Hi - I am new here - was wondering about buying a Criollo....

M

Mauster

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Feb 13, 2008
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Hi

Someone pointed me over here as I am thinking of buying a Criollo. I have lost my confidence somewhat with my unpredictable TB and feel like the fun ahs gone out of riding for me now.

I have read up on Criollos a bit and am tempted by their even temperament and trusty natures. Does anyone have any good advice about them, and/or experience of them?

I have seen the Criollo farm in Wiltshire online and emailed them ages ago - but they are MILES away from me in Lincolnshire! I have found a place in Cranoe, Leicestershire, called Grange Farm Criollo Horses - the lady there does rides etc but has also sold the odd Criollo, having imported from Argentina - has anyone heard of this place?

sorry for all the questions on my first outing!

Thanks in advance!
 
I think if you search on here for threads you will find lots of positivity about criollos and monique at the criollo farm in general. They tend to be a little poor from the journey by all accounts, but once they put on weight are utter stars.
I was seriously thinking about one, having lost confidence with a welsh cob and an ID/TB both of which I took for a short time only to find they were not suitable for a slightly nervous rider. Miraculously I have re found my confidence with - an ARAB! An ex racer at that! He is so laid back to handle and a bit joggy to ride but nothing silly.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is don't just concentrate on one breed. Keep an open mind. Criollos do sound lovely though.
 
hi there - where to start!!!

firstly - cannot speak highly enough of the criollos- i bought one last september from the criollo farm in wiltshire and he is wonderful- he's only 4 years and he acts like a saint, once they get to know you they bond so strongly and will follow you to hell and back without question. there's no spooking, napping, silliness etc and they really try hard to do what's asked, they also learn very very quickly (can you tell i like my horse??)

also the criollo farm is excellent to buy from - i went up there about 8 times before i settled on one, rode about 20 of their horses and kept changing my mind and they were great- you tell them what you want and they help you to get that and there's absolutely no pressure on you to buy. They also offer a year guarantee where you can change your horse with any other in the farm if you dont get on with it which i think is testament to how highly they rate their faith in their horses.

never heard of the other place you mention so can't comment i'm afraid.

the other bomus to buying from the criollo farm is that they have a club which we've all joined and they arrange rides and activities every month- we did a pub ride last month and this month we're going to the beach for a day. There are lots of others on this forum who've bought from monique so i don't think mine will be the only reply to this and all of whom will back me up on the worthiness of the breed. I've retrained mine to english and we've just started jumping- he's very brave and bold but never too strong or silly.

here's a piccy for you!!
not my photo but i'm sure monique won't mind me posting it! criollo ride at christmas- we're 4th from left

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freeschooling

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coming right at me at full gallop after i stupidly called him over- he stopped inches from me!!
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my boy is part Argentinian TB and part criollo so he's much finer than the pure criollos - these are the ones used to play polo.

sorry there's so much ;)
 
aw, he's gorgeous!! *jealous*

spooking, nappiness and sillyness is what I am definitely trying to avoid! I just want a neddy I can trust really.

I have been trying so many horses and haven't found anything that I have clicked with yet. Some people think that I should try harder with my horse, but after two years I am not sure we are ever going to click - we have a good bond, don't get me wrong, but his nervy disposition has me constantly on edge, even when he is being a donkey!
 
I believe I have a half Criollo filly, her dam was imported form Argentina.
My girl fits the description that Trio said to a T.

(a little bit of a silly question, but how do you actually pronounce Criollo properly?:eek:)
 
Hi
I first rode a Criollo at Grange Farm in Cranoe called "Buck" - he is brilliant - and i decided i wanted one just like him!

I bought one from Monique at Criollo Farm - which i would highly recomend for the exchange policy - even if its a way to travel - i live in Northamptonshire.

Mines called Buddy, hes bold easy to ride, steady - but i wouldnt say hes a first horse! but an easy safe fun horse. They are all so different, Monique usually has a good selection and is good at matching you up - i would encourage you to go up for the day - im sure you WILL come home with one!

