How do you ever buy a horse???

[GrandMasterFlash]

Admittedly, we haven't been trying ALL that long, but SO disheartened. It's been hard to get anyone to consider is as potential buyers. It's our first horse, for my daughter. She is only 12 years old, but is 5'9" already. She is currently on 15.3hh and so we are looking at 16hh to buy. She has been riding for 8 years and has had a share/part loan previously.

Eventually we found one that was advertised as a confidence giver/for novice to progress. Did 8 hour round trip. Horse took off with her in gallop and dumped her on the floor!

Have had promising text conversations about a few others, but then ghosted mid-conversation. Sounds like internet dating!!

I am not sure what we should even be looking for anymore...'family horse'? We have established that we want a 'safe ride'. But she definitely doesn't want a plod. She wants to do EVERYTHING! Which is why we want to buy. So she has freedom to hack, go to shows. She like jumping, and interested in dressage and liberty work also. Would we be daft to look at something a bit 'green', that she can school/train with direction of instructor??

We will be using assisted/part livery at least until we are more confident). I have experience, but from years ago, so not confident yet, to go DIY

Anyway, what was my point???..how long does it generally take to find a horse? Any tips/advice?

If you are in the southwest, you are in luck. Quite often I'll see a horse advertised and think, ooh, lovely horse for that price and wonder what is the problem with it, and then I notice that the problem is it's in Cornwall or Inverness, and it is priced to tempt people all the way out there to go and see it.

Cobs aren't all plods, as I was trying to show with the photos. I have a hogged cob (like the second pic, which is of the truly awesome Hallmark IX, only mine is not quite as quality as Hallmark.) He's spent the summer plodding round with the kids - he doesn't do summer well, but next month he'll take me to the Trec national championships and then into the winter for a season hunting. I can ask him to open and close gates, squeeze through a tiny gap, stand still in a small circle drawn on the ground at a competition or at the side of a covert out hunting while I pass the hip flask around, and then I can ask him to gallop flat out either with the field or away from them, jumping anything on the way, with the reins only looped over my little finger while I screw the lid back on my flask and put it away. He is most definitely not boring, and he's not a plod. But he is very, very safe. You would be lucky to find something like him and get much change out of £4k, but living where you do you might well get lucky so don't be disheartened.

And as one poster above said, don't get hung up on a particular type, breed, colour, height or sex. Go for the horse's personality, temperament, level of schooling and ability. You are far more likely to find a horse you can all enjoy if those are your criteria. Tell your DD that having a horse that will be on her side and do everything she asks of it is much more important than polo wraps! Even if you do end up with something hairy, as long as it is not a lovely native you can trim and clip it. There's many a horse that has done well with various hairstyles!

That's so true. I used to ride a fab little cob; he spent a season showing very successfully as a Traditional cob (masses of hair!) then was clipped and trimmed for the winter while he went hunting. He was a fab little horse.

I think you need to be more specific with your wish list (and dissuade your DD from polo wraps and liberty work silliness!).

I assume you need something like:

Gelding
15.2-16h
Very good hack, alone and in company, good in traffic and open spaces
Can do a decent novice dressage test
Can do a clear round show jumping at unaffiliated level.
Experienced enough to forgive a mistake from a young rider

Age wise I think you are looking at 10-14yo to make sure you get a 'been there, done that', ideally a horse outgrown at its previous home.

The best way to find such a horse is word of mouth because the good ones sell quickly. A decent dealer is another possibility but whatever you do get your instructor to give you her opinion on suitability and an independent vet to vet the horse.

Call up about every possibility, go see 1 or 2 a week, let your DD ride any that are not loony (owner MUST ride first) and expect the search to take a few months.

I won't dissuade Dd from silliness. It's all part of the fun

Oh the JOYS of horse shopping. I bloody hate it and only partake when absolutely necessary mainly because- as you've realised- people can be rather economical with the truth when they want to part you from your hard earned cash.

The best advice I have is go and try almost everything you like the sound of within a small-ish radius. You're south west so you're basically in equestrian mecca. Not too far from anywhere (except the other equestrian mecca of Yorkshire, you're miles away from us!)

However I would say you will likely need to reconsider the budget- have a look on horsequest, Horse & Hound etc and look for the adverts that most sound like what you want, without narrowing them by price. That should give you a reasonable idea of the money you will likely need to spend to get the horse you need without having to worry about ifs.

PPs suggesting you don't NEED a bigger horse are right- I am a show cob lover who also happens to be 6ft 1. I fit just fine on our 15.3hh and I have ridden much smaller. Granted I'd look a damned sight better if i lost 4 stone (again!), but your daughter doesn't have that issue! I love proper show cobs- you'll find that the proper, quality animals are more forward, more polite and infinitely more trainable. But not all of them are like this- some just look the part! Our cob is some sort of bloody genius, far far beyond my talents and if it wasn't for the fact that he has now procured two splints, I would have him produced in a heartbeat. He's talented in the show ring and is probably the safest animal you'd ever come across, BUT he cost us £6k as a freshly broken 4 year old. But I digress, cobs are AWESOME if you find the right one. They can also be awkward, cantankerous buggers who just do what they want, when they want to.

You really do get what you pay for, but frequently you will be paying for "potential", or mega bucks for older (but not over the hill) schoolmasters. I second advice to have a word with your instructor- he/she will know your daughter's ability and will be able to save you guessing as to suitability. Take your instructor with you to view a horse if you like- I don't know many people who would object to having someone more knowledgeable give their opinion, and usually if they do its because there's an if!

