Anyone else alarmed at the number of 5 and 6 year olds on the market advertised as suitable for novices?

[Steamcloud]

Sorry for the whinge. Just a bit disheartened.

I'm currently looking for a horse for my 14 yr old dd. Owing to personal circumstances , she started riding a bit later in life than I did. But she now has a good seat and fairly good experience in the basic disciplines and her instructor/other horsey folk around us/ (ie not just me!) reckon she is ready for her first horse.

So at a time when most children are buying their second, we are looking for her first - ideally a steady versatile cob sort (looks don't matter just temperament). My dd is very very long in the leg so we are looking for something that is 15/15.2 hh.

Anyway, all of that is a very long rambling way of saying that I am astounded by the number of people in rl and in ads who are offering up their 5 and 6 yr old cobs as "suitable for beginners". (A four year old in one case!)

Am I very naieve to be shocked by this? When did it start happening? In my day (admittedly a long time ago) one never paired a beginner with a beginner. That was a fundamental rule.

I'm looking for 12 year olds who have "been there" and "done that" but that seems to be totally ignored by vendors/dealers.

Most horses in the category we are looking for are of course a bit too advanced for my dd, but we were prepared for that. It's the age thing I am shocked by! I know buying a horse is fraught with difficulties but I am really worried for inexperienced/naieve buyers who think this is ok.

I despair of finding anything suitable tbh... . It has taken years and years for us to get to the position where we now have stables/grazing and to be able to offer a loving home for a horse or two. At this rate, dd will be off to uni before we find anything suitable!

Any thoughts/experience gratefully received.

I bought my 4 year old as safe,calm and sensible although only sat on a few times.

As soon as she hit 6 it was as though she was possessed by the devil himself

Ahh Greyhorses, mine too! The first year I had him, mine was very sweet. Clueless, but sweet. The second year, he turned into a demon! Opinionated, full of himself. Things that were not a problem in 2016 were suddenly insurmountable through 2017. (I hope) we are now coming out of the other side......it gives me confidence that my instructor says her homebred horse was exactly the same.

We will be looking for a sensible weight carrying 14.2hh to 15.2hh later this year when my son's loan pony goes back. I'm sooo not looking forward to horse shopping again.

Travelling for half term so apologies for late response!

Thanks Frouby DD is definitely going to continue with her instruction (even more so with own horse) and I think you are right about the importance of finding a horse that is basically kind I'm just not sure that DD is ready for anything too green despite her being quite ok with flatwork (they place huge emphasis on the teaching of it over here ...endlessly in fact ...almost to the detriment of having much fun!) Ha @ quirky 23 he old!

Hats off for coping and sticking with it GothMumny and Greyhorses. Interesting about the instructor's home bed horse being the same.

In what age range (if any) will you be looking for, for your ds, if you don't mind me asking Gothmummy?

Sorry don't know why kind emboldened there!

I don't have a clue what they are like but MJL equestrian (on Facebook) had a v smart looking cob called Tokyo for sale. It popped up on my timeline yesterday and I've had a look at their page and is still there

Steamcloud, ideally we want something no younger than 8 and preferably something that is known locally. DS would like to do Sport Endurance and carry on with local shows. As we have our hands full with my own horse I couldn't cope with another green melodramatic youngster. And I dont want DS's confidence knocked. I wouldn't rule out an older horse, we have an 11.2hh pony who is still going strong with my daughter (albeit with careful management due to cushings).

Meant to say 11.2hh is in his late 20s at least.

Thanks Ollivander I'll have a look!

Sounds great Gothmummy "the known locally" bit is where I am hitting problems I think with being an expat and riding in a new area. It will take a bit of time to build up contacts I think. Best of luck with your search!

Thanks goth and steam- I am coming out of the other side now after many tears and moments of despair

Steamcloud - I would join the fb pages for the shows/riding clubs in the area that you want to buy in, if they let you join....then watch for the fairly frequent sales posts that come up, and watch the comments. If there are lots of "Awww so sorry you have to sell Beauty, she won everything last season" (or some such) then you at least know that the horse can behave at shows.

Greyhorses -for me, I had to keep going with mine, I'm not sure there's much of a market for selling on a nutty standardbred!

Have a look at Ref #: 185245 on horse quest.

MJL Equestrian on FB have a very good reputation. I sent one of mine to be sold there. It took them nearly a year but made sure he went to the right home. He was very well looked after and would highly recommend. They specialise in heavy horses and cobs, but do have the odd Connie and ISH’s in occasionally. They’re based near Dartford now I think. I’ve never heard any bad reports.

I'm not sure age matters, I've always just 'known' the horse will work out!