Good luck

Katie

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i think the prices start at £3500 and go up from there for the pure criollos and the part breeds (polo pony types) start at £5000 -the appaloosa type ones (i think fee has photos) are alot more but very well trained and fit to go- the later in the year you get one generally the higher the price as they continue training them there, the new lot arrives in april so you get the pick of the bunch BUT they have just endured an horrendous journey and will have to adjust to life in england so may be better to let them settle for a while with their buddies at the farm .

Monique does keep bringing horses on throughout the year though as some take longer to adjust and fill out than others. As she's the one who knows the horses best and understands the breed completely then i'd always heed her advice on which horse would suit you.
 
I paid £4000 for Buddy, hes 14.2hh Chunky. I bought him a couple of weeks after arriving, he was upto weight, sound, and trained and chilled. ready to go!
 
Hi all, I have been looking at the prices of horses generally, and while cheaper horses are around, there are also a lot around that sort of price anyway. I think the criollo's are worth every penny!!! Especially when Monique works so hard to match you up with the right one. I have ridden 6 so far at the farm, a couple were real babysitters, great for starting again with no confidence, but some of the others I have ridden while not being a novice ride, feel really safe all the time. It doesn't get any better than that I think. So Mauster, yes, highly reccomended.
The chap I am riding is the colour of a reindeer, just lovely. He is called Padusca, not a novice ride but the softest mouth I have ever come across.
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Well, firstly I would like to say that there are good Criollos and then there are not so good ones, temperament wise. I want to think there are more of the good natured ones, but like with any other breed, you get good ones and bad ones. That is a fact!

Criollos are a very much one person horses, and if you get on their good side you have gotten a friend for life, if you end up on the wrong side, they will hate you forever. At the moment we have two pure bred ones at our yard and about 12 Criollo x TBs. Out of the two pure ones, one is truely lovely, the nicest little pony you can ever imagine. The other one can be a little s**thead sometimes, he has known to strike at the vet, kicked the yard manager two weeks ago in the head when she was bandaging him and he also sometimes throws a hissy fit when loading. You can clearly see he is not afraid, he is just doing it for the sake of being difficult.

Now, the Criollo crosses are really lovely, I must say! And if I was to make a choice, I would always chose a Criollo x TB over a pure bred Criollo, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I play Polo and the crosses are better suited for it. The crosses seem to have passed over the not so nice side of Criollos, maybe it has something to do with Criollos as a pure breed being so close to feral horses, they still have "the wild" in them to some extent.

That being said, the Criollos are fabulous horses! They are very hardy, very healthy and seem to live off air. They can also turn their hoof to pretty much anything, and like I said, if you make friends with them they are very loyal! They are not the cheapest of horses around here, but they are definitely worth every penny! What you pay for them, you will most likely end up saving on vet and feed bills!

Besides, you only need to take a look at the pics the Criollo owners on this forum have posted to see how adorable looking they are! ;)

Nina x
 
i think the pure criollos are more intelligent and therefore can be more stubborn whereas the crosses are more dependent on you as a leader- archie has never refused to do anything or played up at all- he can be full of it when we hack out but he is a speed freak so if we're doing slow work he gets bored- he'd canter and gallop everywhere if it was up to him :D

whether you get a cross or a pure bred criollo is a decision to be made on what you want to do with them, i wanted a horse i could use for everything from polo to gentle hacking and so far Archie has fitted the bill perfectly. I know that monique has some pure criollos that are being used for polo though as they are so nimble- i rode one of them called cigaro and he was amazing - photo- hang on

polo ones

mare i tried- really sweet temperament - she was sold that week (TB x criollo)
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Gato- sweet natured TB x criollo x 5 yr old
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Cigaro- full criollo- unbelievably fast and agile- too much for me ;) having a quick kip.
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I get mixed up with what a pure bred criollo is supposed to look like!!! I thought they were chunkier than the pictures youve shown there newrider - to me they look like TB crosses!!
 
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