If you were hypothetically shopping for a second pony...

[mummyof2munchkins]

What would you think of this boy...

classifieds.horseandhound.co.uk/advert/eye-catching-eventing-prospect-503789/

I may be half serious about a second pony and just like the look of him but i'm hopeless at choosing wisely... usually go for a pretty face

[LaPufalina]

Is the date on the photo the date he was advertised?
He does look stunning. Not sure if a bit pricey for his age/experience?

[Jakethecob]

He is pretty. I'm always suspicious of adverts that say the horse has only been owned for 6 months.

[maxelly]

He certainly appears to be a nice looking boy although I would like to see a proper confirmation shot of him stood up without tack, from the side. Its not hard to do this so it does mystify me why sellers upload 1001 pictures of the horse in a field etc and not the one useful shot a serious buyer would want (unless they are trying to hide some kind of hideous deformity of course!).

Also any nice looking nicely bred young horse with potential for eventing who has reached the age of 9 and only hacked and been to a few local events has clearly had something go wrong along the way, either soundness related or behavioral. I wonder about the latter as described as 'not a novice ride', 'strong' and is clearly wearing a Dutch gag in some of the pics. But to be fair his price does reflect that to some extent, if he was a nice unspoiled 5 year old with the same record his price could be double that. But then again you could pick up a TB of a similar type for half the price and they are excellent for low level eventing with the right rider.

In conclusion I think it depends what you want him for. If an experienced and confident rider who wants something fast and perhaps a touch mad for eventing then worth a look although try not to be blinded by his looks and make sure you grill the seller on his history...? If it's a safe as houses hack and all rounder that granny and kids can ride then perhaps scroll on!

[maxelly]

Conformation of course not confirmation!

[snowpo]

I have a standardbred and I wouldn't get another. He is very sweet but he has issues with reverting to pace rather than trot in the school. They can also have difficulty with canter. If you have the experience & time he might be good but it can be bloody frustrating. Mine used to canter ok in the school but after years of just hacking out he would need some serious reschooling to get him going right again. Just something you might not have thought about.

[Orlandointhewilderness]

hmm - that is a fair old price for a horse that was unschooled 6 months ago. TBH, he is a bog standard nothing out of the ordinary type and i suspect still needs a LOT of schooling.

[mummyof2munchkins]

Thank you all, great advice. I really am a sucker for the pretty ones but I don't think i'm up for anything that's too much of a challenge.

I'm looking for a nice, SAFE, sound all rounder. Not a world beater but able to do a decent job at anything low level and hack alone or in company with a few horses around. 15:2 - 16:2, i'm ok with green but i'm too old for the more troubled individuals who expect my old bones to bounce. I know this is the same thing most people are looking for.

If any of you lovely people spot something feel free to push them my way .

[Moanranger]

Standardbreds are trotting horses! I would be suspicious of the supposedly low dressage scores, he doesn’t look to be on the bit in any photo. If he was an ex-trotter, then the age & greenness makes sense. Also, advertising him as a potential eventer is silly. Where is any scope for jumping? I think a lot of the verbiage in the advert is meant to draw you in, but is not backed up by the horse itself.
If I was in the market again, I would get a backed 3-4 YO from sports horse bloodlines & make him my own.

[Jakethecob]

Which area are you looking in? I like a bit of horse shopping

[mummyof2munchkins]

I'm in the North West but happy to travel.

[Jakethecob]

What's your budget?

[mummyof2munchkins]

£5k max but would prefer to pay less (considering DH has no idea i'm shopping). I'm not in desperate need to find something quickly, prepared to wait for the right horse to find me.

[Jakethecob]

On it 

[Booboostwo]

I don’t like the look of him at all. His neck is very thick, his back end looks weak, doesn’t seem to have much of a top line, and his outline over a jump is awful. Sorry!

I also don’t see how he could have been slowly and carefully produced over just six months! I bet he is green as a frog, had been messed up by incompetent previous owners, and a professional is trying to make a quick buck in him.

[PavlovaFaith]

He's lovely looking but something smells. There are a few too many well chosen phrases. I'd bet he's green as grass and this owner bit off more than they could chew.

