New horse/pony hunters support thread - anyone interested?

[bumbleymummy]

I'm currently horse hunting and after seeing quite a few unsuitable ones (sarcoids/lame/crazy/too young/too old/too much of a project) I have finally found one that I really like. 6yo sport horse 16.2 has done wh/xc/sj up to 1m this summer, home bred and has been brought on slowly. She's lovely to ride and I took plenty of videos and I have nods of approval from the people I trust. :) They are coming with me to try her again next weekend and the owner has agreed to a trial period at a local livery yard so I can get her vetted there if all goes well....I'm biting my nails until next weekend! Anyone else out there in the same position? Or can anyone distract me with good/bad tales of their horse/pony hunting experiences?

ooh tell us more!

Oh pants,would you believe it! We went to see our prospective new pony today,took expert rider who was very impressed.Agreed a price and shook on it,hopefully picking him up net weekend.

Five minutes ago I got a call regarding an ad I'd placed for a loan pony-the only response we've had.Turns out it was the same little chap we went to see in May and lost out on.Now I don't know what to do.I can't believe it

Bloody hell,the phone has just rung with another one.That is a no no though.

Now what do I do?

That's great news French. :) I know what you mean about not wanting something too laid back but you still have a few days to decide and it may be taking her a while to get used to you all and let her true personality shine through.

CMOT - Come on in - you know you want to!

Haggy- yes, tell us more!

Oh dear mirage. Do you think the loan pony is better? You seemed so pleased with this one and if the expert was also impressed then maybe you should just stick with him/her. Can you see the other one again with your expert in tow so they can give their opinion too? Maybe you'll feel differently and it will help to reassure you that you're making the right decision.

bumbleymummy,I've thought about it all evening and decided to stick with the one we saw today.We really did like him.When we went to see the loan pony back in May,we didn't try him on the road or in open fields and his owner said that she thought he was too big for the dds.Well as the new pony is for dd2,who is the smallest,if he was too big for the eldest back in May,he'll still be too big for her now.She hasn't grown that much.Another thing is, a friend of a friend loaned him a few years back and all of a sudden,his owners wanted him back because a family friend wanted him.It makes me wonder if we loan him,we'll keep him over the winter and come spring,better weather and a mate of theirs wants a pony,they'll want him back and leave us in the lurch.

The one we saw today and agreed a price on is on trial for a week,so if he doesn't work out and the loaner is still available,I'll take the chance.Annoyingly we are away Sat til Tuesday,so won't have a chance to go and take our expert with us to see him.And the loaners are friends of friends of my YO who took us to see him in May.YO will think I'm insane for passing him over and buying one,but I want it to be the right one.

I'm intrigued to read of all the other prospective purchasers/loaners.CMOT,HorseDeals is what got me into my present dilemma-it should carry a health warning.

Not long til the weekend now bumblemummy.!

A friend wants to rehome her 13.2 cob. He could well suit several people on our yard, so we might take him in as a group. Theres a good chance he might be up to to carrying my substantial arse!

Its a good thing my criteria are a bit tight tbh - we are on diy grass livery for dpony and it was hard work last winter. We are planning on moving yard after the winter, but current one is v easy to get to and we can drive the landy into the field to deliver water and hay if we need to.

I'm tall (5'9) and weigh 12 stone, so I need something tallish and weightbearing, but it needs to be very soft in the mouth, responsive to leg and well behaved as my left arm doesn't work. And I need them to be hardy and ideally barefoot. Not asking much !

I've put a photo (hopefully) on my profile.

Things went well today, she it showing a bit of character. The only problem I have now is with DDs attitude, she has turned all bossy, thinks she is the only person that knows anything about horses, and is refusing to listen - bit like a new mum I suppose. We've had words!

It's the weekend!!! :) Saw her again today and she's just as lovely as I remembered. Friend approved so I'm taking her on trial for a week. Not sure when though because next weekend is a bit hectic and I want to make sure I have plenty of time to ride her. I might take her from early the following week so she has time to settle in a bit. So excited but still trying to keep calm! I don't think I'm doing very well!

