really sorry to hear that you have had another interesting experience.
a problem that is impossible to quantify is what feels sharp and over responsive to one rider feels perfect to another.
i think you need to be more analytical about the horse before you get on. watch it more closely being ridden by someone else. actually go and see lessons, watch a horse you know or have ridden being ridden by other people. see how differently they go. you need to be able to critique a horse and rider as it will help you to work out what is good/bad. now i can tell you watching a horse and rider where it is not working, not that i could do any better myself, but i can at least say, that horse is being ridden beautifully or not. at a local show in the summer, i went up to one of the riders afterwards just to tell her how nicely she showed her horse - it wasn't the nicest horse in the class but it was the best schooled and beautifully presented and ridden, made it look so easy.
when you go to see one, watch it being ridden, ask questions, if you have any doubts at all, just don't get on. it's not worth it, getting hurt or frightened. there are hundred of horses out there for sale, so be more critical, it isn't the end of the world if you don't buy a horse this week, month. back off, take more time.
i am worrying about you. concerned that you are so hell bent on finding a horse that common sense and self protection are going out of the window and you are taking risks which so far have been ok but could go very wrong.
you need to get to the stage of eliminating the ones you shouldn't even bother going to see, so the idea of absolute nos and absolute yesses on a list is good.
for example, i looked at the criollo site, the only one i thought might remotely suit you was the one that was blind in one eye, the rest were too forward/sharp/sensitive. i went to try out at a yard in epsom where they had a lot of imports, mainly spanish/russian, before i had lost my confidence they would have been my cup of tea, I didn't ride any of them as i could see i would just freeze on them. they were all very active, free going, i just at that time wasn't up for it, so not worth doing it.
another simple example - went on a riding holiday in spain with a friend. she can ride dressage tests very nicely but doesn't like horses that are too forward, but she knows how to ask the right question on a schooled horse. me i don't. i don't do school work. the leader rode a chestnut mare, in a hackamore, she was a typical fiery chestnut, if my friend had ridden her, she would have tensed and grabbed at her and got bolted with. or bashed in the face with the mare throwing her head up - which she did to the ride leader!
on the last day of the holiday i asked if i could ride her - they didn't normally let any of the guests ride her. she went fine, as i never touched her mouth and was quiet and relaxed with her. you sort of rode her semi western and she was light and sweet so long as you sat on the buckle. and trusted her. i liked her, wanted to bring her home with me. my friend would never have got on her, but then the horse she rode she got a better tune out of him than i would have.
same horse, two riders one would have hated her, one loved her.
please take some pressure off yourself, have a bit of a break, be more ruthless and do a spanish inquisition on any that you are thinking of going to see - i.e. if you had known this horse had only been under saddle for 4 months you would never have gone to see it - so why did this not come out in the initial discussions. best to have a long conversation about the horse before you go to see than waste so much time seeing ones that don't really suit.
a problem that is impossible to quantify is what feels sharp and over responsive to one rider feels perfect to another.
i think you need to be more analytical about the horse before you get on. watch it more closely being ridden by someone else. actually go and see lessons, watch a horse you know or have ridden being ridden by other people. see how differently they go. you need to be able to critique a horse and rider as it will help you to work out what is good/bad. now i can tell you watching a horse and rider where it is not working, not that i could do any better myself, but i can at least say, that horse is being ridden beautifully or not. at a local show in the summer, i went up to one of the riders afterwards just to tell her how nicely she showed her horse - it wasn't the nicest horse in the class but it was the best schooled and beautifully presented and ridden, made it look so easy.
when you go to see one, watch it being ridden, ask questions, if you have any doubts at all, just don't get on. it's not worth it, getting hurt or frightened. there are hundred of horses out there for sale, so be more critical, it isn't the end of the world if you don't buy a horse this week, month. back off, take more time.
i am worrying about you. concerned that you are so hell bent on finding a horse that common sense and self protection are going out of the window and you are taking risks which so far have been ok but could go very wrong.
you need to get to the stage of eliminating the ones you shouldn't even bother going to see, so the idea of absolute nos and absolute yesses on a list is good.
for example, i looked at the criollo site, the only one i thought might remotely suit you was the one that was blind in one eye, the rest were too forward/sharp/sensitive. i went to try out at a yard in epsom where they had a lot of imports, mainly spanish/russian, before i had lost my confidence they would have been my cup of tea, I didn't ride any of them as i could see i would just freeze on them. they were all very active, free going, i just at that time wasn't up for it, so not worth doing it.
another simple example - went on a riding holiday in spain with a friend. she can ride dressage tests very nicely but doesn't like horses that are too forward, but she knows how to ask the right question on a schooled horse. me i don't. i don't do school work. the leader rode a chestnut mare, in a hackamore, she was a typical fiery chestnut, if my friend had ridden her, she would have tensed and grabbed at her and got bolted with. or bashed in the face with the mare throwing her head up - which she did to the ride leader!
on the last day of the holiday i asked if i could ride her - they didn't normally let any of the guests ride her. she went fine, as i never touched her mouth and was quiet and relaxed with her. you sort of rode her semi western and she was light and sweet so long as you sat on the buckle. and trusted her. i liked her, wanted to bring her home with me. my friend would never have got on her, but then the horse she rode she got a better tune out of him than i would have.
same horse, two riders one would have hated her, one loved her.
please take some pressure off yourself, have a bit of a break, be more ruthless and do a spanish inquisition on any that you are thinking of going to see - i.e. if you had known this horse had only been under saddle for 4 months you would never have gone to see it - so why did this not come out in the initial discussions. best to have a long conversation about the horse before you go to see than waste so much time seeing ones that don't really suit.
because like you say, I don't want to drive miles if it's not going to be what I'm after. I do rule out A LOT of horses - just ask anyone who has ever suggested a pony they've seen advertised! I feel bad saying no to people who have been to the trouble to suggest them but I really do only call those that sound right. I think I will stick more rigidly now to your suggested rule though of only over 8yrs old - I have been letting that one slip when people tell me "oh but they act 10yrs older" or "old head on young body".