I spend hours looking at adverts I ask for videos, and only ring up about a few, and out of about 4 in total we've viewed we bought 2! If they're ridden in a snaffle even for jumping then that says a fair bit about their temperament anyway. The only criteria I go for from my POV is are they kind in the stable, do they have manners and move away when asked, and will they load OK. From my daughter's POV she is the rider so I go on what she thinks!
The other thing to remember is that when you move a horse it can be VERY unsettling to go to a new environment new owners new rider. In both instances we bought 6 year olds, and in both cases they didn't like the change, it took a while for them to settle into the new routine.

I'm not averse to spending more on lessons to get the rider up to speed with the new ability of the new horse, this works well.

We tend to ignore age when buying ponies for DD. It's more about what they have been doing and their breed type.

I bought a 4yo (sold to me as a 5yo!) heavyweight cob to learn to ride on (in my 30s) and I got to HOYS on him so I guess that we've always trusted youngsters.

Nearly all DD's ponies have been unbroken or just broken 3 / 4yos when we bought them including a Connemara that she has now do to workers on. That way we don't get other problems caused by previous owners.

The only pony we own who we bought as an older pony was her current 14.2 show pony which we bought as a 5yo at the end of her first season under saddle. She's rising 6 now..

Our DD is 15 later this month and also has long skinny legs but she's still on 14 handers and 14.2s. We're really recommend you have a look at Connemaras rather than cobs for a teenager. They usually have good temperaments and a younger one can grow with your daughter in terms of ambition.

Don't necessarily just look at dealers - have a look at private sellers on Horsequest etc as well.

Oh yes, Connemaras are fabulous!

Just popping in to day thank you so much everyone for further responses which I am taking on board. It is very informative to hear about individual experiences. Travelling for half term with intermittent Internet connection, so back later to answer on more detail - thank you again!

In the meantime, Questionable mouse v kind of you and I'm on to it, thanks! Also found another potential prospect there.

BBL

OK so Internet is functioning and I've caught up - thanks again for posts.

It is interesting to read everyone's different take on this.

Ollivander Tokyo is some cob!! V impressive. He might be a bit strong for dd but MJL have a good selection and v useful to get a second endorsement from DraftyWindow.

Ariela thanks, agree you can definitely deduct a lot from tack and basic stable manners. And yy, we are definitely prepared for a long (and possibly somewhat turbulent) settling in period.

Thanks Butkin oh yes I am looking at private sellers too and I'll think again about height requirements. DD is very slight so could get away with a 14.2 maybe. She is 170 cm tall though with a long back as well as long legs.

Gothmummy and Butkin funny you should both mention Connemaras - I started the search with Connie's in mind - but then read an article in H&H (was it by Henrietta Knight? ) which said they can be a bit bumptious for DC which put me off but maybe I interpreted it incorrectly. Will try and find the article.. . .

Hope he works out for you if you decide to view.

Those cobs look big and strong - more for adults.. I wouldn't put a 12yo on them. I think a Connemara or similar should do the trick for a child your age and experience.

If you are considering natives have you looked at highland ponies? They take up a lot of leg.

They are fab ponies. Usually so laid back they are horizontal! Pretty versatile. Will turn their hoof to dressage, a bit of jumping, hacking and rc activities as well as showing.

The good ones come with a hefty price tag but will cost you nothing to feed. There is a couple of groups on fb. The Highland Pony group and also Highlands and other natives for sale.

I am 5ft 5in and less than delicate, have a leggy teen and I have a baby one for us to share. She is probably about 13.3 but am not in the slightest bit worried she will be too small.

My friend has a Connie who is fantastic.

Mine are fell and dales- both opinionated stubborn buggers

Thank you again everyone - we would absolutely LOVE a Highland. Not so common over here. I think you are right - redirecting the search back to m&ms - wideish one to fill the leg - with a kind temperament.

I know they can be stubborn though Greyhorses but better stubborn than flighty I reckon!

Steam don't discount importing a highland. Many are bred in Scotland as you would imagine. Which means that the studs are used to sendin them away on their travels both nationally and internationally.

I used a transporters called Gillies to get my filly from west scotland down to south yorkshire. And I am sure they send a lorry over to europe weekly. Obviously you have to factor the extra costs in for transporting them to you. But it's probably done more often than you think.

I'd say avoid a Section D. They tend to be opinionated, shall we say?😂

Racehorse transport is probably a good place to look to get said pony to you. It can work out cheaper if they have a stall open.

Thanks Frouby and Questionable mouse great tips there!

Starting to feel excited about the search again instead of dispirited!

Will report back! Thanks again everyone!