to buy or not to buy? opinions welcome!

[sgcoolchick]

Hi All,

Earlier this week i posted a thread about worrying if I would be too big for a mare i was going to try, after riding 16.2 / 17.2 for the past year i was a bit anxious about going to ride a 15.3 full tb mare.

I went to see her today and ride, she is 10 years old, bay with a white blaze and two white back socks, very pretty! and to my surprise quite a stocky tb, she is quite broad.

Her history- bred to race, sold for 50k guinees (so from extreamly good stock)
did not enjoy racing, was beaten quite badly while training in ireland, shipped over to where she is now and the owner has bred 3 foals from her, last week decided to bring her back in to work. So as you can imagine I was a little bit nervous about riding a horse that has not been ridden for 7 years and only been riding again for a week!

however, she was very good to tack up and in the stable, really enjoyed a fuss, someone else held her why i got on (this part i get quite nervous with horses that march off before you are in the saddle, which she did do but i managed to get myself seated) she felt unexpectedly really compfy! as full tb's can sometimes feel like you have nothing beneath you.

So we went out on a hour long hack, with another mare that she has been living with since she came to the yard but the other mare is a bit skatty! so she kept spooking at stuff but Thea kept going, she looked at stuff and kept looking behind her, was amazing in traffic, a bit babyish to ride sort of walking like a bannana ! but all in all very good, she likes a long rain and to trot up the hills, i kept talking to her to reasure her, and by the time we were on our way home i was riding her with the rains in just one hand. so for a mare that has not been ridden for 7 years pretty well behaved i think?

(sorry this is so long winded)

Now, I have been offered to buy her for £600.00 which is dirt cheap, so I have agreed to come back and ride her a couple more times and take her out on my own.

I really liked the fact she enjoyed a fuss, makes a change from the grumpy sods I have had in the last year!

My only concern is that the more fit she gets the more lively she may become being a full tb?

Also, as you can tell she has done so very little, what are the chances of / being able to school her and do maybe novice dressage / jumping?

Anyone have any similar experiences I would love to hear from you?

Many thanks for reading! x

[s4sugar]

If you don't want her I'll have her:D
I love chunky TBs and they are hard to find.

I would expect her to be green but she sounds like a lovely sort and if you feel confident that you can school her I don't see a problem BUT do try her out on her own before you buy.

[FayeObs]

ditto the above!

what about having a RI to come with you, have a lesson on her. You can then see what you "could" become, and a RI would able to tell you if she's the sort to do dressage to the level you want to do.

I think any horse is capable of anything, its the rider that has the limitations. xxx

[racingstripes]

We have an ex racer. Very similar story except he's a gelding so wasnt put in foal :o He's re trained to be a fantastic horse but he can be a bit of a handful when he gets fitter. Nothing serious though and luckily enough he was unfit when we brought him so by the time he was fit we knew him pretty well and was able to handle it.

I would go for it. Once re-schooled they make fantastic all rounders.

[sgcoolchick]

Thanks, this is all helping! much apreciated!

[eml]

Go ride her again and try taking up a bit of a contact, also take her somewhere, even if just out of the yard, on her own.

Lots of TBs hack quietly in company on a long rein as they would have in training but react quickly to shortening the reins and have going on own issues. Also make sure you can mount by yourself unless you are always going to have someone with you, a lot will not stand while we 'faff'.

Yes she will change as she gets fitter but the idea is to do a lot of your schooling before she is fit so when she is sharper she is also more obedient.

[sgcoolchick]

Go ride her again and try taking up a bit of a contact, also take her somewhere, even if just out of the yard, on her own.

Lots of TBs hack quietly in company on a long rein as they would have in training but react quickly to shortening the reins and have going on own issues. Also make sure you can mount by yourself unless you are always going to have someone with you, a lot will not stand while we 'faff'.

Yes she will change as she gets fitter but the idea is to do a lot of your schooling before she is fit so when she is sharper she is also more obedient.


