One for the horsey folks…

[Ifyouwantmeillbeinthebar]

Name changed for this as quite outing.

Not really sure why I’m posting but feeling a bit sad…

We are looking for a horse to join our family, we all ride and eldest DD is very tall and has grown out of her previous pony.

A friend sent a link for military horse that are retiring and needing rehomed so I filled in the form and didn’t really think anything of it until I had an email back with a list of the lovely horses and I absolutely fell in love with one…

I emailed back straight away to say we would take, never even considered we might not be 1st in line or not suitable and well we haven’t heard anything back other than a very vauge “the horses have been very popular we are considering applications atm” reply to my very polite but slightly desperate “is there any update” email yesterday.

For reasons I won’t go into this horse had really perked me up and put some spring back into my step, it was also lovely to think that I might have something to ride other than just being a glorified (but very happy) groom to our girls.

DP, DH & DF have all said not to give up hope, DH is in the forces and reminded me that MOD admin can move at a snails pace and due to some wording and time frames given in the original email make me wonder whether they will contact the success applicants on Monday but I can’t help but feel I’ve missed out and it’s making me really sad.

Like I’ve said I’m not really sure why I’m posting and realise in the grand scheme of things this is a fairly non issue but just needed to moan really.

This is mad. Surely you didn’t think you’d just email and get an immediate ‘Fine, your new horse will be deposited at your gate on Tuesday?’ Did you go and see and try out this horse and see how he went for your daughter? Or are you saying that you ‘fell in love’ from a list and now think you’ll be given this horse with no vetting?

I'm invested already!
They'll have a strict vetting system, plus home checks etc but fingers crossed for you
It may, quite rightly, take months

I think you're being a bit impatient

Firstly that’s not how it works no, you don’t just get a horse delivered! 😅

I have been deliberately vauge as it would be inappropriate for me to give all details of the process works, and there is of course a process however the email did say 1st to reply would be first to considered and so yes I was hopeful that l’d gone in there quick enough.

All horses have been vetted though you are of course free to have your own independent vetting done.

OP, the poster meant that you would be vetted, not the horse 🤣

Well with any new horse I would expect both horse and home to be vetted.

I hope so!! 🤞🏻

So why then, if you understand there must be a two-way vetting process, did you email back to say you ‘would take’ and say it ‘never even occurred to me we might not be first in line or not suitable’?

And why, if you’re experienced with horses, and appear to own or have owned at least one pony, have you lost your heart to a horse you’ve never even seen in the flesh, far less had an opportunity to ride, or for your daughter to try?

@Persse like I said there is a process and I was vauge in my OP but there was an option to select an animal that you were interested in and to buy unseen.

Price, age, the fact the horses already come vetted and that I know someone who knows the animal played a part in my decision.

I have bought unseen before, it just has to be the right set of circumstances but I have never regretted my decision.

Do you have any faith?

I like to think I do!!!

Are you always this aggressive @Persse ?

There’s nothing remotely ‘aggressive’ about wondering why someone who says she’s experienced with horses, rides and has owned a pony for her riding daughters, is buying a horse for her and her daughter to ride without trying it and seems puzzled she hasn’t instantly been accepted as suitable by the MOD.

And why this wasn’t posted on the Tack Room forum, where she would get more knowledgeable responses, possibly from people who’ve also owned ex-military horses, and would know about the likely length of the process.

Read your post at 08:05. I think that is aggressive.

@Persse , can you stop zapping the positive energy from this post , @Ifyouwantmeillbeinthebar knows that, we know that but she is just excited
Let it go
Go and have a nice cup of tea or something

@Persse OP is just excited at the prospect of a new horse - there's really no need to come along and piss on her chips 🙄

The OP isn’t buying a pair of earrings, she’s buying a working animal that needs to be able to do a particular job (be a suitable animal for her daughter and herself to ride), and is potentially long-lived and expensive to maintain, as well as being, one hopes, a beloved family pet.

If she posted on the Tack Room, posters there wouldn’t be squeeing about positive energy, they’d be asking practical questions about horse type, age, vetting, and the practicalities of buying unseen.

She's well aware of that 🙄

My experience of posting in the tack room is sensible advice plus lots of excitement and encouragement.

You can be excited and sensible at the same time 🙈

Yes @Persse we get all of that 🙄
She hasn't posted in The Tack Room because of precisely that I should imagine
It's an excitement thread
Stop spoiling it

@Persse you seem a little bitter did you not get a much wanted pony when you were little?!

But since you have thrown the phrase “experienced horse owner” which I never said btw I’ll bite…

I have had horse all my life and my DC have also grown up around them, we are well versed in loaning, buying, selling, vetting, insuring, trialing.

Sometimes the situation calls for a bit more of a vetted process, a 3 month trial a loan with a view to buy, a first ridden pony for example for a young experienced child you wouldn’t just drive up to the local farmers and hand over a couple of grand and stick his ex race horse in the back of your lorry, I’d always want a five star vetting with X rays if I digging deep in my pocket for a competition/Eventing pony but there are other times I would consider and have bought unseen and like I have said previously I have never regretted.

Lots of circumstances support this, age V price, videos, references, recent vettings, disciplines that the animal is wanted for and sometimes just a good old gut instinct….

In this case lots of those boxes were ticked and I was more than happy as “an experienced horse owner” to make that call.

And just so you fully understand (as you seem to struggle to read my post properly) the homes are fully vetted for these animals, like I’ve said 3 times I think there is a process however the original email said that it was first come first serve and so responding to the email promptly hopes that I was one of those first.

Thank you to everyone else, I’m expecting the worse and hoping for the best but maybe just maybe we will get lucky.

I've known people buy unseen, but not something I would do myself. I'd expect to ride, handle and tack up at the very least.

I guess it’s up to the individual and circumstance. 😊