What made you buy your horse?

[bitsnpieces]

We all have different stories about how we got our horses and ponies - so how did you come across yours and what made you buy them?

I got Puz via the RS I worked at on the weekends. We used to get some occasionally from a lady to use on the riding school with the aim of selling of them to the clients who would keep them as a working livery. Me and one of the other girls used to ride and look after the newbies to see if they were suitable for use on the RS. Puz was one of these ponies and was one of mine to look after...in short she was in no way suitable for the RS and I thought she was awesome (grumpy little moo bag who didn't like going forwards, cuddles or kisses!)

 

[Native Lover]

I felt sorry for my mare Faye) on a dealers yard, she had a look of sadness about her. She is a grumpy mare though so ungrateful of the easy life she has now.Shes been rested all winter just being a nanny to my foals (which she is enjoying)

 

[cinammontoast]

Got mine for all the wrong reasons: I was desperate to have another after my big lad was PTS, so off I trotted to look at a few, saw him standing in the pouring rain looking like nothing special, saw the blue eye, took him!

 

[Libbylou]

I found Libby on horsehunter, she was a mature age, my favourite colour and She has such a lovely face, I would even go as far to say Dessert Orchid !!.

I went to look at her in all the snow we had beginning of Jan and saw how cold, stiff and underweight she looked also She hated the other horse she was in with. There was just something about her that I didn't want to leave her there. I felt sorry for her really.

Then went back again at the w-end to ride her, it was such rubbish weather that I could only ride her around her field, she was a bit nappy but that's another story ! anyway agreed to buy and collect 15th Jan.

Had a few weeks of hell, discussed selling her and tried to send her back !, now a good yard, decent feed, support, back, new saddle, new rugs, teeth and wormed she is turning out to be alright.

I hate to say FAB just yet incase I jinx it all

 

[minkersmum]

Aw i don't have own horse (YET) but i want to play too, so can i say why i love the little pony i ride??

i love him because the top of his back isn't too high from the ground, he is chunky and very comfy, has a lovely smooth trot that is really easy to sit to. Altho he goes when i ask he is slow and steady and totally non spooky. He is cheeky and sometimes like a little buck. He is a food orientated little man who needs 'persuasion' to get his head out of the bucket! He is a very calm, cool and cuddly boy and THAT is why i love him!!

If i could buy ANY horse right now id buy him.

 

[tiga]

I didn't buy Izzy. I got him on loan from the Sussex Horse Rescue.

I volunteer at the rescue and hadn't planned on getting my own horse till I went back to Australia. Then just decided to go for it and asked the rescue if they had anything suitable for me. The manager said Izzy and I said He had a reputation for being bargy but had been a good X country horse, hacked out alone and in company. They said I would be fine.

I worked with him for a few months at the rescue to see if I could handle him although only rode him a few times as didn't really have a saddle that fitted. I really wasn't sure about getting him at first as he had never been one of my favourites. But once I started doing groundwork with him I was a goner

He's perfect for me because he's sensible but isn't a plod and has plenty of character to keep me on my toes. I really love him to bits!!

 

[Lauzy]

After 9 horseless years I decided to take the plunge. I found a space on a yard 2mins away from my house and told the YO that it may take weeks/months to find a horse, so gave her a deposit to hold the stable for me. That night I found an add in H&H and rang the number, arranged to go and see him the next day. I wasn't too optimistic as I wanted something that was 7 or 8ish and he was 14, I wanted something 15.3-16hh and he was 17hh. I also said I WAS NOT GOING TO BUY THE 1ST THING I WENT TO LOOK AT!

As soon as I saw him I thought, I think he might be the one! Needless to say I had him vetted and took hin home within a week!

But how could you not love a face like this:

 

[TEmily]

Del made me fall in love with him!
He came to my yard c osy/o was selling him on behalf of a friend who runs a stud. His dam's owner died while mare was at the stud owing the owner stud fees and keep. He came to us cos stud owner didn't have time to sell him and also he cribs a bit (his dam cribbed really badly) and owner didn't want the other youngsters learning it.

The first time I mucked him out for y/o he followed me round the stable nuzzling my ear and nudging to be fussed, I was hooked immediately! He stayed at our yard for 6months and when his advert went up in H&H I decided I couldn't bear to see a stranger come and take him so I made the decision to buy him myself.

