Horse hunting

L

lauren123

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2007
3,329
1,397
113
East Yorkshire
Right then. I dont think know one knows on here but I ended up exchanging money to get the 6 year old ISH on a 2 week trial I had him vetted and he has a bad heart mermour so he is going back and i am getting my money back. So its now horse hunting time!

What I am looking for:
16hh-16.2hh
5-8years old
alrounder
likes to jump
price range - up to £1400

I'm in hull in east yorkshire
 
It pays to get the vetting done before money changes hands if I am honest.
But glad you know the problems.
 
Either way! Its good you had the vetting ! Is this the one that had susposedly had the vetting before hand already? No wonder he was cheap then! Anyway, onwards and upwards! Im sure th right horse is waiting for you.
 
I always reply to these kind of threads and say the same thing. Horses cost money. If you want a nice, safe sound horse, you need to be prepared to pay for one. For an uncomplicated fun ride with no issues, you need to be looking at the £3,000 mark at least.
 
Horses do seem to be a bit cheaper at the min - there were some nice looking ones in this month's Horse & Rider classifieds at around the £2500-£3K mark. Usually they're much higher.

It IS possible to get a horse for a bargain price too. Some people don't care about the money, only a good home for their horse - which tbh would be my attitude if I was ever to re-home Poppy. My friend's pony only cost her £400 and she's winning loads of stuff and beating proper competition horses at ODEs! But yeah, she's a 14.2hh, Heinz 57 pony and 16 years old, so you may need to be a bit flexible with some of your requirements, but you've got a bit more money to play round with. I'm sure you'll find something suitable. Good luck!

Just to add though, Mary Poppins is right - horses ain't cheap! I got mine vetted and even so since I bought her (for £3.5K) I've had to buy her all new tack, rugs, grooming kit etc as she didn't come with any, I've had her teeth and back done, and she's just been diagnosed with a mild liver condition that needs a course of steroids and antibiotics! That's without her livery fees etc...Forewarned is forearmed! Get good insurance!
 
Last edited:
Agree with Mary Poppins. My current short list is about the £3,000 mark. And I was picking out something under 16 hands - the larger more athletic horses are pricier.
 
You do not need to spend £3000 on the type of horse you are looking for. Cob's and Cob x' s yes, but not the TB type horse. You will be amazed at what horse you can get for your money when your not talking cobs!:smile: And I talk from my experience of having 3 tb's for sale in the last few weeks.

I do agree with Eml and think your budget is too low for everything you want and you may need a compromise, can you stretch at all even up to £2k?

For example this mare looks the bee's knees but is 15, but is open to offers.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/clas...riding/driffield/super-allrounder-354572.html

I know you like the 16hh, but could you go lower? I think from memory you are a slim lightweight rider so could rider nearly anything...
 
Last edited:
my yard friend bought her first horse 5 months ago, 11yr old exracer (been out of racing for years) and omg he is a dream! she was learning to jump on him today in an open field with a herd of horses surrounding us, he totally looked after her and didnt put a foot wrong (shes really nervous)....she paid £700 for him.

good luck with your horse shopping, i really really enjoy the shopping part of horse ownership lol
 
Equally getting a really good TB ready to go out and compete and be a suitable first horse does not often come with a cheap price tag!

Although we would never sell ours we know we would get around £4000 for one and £6000 for the other of our two in that age range, neither would be a suitable first horse either.
 
True, I have a TB for sale who is in all of the ranges Lauren wants but has been out competing and is ready for Novice Eventing 6 year Old classes, he was for sale for £12,500 but I have reduced him to £8500 now, he is very much an experienced confident persons ride though and is not a first horse for sure.

However, I can pick up some good young TB's round here for under £2000 that are safe, but as you say a compromise on most of them but they are safe and sane, just nothing special
 
Sorry for having a dumb day. What's an all rounder? Surely ANY horse is capable of intro dressage, schooled with the basics, can pop a jump or two. Can be ridden alone or in company on the roads and open spaces, that's just basic manners! Or don't horses have these anymore?

Yes if you want to compete, or show then you would want something that shows potential or has a history, but I cannot work out why you need to pay £3000 to get something safe, uncomplicated or an all rounder regardless of the breed.

Manners should come as standard in my book.

You may find something like this near you.

http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/107849669/dapple-grey-161-mare-for-sale.html
 
Last edited:
Ive never spent 3k on a horse :frown: and tbh I wouldnt!

Admittedly I have bought mainly unbroken youngstock looking for driving potential and ones Ive had on LWVTB for ridden. That could be an option, or one from a rescue. I dont think you have to spend 3k to get a gooden though if you shop around away from mainstream websites where everyones asking top notch. Ive found mine usually through word of mouth or local adverts in tack shops. Ive bought one of Horsemart before thats about it.
 
