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annas
Gold Member
United Kingdom
1129 Posts |
 Posted - 15 Apr 2012 : 9:08:47 PM
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Seeing as I made a colossal misjudgement with my only Arab purchase (it all worked out in the end). Does anyone have some tips? Thanks in advance.
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Edited by - annas on 15 Apr 2012 9:09:40 PM
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hazelcat74
Silver Member
472 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2012 : 9:20:35 PM
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Go to visit more than once, I always do this and you may notice things the second time that you didnt the first time. Don't let sellers pressure you or give a sob story as some will try to, say you have a few to see and don't appear over keen. Make sure you see the passport- I had a real problem with my mare as I was told a story about a lost passport and ended up finding out after buying that she never had one and wasn't AHS reg'd though they said she was! Make sure there will be someone available to ride the horse, I always want to see it ridden before getting on myself, you never know and my nephew was thrown badly from a pony that had no rider to show it first. And listen to your gut feeling, if it doesn't seem right it probably isn't. Also take someone with you, 2 pairs of eyes are better than one, spend as much time as you need looking at the horse, see it caught, stabled, trotted up, ridden and out on the road, look at legs/teeth, all probably obvious but I looked at so many and had I not insistd on seeing all these things I would not have seen things that made the horses unsuitable for us. Best of luck! |
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kimgough
Bronze Member
England
109 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2012 : 9:33:46 PM
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If you are looking for a ridden horse I would recommend only trying/buying a horse that is fit and in full time work. Horses that have been rested over the winter can have problems which only show once they are worked regularly. Good luck.  |
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annas
Gold Member
United Kingdom
1129 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2012 : 10:00:51 PM
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| Thank you, good tips, I need to brush up on teeth...no pun intended! |
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Callisto
Platinum Member
6905 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2012 : 11:22:00 PM
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Make sure all his feet are the same size, see him ridden first before you try him, talk to him in a private way and see how he reacts (i.e is he nervous? friendly? a bully? shy?), are you happy to walk round him? Get them to pick up his feet for you, and if all seems well then try it yourself. Video him so you can study the results at your leisure.
When I bought Lily I had seen 3 others before her, I wasn't looking for a green 4 year old Egyptian bred grey filly, I wanted a 7 year old crabbet chestnut gelding. But once I rode her I just knew, so trust your gut feeling that way too. I did have a full vetting because I wanted her for endurance, this included taking bloods, which would hopefully cover you against unknown doping. Thanks to Arabian Lines I knew she had been through a number of homes, which made my OH convinced there was something wrong with her, and that I should carry on looking. There is absolutely nothing wrong with her, she had just been unlucky, but there is no sign that she has ever been mistreated, and she is turning out to be everything I was looking for, so trust your instincts whether they are for or against 
Good luck tomorrow. |
  Zahkira (GR Amaretto x Taffetta)
Linda
East Sussex |
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annas
Gold Member
United Kingdom
1129 Posts |
Posted - 15 Apr 2012 : 11:28:34 PM
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| Thank you so much Linda, really good advice. Will try to remember it all. X |
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Honeyb060674
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
4301 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2012 : 06:34:43 AM
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Great advice as ever! I took a good friend with me, as it appears I loose all sensibility when presented with beautiful horses  She looked at all the bits I may have forgotten & it's invaluable to have two pairs of eyes & two opinions. Write a list of questions you want to ask
Nothing more to add than GOOD LUCK!!! Keep us posted |
      
Claire & Sunny x
http://sunnyandclaire.blogspot.com/ |
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shah
Gold Member
England
1356 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2012 : 07:38:34 AM
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> Check for lumps, bumps, scars, sarcoids, splints, try running your hands all over him
> Look at his conformation from the side, front, behind, be critical
> Pick up all the feet and poke around to check for thrush, seedy toe, bruising and tenderness, check for lami rings
> As Linda has said, check if the feet matches each other, are they toe in/out
> Watch him being walked and trotted in hand up/down a hard surface, preferably tarmac so you can listen to foot fall
> Watch him on the lunge if they have the facilities, this is great for spotting lameness problems, walk, trot and canter if they can
> Again as said before, make sure you watch him being ridden first before you get on, all paces, both reins, jump a small jump if you want to
> When you ride, make him work through all paces and get a feel for him, take him for a hack if you can (preferably in company, I often did this on a second visit)
> Make sure you see all the paperwork, in this case just the passport, check for vaccinations
> I found teeth hard to check as I don't know much about them but worth just opening his mouth and see how he reacts
> Take pictures of him from all angles, standing and moving, so you can have a look at home and see what you feel
> Don't be pressured into buying him there and then, it's always useful to go away and think about it
I had five failed vettings before I found my man and the two things that they all seem to fail on is eyes (cataracts - which you can't check for yourself as you need the vet's small tool) and lameness. Be extra careful when you watch them move, do their hips move level when you see them from behind, are they nodding when trotting, are they unlevel on the lunge, and what are their feet like. Many of the lameness problems that I saw stem from poorly looked after feet so unless you're prepared to spend 6-12 months rehabbing feet look very carefully at their feet. It's scary how many owners don't know what good feet should look like and even scarier that many farriers don't seem to know either as they trim feet poorly and unbalanced.
Apart from that, also make sure you like his temperament, hopefully you'll be together for a long time so you obviously have to like him a lot
I would also advise you to make up your mind beforehand about what you can/can't live with and what you can/can't compromise with. No horse is perfect so having a good idea about what you personally find acceptable is very useful.
Good luck  |
West Sussex |
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glo
Gold Member
England
1297 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2012 : 11:06:56 AM
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I agree with what has been said, ask horse to be lunged in a slow trot (both rains) and film it to watch back, take a friend with you, DO NOT criticize the horse in front of the owner, be friendly and polite, complement the good points( try to find something good even if its hard). Tell owner your think about the horse on your way home and let the owner know later at a set time, if your interested or not.
You can pull their horse to bits in privacy, there is no point in being rude and upsetting owners, then you can decide if the horse is the one for you.
I once had a foal for sale a couple came and looked and said they would phone later, when they phoned they criticize the foal to bits and then offered a very low price, I said why would you want the foal if its that bad and refused to sell the foal to them.
I later swapped the foal to a friend for a very nice antique chest, All where happy and foal got the right home.
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barbara.gregory
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
4531 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2012 : 11:30:55 AM
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All great advice.
I bought my first ever horse (who just happened to be an Arab) because I didn't think he would make it through the winter where he was. He was a two and a half year old weedy little Arab gelding and I wanted a 16 hand riding horse; something safe but forward going!!!! He had had at least three owners then, possibly more. I didn't like the anglo mare I had gone to see.
I didn't buy him then but worried about him for 3 weeks and then rang up asked if they still had him and when they said "Yes" I bought him. I always said that he would never make old bones due to his poor start but I lost him a few years ago at almost 32, never a day ill in his life. I just wanted a hack and he turned out a lovely ride. He was very unfriendly when I got him but gradually became a real sweetie, loved people but quite aggresive to other horses, very much the boss.
Good luck, a horse will find you.
Barbara |
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basbob
Gold Member
France
1356 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2012 : 11:42:09 AM
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Don't just look at one - look at a few! Take someone with you - go a few times and see if you click. If you're happy with him in the school hack him out another day with someone walking with you - tack him up, catch him from the field etc..
When are you going? |
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annas
Gold Member
United Kingdom
1129 Posts |
Posted - 16 Apr 2012 : 11:12:48 PM
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Thank you for the great advice everyone. Definitely need someone else to come for an extra set of eyes/ears! I will read through it all again and try to make a mental list for my next visit!
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Viewing tips.....please.