 

[Flipo's Mum]

Good thread, I bought my boy cause of his size and mine....Everyone thinks I bought him because of the long blonde mane, but really I got him in spite of this. I'm very much a wall flower and the thought of having him stand out while I try and ride is not too thrilling. We're having our troubles. Time will tell whether it works out or not. I very much regret being a ten tonne tess though, wouldn't be in this situation if I wasn't a heavy myself

 

[daftdraught]

I bought Flora when I got chatting to some one at an Arab show and I said that I had Shires (more my husbands) and he said his daughter had an Ardennes for sale so we went to see her and it was love at first sight she was surrounded by Bassett Pups and a pot bellied pig lay snoozing at her feet. It was her big peachy bum bigger than mine that made my mind up.

 

[Nimbus65]

I fell in love with a picture . . . no joke.

I had decided to take the plunge and buy a horse for my daughter and I to share. His was the first ad I responded to (in H&H) - a stunning-looking, dapple-grey - but his owner said he was sold subject to vetting. Tried about 8 others . . . none of them really leapt out at me as being "the one." Saw his ad again - rang his owner and we were off to Hereford to see him.

I fell in love . . . again . . . as soon as we pulled into the yard and I saw his sweet little face. He was angelic when we tried him - Em jumped, galloped and hacked him (she'd never galloped before) and he didn't put a hoof wrong. What won me over, though, aside from how pretty he is, was his temperament . . . so affectionate and cheeky and very laid back without being a plod or boring.

As I think I've mentioned before - he's not really what I planned to buy (I was looking for a nice chunky ISH and got a rather weedy Warmblood) - but he's such a lovely person and a real trier, I wouldn't swap him for the world.

N

 

[Lemme]

Our old girl we had on loan for my youngest daughter, she was hand reared and it was only when we had bought her and had her vetted for her passport did we realise she was younger than we had been led to believe, she must have been broken at 2 and ridden as it worked out we had her on loan at 3 not 5 as we thought, shes a traditional cob and the most honest pony I've met, saying that shes a Mare and has her moments and is def not a novice ride when the whim takes her, although with the grandchildren shes a perfect angel and schoolmistress and is brilliant with the youngstock. Shes 19 now and we will I hope grow old together.

My little man was bought for me to fulfil a childhood dream, at 50 something I decided it was about time I did something for me, went to see him as a yearling, fell in love with him and have never regretted it, that was nearly four years ago, we have had a tough 12 months but he never fails to make me laugh on a daily basis, can't have a bad day when he's around.

Our Welsh A came by accident rather than design, we were scrapping our old horse box, someone wanted it for storage and asked if were interested in a swap, went to have a look as she had some rescue shetlands, but took one look at this pot bellied, scrawny looking yearling, headcollar was cutting into his face and his feet badly needed doing, but he moved like heaven and had a longing look in his eye, hooked we took him, hes been a project and 2 years on we have no regrets, we have had our ups and downs but the downs are less frequent now.

 

[Carrie+Morgan]

I came across Jade quite by accident, her old owner loaned her too me after I had a terrible time with my first pony, after Morgan went to his lovely new mummy, he said I could loan Jade, he was his driving mare and he had never loaned her out before, she was nappy, strong willed and distrustful but we just clicked.

Now she can still be nappy, strong willed but she trusts me and we have a fantastic time together - love her to bits would not change her for the world!!

 

[Daisy_Roots]

I'd had a lot of bad luck with horses, each one dented my confidence a little more than the last one

I was in my local tack shop moaning to the woman that works there about it, when she said her friend was selling a horse.

A coloured 15h cob X mare. Bear with me, I didn't like coloureds, cobs or mares, so this horse didn't really have a lot going for it, in my books. Don't all shout at once .

I went to see her, went for a hack and brought her home for a six month trial. I bought her after 3 months and I've never loved a horse like I do her , so I'm a coloured cob mare convert

She has the best sense of humour, we can chat for hours, she's laid back but forward going, sane and sensible and she really tries for me. The best thing about her is that she's all mine . The only things wrong with her are her name, Belle = hate it and the fact that she dishes, but if she had a straight action, she would have been a lot more money

 

[tiga]

I'd had a lot of bad luck with horses, each one dented my confidence a little more than the last one

I was in my local tack shop moaning to the woman that works there about it, when she said her friend was selling a horse.

A coloured 15h cob X mare. Bear with me, I didn't like coloureds, cobs or mares, so this horse didn't really have a lot going for it, in my books. Don't all shout at once .

I went to see her, went for a hack and brought her home for a six month trial. I bought her after 3 months and I've never loved a horse like I do her , so I'm a coloured cob mare convert

She has the best sense of humour, we can chat for hours, she's laid back but forward going, sane and sensible and she really tries for me. The best thing about her is that she's all mine . The only things wrong with her are her name, Belle = hate it and the fact that she dishes, but if she had a straight action, she would have been a lot more money

I was getting quite offended until I read you were a coloured convert!