She has been out on her own hacking all week this was her first time with another, she did like to keep a long rain and stretch her neck out, i need to overcome my faffing while getting on, i need to loose some weight and get fitter so i can just jump on quickly! the owner wants me to get her fitted before taking her in the school, so its a tricky one hey?

[s4sugar]

the owner wants me to get her fitted before taking her in the school
I'm sorry I don't quite get this.

Obviously you don't want to be doing intense schooling on an unfit horse but I would expect to be able to walk around and trot around the perimeter:confused:

May the mare have had a bad experience?

[pmcc]

just to clarify? does the owner want you to buy her, get her fit bfore you can take her in the school? or will this time taken to fitten her happen before you make the decision to buy?

[sgcoolchick]

just to clarify? does the owner want you to buy her, get her fit bfore you can take her in the school? or will this time taken to fitten her happen before you make the decision to buy?


The owner is happy for me to keep riding her until xmas but wants to sell her for def in the new year so if i dont want her will offer her elswewhere. when i mentioned schooling he said she needed to get stronger in her legs so lots of road work before doing schooling, so hmmm i just dont know wat to do!

[pmcc]

The owner is happy for me to keep riding her until xmas but wants to sell her for def in the new year so if i dont want her will offer her elswewhere. when i mentioned schooling he said she needed to get stronger in her legs so lots of road work before doing schooling, so hmmm i just dont know wat to do!

that's good, you'll get plenty of time to find out if she is for you then. As long as you don't mind doing the work for the owner and that come negotiation time that he remembers your input into getting her back to riding.

[sgcoolchick]

that's good, you'll get plenty of time to find out if she is for you then. As long as you don't mind doing the work for the owner and that come negotiation time that he remembers your input into getting her back to riding.

yeah thats very true, although they only want £600 fo her which is very good, i am just a bit concerned that a straight bar rubber bit is not enough, what if she does a runner with me, is that going to stop her? i was thinking maybe a normal snaffle but a rubber version as she has a very soft mouth. oh all these questions! i am not used to horses not being straight forward!

[eml]

There is a big difference between being fit for schooling and taking in a school. If I were buying I would want to try out in all the ways I would be riding. Only wanting her to do road work rings big alarm bells in my head as I have met quite a few that are saints on a road but on grass or an artificial surface return to race mode!!

Edited to add if ....she does a runner dropping the reins is more likely to stop her than a stronger bit!!

[sgcoolchick]

oh the owner is not trying to hide anything i know him well and he would not try and sell me a dangerous horse. I think he just wants her to be strong before asking more of her, after 7 years off i guess this makes sense, need to get her confidence up and gain her trust, I will of course be riding her on bridle paths and try he in a field. I have however owned a ex racehorse before when i was 15, and he was a complete ****! I was just worried as not ridden a horse in a rubber bit before and wanted to know what the response is when trying to brake!

[HeatherA]

Racehorses are taught to run faster the more contact you put on the mouth so you really don't want a strong bit or contact. The rubber one is fine for walking fittening work, if she tanks off with you no bit will stop her.

I'd keep riding a couple or more times a week and wait on making a decision until you feel her trot as this can be VERY big and unseating, especially if you are less fit yourself. That might make you both a not terribly good combination.

I think she sounds lovely though, my retrained brood mare is great and will be doing all sorts of riding club stuff this winter if all goes well.

[racingstripes]

Edited to add if ....she does a runner dropping the reins is more likely to stop her than a stronger bit!!

Oh and I would test this theory in trot in the school first to see if she slows. :D Absolutely no way I'd drop our ex-racers reins when he tries to run off as he'd keep on going and he was racing for four years. I would treat her as a newly backed horse and start lightly schooling her as a riding horse rather than treating her as an ex-racer. If she tries to go then sit very quietly and turn her if you feel she's likely to bolt but to be honest I would stay at trot for a while whilst she's getting a little fitter and supple as 7 years is a long time off.
I would def get her responding to your leg aids such as moving away from the leg etc before you take her on the roads just so you know she will understand when your asking her to move away from traffic etc.

Good Luck xx:D