found myself in the position to take on a far more established horse. It was the best thing I ever did, I learnt and improved more in a couple of years riding her than I did in the 10 years prior. And I can assure you even getting a 'made' horse isn't a case of sitting on and off you go!
 
Yes, absolutely. I'm going to be looking for one very soon. I've had enough of youngsters now, I just want to get out and have some fun, without the worry.

So if anyone knows of a mannerly Irish draught, that can take me out for some fun, let me know .
 
Lots of interesting comments, thanks for sharing, everyone :) I guess my own feelings are coloured (finance aside) by being frustrated because my current horses are already getting 'old', well, one is 19 and pretty much at the end of her working life due to too many wheelies in the field but she was already 7 when I got her... I wish I could have another 10 years with her. The other is a late starter at 11 and I feel time slipping through my fingers. I can't help thinking if I was to go for a horse that was already at a reasonably high level, it would also be in the middle age bracket! :o

It's nice to hear that there are plenty of people who would be keen on this kind of horse though, I wouldn't ever want to sell mine but it would be reassuring to think there might be great homes who might like their experience if anything terrible happened!

ycbm said:
I'd love one, but where can I get a GP trained horse without taking a mortgage on the house?
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^^ yes, well therein lies the problem :lol:
 
In answer to the OP. yes and no.
I'd convinced myself that my lovely Loll was to be my final horse - the one to see me through until Small's activities take over. Sadly injury has put paid to that and she is now enjoying life in the field :(
I've spent the last year "making" Mike who's now established at a level but isn't really my sort of ride (he was bought for my mum) and am now looking for a horse for myself. I can't really face another year of baby tantrums and strops. I'd like to go and get a nice 7yo, not a world beater but that I could take to a show or ODE next week and just get on with it.
Sadly finances don't allow for that so I'm looking for a 4 or 5yo that's at least broken and doing a bit that I can hopefully work through the winter to come out and compete next spring. The one's I see advertised though seem to have done less than Mike and they're asking 2 or 3 times the price for :( So I forsee another very green baby coming my way.
 
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