Hope your trial is going well Mirage and that you're happy with your decision.

French - are you going to keep her?

Yes we are going to keep her. I rode her today in my lesson and it went well.

the only fly in the ointment is that DD fell off yesterday when we were out and has sprained her wrist - so no riding for a week.

It wasn't really the horses fault, and she certainly wasn't bolting, in fact she just put her head down cause she wanted to eat and DD went over the top, Pony just stepped to the side and carried on eating. It is certainly a learning curve for me as I've never been out on my own before, let alone having to deal with a loose horse and DD in the middle of the road - who to you go to first?

Yay! Congratulations! :)

Not such great news about your DD - hope she's ok and it hasn't scared her or anything. Not sure who I would go to first tbh. I think it would depend on the situation. Sore, crying child while pony grazes nearby - definitely the child. Crazy pony running around in the traffic while child is picking themselves up ok - definitely pony!

Taking her on trial for a week on Sat! Yay! :) So excited. Have livery etc sorted so just have to go and pick her up on Sat morning. Just got a phone call this morning about another horse I had been interested in and I'm not sure whether I should go see her or not!

No harm in looking - I think the more you see the easier it is to know when you find the right one.

Good luck.

I know you're right. It just feels like an added complication! I have a hectic week as it is so trying to squeeze in time to see her will be difficult but I think I need to just to be sure. It's also a bit complicated because she belongs to someone that I know and whose opinion I value and I wonder how objective they will be when it comes to giving an opinion on the first one now! :)

Frenchfancy,I hope that your dd doesn't lose her confidence after her fall.Dpony does that a lot so we invested in grass reins and they were worth every penny.

Bumbleymummy,did you go and see the other horse?

We went to see the loan pony,his owners were quite keen for us to have him,but he is still too big for DD2,and we preferred the one we are having on trial.But,my friend a mile away was looking for a loan pony,so passed his details on [with owners permission obviously] and they have tried him and loved him.All being well they'll have him in a week or two.So I'm pleased for everyone concerned,it has worked out well.We are collecting new pony on Weds morning and it'll be interesting to see how our grumpy old mare takes to him.

That's great Mirage - a nice happy ending! :)

Well I've been busy busy with horses the last few days. The mare came on trial and she is getting nods of approval all round. The only problem is that I don't seem to have clicked with her yet. She is different to the type of horse I usually go for (nippy thoroughbred types) so it could just be that. I'm going to see how we get on after a few more days but if we just aren't clicking then I don't think it matters how good everyone else thinks she is :(

I tried the other horse and actually quite liked her. She's still a bit green but she is more my 'type'. I'm going to ride her again this weekend. This is not easy!

bumbleymummy,you are right,it isn't easy.
Newboy arrived yesterday and dpony was very excited and interested,but he completely ignored her.The girls both rode in the menage yesterday after school and newboy is very good.Poor dd2 though is so used to dpony,who you have to kick kick kick to get going,that when she did the same to newboy,he shot off in a smart trot immediately and frightened her.But after an hour of riding him,she clicked with him and was quite happy.I forsee problems though,as DD1 loves speed and jumping and he is more forward going than her pony,so I can see her wanting to swap at every opportunity.But so far so good and dpony seemed a lot less grumpy now she has company.Lets hope it lasts.

Well, we had a look at the free cob. He has been out on loan and dd has just got him back. He's been on box rest and it doesn't look like he's been fed much! He still has a fair behind, but he has no front and all his ribs are on show! He has plenty of bone though, and we know he's a proper school master. His box rest causing problem has been dealt with and shouldn't re occur, so he's coming over for the day this weekend to see how he gets on with the rest of the herd. If they take to him, he can come and stay!

Hope it is going well Haggy.