[maxelly]

Ooh I love a bit of fantasy horse hunting. Couple of horsequest refs you could look at.

How about a nice cob? Ref #: 198954 or another Ref #: 200191

A slightly older boy but if sound should be good for a good few years yet. Ref #: 198139

A spotty if you like them (not for me but plenty do!) Ref #: 198438

Suspiciously cheap if as advertised, worth an enquiry with a very cynical head on? Ref #: 199026

[mummyof2munchkins]

Oooh, some seriously nice ponies there. I'm not a fan of hairy ponies because basically i'm very lazy but can't stand having a mucky pony. I'm a bit worried about getting something that is very high milage but i'd rather have safe and experienced than green, stupid and terrifying. I might send some questions and ask for vids on the two chestnut boys.

Thank you so much for your help.

[mummyof2munchkins]

Is this too good to be true, again i'm drawn to the very pretty face.


www.horsequest.co.uk/2/horses-for-sale/1/allrounders/143/allrounders-16hh-under?page=2

[Moanranger]

I think the “Superstar” is over-priced. The £7k underneath looks a better bet.
Good luck - fun to shop!

[mummyof2munchkins]

It was Ref #: 198964 I thought was very nice.

[maxelly]

Hmm she's another nice looking type - bad pics again though! Reading between the lines she is probably being moved on because she's proved too much for the 13 year old. Which could mean anything or nothing of course, it depends on the 13 year old (!)... perhaps worth an enquiry and asking for some better pics and vids?

On a side note, it does slightly rile me when people market horses like her as having 'huge potential' ... she might have lovely paces and a scopy jump etc but she's 8 years old and has done almost nothing competition wise, and is clearly (at best) not 100% straightforward, so what is her potential really worth? If I was in the market for a horse to get to the grassroots finals or go BE100+ (which I'm not BTW, nowhere near brave enough!) I would either want a horse with a proven record at that level or something young, nicely bred and unspoiled (either of which would cost north of £5k!), or if I couldn't afford either, I'd be looking for a project horse to take a gamble on but £3.5-£4k is not a project price!

People do seem to think that 'potential', a pretty face and a few pics of the horse ballooning over a small fence or trotting around overbent can add a few ks to the price tag. Probably because they know they can't market the horse as a solid all rounder or schoolmaster which is where you can really make money out of average quality horses. For me I'd take a solid record at a low level, older or with some limitations/quirks over that kind of 'potential' any day!

But rant over (sorry!), she may well be a sweet mare in the right hands so worth a call about her.

[Booboostwo]

What exactly do you hope to do with this horse? What discipline do you want to compete at, affiliated or unaffiliated, what level and what competition experience do you have so far?

Are you looking for a safe hack that will pop a clear round and do a prelim test or are you looking for a low level competition horse?

If you want to go out and have fun anything under 8 won’t really have the experience to teach you. Anything between 8-12 will demand a decent price, so would you consider a 12+ year old?

[mummyof2munchkins]

I'm reasonably experienced, have competed ODE many years ago and worked at an event yard with the competition horses (although my real skill was sitting on top and not getting the horse too wound up before the professional took over).

I was away from horses for quite a few years to have kids and do all the boring things being an adult demands. Now i'm looking at reliving my youth and having a bit of fun with something that's safe. My lovely mare has OA in her hocks. I'd be happy with something older but worry i'll end up with two who have similar health issues.

[siakcaci]

I was away from horses for quite a few years to have kids and do all the boring things being an adult demands. Now i'm looking at reliving my youth and having a bit of fun with something that's safe

Then this is not the mount for you.

[Booboostwo]

I know what you mean about the health issues. It’s always worrying especially if you have one that is retired already. On the other hand, some youngsters develop serious problems as soon as you get them into work, so you never know. Silly animals, they are always sick or injured!

Why don’t you look for a horse bought for a teenager to move into horses from ponies that is being sold because it’s rider is off to university? Won’t be too silly but won’t be too boring either. Won’t have a massive price tag because of its huge potential, but will be able to do ODE.