Well I don't know much about horses...he seems leaned forward funny in the profile picture but I do love the look of him overall. And how reassuring that he's not "free" (that word just scares me...especially when it comes to animals and cars!).
Also (mostly unrelated): holy cow. Do they keep all their horses under barbed wire???
I think that the pasture is sloped slightly so that could account for it. I'm quite glad he's not free because he will feel more "mine" that way. That barbed wire is just at the front of that field, the back of the field and the other 2 fields the horses have access to are fenced with hedges.
I like him, but I do worry a bit about his legs/feet/pasterns. Could be some long feet and wonky pasture ground though!
See how he looks when he's brought in, and gets some miles and trimmed. I'm sure you'll be able to tell on your own. Just remember, a lame horse costs just as much to feed/care for as a sound horse, and is a lot less fun.
His feet don't seem very long to me, although the pasture is sloped. I guess I'm just going to have to wait until he's been worked for a while before I can tell for definite. Oh I know! That's why I'm being so careful about him!
Over all I quite like him. His front pasterns are a bit long but don't look weak. Nice short cannons, good balance (he will look stunning when fit... his neck will look longer and his head not so small), if he has any talent he should make you a good partner.
Thank you! I can't wait to see him fit and trimmed. Well I'll see about his talent, although he has jumped 1m 10 and done some cross country so hopefully that schooling will have stayed with him.
Ditto. I'd love to see him standing square on hard footing, as the nicest built horse can look terrifying when they are standing funny. I think his feet look pretty long, which doesn't help things, but his pasterns look quite long and weak to me, and the fetlocks look dropped a bit. The right hind in particular worries me, but again - he could just be standing oddly.
I think it is great you are going to get the chance to work with him for a few weeks. It should give you a great feel for how things will go.
And be very certain you get in writing *exactly* what you will be paying for him, whether in money or work. The horse world is notorious for those sorts of deals going south, even with good people on both ends.
Also, please mail me the Connemara cross. I have such Conne want.
Once he's in and fit up a bit, I'll get a picture of him standing square. There's not many people who's opinion I'd trust around here unfortunately. Either they're friends with his owner or I ride their/ their friends horses or they're just unreliable. That's why I've got the pictures here. It's nice to hear an unbiased opinion once in a while.
It gives me a lot more confidence in the horse if they're willing to let me work with with him for a while before agreeing to anything. We're going to start with him on the lunge so I'll be able to get a proper idea of his movement.
We definitely do need to get all the details sorted about work/money but we've both agreed that we'll sort that out once I've worked him for a while because there's not much point if we don't get one together.
She's adorable and so bold! She's got no fear whatsoever lol. We were arguing over names for her.
I agree with everyone. Including the PPE.
However, I have some advice. If you are still in HS, which I am assuming you are... I would personally use your money towards more lessons and continue riding other people's horses. This is coming from someone who had to sell her baby because when she moved out, she couldn't afford him... And that is hard. It is like selling your son/daughter. They are expensive, just to keep fed and housed, let alone vet bills and if you are looking into jumping, there are chiro appts and massage therapy. Not to mention jumping in general, not just the shows, is pretty expensive compared to just riding around. To be competitive, you have to seriously dive into training, get quality tack, all that stuff. I know you probably realize this, but it is good to hear from someone else as well.
To me, he looks to be built like a Western horse, not an English/Jumper. horse. That doesn't mean he can't jump, or even jump well... But normally horses that excel at jumping are taller/leaner built. He just gives me the impression of Western. Hard to tell confo on the ground he is on.
Just my input. It is hard to sell a horse when you have had them for several years...
Yes I am still in highschool. I know the cost of keeping a horse is high but I have my own stable so livery won't cost me anything (unless I decide to go that route to have access to more facilities/ company for the horse). And I know how hard they are to sell. I cried the whole way to drop my old pony off at her new home. But that has taught me that I can do it even though it is hard. I'm not going into this with plans to sell him but if extreme circumstances came up and I had to, I would. Although my mum and sister are getting interested in horses again so if, while I was away at college, they wanted to ride him, they would pay his expenses then as well. Or I could loan him out since I know a few people who would be moving onto horses around then who may want one that's already had a good bit of work done. This is one of the things I have thought a lot about because I know that I will go to college in a few years so I am trying to think of what would be fairest to him.
I know how expensive jumping can be. Now I'm jumping other peoples horses but I still have to pay entry fees and transport costs (although I am able to use their horse box).
I already have a few saddles that should hopefully fit him, if they don't that could be a major obstacle so we just have to see.
Well he is 16.1hh so a decent height and he is very fat at the moment. When he's brought back into work he should look a bit better. It's another one of those wait and see how he turns out things.
Thank you everyone for your opinions, they've really given me a lot to think about! And thanks CD as well lol.
One thing I was impressed about was his temperament. I was expecting an almost feral horse after being turned away for a year but he was very friendly and had no issues with us handling him and didn't seem very spooky (although there wasn't much to spook at in the field lol.