I have some sort of horrible sinus issues (and don't have the time, money, or energy to deal with a dr. appointment just yet) and aside from being miserable, last night I couldn't sleep. When I did get a few minutes of sleep here and there, what did I dream of? YOU GUYS! I need a serious get-away if my bloggy buddies were in my dreams. I dreamed of all the baby horses, I don't remember any details but Julie was there and Pongo and Izzy and Bodhi! Granite was there as well of course. Don't you love cold medicine induced crazy dreams?! Oh, I just had to share that with you all. It made me laugh (then it scared me, perhaps I need more face-to-face time with my friends).
Aside from my miserable woes of being sick and sleep deprived. Eva is coming out to my place tonight and we are (suppose to) go look at a small handful of horses for her tomorrow. Of course, now the forecast is calling for MORE SNOW, so cross your fingers that it still works out. I have loaded the IPod with fun tunes, broke out every conformation book I have, charged the camera, and grabbed a note pad. I am ready!!
So, what are the most important things YOU look for in purchasing a horse (aside from things like breed, age, height-- bc thats WHY we are looking at these in particular anyway)?
Wow that is awesome~ Hopefully Bodhi was as cute in your dream as he is in real life! Feel better soon, my hubby has a sinus infection and it is the pits.
ReplyDeleteI like to look at how the owners handle and ride the horse themselves. Not only will it show what the horse is really like but it will give you an idea of what his strengths and weaknesses are-I find they usually mirror their owners!
Good luck I envy you guys I love horse shopping.
Haha, I hope Izzy behaved well for you in your dreams. Rearing pony is not my favorite game.
ReplyDeleteGood luck looking! I hope you guys find something. I've never officially "looked" for a horse, but when I'm looking at a project, I like something interesting. Good conformation (especially leg!), decent movement, and lots of personality. I don't mind spooking and I can deal with minor vices, but a dead-head horse would bore me.
At least, that's what I keep telling myself.
LOL...Crazy Pongo dreams! Those spots are quite contagious! When I look at a horse I think of these things:
ReplyDelete- CHARACTER, DISPOSITION AND BRAIN! (you can do almost anything with a clever, kind, forgiving horse that is sensible and tries hard!)
- Conformation and movement (pretty is as pretty does they say and 'they' are RIGHT, but many lameness and trainability issues can be staved off if you pick a horse built suitably for the job you'd like them to do)
- Past lameness/soundness issues (what can you live with, what is manageable, what is a deal breaker...know this ahead of time as these issues add risk and cost to owning the animal)
- Compatibility with my riding style and TRUE riding ability (do you like a forward horse or more of a push horse, a bold jumper or a quiet jumper, an opinionated horse or a pushover horse. Can you really train your horse on your own? REALLY? Get really real with your riding ability, it will keep you safe and happy in the long run)
- Compatibility with my goals (decide what these are BEFORE you go look at the 3 year off the track TB or other 'project' type horses for example)
- Resale potential (if something doesnt work out, how easily can I sell or donate this animal...think about it this way if YOU are making concessions to buy the critter for one reason or another, you have to then find another like minded individual also willing to make those same tradeoffs, it's easier to unload a horse that would be found desireable by a large segment of horse buyers)
Those are my biggies! Thoughts y'all?
Wow those are great! I see a whole post on Nicku's horse buying philosophy is in order!
ReplyDeleteWhat made you pick your two critters for instance? They are both beautiful and talented but they are very different!
YES! I agree Golden, Nicku had some great tips! But so did you and Sprinkler.
ReplyDeleteI foresee Eva and I taking lots of notes tonight in prep for tomorrow. I think we are down to just checking out 2 horses tomorrow. Now they seem to be calling for snow, so I hope we get to look at these two!
Thanks for all of your help. It is so insightful... too bad i didn't do this kind of in depth analysis before I bought Granite. But, I think I just got really lucky.
Hey GPG! Perhaps a blog post on this is in order, I did one a long time ago about buying a baby horse prospect, this could be a good addition. Ok, my two...I didnt entirely follow my own rules (shocker, I like to make rules then break them).
ReplyDeletePongo: Bought on a whim more or less (dont recommend doing this btw). I purchased him for 4 reasons: Tempermant (he was and still is the most practical horse I've ever worked with. He's sweet, very brave, very trusting, but still a little spicy-not a total meathead). Color (my lil sis had a leopard app, we love them). Breeding (comes from strong eventing heritage), Age (I couldnt afford to own/house/ride/train a riding horse, I could afford a pasture baby that needed a few years to grow while I advanced in my career).
Puna-totally different story. 2 reasons I got her, First I selected her because of her performance. My trainer had been working with her for over a year as a 5 year old and she was STELLAR. Brave, confident, hot but not crazy, placed well at shows. Second, her rideability. She and I communicated seamlessly from day one. We speak the same language, EVERYTHING is easy with her. However, I overlooked some conformation issues and now am dealing with having a much more high maintenance horse than I planned. Also, although she's perfect for ME, she will be a tough sell...I've seen several other people on her and she is not an easy ride for them at all. Phew! Sorry to write a blog post length comment on your site Rach! Hahaha!
And PS- gotta be honest...both of mine, LOL were NOT so cute when I got them!!! Pongo was a gangly yearling (I was pretty much like "Dear Baby Jesus, please make it possible for me to put a topline on this steed when he comes of age")...and Miss P was diagnosed at the vet as malnourished, a little Platinum and a feed change and I got a show stopping warmblood within 6 months. Again, I dont recommend buying shoddy looking horses though as rule, but it worked out for me in these two instances!
ReplyDeletehaha good advise though. Every buy is a leap of faith and there is no perfect horse, you are lucky but also I think you have a good idea for potential!
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