I'm sorry to report that newboy is going back.He bucked dd1 off yesterday for no apparent reason,then today,dd2 kicked him on to walk and he did a sort of sideways jump,dropped his shoulder and chucked her.Our instructor arrived just in time to see him do it,so she got on him.He cantered around and was fighting with her all the way,he tried to get mess about but she wouldn't let him.Then all of a sudden,he bucked then reared up and tried to throw her.She hung on,but managed to get her finger trapped between the pony and saddle and thought she'd broken it.I'd seen enough at that point and untacked him.It could be any number of things,his saddle is rubbish,but I could buy a new one and find that the saddle wasn't the problem,he could be settling in,but I've got til Wednesday to decide and don't want to make an expensive mistake.More than anything I'm worried about dd2 losing confidence on an unpredictable pony.I think we'll stick with sharing dpony for a bit.She has her faults,but chucking you on the floor isn't one of them.

I'm really sorry mirage, that's crap!

I agree mirage - you don't want DD to loose confidence. Sounds a bit dangerous to me, I would definately send her back in those circumstances.

We have had teething problems with ours. Since DDs fall she has trodden on my foot - trying to get tot the feed barrow - burnt DHs hand on the lunge, and scared us all by being very restless in her box.

We are getting used to her, and learning the trigger points - most of which are to do with her not liking to be on her own. We have also had some difficulty getting her to maintain her trot, but DD rode her in class yesterday, and the instructor showed her the correct way to use her cravache (she hasn't really needed to use one before) and that changed everything.

Oh dear mirage: back to the search then. I'm going to Riseholme later, will see if nice little pony's still on the board and get the number and details if you like.

frenchfancy, it will all come right, pony's probably just testing you out (they are so much like children). Do wear gloves for lungeing though. Every new horse is difficult at times then it all comes together and you look back at the difficult times and wonder if it's the same pony!

Yes you are right about the gloves. Glad to hear it is fairly normal.

When we were on holiday earlier in the year and I was spying on watching the people having Parelli lessons, they were lunging the horses which were running off in all directions. Later on I was chatting to one of the students in the Ladies and I asked if all the horses that ran off were ok. She said fine thanks, hers was one of them and she'd burnt her hand. I said "oh dear, maybe gloves would be a good idea" and she told me they weren't allowed to wear gloves! Apparently it's called the 'learn burn'. [hshock]

Not very useful but last post made me think of it. [hblush]

Thankyou frenchfancy,I'm sorry to hear you've had a few teething problems,but agree that she is probably testing you.Well done to your dd for getting to grips with her.

Thankyou,Olderyetwider,that is really kind of you.I've bitten the bullet and put a wanted ad on the PC website for a loan pony.I've rung newboys owner tonight and explained why he'd be going back and she said that he'd never done anything like that before-hmmm,he spooked and chucked dd1 off the first time we tried him,but I put it down to a genuine spook.Oh well,who knows?

On the plus side,I've managed to wangle a free trailer,I just need something to tow it with now.Any advice on what to buy? It'll have to replace my mondeo as the family car as dh drives a ridiculous little convertible that couldn't tow a shopping trolley.

Another good thing is that the hunt secretary says he'll be delighted to see the girls out with them this season-free hunting,yippee! Just need a trusty steed for my youngest jockey.

That's a shame Mirage, but you can never be too careful with a pony. They are out there and there's no point rushing, frustrating though it is. It takes time for a pony to settle, but your gut feeling is usually right.

Do you know how heavy your trailer is, because what you have to keep an eye on is the kerb weight - the total weight of car and trailer I think. We have a Wessex trailer which is light, and our first tow car was a Subaru Forester but tbh it only just managed when I had my horse in, it was fine with a pony. We now have a Landcruiser which is mahoosive, but brilliant for towing (and bad weather which is what it's really for!). I should think on the DVLA website there is stuff about towing - be really careful not to under power as it's bad for the car, and makes for a lot of gear changes! Ours is automatic which is really easy, and I think makes towing a lot smoother.