still looking for my perfect horse

shikras mum

shikras mum

New Member
Apr 3, 2008
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Co Durham
Hi all, as you know i have been trying out a RS horse with a view to buy

We took her on a hack today and it's become clear that she wont be suitable for me :(

Her feet are a mess, she has quite a few sandcracks on all 4 feet

We took the bridle off and both sides of her mouth have deep cuts in the creases, this wasnt noticeable before as she had bit guards in, it says something about her character that she even allowed a bit to be put in let alone someone ride her like it

Those aren't the reasons for me turning her down though, i would love to bring her home and allow her to heal first

The reason i dont think she's for me is she appears to be very hard mouthed, she doesn't seem to feel any contact with her mouth, asking her to halt when the others were still walking to a great deal of effort and strength

I think if i was to take her out alone and she decided she didnt want to go she'd quite easily turn around and go home and i dont think i'd be able to stop her

I dont know if a stronger bit would help, but her mouth would need to heal first

After making 2 wrong choices already which has left me without my confidence (which is coming back in leaps and bounds now i'm riding the right horses) I'm wary of bringing her home to find i've made the wrong choice again

So my search continues

If anyone knows of a horse that could be right for me please feel free to get in touch

i'm looking for at least 15hh, nothing older than 15. something big and chunky, ploddy safe and sensible, and a genuine confidence giver
 
Why don't you take on this mare? Let her mouth heal, get a different bit, bit guards etc. You sound like you really like her. Even if she is a little hard mouthed, you ride with your seat and legs primarily.
 
I don't know if this will help or make things worse... My favourite horse at RS has a mouth which sounds exactly like your RS mare. I use mainly my seat to ask her to halt and she's very responsive to that.

If you was still considering this mare, is there any possibility the RS would let you take her on loan?
 
Ditto the above. (cinnamontoast)

The reason why she had cuts on her mouth could be because you were pulling whilst out on your hack getting her to stand whilst the others walked on.

Personally I wouldn't try this with a horse anyway (they are herd animals) but not one that had only been with me for a short period of time who was probably insecure.

I have known some horses react violently at being asked to stay behind whilst other horses leave them behind.

IMO she behaved exceptionally well!

You can do a lot worse than a horse who has a hard mouth.

If she is great in all other respects I really wouldn't write her off! She sounds like she has a great temperament too.
 
My friend tried her for me aswell and her advice was she doesn't think she's right for me (although i am still very keen on her)

her concerns are that she could be a bit too strong for me while im still regaining my confidence

theres no chance of them letting me loan her first, they are using her for in the riding school quite regularly (even with her mouth in such a state)

she is quite green when it comes to being in the school, although great when hacking out, so even though we were asking for halt with our seat, i dont think she quite understood what we were asking. although in the lessons when we asked for halt with seat and voice she did come to an immediate stop, but this could be that she was just copying what the horse in front had done

I'm just worried about getting it wrong again
 
I agree with the others and defintaly why dont you ask about a loan or a trial period? where you can try her in your surroundings, because most rs horses especially are very different without there usual herd :)
 
If she's already an RS horse, then I'm sure they'd let you have her mostly to yourself to get a really good feel for her. Why not ask and see if you can muck out/turn out/catch in/feed for a few days to see if you get on? It would be sad to let a horse that sounds so good get away.
 
I've been riding for 19 years, I'm a good rider, i have just lost my confidence do to a bolter. I would never pull on any horses mouth, unless my life depended on it

it was just a case that we had to ask a few times for halt before she did and im just a little worried that i could find this unnerving when out on my own with her

The cuts weren't new cuts

My friend sent me a picture that she took of her when she went to see her the other day but didnt want me to see incase it influenced my decision

xenawarriorprincess011.jpg


xenawarriorprincess013.jpg


(you will need to bring the pics up full screen to see them)

they were actually quite deep

we think she's maybe been left tacked up, got caught and panicked

I think her temperament is amazing, i love the pace she goes at (plod)

I havent totally written her off, it's just everytime i see her i want to bring her home, but need to know i'm doing the right thing and that i wont be left yet again with a horse i cant ride