A bit off topic but I remember YO telling me about a horse she was selling years ago and prospective purchasers had it vetted and it failed on a heart murmur. Sold it again, vetted again by a different vet and they said it didn't have a heart murmur at all - the sound the first vet had picked up was perfectly normal in larger horses. Not that it helps you at all.

Hope you find something soon. Don't know how experienced you are but I'm told there's some bargains to be had at the sales if you know what to look for.
 
Really, what you are looking for is a horse who is a hack but can do a bit of jumping, dressage etc.

SOME ex racers with the right attitude - probably those who haven't been very successful - could well fit the bill, especially if they haven't been in racing very long, or are point to pointers.

Years ago I rode a 4 year old TB who was backed, turned away, went back to the breakers for a fortnight and then I rode him.

He was fab, very easy going, took him hunter trialing, hacking alone etc.

He went on to P2P, but to be honest, he was useless because he just wasn't competitive, but he was a lovely boy with a fantastic nature.
 
I totally agree with you NF. To me an "all-rounder" is a horse who is capable of doing a little bit of everything even if just to a low level, so I think most horses who have been trained properly can be described as all-rounders, or potential all-rounders if still very green. You shouldn't have to spend a fortune to get a horse who can do 3 gaits in an arena, pop over small jumps and hack out without being stupid. Those are just the basics IMO, we have our youngsters doing that 6 weeks into their ridden career... As far as I'm concerned the vast majority of physically sound 8-year-olds, even if not backed until 5 or 6, should be able to do a Prelim dressage test and jump 2'6'', I don't see that as something you should need to pay extra for. £3000 to buy a horse with what I consider to be the basics is just madness IMO. Yes, maybe if you were looking for an established competition horse with a really good record - but for your average horse I should think it perfectly possible to find an 8-year-old all-rounder for £1400 if you are willing to be flexible on the less important things like height and appearance.

As for good manners, again like NF I think those should be expected of all horses regardless of their type/experience etc, why should good basic manners raise a horse's value by £1000 plus? And even if there are some manners that need working on, well unless you're talking about a serious attitude problem then you should be able to improve them fairly quickly with correct and consistent handling. Why rule out a £1500 horse whose manners need a bit of work but who ticks all the other boxes.
 
Well I'm the proud owner of a Welsh mare sold as a problem who really wasn't and she only cost £1300,sound safe and sensible for the most part with the odd quirky moment,but with some time and patience we have great fun together and I trust her 100%
So you don't need a huge budget imo just an eye for a good horse and the time,experience and common sense to work together.only thing I will say is be patient and keep looking looking looking until you find the right one.
I'm not near you so can't offer any ideas on horses that may he suitable where you are but wish you all the luck I can in finding your partner :D
 
Last edited:
joosie said:
I totally agree with you NF. To me an "all-rounder" is a horse who is capable of doing a little bit of everything even if just to a low level, so I think most horses who have been trained properly can be described as all-rounders, or potential all-rounders if still very green. You shouldn't have to spend a fortune to get a horse who can do 3 gaits in an arena, pop over small jumps and hack out without being stupid. Those are just the basics IMO, we have our youngsters doing that 6 weeks into their ridden career... As far as I'm concerned the vast majority of physically sound 8-year-olds, even if not backed until 5 or 6, should be able to do a Prelim dressage test and jump 2'6'', I don't see that as something you should need to pay extra for. £3000 to buy a horse with what I consider to be the basics is just madness IMO. Yes, maybe if you were looking for an established competition horse with a really good record - but for your average horse I should think it perfectly possible to find an 8-year-old all-rounder for £1400 if you are willing to be flexible on the less important things like height and appearance.

As for good manners, again like NF I think those should be expected of all horses regardless of their type/experience etc, why should good basic manners raise a horse's value by £1000 plus? And even if there are some manners that need working on, well unless you're talking about a serious attitude problem then you should be able to improve them fairly quickly with correct and consistent handling. Why rule out a £1500 horse whose manners need a bit of work but who ticks all the other boxes.
Click to expand...

I've got to say though, and this may just be the case with the South East, when I was looking, my budget was around £3K, and I did look at a few cheaper horses around £1,500, but they were either unsound (and I could see that without even paying for a vetting) or unsuitable. An experienced rider could have made something of them, perhaps, but they weren't appropriate for a first or even a second pony. Two of the ones I tried took off when I put my foot in the stirrup, and considering I am quite light and nimble and can mount from the ground if need be, it wasn't because of the huge strain I was putting on them! Maybe it was just a lack of manners, but as a novice I didn't want to take any risks, so I immediately ruled those out. There seem to be better horses for cheaper in the north of the country and Wales and Scotland - if you want a decent horse round here, it's either word-of-mouth or comes with a £2.5K-plus price tag.

Of course my horse still isn't perfect and isn't really a novice ride, bless her! It's been a steep learning curve for me, but that's by-the-by! I'd quite like others to learn by my mistakes - although she's not a mistake really, I wouldn't be without her now, spooky scaredy cat with issues that she is!

Hmmm I am rambling, sorry!
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back