thinking of buying my own

carlybabe1

Hi all, I'm seriously thinking of buying my own horse, which is a lifelong held dream. My preference would be a big cob with lovely feathers and an equally generous nature. any suggestions or hints would be greatly appreciated as I know that buying a horse can be full of pitfalls.

kerrysgold

Cobs are quite expensive now for the good ones, but they are lovely horses. I'd say take the horse on trial for at least a week and get it vetted and you should be OK, if anyone objects to that then they must have something to hide. Good luck!

carlybabe1

excellent idea, thanks for that, I would never have thought of it

kerrysgold

yeah it's pretty important, a relative of mine took a pony on trial and 3 days into a 7 day trial his (the ponies) painkillers wore off O.O

also, unless your keeping your horse at livery, you need to be well able to look after a horse. there is massive amounts of stuff to learn and a lot of it can't be learned out of a book, some riding schools allow you to help out though which is a great opportunity to learn stuff like feeding correctly, grooming, tacking up, basically how to handle a horse etc! Sorry if you already know all that but I don't know if you currently get to help out at a stables or not some are quite annoying and when you get there everything is done for you and you don't get to have a go at anything yourself!

doctor evil

Remember it will take longer than a week for an animal to truyly settle. Get bloods done if you suspect the animal is doped, or better yet walk away.

Make sure you get a written receipt which is witnessed.

carlybabe1

Hi, have a bit of exp. worked in a stable for two years, absolutely loved it, used to go in on my days off there's nothin like that horsey smell :pac: just a bit naive when it comes to buying one. would have to keep it in livery as i have no land on which to keep it, but there is a few nice places around and i agree with you kerrys. i would def do it diy. whats the point in havin a horse if all you're gonna do is ride it twice a week or so. I would just pay for lessons an save myself a fortune its such a big step though, my aswell have another child so I'm somewhat hesitant to take the plunge.

MDFM

carlybabe1 wrote: »

Hi, have a bit of exp. worked in a stable for two years, absolutely loved it, used to go in on my days off there's nothin like that horsey smell :pac: just a bit naive when it comes to buying one. would have to keep it in livery as i have no land on which to keep it, but there is a few nice places around and i agree with you kerrys. i would def do it diy. whats the point in havin a horse if all you're gonna do is ride it twice a week or so. I would just pay for lessons an save myself a fortune its such a big step though, my aswell have another child so I'm somewhat hesitant to take the plunge.

Full/half Livery does have its benefits though, do bear that in mind. If you are going down the route of diy, bear in mind how much time in your day you will need to devote to your horse and can you juggle that time with your work/family/personal life? Do you have the time in your day to spend a few hours mucking out, feeding, exercising etc? I had a horse on half livery for a long time while i was on a different job that involved commuting. It was the only way i could manage to keep him so i could continue to compete and ride him during that time. He was fed, mucked out, turned out daily and when i got home in the evenings at 7pm I'd exercise him and give him his final feed. While it was expensive it worked out best for me. There was often a day or so when i'd get delayed at work or held back an hour for whatever reason, or traffic etc..but i'd never have to worry as at least i knew the horse would be fed regardless of how late i was.
now i've moved him home to my own place again and its still very time consuming juggling him with work, and the other horses. i might finish my day job at 4pm but i start my evening work with the horses at 6pm (after my commute home) and from then on i might not finish with the horses from anytime between 9-10pm. DIY is great when all is going well and there are no problems. But at least with Livery, if its a good yard, you know your horse is looked after and cared for during the day if you're not there. There's no telling really how much time any one horse can take up in your day. one day every thing can run smoothly and then the next day, you could just as easily find your horse on 3 legs or suffering from colic..
I'm not putting you off by any means, but really look closely at what is the best option for you at the moment and how it can fit into your needs and your lifestyle. What might be the cheapest option for you might not necessarily be the best option for the horse and could work out more expensive in the end.
Best of luck though with whatever you do and happy horse shopping!!

carlybabe1

thanks mdfm, point well taken. At the moment the plan is to do a training course in a yard that will hopefully take my horse too, I know they used to do that in callaighstown. If that falls through then I have a job lined up, a few hrs durin the day while kids are in school in return for riding lessons & training etc. either way I,m kinda bankin on bein in the same place as said horse. Has anyone heard of Vanessa Bee? theres a course comin up soon and cause i,ve been outta the loop so long i'd like to know what the general feel is before i fork out lots of cash:)

doctor evil

She's studied with Pat Parelli (boo) so could leaning too much towards bunny hugging cr*p. She apparently created 'Positive Hormanship' (great buzz word) so I imagine it would cost to see this 'guru'.

You'll save yourself cash with any competent horse person.

