I’ll definitely make that list! I always had a general idea in my mind but never really had any set definition of what I’d like or need. Also, link to the horse I was originally gonna buy, incase you’re curious. http://www.horseadoption.com/horseprofiles/unnamed-sweet-dreamer-16/
First horse anxieties!
- Thread starter CafeDreamsofMocha
- Start date
I have made my list!! Off to search.
MUST!
•Be hunter/jumper
•Be older than 5
•Have good ground manners
•Be more than 14hh
•Less than $1000
•8hrs or less of a drive (for their sake and ours! Our stable closes at 9PM, or 21:00, which means to get them and come back we would have to leave at 5AM!)
Would like!
•Gelding
•Calm + sweet temperament
•16hh+
•600 or less
•7~8 or older
•Good for farrier/vet
•Good with picking up feet for hoofpicking
Ehhh....
•Mare
•Iffy ground manners
Rather not...
•Bucking
•Kicking
•Biting
•Bad manners
NO WAY!
•Rearing
•Stallion
•Not fully trained
•Younger than 5
Feel free to say if you think there’s something I might like to add!
MUST!
•Be hunter/jumper
•Be older than 5
•Have good ground manners
•Be more than 14hh
•Less than $1000
•8hrs or less of a drive (for their sake and ours! Our stable closes at 9PM, or 21:00, which means to get them and come back we would have to leave at 5AM!)
Would like!
•Gelding
•Calm + sweet temperament
•16hh+
•600 or less
•7~8 or older
•Good for farrier/vet
•Good with picking up feet for hoofpicking
Ehhh....
•Mare
•Iffy ground manners
Rather not...
•Bucking
•Kicking
•Biting
•Bad manners
NO WAY!
•Rearing
•Stallion
•Not fully trained
•Younger than 5
Feel free to say if you think there’s something I might like to add!
Lol, what is wrong with a mare?
I said that too and I absolutely didn’t want a Haflinger under any circumstances......
It’s good you have a list but be prepared to stray from it, sometimes the right horse just finds you.
I said that too and I absolutely didn’t want a Haflinger under any circumstances......
It’s good you have a list but be prepared to stray from it, sometimes the right horse just finds you.
I dont have that much of an issue with them, I’d just prefer a gelding and I’ve found through experience that mares tend to develop habits of kicking/biting/bucking/ear pinning/face making around other horses and people. Of course there’s outliers, and of corse not every mare is like that, its just something I’ve found is more often than not true. Since they’re firmly in the “eh” category, I wouldn’t be apposed to it, but I’d still prefer a gelding over a mare.
However, not to say that a mare isnt good. However much you love and trust your gelding, a mare is usually much less likely to refuse a jump it knows it cant make instead of jumping and hurting itself, and also less likely to, say, reverse into a ditch in a blind panic. Mares have a better sense of self-preservation most of the time, so if she bolts across the yard, as long as you can stay on her back, chances are you’ll be okay.
Mares just tend to be moodier, while geldings tend to be more prone to hurting themselves. Theres ups and downs to both, and one really isn’t ‘better’ than another, and it all comes down to preference.
Sorry this is so long, its just something I’ve put a lot of thought and research into aha!
If you're buying I'd add must be open to a vetting & I'd move being good for the farrier up to a must.
Think about how you'll keep this horse because that may have some influence over the breeds/types you look at, if you can't or don't want to stable at all then I'd stay away from tbs & warmbloods - yes there are exceptions that will winter out but as a rule they don't do well kept that way & even if you get one that does your feed bill will be huge & you'll be spending a lot of time hanging around waiting for it to eat bucket feeds.
At 5'3" I'd be wary at looking at over 16hh, particularly for a 1st horse. I know a longer stride can feel comfortable & secure, but if (when!) you run into problems that extra size can make things a lot harder to deal with & this is no longer a school horse that someone else will ort out if there's a problem. A smaller horse with a big stride & a good length of rein will give you a similar feel but be easier to manage when things don't go smoothly. I've had both, I'm talking from experience here, and on a bad day my super athletic, built like a brick outhouse 16.3 was extremely difficult (& judging by any onlookers reactions, terrifying) & I was no novice. My 14.2 welsh cob, though less my type, is like a small sports car - enough there for fun but less likely to kill you! And if he has a strop I can literally sit there, tel him to get over himself & ride it through with no real risk. He'll out walk & out trot much bigger horses though, as one RI said "he's a 14.2 with the stride of a 16.2 warmblood" - that's the type you would be better looking for.
Think about how you'll keep this horse because that may have some influence over the breeds/types you look at, if you can't or don't want to stable at all then I'd stay away from tbs & warmbloods - yes there are exceptions that will winter out but as a rule they don't do well kept that way & even if you get one that does your feed bill will be huge & you'll be spending a lot of time hanging around waiting for it to eat bucket feeds.
At 5'3" I'd be wary at looking at over 16hh, particularly for a 1st horse. I know a longer stride can feel comfortable & secure, but if (when!) you run into problems that extra size can make things a lot harder to deal with & this is no longer a school horse that someone else will ort out if there's a problem. A smaller horse with a big stride & a good length of rein will give you a similar feel but be easier to manage when things don't go smoothly. I've had both, I'm talking from experience here, and on a bad day my super athletic, built like a brick outhouse 16.3 was extremely difficult (& judging by any onlookers reactions, terrifying) & I was no novice. My 14.2 welsh cob, though less my type, is like a small sports car - enough there for fun but less likely to kill you! And if he has a strop I can literally sit there, tel him to get over himself & ride it through with no real risk. He'll out walk & out trot much bigger horses though, as one RI said "he's a 14.2 with the stride of a 16.2 warmblood" - that's the type you would be better looking for.
