Nervous and excited

Star the Fell

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Jun 14, 2015
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i am going to look at a 6 year onl mare tomorrow with a view to buying her. Eeeek!
It's 11 years since I've even sat on another horse.
Plan is to go tomorrow with Mr Star, have a chat about her and a ride if possible, walk and trot only as she ''can get excited' in canter. Mr Star will take photos for me.
If I like her I will go back for a mini lesson with my instructor to see if she thinks we are a good match. I also have a couple of friends who would give me honest opinions.
I have told her current owner, that I will want to ride her a few times, and can't actually take her until after my holiday in September. She is happy with all that as she's not in a rush to sell.
So, what are the most important questions to ask?
 
When did they introduce canter? Do they get excited just ridden or on the lunge as well?

I would want to see her ridden in all three paces to see what their definition of excited means in a field and an enclosed space. I would look at what the pony does and what the rider is doing.
I wouldn't want to be put off doing something if I am trying an animal, unless cantering them again would cause them to lose the plot completely.
If that was likely to be the case I would then want to know if myself and RI can work with it.
 
Well I would definitely be asking the owner to ride in canter first for sure in order to see what they mean by "a bit excited". Mine can get a bit excited in canter i.e. sticking her bum in the air and whooping about but its nothing that can't be controlled.
 
Good luck :D all the normal questions I guess, but given why you are buying another I'd probably also ask if there's any history of laminitis or any metabolic indicators.
 
Not too worried about getting excited in canter as she's only six. Star still gets excited at 15! Bit like yours Orcvalley.
Apparantely the little mare only does it with her owner on not children. Looking at the photos the owner looks a lot bigger than me, so it may be a weight thing??
Got a second choice lined up, 14.1 gelding. Not as pretty and a lot further away. He has a viewing this morning so can't see him today, but definitely want to if he doesn't sell.
First mare is 13.2. I am only 5' and weigh less than 8 stones, so don't think she's too small for me. Restricted a bit by the size of stable he/ she will be living in as I like them to have as much room as possible.
Also tempted by gelding rather than mare. No more moody mare syndrome!
 
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Personally I would be reluctant to buy a horse if I could not canter in a viewing - unless I did not want to canter when I bought the horse either. I generally assume a horse will be far more challenging at first when they leave their familiar environment so that kind of question mark would be a deal breaker for me. But obviously that is just my own view. Also I don't think 6 is that young tbh. I keep being told off for 'making excuses' for Max at 6. He's 'all grown up now and needs to behave', so I am told!

I know I am very, very, very cynical but I would wonder why this seller is happy to keep a horse till after September. There may be a plausible reason but generally once a person has put a horse on the market, they plan to sell it! So why would she keep her for you? Unless she assumes she is going to be very hard to sell? Or would you pay for her now, but leave her where she is?

Good luck anyway with whoever you view and hope you find The One very soon!
 
The reason she is being sold is because she has not grown big enough for the rider to compete at the level she wants to. Im sure she won't keep her for me unless I pay up front, or have her 'on loan' for the 4 weeks or so. I will ask to see her ridden in all 3 paces before I even get on. May attempt canter if I'm not too worried about how excited she gets.
The other gelding I want to see is mother/ daughter share. They are giving up and again happy to wait for right home/ person rather than a quick sale.
I have not even looked at adverts that state 'must go' or quick sale needed. They put me off more as I think they are desperate to get rid of the horse for some reason.
 
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Everyone is different. But if I was already worried about cantering them because I had been told they get excited I probably wouldn't view.
 
Well first viewing of the 13.2 mare was a disaster. Agreed to meet owner at yard at 2 pm. Got there and she wasn't there, but a few other women were there so they showed me to her stable.
Very sweet mare inside on a dirty bed, hardly any water no hay.
Speaking to the other women the owner neglected her really. She hadn't been turned out for 4 months, not been ridden for a while, just taken to in hand shows which she did really well at. The other girls said the mare was a sweetheart and they had all ridden her, including a young child of 7/8. We left at 2.45 having decided to walk away without trying her.i felt like taking her with me, but I would have been buying for the wrong reasons.

Then on to see the gelding and it was a totally different scene. Owner and 12 year old daughter were waiting for us. Pony was tied up outside his stable, they tacked him up in front of me and we walked to the small sand school. Daughter got on and walked trotted and cantered him round. Then I got on. And fell in love!
He is lovely, touch button go, easy stop. Very comfortable in all paces. I did a bit of leg yield and tun on the forehand, which he did willingly. He does pop a fence, but I didn't try that. They asked if I wanted to canter him in a field.
But, the big but was someone had already seen him that morning and had gone away to think about him, so I wasn't too hopeful.
Just had a call from the owner saying she would rather he came to me than to the others!!
So subject to vetting which will hopefully be early next week, he is mine.
They are happy to keep him to September, provided he is vetted straight away and I pay a deposit.
So fingers crossed Ziggy will be our new addition.
 
Lovely lovely news:)
Crap crap crap news about the other poor horse:(:(:(

I wish I could go back for her. She was up for sale fo £1500 , her owner apparantely owes the farmer £700 in unpaid livery fees. I was so, so tempted to say I'd take her unridden for £800 but I just can't take the risk, even though I had 3 women there telling me what a great little mare she was.
I was a bit concerned about her size....I like small ponies, but she did look small even to me, would need to see how I felt on her.
 
Brilliant news! He sounds lovely, fingers crossed the vetting goes well. If so, we need photos!
 
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