Try out as many as it takes- and don't be put off by people who start throwing words like "timewaster" about. Neither you nor the seller know if you're wasting anyone's time if you don't go and try the animal. Don't be afraid to go more than once, ask to hack out or be allowed to catch the horse from the field. These are all things you'll have to do should you buy it, and if the horse is as good as they reckon then they shouldn't have any problems with you asking. Ask daft questions if they occur to you, have the horse vetted, ask them how often they have their feet, teeth and back checked, ask ANYTHING- anyone selling a good horse wouldn't mind, especially if they know its for a novice. Definitely ask about a vetting (and absolutely have one done). At the end of the day you are standing there willing to part with your cash for the animal- you need to be satisfied but also the seller likes to know the person they've sold to isn't going to come back in two months because the animal isn't suitable.

My parting wisdom is don't be put off by dealers- yes there are some dodgy ones out there, but if you go in with your eyes open and ask the right questions, you should be able to spot the dodgy from the straight!! Especially if you go back more than once and take people with you- even someone else that could ride the horse and give you their thoughts.

I apologise for the essay!!

booboo, brilliant...I will use those words if ok, to put an ad out

If your budget wasn't quite so tight I would suggest a smaller Irish Draught. They can have good temperament yet be forward going.

Bearing money in mind IIWM I would put off buying something for a year or two and try and bring on DD's confidence in the meantime.

Thanks pattern, really useful

Thanks pattern, really useful

You really don't need a 16h horse. She may be able to ride one in a controlled environment under supervision, but you will be very lucky to find a big horse suitable for a 12 year old.

There are teenagers on my yard, who do BE, and they are very tall and leggy. They ride large ponies/small horses. One of them, who must be getting on for 5'10", has ridden my 14.1 pony a couple of times.

Cobs don't have to be fat, ploddy or boring. Lots of cobs in my local riding club do absolutely everything from dressage to eventing. But they tend to be safe and sane and take up the leg very well.

Also, look on your local Facebook horse groups. There are two in my locality absolutely bursting with horses and ponies for sale locally, and the joy of them is that you will almost certainly know someone who know someone who knows the seller, because they are all part of the local horsey community. Word of mouth is by far and away the best way of buying a horse.

I was 5'8" at 12 and my first horse was a 16.1hh ex race mare , beautifully bred and as mad as a box of frogs . Our second horse who was purchased for my equally sized sister the following year when it was apparent she was never going to ride my mare was a 15hh Irish draught x , he had done everything and was as safe as houses . I took him to shows , jumped him , took him to x country and did working hunters on him . He was brilliant when he was scrubbed up / clipped and hogged . The fact that he was big built and round certainly made up for his lack of height and I never felt too big for him .

DO NOT GET A WELSH COB!!!!

DDs first horse was a Section D x Warmblood and dear god what a 'character'.

If I were you I'd look at a loan horse. Lots of people going off to University may want to put there horse out on loan for a few years. We currently have a horse on loan which will be going back to his forever home when DD goes off to Uni. No having to sell or pts when the time comes. Win win.

pattern people told me horse shopping is fun! I agree with you. Not loving it, so far

Look at this smasher. I reckon you could even put polo wraps on him ❤

Ursula I see you've encountered the lethal Warmblood X! They are notoriously mental and absolutely do not lack "character"! Even when you cross them with something boring like a Cleveland bay (I'm allowed to call them boring- I have one haha!) they produce these mental crosses that just ooze "character"

Flash he looks super! Horse shopping is absolutely not fun until you come across the one you want to buy! Did I ever tell you about the time we decided to buy one, until it ditched me during its vetting and turned out to be slightly lame (more unlevel, but once you've failed a vetting you've failed!)? Oh and then the woman started ringing me every other day telling me how she would pay for transport and another vetting etc etc if only I would take it. No! No I don't want something that dropped me like I was nothing and failed a vetting after the same horse just days previous was an absolute joy to ride, hack and gallop up a stubble field. The woman had a problem with no!

Oh Christ, can't deal with deranged!

DO NOT GET A WELSH COB!!!!

Bit Marmite, I agree. You can get a brilliant, talented all-rounder. Or you can get a rather stroppy, bolshy, cocky "character". I've got a Dx who falls into the latter category. Big sigh.

But get the right one and they are worth their weight in gold. I'm hoping mine matures sometime soon and stops behaving like a Kevin.

Just don't get a welsh x Arab that's also a chestnut mare
I was 5ft 7 age 12 and she was my first horse, probably about 15.2hh but quite wide. I had her from age 11-16 and then got a 16.1hh TB ex chaser

Aaaah the chestnut mare. Also got one of those. Very ... ahem....opinionated. But absolutely bright as a button, talented, bags of character. Just likes to make sure you're sitting tight and paying attention!

Also have a look at Horses4Homes.

The descriptions are brutally honest but at least you know what you are getting.

Just measured dd....She is 5'11"!!!

Might I ask what size feet she has?

8 urs

She sounds very similar to me only thinner

I had a 16hh TB at that age and she was the biggest witch I have ever come across. Lovely if you informed her forecfully who was boss, but a complete knob if not. And she was allegedly a schoolmaster (she was once I manned up and bossed her). I haven't had a mare since! But that wasn't really the point of my post- my point was that 6 months previous I was on a 14.2hh chunky worker type and I didn't look enormously huge, but we had a buyer for her and we had already found the next horse.

How tall are you OP? Because I know you've said you want to share too and it would be no good buying something for the giants of this world if you are not one of them- you need to enjoy this too if you're spending the money!

My dd has size 9 feet. The trouble we have had getting long riding boots to fit. At least your DD is in jodhpur boots for awhile yet.