A mare would have to be something extremely special for me to buy simply because I don't tend to gel with them as well BUT to say mares tend to develop behaviours like that is wrong - that's handling, management, &/or riding failure.
I would add to your list anything that is needed for your future ambitions with the horse. For instance
If you are like me being able to hack on your own is a must
If you are going to jump you want a reasonable jumper
If you are going to compete at dressage you want 3 good paces
If you are going to show you need good confirmation
So on my list I had
Must hack alone
Must jump 100cm
Good luck! Its exciting and scary at the same time
If you are like me being able to hack on your own is a must
If you are going to jump you want a reasonable jumper
If you are going to compete at dressage you want 3 good paces
If you are going to show you need good confirmation
So on my list I had
Must hack alone
Must jump 100cm
Good luck! Its exciting and scary at the same time
The list is a great idea. I wasn't so good with mine - 4 legs, head, tail, but the big one is, for me, a kind eye. I made sure I was the one catching them, leading out, tacking up etc. Though the tacking up didn't apply to Hogan, as he'd been turned away for 2 years. A list gives you a spring board to work from, otherwise you'd spend your time looking at non starters, and that gets depressing! My friend was the complete reverse of me - her list could have filled a phonebook, and she stuck to it too rigidly, so it took her AGES to find one, and she admits she dismissed ones she really might have liked. Also you seem to have quite a few from adoption agencies, and it pays them to be honest as their reputation is important.
I found an 8 year old mare named Sprocket who seems to check all the boxes, and is only $250! My only worry is if she’s too small for me. She’s only 13hh, and I haven’t ridden a horse that small in years. I typically ride in the 14-15.5hh range, and sometimes even feel I look silly on them, even though they’re average size! Do you think I’d be too tall for her? Keep in mind my final height will be 5’5”-5’7”, and I’d definitely be interested in keeping her for a long while.
Yeah, when searching online I usually keep that slider at 15hh-20hh+ but I am wary of larger horses acting out- I think the 13hh mare I mentioned, if she has the right stride, could be great for me assuming I’m not too big, or will end up too big.
Yes, true, but I think it would be unfair to her if I outgrow her and I may not have the opportunity to buy another horse. I’m unsure if she’d be a bad idea due to her size. I’m 5’3” and 110 pounds. I’m not overweight but I am on the muscular side which makes me wonder if I’ll end up too big for her, which realistically I might especially for jumping. I’m keeping her wellbeing in mind, and I don’t want to outgrow her and then have her waste away in her stall. I know lunging is always an option as well as leasing her or surrendering to the stables as a school horse but I also dont want to keep her from a home where she’d be better suited. Idk, I did enquire about her in an email to her seller, and I think I could get her, but again, its not only a matter of ‘will i be too big?’ but also a matter of ‘am I too big?’ and ‘is this fair to her?’. When I’m looking my biggest thought when it comes to buying is simply “is this fair to them? Would it be in the future?”, in addition to running through my checklist. In my email to the company I asked the following:Buy for now, not for what you might grow into
•How is she for the vet/farrier?
•Other than being skittish with her back legs, how are her manners?
•Does she kick/bite/buck/rear? If so, which?
•Do you think she’d be too small? I’m 5’3” and 110lbs.
•Can she jump? If so, whats (roughly) her max? I wouldn’t want to overwork or hurt her.
Do you think these were good questions to ask? Should I have asked other questions too?
Here’s her listing for those who are curious. Dont steal her! Lol
My Right Horse
My Right Horse is your one-stop destination for hundreds of adoptable horses. Whether you’re looking for your next buckle-winning champion or your first-ever horse, your search starts here.
www.myrighthorse.org
If I were to buy her we would drive out one day, spend the night, then get her and drive back the next, since she’s roughly 9.25 hours away. Is that a smart plan? I know the max a horse should spend is 12hrs and preferably under 8hrs but I would have nowhere to stop and let her out so I wouldn’t be able to do that, which makes me feel guilty but I’d definitely stop to check on her every 2-4 hours, give her pats, love, and a treat, and tell her she’s doing great.
Your biggest question with 13hh is will she take up your leg? My little cob is 13hh, but as broad as a tank, and I don't feel under-horsed one bit. I'm 5'2 and about 8 and a half stone, but he could carry 10 stone, and not break a sweat! To give you an idea of the appearance of 13hh heavy built look at Hogan with me on. Are there other horses in th area where she is that you can view? It's a long way to go and look, if you don't know you're going to come away with her.
Factor in that you need to go and see her before you buy! At the very least you'll need two visits - one to see her, ride her & get a feel for her, then another to have her vetted which you really should be there for. That's a lot of travelling and your parents may get fed up. I'd stick a lot closer to home, surely there must be horses closer to you than this?
Note that my price rage is sadly EXTREMELY low. I really am barely able to afford a horse- if my stable cant lower board significantly ($200+ lower) in exchange for being able to use my horse 5 days a week in lessons then I wouldn’t be able to even afford one, and I’m hoping that by finding a horse under 600 that’ll make it so my parents could potentially be able to afford board easier. I live in an urban area, so board is a bit high compared to suberban at $585 per month but i know board can be as much as $1000+ so I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to even consider it.
Maybe that suggests you need to save until you have a bigger budget? Realistically travelling that far will soon eat up your budget anyway, so better to wait until you have more & can shop closer to home. On a more cynical note a horse is usually cheap for a reason, make very sure that you find out what that reason is.
True but my parents know that finding a horse that checks my boxes (that some would consider unrealistic) in our price range is gonna be phenomenal and would likely be willing.
True- I think in sprocket’s case its her being shy with her back legs in addition to being very small.
newrider.com