How old? (horse that is!)

Lobelia Overhill

Now that I've established I'll be able to afford to purchase and keep [at livery] a horse I'm having a proper look around, I've been advised to look for something around 5 - 8 years old, so far I've found one 8 year old but the [online] ad is four months old, and I've had no response to the PM I sent. Otherwise everything that "ticks the boxes" is 10 - 15 years old.

This won't be my first horse, and I'm not looking for some potential champion, just an all rounder that I can have fun with, so should I go for the older horse, or wait and see if something younger comes along?

monflat

well it depends on your ambitions but buying a 10 yr old would not be much of a problem either if it has experience.
Keep an eye on out on all websites and look privatly also always get the horse to be ridden if it is advertised as jumping a course of 1metre insist that someone jumps the horse over this as no point in going somewhere to look at a horse and it has just been brought in from grass and has not been ridden in months.

It is a buyers market so it is now so take your time and find something that suits lots of people will be desperate to selldue to economy etc bu look at lot s of horses you soon will be drawn to one.

Lobelia Overhill

Not all that madly ambitious really, I'm not as young as I once was (gawd I never thought I hear myself say that! LOL) and if the horse was any cop at something I know people who could ride it in competitions for me ...

I'd take someone with me to view any horse, and make sure it was ridden by the owner first, last time I was buying a horse I had one rear up and go over backwards on me :eek: (luckily he did it in slo-mo and I managed to roll out of the way)

I'd another horse cart me round and round an arena until it managed to get me off it's back (dunno how I opened my eyes and was laying on the floor!), that one was a highly strung hunter who'd been ridden by an assortment of people over the course of a week, and had obviously had enough. The owner clearly thought I was some sort of loser falling off while cantering :rolleyes:

Definitely a buyers market these days, there are times when I think "jays I could buy two ... " LOL

Thanks for the advice, didn't think about the horse not being ridden for months!

ecaf

Lobelia Overhill wrote: »

Not all that madly ambitious really, I'm not as young as I once was (gawd I never thought I hear myself say that! LOL) and if the horse was any cop at something I know people who could ride it in competitions for me ...

I'd take someone with me to view any horse, and make sure it was ridden by the owner first, last time I was buying a horse I had one rear up and go over backwards on me :eek: (luckily he did it in slo-mo and I managed to roll out of the way)

That happened to me before riding a school horse in a show, I was 10 though and I didn't get out of the way, she landed on top of me. :eek: Not nice, and didn't do my confidence any good!
After that I got a two year old cob type, and he was a pet - and relation to your question, he was still going very strong aged 16, unfortunately he had to be be put down with cancer spreading. But the vet said he had an extremely strong heart, it took a double dose to fully send him off! Such a pity really because I'm sure he'd still be going strong at 19 now!

Also a good idea to get the owner to ride them, the mare I have now was in foal but still rideable when we were getting her, only the owner hadn't ridden her for over 6 months, and because she was in foal we didn't ask about showing us a demo.
I lunged her when we got her first and after a few weeks I put a saddle on her and lunged her, she bucked a little but it was nothing major, except since my accident all them years ago I'm still nervous of the unknown. I did sit up on her, but she could sense my fear. When the foal is weaned I'm going to get someone else to ride her first, my nerves and hers together wouldn't be a great idea!

Best of luck with whatever you decide to buy, be sure to put us up some pictures when you do!

Edited to add: Just wanted to clarify, I was pointing out that my cob was still in great spirits when he was 16, but I would buy one a bit younger than that, 8 - 12 (ish)

Lobelia Overhill

ecaf wrote: »

That happened to me before riding a school horse in a show, I was 10 though and I didn't get out of the way, she landed on top of me. :eek: Not nice, and didn't do my confidence any good!

gawd I can imagine!

After that I got a two year old cob type, and he was a pet - and relation to your question, he was still going very strong aged 16, unfortunately he had to be be put down with cancer spreading.

that's a shame

When the foal is weaned I'm going to get someone else to ride her first, my nerves and hers together wouldn't be a great idea!

Yeah, she's bound to bit a bit hyper while she's hormonal ...

Best of luck with whatever you decide to buy, be sure to put us up some pictures when you do!

Oh I'll bore you all stupid with photos and video (here's his hoof, and here's his nostril, and this is some straw ... LOL)

I've had a horse shown to me today who looks the thing, top end of my budget but not sickeningly so, and he's 6 which is the youngest I'd be looking for ... I'm going to try him out over the weekend. I know the owners very well and they wouldn't try anything funny with me (like selling me a maniac!)

*tries not to hyperventilate*

ecaf

Lobelia Overhill wrote: »

I've had a horse shown to me today who looks the thing, top end of my budget but not sickeningly so, and he's 6 which is the youngest I'd be looking for ... I'm going to try him out over the weekend. I know the owners very well and they wouldn't try anything funny with me (like selling me a maniac!)

*tries not to hyperventilate*

Oh that's a good start, looking forward to following your story! Will you get to take him on trial for a month, or do people do that anymore?
Like you I'm just getting back into the horsey thing again properly. During college I didn't get to spend enough time with my cob, and then he was gone before I could get back into it.
I'm like you now with my mare and her new foal, really loving being back into it again, and 'bonding' with them!

Lobelia Overhill

ecaf wrote: »

Oh that's a good start, looking forward to following your story! Will you get to take him on trial for a month, or do people do that anymore?
Like you I'm just getting back into the horsey thing again properly. During college I didn't get to spend enough time with my cob, and then he was gone before I could get back into it.
I'm like you now with my mare and her new foal, really loving being back into it again, and 'bonding' with them!

he's at the yard where I ride and will be keeping him, so win win!

Keep us updated about the foalie!!

dozydelilah

you,ll know yourself with the horse, don,t let someone in the know talk you into a particular horse if you know in your heart its not the right one! you,ll know the right one when you see him/her.....i,ll send you a pm of a name and number of a man who has a good few horses, that sounds like you want.

Lobelia Overhill

dozydelilah wrote: »

you,ll know yourself with the horse, don,t let someone in the know talk you into a particular horse if you know in your heart its not the right one! you,ll know the right one when you see him/her

I've had my eye on this chestnut fella for a while and I know the people for years, I don't think they'd be trying to be smart with me. i'll see how it goes tomorrow when I try him out ...

dozydelilah

best of luck with him. i,jealous as hell. i might have to wait till next year though, or the year after,or the year after that......:rolleyes:

Lobelia Overhill

dozydelilah wrote: »

best of luck with him. i,jealous as hell. i might have to wait till next year though, or the year after,or the year after that......:rolleyes:

I've waited 25 years *gulp* to have my own horse again! I'm trying hard not to get myself over hyped!!