I even keep telling myself that i could bring her home, let her heal and then find her a new home, but thats not always the right reasons to buy a horse
 
sorry to hear that she doesnt seem right for you!
i would just like to add my 'twopennth'.:) My first pony - bought when i was 39 and not confident, was an ex riding school pony with a mouth like concrete! The first 5 months were a bit tricky getting to know how to deal with her and how her brakes worked - but she turned out to be a horse in a million! (sometimes kick myself for selling her) After she began to trust me, and me her, i could take this pony anywhere with any horse/s, gallop on stubble fields, take her to shows and she would be impecably behaved - she loaded herself into trailers ect ect.
my point is: dont rush into any thing - ride her a few more times before you make a decision! good luck x
 
LaurenEff said:
If shes not for you, shes not for you, not really anything you can do. It would be stupid buying her if it meant you would just lose your confidence all over again. How far are you willing to travel,and whats your price range? i could have a look around for you.x

http://horsemart.co.uk/AdvertRef/HM...yResultsHorses.asp/Web/DisplayHorseDetail.asp
Click to expand...

I'm willing to travel about 1 1/2 hrs from stanley, county durham. If it was any further than that it rules out keep going back for viewings etc

luckily the price isn't important. My OH is happy to pay whatever it costs for the right horse, just to see me out riding again
 
I will go back again, i know i'm pretty hooked on her but i do need to keep looking aswell, just to be certain that i do want her for the right reasons
 
Ditto what others have said - spend a bit more time with her at the RS and ask if you can maybe part share for a few weeks. Agree that you can't buy her cos you feel sorry for her - you need to buy her for the right reasons. Hopefully, the RS will let you part share and you can then decide from there - good luck, it takes time to find the right horse as I have found out to my cost!.:rolleyes:
 
If in doubt don't buy her, as usually you will know when the horse is for you or not.
I do feel sorry for her though, if it was me I would bring her home and let her mouth heal and do lots of ground work and lunging work and wouldn't put a bit in her mouth until it was completely healed. She would probably be more suited to a happy mouth bit or maybe bitless.
Anyway I am sure there are plenty of other horses out there.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
 
i have found that every rs horse i ride has a mouth of steel. i think they get used to being yanked around and they just have to deal with it sadly. she sounds nice though. not many s horses will stop when out on hacks if others go forward. shows that she lstens to you and trusts you. xxx
 
That Sports Horse Tuscan Dream posted about is pretttyy but big!!

I had the perfect mare for you, so gutted we've already sold her :( I'm tempted almost to buy her back and bring her to you!! She is 15hh chunky coloured cob mare who is a plod and has the sweetest nature EVER! Damn I am annoyed now, I don't like the people we sold her to!!
 
She sounds lovely. I love chunky coloured cobs too

I don't mind big horses, somehow it doesnt seem to feel as fast on a bigger heavier horse

I'm riding my friends 16.2hh percheron x and the RS horse is 17hh

I saw a lovely clydesdale on crack on but unfortunately she's sold

I also enquired about another horse with a different company and this is the reply


"Hi Tracey,

Thank you for your enquiry. Sorry , but Clyde has now been sold. We do have Daisy May available and she is a very reliable lady who is safe in and out of the school and in heavy traffic. She is happy to go in front or behind and has proved to be very consistent regardless of whether she is ridden every day or left for a week. She is a snaffle ride and has the sweetest nature. A quiet horse she keeps herself out of all the rough and tumble in the field between the other horses. She even spent a week eating my lawn down when the lawnmower broke! Pausing only to fall asleep on the drive!

You can view her advert on www.horsequest.co.uk/firstchoice.htm and scroll down. She is a coloured 15.1 mare"

the only thing is she is in yorkshire and i'm reluctant to travel too far without a personal recommendation, due to spending hours driving up and down the country to see perfect horses that turn out to be 4 year old racehorses or complete nutters
 
Hi
I have a 16.2 Irish Draft x H w Cob for sale but his is 15. very safe and sensible nice smooth paces never strong. He will go passed any type of traffic, see him on the classifieds I am in east yorkshire.
 
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