You could always become involved with RDA or paraequestrian Ireland to gain experience and build links. There are great horse people involved in it.

http://www.rdai.org/

http://www.irishfield.com/scripts/fdorganizationinfo.cfm?pr_id=133

carlybabe1

I trained in an rda school, it was my first job, and yes they are great people to train with. doesn't pat parelli do natural horsemanship as opposed to positive horsemanship??? Anywho, am getting conflicting opinions, so i guess the best thing would be to go see for myself. It might be a waste of money but it it'll be a mistake I wont repeat and I'll post what happens etc. I do know what you mean about the bunny hugger stuff, I guess it just depends how you relate to your animal. Its not till sept but ill keep you posted

carlybabe1

Hi all, am looking for some advice. I am thinking of buying my own horse (as some of you may know) and I have been perusing the net, I was pretty sure that I wanted a heavy cob, but the more I look the more I like and Im confused!!! I've seen some lovely ponies most of which are claimed to be bombproof and perfect for novice/kids. I'm trying to weigh up prose and cons and would appreciate any advice please

Sue1959

I've made a few mistakes ... even with cobs ... laminitis being the biggest. Some pointers:

1) Always, always vet
2) Trial for a week
3) Good temperament ("forward" can also mean "bloodyminded")
4) Not too young
5) Isolation/boredom ... they still like to be with other horses, even if they spend their whole time bickering.
6) Good "doer" - lives of the land and not off your purse
7) Don't buy under pressure or fall in love with just one horse ... there is always another - and often a better - one round the corner. So don't get disheartened if you miss out on a few.
8) Therefore get out there and see as many as you can - don't panic and don't rush it.

... ooops ... the cake's burning ... back later ..

Just a point.

I would never, ever, lend a horse out on a trial.

You would be welcome to come to mine to ride him under supervision, and you may ride him at a competition if you want. But until the cheque clears, no way would a horse leave my yard.

carlybabe1

Honestly im fed up trawlin through internt adds an mags etc. I've taken to only lookin at ones with photos and still Im lookin. And can someone PLEEEASSSEE tell me what the deal is with the dealers??????? PM me if neccessary, but ive seen on almost every add "NO DEALERS" sigh!!! anyway thanks for that Sue1959 and I was thinking that i migjht have trouble convincing someone to let me have a trial, too many variables but I have seen an add where they state you can have for trial period!!!!
anyway cheers for all the advice guys, need it badly

k_d

"And can someone PLEEEASSSEE tell me what the deal is with the dealers??????? "

people dont want to e selling there horses to dealers pritty much,
would you rather your horse go to the likes of yourself lookin for that one horse to look after or to a "dealer" with hundreds who only know your horse by a number!!
itll be in the yard one minute and could be with any lunny the next day!!

MDFM

carlybabe1 wrote: »

Honestly im fed up trawlin through internt adds an mags etc. I've taken to only lookin at ones with photos and still Im lookin. And can someone PLEEEASSSEE tell me what the deal is with the dealers??????? PM me if neccessary, but ive seen on almost every add "NO DEALERS" sigh!!! anyway thanks for that Sue1959 and I was thinking that i migjht have trouble convincing someone to let me have a trial, too many variables but I have seen an add where they state you can have for trial period!!!!
anyway cheers for all the advice guys, need it badly

Look, the best advice i can think of is bring someone else on board who has more experience than you and will guide you in either the right direction or source suitable animals or go with u when you're viewing animals. A 2nd opinion is always valuable, esp coming from someone who's in the field a lot longer than you. Perhaps ask your instructor or someone you know who has horses. there are lots of suitable animals out there on sale, but its very easy to end up with the wrong animal when you've parted with your cash! I'm involved in horses all my life and i still don't make a final purchase without having a 2nd opinion on board and will often ask someone i know (who deals in horses and showjumps) to look out for a certain type of horse that i might be on the search for. no matter how much you think you know, there's is always someone who knows more than you!

carlybabe1

you're dead right, and in this instance there's a nworld of people who are more experienced than me, the problem is finding someone who has the experience but also the time to come look with me....its not an easy thing to ask as most peeps have limited time as it is... but as I said before thanks for all advice, its much needed for this novice:)

MDFM

Is there no instructor you could ask? are you getting lessons at the moment? Put the word around your riding school that you are on the look for your own horse, they may be able to help you. If you are a novice/beginner/1st time buyer etc...trawling through websites and viewing horses on your own is really not the wise thing to be doing.

carlybabe1

Yep I am taking lessons, but my intructer is up to her eyes. I'll flick through some of the equestrian centers and see what they have, I know its not ideal but I'm not around people that have dealings with horses at the mo and its just a way of singling out where to go to have a look I'm on a really tight budget too, I can afford its upkeep in livery I'll be workin in the yard where ill keep it so most of it will be diy but im limited in what I can pay for one as I'll be borrowing to buy. I'm beginning to think I may never be able to get one

MDFM

Don't be setting your sights too high to start off with. Ask your instructor does she know of any horse for sale or has she any contacts that might have one? The only time it might take up on her behalf is a phonecall, and she may thank you for it in the end and if she sources an animal for you its quite likely she'll be getting her commission from the seller. Is there no suitable animal for sale in your riding school that might get you started?

skink

i have pm'd you

carlybabe1

Thanks a mill MDFM for all your help and advvice, its much appreciated

MDFM

Best of luck with it thats all i can say and seriously, dont set your sights over and beyond what you're currently capable of doing. I don't know what level you are at or if you compete, but, if you're a novice, a steady schoolmaster will set you off on the right track and then you'll know over time whether or not you are ready to move onto something more challenging and move up a grade. Horses are not cheap to buy or keep, but you should be able to get something reasonably priced to get you going..if even only in the short-term until you learn a bit more and get more confidence..then again that also depends on what your future plans. I 'm only emphasising this as i've seen too many people getting the wrong advice, getting the wrong animal and things going belly up on them. Get in contact with a few different riding schools around the country, ask them what, if anything, they might have on offer. Go and view these animals. Make sure you see someone else ride them before you ride them and try out the animal you click with the most as often as you can, and get as many lessons as you can on it. Best of luck anyway, hope it works out for you.