Horse buying advice (again - sorry!)

misty

misty

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Oct 6, 2016
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Right everyone. You know when you feel like something happens for a reason? About an hour ago, after having messaged the owner of the older shire to explain that I didn't think I was right for her, I was browsing through horse adverts when up pops an advert that catches my attention. A horse the height I'm looking for and type I'm looking for, 9 years old and only around an hours drive from here advertised '1 minute ago'....

I instantly got a sicky excited fuzzy feeling...she looks great!

So I message about it. I explain I'm nervous and ask would it be suitable, he says it was bought for his novice wife a few years ago. I look on the Facebook account and see videos of it plodding down a road taken a while ago.

I messaged again asking if there was any possibility of a short lwvtb to a good home. He said no, that he hadn't intended on that and that he does just want to sell which I understand. Horse is well within my budget so no issue with that.

When I asked whether I could come, he said yes no problem and I can go tomorrow. But also said let him know for definite as he has lots of people wanting to go to see.

Question is this:
What do I do if I go and really like her? / She seems to be everything she looks to be....

I'm scared of missing out but don't want to rush in and make a bad decision.
 
Seems he has two horses and selling both. I checked to see if he's bought/sold any others and has any presence on fb sites. Seemingly not. I will ask him tomorrow about his reasons for sale.
 
always dig deep about the reason something is for sale - you seemed to hesitate for ages over the shire but i want to put the brakes on your here slightly ;) Just be very aware that the kind of horse you are looking for genuinely dont come up all that often - if its that good and its only 9 why is it for sale and why hasnt it been sold through word of mouth already. If I decided now to sell Skye Id not have to advertise.

eta if you have a phone number, google it
 
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Hmmm I don't. I have an address. Haha we're good at this private investigator stuff us equestrians I had an actual LOL then when I realised that is exactly what I would be doing with the phone number. I've already done the name. And the place against the name and the name in speech marks on Facebook. So far so good but I'll keep on it. On both adverts it says 'no timewasters as this is a heartbreaking decision as it is!'
 
misty said:
Hmmm I don't. I have an address. Haha we're good at this private investigator stuff us equestrians I had an actual LOL then when I realised that is exactly what I would be doing with the phone number. I've already done the name. And the place against the name and the name in speech marks on Facebook. So far so good but I'll keep on it. On both adverts it says 'no timewasters as this is a heartbreaking decision as it is!'
Click to expand...

can you post a copy of the ad?
 
Good horses will be snapped up quickly so you may have to make a quick decision if you are not prepared to lose out. Unfortunately, with the power of the internet these days, an advert can be seen rapidly by thousands of people.
 
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Do you have an experienced & worldly friend you can take with you? I'm always very wary if the seller seems pushy - if he has a lot of people wanting to go & see then where are they? And personally I wouldn't buy anything without at least a two stage vetting by a vet of my choice, so make sure he agrees to that.

If you go on your own make sure you see her caught & groomed, that there's no sign of her having been worked earlier (& that includes damp from a bath "to smarten her up for you") & that it's his wife or at the very least him that rides her before you get on. Try her thoroughly - hack in all paces, in traffic & at least a short way on her own. Over a jump if you want to do that. And if the rider is very good ask yourself if you can keep up that level or if she may change without someone squaring her up.

Don't be rushed or pushed.
 
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I'd ask those questions before you go and see her, if you can have an experienced horsey friend help you with what to ask as the conversation happens :) a genuine seller won't mind answering questions to save you both wasting time tomorrow if she's not suitable and if you want to go ask for a phone number in case you get lost ;) and definitely take someone experienced with you :)
 
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Never rush. Having lots of people to view could be true or could be a load of.....
As a seller I would want time to get to know you so no horse of mine would just be sold and loaded up.

Having looked at the advert. I would be asking about the canter and what type of trotter they are mixed with. Do they know which or is a term they have used because they have they have done road racing. Find that bit out as well. :)
 
newforest said:
Never rush. Having lots of people to view could be true or could be a load of.....
As a seller I would want time to get to know you so no horse of mine would just be sold and loaded up.

Having looked at the advert. I would be asking about the canter and what type of trotter they are mixed with. Do they know which or is a term they have used because they have they have done road racing. Find that bit out as well. :)
Click to expand...

Where is the Ad newforest? Didn't realise she was a trotter, Belles field buddy is a French Trotter and it's taken her a long time to get her to canter nicely.

@misty Yes it could be true that they have a lot of interest, but, never feel pushed into making a decision, the horse has got to be right for you and you could be with them hopefully for a long time, in sales terms it's called 'creating a sense of urgency' making you feel that you will miss out if you don't buy right this minute, something I would never do and the more someone pushes the more likely I am to walk away, a bit like the old saying 'marry in haste - repent at leisure'
 
Hi everyone, ok I can categorically say without any further looking into it that that was not the horse for me!

My experienced friend tried to pick her foot up and she started swinging around trying to kick her every time she went anywhere near her back end. Then when I got on she was wanting to look at everything and calling out to horses that were riding past. I had a bit of an argument with her about her head and then she did something I me which felt like a little buck but my friend said she just threw her back end out. Either way, I got off at that point. My friend said she wished for my own sake that I'd ended on a higher note but to be honest, I just thought safety first and I don't feel safe so I jumped off. They tried to talk me into getting back on but I think you just know don't you - I didn't feel like that with the shire or with my loan cob or with my friend's cob so I just knew the chemistry wasn't right. She was 'lazy' and canter wasn't a problem but I think she more had her own ideas as to what she wanted to be doing.
 
Safety first every time, you were completely right. And anyway once you know she's not for you what's the point? It sounds like she wasn't what the seller had said - what a surprise! No don't be offended if you see her re-advertised "due to timewaster" . . .
 
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It's fine - rather a safe 'timewaster' with all the limbs where they should be. I'm sort of getting that now. I think the advert was more what they wanted her to be than what she actually was really. She seemed sweet for the most part but I fidnt feel confident at all once I was on her and I certainly didn't like it (and neither did my friend) when the back end started swinging around. My friend practically leapt on top of me trying to get out of the way! Scary stuff!
 
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If you don't gel for whatever reason, nothing wrong in getting off. You did say you are nervous and you wouldn't expect a horse described as ideal for a novice to try and kick.
Saying no thank you isn't a time waster. A time waster is what I call joy riders. They see a lovely horse, it's way over their current ability but they try and talk a ride out of you.

What was the reason for sale? I can't help thinking that there is a little problem with that back end from the harness days. The pounding on the roads from possible racing.

On the plus side. You recognised what isn't suitable for you. How did you feel height and build wise.
 
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Height and build wise I felt ok surprisingly as I thought when I saw her she might be small but she had a longer neck so I didn't look as up in the air. She wasn't as heavy built as I'd usually lean towards.

They seemed nice and the wife was very nervous herself too so was on board with what I was saying. I don't think they'll say I was timewasting -
She did suggest that I took one of those courses for nervous riders though - I thought I wouldn't need to if I was confident with the horse. I will say I do often get a gut feeling when I get on a horse and I'm usually not far off. I remember riding a few at a riding school - none did anything wrong but I could tell the instructor which were the high energy, the highly strung, the 'bomb waiting to go off' haha. I just feel it. Perhaps my nerves are a gift in disguise! Haha.

Anyhow, I'm safe with 2 feet on the ground and another crossed off the list.
 
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