I don't like Izzy's name either - it's a girly name but he knows it so it's staying!

 

[jovi_y2k2]

When I bought Star I knew he was going to be mine just from reading the advert and seeing his picture!!
I'd rushed into buying my previous horse not with disasterous results but I shouldn't have bought her so my Dad was insistant that I take my time with the next one. So we went to see him and the owner was lovely and just let me get on with him, do his rugs, groom him, tack him up etc. Her OH rode him first for me and I got on and it was just meant to be!

We arranged to see him again a few days later and take him for a hack and on the way home from the first viewing my Dad just said "you've already made your mind up haven't you?!" he was mine a week later!!

Had 5 amazing years with him at Uni but sadly had to sell him once I graduated due to lack of funds but he's in a happy home now and I still get pic updates from his new owner

 

[OwnedbyChanter]

Most of you know my story but I will bore the ones that don't

I was in Iraq on a 6 months tour but before I went my OH had agreed that I could have another horse when I returned. I came back on my weeks rest and started looking. Found a yard 1.7 miles from my house and started paying for an empty stable in Oct. but no luck with a horse.

While I was away steve started looking and went in the local tack shop, they had nothing but gave him the number for bransby home of rest. He called they said they didn't loan out anymore!!!

A week later he received a call from a lady asking what he was after and I quote 'four legs a head and a tail' They had Chanter a 14 year old TBX. He went to see him the next day and took pictures to email to me.

When I received them they were of a very wet sodden sad looking hairy thing. I knew it was love as he had kind eyes I phoned them from Iraq and they held him for me until I returned in Dec.

NB He bucked me off on our first test riden together. When every he is naught which is pretty much every ride my mate reminds me of his 'kind eyes'

 

[Lobelia Overhill]

I have no idea what made me buy Don... I would go riding on a Monday evening, and I'd always get there miles too early, so I'd wander around petting the horses. There was one chestnut horse who resolutely ignored me when I tried to pet him, and would back into his box if I persisted.

Then when I said I wanted to buy myself a horse they showed me one of their own youngster that was for sale - and it was the chestnut! I went into his box and petted him and he started licking my hand in a very friendly manner. He was top of my budget (ouch) too young (6) and a novice showjumper (I prefer dressage and cross country), but I agreed to try him the next day.
I got on and he felt grand under me so I walked and trotted him round, then I asked for a canter and all hell broke loose, he took off like a rocket and we went whizzing round the arena at Warp Factor 9 They'd put one of their jumping saddles on him and I couldn't get my butt into the saddle to sit up and slow him down and he was wearing a Dutch gag so I didn't want to haul on his head. All I could do was hover over the saddle and do half halts until eventually he slowed to a more reasonable pace, then I was able to do a few circuits in proper canter.

I bought him anyways! The pros outweighed the cons, I didn't have to move him anywhere, he'd been at the yard most of his life so they know him inside out ... sold

I've not regretted my decision to buy him since, he's cheeky without being spiteful, he loves getting cuddles and kisses, and he's showing signs of shaping up to be a potential low level dressage horse - he doesn't panic when I ask him to do something new, he gets confused, listens to me, then has a go if he hears shrieks of "good boy!!!" he knows he's done well and puts this cocky strut into his stride

 

[sjames86]

i went to see Ruby and liked her from the first moment - however when i watched the seller riding her i just couldnt take my eyes off her - i was mesmerised and just knew from that second i wanted her.
It must have been the right decision as i had exaclty the same feeling when i watched my instructor rider her on Monday - just mesmerised.

 

[Nicnac]

Ah I like reading these stories. What made me buy Tia? Well after various disasters trying horses out, putting offers in and for one thing and another, all of them falling through, I saw an advert of this pretty coloured cob and her foal. Went to see her (she had been a broodmare for two years) she came to call, and what made me really fall in love with her were a few things. Her bombproof manner - caravans, you name it, on a main road when I tried her, and when she was standing in the stable and her owner and I were standing outside, she actually came to the door to listen and find out what was going on. That did it for me really, and the fact that she was just such a pretty girl. You could tell that she wasn't really loved there too - she wasn't treated badly or anything, but they had two big horses who they clearly spoilt, and she was just left to her own devices. She was the right size, and type for me although I ideally wanted a gelding, and I lurve coloured cobs so I totally fell in love. She was far less schooled than I wanted though and her canter is awful to sit to, plus one back injury later, and other smaller handling issues, but hopefully we're in the right direction - and she can be soooo sweet sometimes, my heart just melts really...