five stage vetting

[Puppymouse]

I posted a while back about buying my first horse and had some very useful advice. I've since found a beautiful boy I want to buy and he's being vetted on Tuesday. I have been warned that many horses don't pass vetting and this is fairly common. The yard he's at are hopeful he will but he's 16...

My question is are there degrees of failing where you would still purchase? So if he fails on X you still go ahead but if he fails on Y you walk away? And will the vet advise whether to go ahead in these circumstances or do they have to just leave you to decide?

Routine and consistency goes a long way to building trust definitely

Have you seen these?
A bit over budget but worse a call to see if they would negotiate on price
www.horsemart.co.uk/dressage-showjumping-school-master/Horses/473397#8j5GbUZJuRDUEDz6.97

That's a lovely lovely horse too good for me I think

Some NH is quite dubious and imo join up is based on false models of training and of dominance. I'll see if I can find some links tomorrow.

Horses react in the moment. They won't know you're telling them off for something they did 2 minutes ago. Just be as consistent as you can be. Move quietly, calmly and confidently. Be the person who provides food, water and really good scratches. They don't have concepts of good and bad behaviour but if you respond positively to the behaviour you want, there's a good chance they'll repeat it.

Thank you that's brilliant advice and actually what has worked with my loan mare. I always assume I am getting it wrong

Well while I would say that over horsing oneself is a huge mistake for any rider to make why don't you give them a call, describe what you are looking for and see what the owner says? If the owner thinks it's a possibility you have nothing to lose by viewing the horse.

He's 3k more than what I can afford really. I'd actually be worried if they were prepared to drop his price that much I think?

I agree with, Gabilan about the NH.

Most good horsemanship is just plain old common sense.

One of the things I find really helps with bonding, is chatting constant chatting, it's doesn't matter about what, just a nice calm voice. I mean I talk non stop, from arriving at the stable door, putting the head collar on, grooming, tacking up or taking to the field.

You sound a very chilled out person, So I'm sure you'll be find.

So sorry Puppymouse I thought your budget was up to 5k but have no idea where I got that from!

Thanks for the advice everyone

Puppy mouse - I just wanted to say about the comment a horse is too good for you.... My horse is way too good for me , but she is the perfect temperament , the right size , and wonderfully mannered. Don't get me wrong - she has to work for me , but what I ask of her is so much less than she is capable..... I don't think she thinks (when changing the rein in canter ) "oh why do we have to come back trot, why can't we do a flying change...."(her changes are huge and she would unbalance me at the moment) ..... She just enjoys what we do and the attention and love she gets .
I think a horse being "too good" for you is very different from over horsing yourself.

Mrs she sounds lovely!

She is - I am very lucky!

Just from your initial description and without looking at the pics I'd say out of the 3 the palomino sounds more suitable. From experience I'd be wary of a TB with issues, particularly potential back issues - mine passed a 5 stage vetting, I'd had him less than a year and he was diagnosed with serious kissing spine which heralded a lot of hard work and heartache, his feet weren't bad but still caused problems and his vets bills were huge. This is from a horse who on the surface was ok and the chestnut has problems you are aware of from the start so who knows what may appear when you investigate further......

I wouldn't touch anything with sarcoids either, no matter how innocent they seem - ghastly experience with horse (also TB) before the one above which has totally put me off. That also had a 5 stage and passed......

So if it were me I'd be looking again at the palomino to see if you can find out more of his background. Trial is great but you'd have to be prepared for him to be very unsettled which would make it difficult to assess his character. If he's not miles away can you go back again and perhaps spend time with him on the ground - get him in, groom him, tack him up without the owner peering over your shoulder? Time is a great healer but you have, above all, to feel safe handling him - there's a difference between him being awkward out of nervousness and just down right bolshy although there's always a reason for both.

My boy is a work in progress, he's a big horse (advertised at 16.1 but actually 16.3 when measured - I probably wouldn't have gone to see him as I felt 16.3 was too big!) without a great deal of consideration for me when on the ground but with one on one, repetitive treatment he's relaxing a bit. He came off a yard of 18 and was obviously handled in so many different ways by different people he was confused - nearly 6 months of me doing the same thing in a routine has let him learn to trust me.

I don't envy you at all, but don't put pressure on yourself to pick one of these 3 if you have doubts about any of them - I know it all takes time but think of the time involved if you get it wrong and have to sell on and start again.....

Overall, your Compromise should be on talent and/or height. Not on health or manners.you want a kind, healthy horse and if to stay on budget that means a horse that at best will do a novice dressage and plop round a 2'9" course, then so be it. Alternatively, if 15.2/17hh but perfect in all other respects, then also ok.

Remember, horses are money pits. My vets bill each month is around £150 between 2 horses on average due to medications, emergencies, daft injuries. E.g. I have a stable padded on all walls with rubber matting and on floor to protect legs from kicking walls/being silly/getting cast. One mare ate the padding (despite it being specially designed for horses/stables) and needed a colic/impaction check. Swapped stables and put rubber-eating grey in non padded stable. Other chestnut mare moved in to padded cell stable, then promptly hit her head and concussed herself on the one bit of stable not padded (bar over door). I then padded that. She ate the padding.

As they are money pits and injure themselves, make sure they are healthy to start with!! Also, I spend about 2-5 hours per day at the yard. No matter what daft buggers my mares are, they are loving and affectionate, which makes them a pleasure to do even when it is pissing down with rain. You will spend about 1/4 of your waking day dealing with them, so you want to make sure it's pleasurable and not onerous/depressing/scary.

Don't say you have to have one of the 3 if they are a health/temperament compromise.

More brilliant advice thank you. I totally agree about the palomino. He's not too far away so I think there is the possibility of seeing him every day for a week maybe and then trial at our yard. I am expecting very little but it depends how his fear manifests itself. He has a scar on his face where a head collar was obviously left on and welded to his skin and has only just started coming to the door to accept a treat

I can't decide how I feel about the sarcoids. Owner has offered to email me pics of them so I can show a vet and they are the pea type ones not flat. My mare has had one for over a decade and hasn't bothered her but it's the risk of spreading who knows.... I googled and all the H&Hers are split 50:50.

More pali pics

This is a great thread! I've spent the morning trying to poultice a hoof abscess on our new cob, stinky and gross. Also rode out old hunter who is a complete dickhead for no good reason. Love them to bits and wouldn't have it any other way but they're total heart breakers sometimes.

Good luck OP, going to read pages 3&4 of thread now!

The more the merrier mrsmorton - am getting some great advice. Will update properly mid week as have visits to palomino and grey on Tues!

I think if your budget is 2k you are going to have to accept either the horse will be older or have something wrong with it. Personally I'd take age over sacrcoids, having just seen my dds friend riding her horse. Sacrcoids were tiny until 6 months ago. Now huge, bleeding, gross and everywhere

I can afford up to £3500 so I don't have to buy something ancient or close to death but I do need to compromise somewhere and as I'm not experienced enough to cope with something very green I think it has to be age or health.

Do you have a video of the palomino ridden? He sounds like the most suitable of the three.

classified.pcuk.org/details/genuine-schoolmasterhackallrounder/

Apologies I can't remember whether this will be too small.

sounds gorgeous