buying a horse

bogshepherd

hey ive been taking riding lessons for about 7 months now and im looking to buy my own to practice on during the week. im about 5 ft 10' and weigh a hefty 13 {hoping to reduce that to 12 in the coming months;)}

what size and age of a horse would i need? and would you advise that i buy a pretrained horse or buy and then have it broken by my trainer? any advice you can give me wud be great because im a total noob in the horse world!

Ave Sodalis

Prehaps a 16hh horse would suit. And around 15 years old.

If your only riding seven months it would probably be best to get a pre-trained horse.

Oh and when your going to look at it...take someone who knows what to look for in case of any faults the previous owner fails to point out.

liah

Are your parents paying for it?

If not, be aware that the initial buying of the horse, whatever it may cost, is the cheapest part, by far-- make sure you get it thoroughly vet checked (by your own vet or your trainer's vet, not the owner's, even if they've already had it done!) and try to find an easy keeper, one who has no prior history of injury or lameness or any other disease. Try and get x-rays done of its legs, too, to make sure there's no damage like splints.

Are you keeping it at home or putting it in livery?

Anyway, I'd recommend something older (12+ years old), but privately owned with no history of being in a riding school. If you get an ex schoolhorse they might be bitter, or they might not teach you anything due to the fact that they already tend to know a routine and stop paying attention. They're not as responsive as something that was privately owned. You do tend to learn more on a horse who has a bit of spirit left-- I definitely learned faster riding privately owned or very green horses than I ever did on schoolies.

I'd look at something between 16hh and 16.2hh, though you're relatively tall so if you find the right horse you can go bigger. I don't recommend going any smaller than 16hh though, unless you get a cob.

Either way, definitely get something pre-trained. Your trainer can do tune-ups, but it takes a long time to properly train a horse, up to a few months depending on its age, nature, and relative maturity.

Hope this helps.

Hobbidance

Your best bet is to find someone who you know knows what they're doing when it comes to horses, ask them to help you find a horse. If it's not someone you know very well like a family member then try to compensate them some way for going to the trouble of finding you a horse.

I find that for your first horse (for someone who has been riding for only 7 months and most likely in a riding school on safe horses), get something that is used to dealing with your mistakes and wont get too upset or throw fits if you pull them in the mouth once or twice when you over-balanced during the wrong approach to a jump. Horses that aren't used to this will usually respond fairly badly. First it will knock their confidence and in turn could possibly pose a danger to you if they start refusing or jumping awkwardly.
Plus they've been around done eveything and even though they may be stubborn to put in extra work after not having to for a few years if gives you motivation to make them do the work.
While you have this horse you can improve all the basics you need to be able to sit to and handle a younger more unpredictable horse and gradually learn how to ride and train a less experienced horse.

Keep in mind that you will rarely have to teach a good school horse where as if you get a horse that someone has used for a hacking horse and he's only ever been to a hunt maybe twice and done very little competeing (a horse with experience that's not from a school tends to be expensive) then you could find alot more problems that will be asking too much for you to handle after a few weeks of owning it.

Keep in mind that most riding school horses are only sold when they're not suitable for the school (might be too fresh/spooky) so you will still get the challenges that present themselves to all horse owners.


When buying a horse there is usually a trial basis of about 2 weeks. If you find the horse too much to handle, don't try and push yourself. Try another horse until you find one you are happy with. If someone wont offer you a trial basis then it's possible the horse may have some problems.

It's all a big adventure really. When I got my first pony the first day I rode her she lay down and rolled while I was riding. The next day she wouldn't move no matter how much I tried to 'coax' her and when my cousin (who had BHS 4) got sick of her not moving gave her a firm kick to the belly to which she cow-kicked my cousin back. She was 10 when I got her and had been sat on a cattle farm for most of her life. She didn't know how to jump a fence and by the time she was good enough to show jump I was too old to jump her in a registered class. So I missed out on show jumping my own pony. She was the best teacher of my life though. I learnt to always check my girth after trotting for ten minutes or else I'd end up sliding round her stomach and land on the ground. To never turn my back on a horses head while tightening the girth or else I'd get bitten. To stay on through bucking fits. Spooks. Bolting. Refusals. Run outs. And how to fall off well... haha! I hated her 40% of the time but whenever my parents said they'd sell her I'd bawl for them not to cause she was my pony. It's all great fun

Good Luck! No matter what horse you get I'm sure you'll learn a heck of alot really fast.

convert

Hobbidance wrote: »

When buying a horse there is usually a trial basis of about 2 weeks. If you find the horse too much to handle, don't try and push yourself. Try another horse until you find one you are happy with. If someone wont offer you a trial basis then it's possible the horse may have some problems.

Not every owner is willing to give their horse on trial, so it doesn't necessarily mean that there's something wrong with the horse. I have only once given a pony on trial (it was for about 3 days) and I swore I would never do it again - her mouth came back bruised and sore (despite the fact that we had given her rubber bit to the potential buyers) and she had lost a lot of confidence jumping because they had pulled her mouth all the time. (we knew the family, and their children weren't bad riders, so we reckon they had allowed other people to ride her).

However, they should allow you to 'try' the horse, either at their place (as we do) or at competiton, etc. The people who eventually bought our pony came to ride her about 4 or 5 times and did different things with her - went for a hack, jumped in the field and arena, rode in company with my young horse, and rode with dogs around to check that she was ok for hunting.

Also, I'd recommend staying away from horse sales as there are always people there who will try to convince you to buy something that's not right for you.

If you have somebody you know well and trust fully, chat with them first about what you're looking for - in this case probably something that is experienced, has 'done it all' and is around 10 - 12 years old. Look up papers to see the horses that are being advertised and you could phone up to enquire about them to see what's out there and get a general impression for prices. You could also have a look at different riding club shows. tack shops, etc. where there are always horses being advertised for sale. Always make sure, if possible, to have this person with you when you go to look at the horse so they can advise you.

You may also like to have the horse vetted to make sure it's ok and hasn't any wind problems or injuries which could make it unsuitable for what you want to do. Also ask if the horse has any vices - windsucking, weaving, box walking - all of which are notifiable (i.e. the seller has to tell you about them when you're thinking of buying the horse).

I'd agree with convert on that point.

There is no way that I would ever let one of our horses leave the yard unless paid for. You are more then welcome to try him out in our yard, or we can bring him somewhere but under no circumstances are you driving out with him until the deal is done.

ell

If you've only been riding 7 months DO NOT BUY A HORSE - SHARE a horse, or volunteer at a yard doing horse work to get more experience. Meet a few horses who aren't riding school seen alls. If you own a horse you have a responsibility for a life, and so it would be better if you had put in more than 7 months preparation. If you are a 'total noob' in the horse world, you're not ready for the responsibility of buying a horse. Sorry to be blunt. More education and experience is required first. If you want to learn more, check out our fun day here www.irishhorsemanship.com it'll open your eyes a bit as to what you'd be looking for in a nicely trained horse for when you get that far.......

______________________________________________________________________

The four stages of learning You'd want to be nicely approaching stage 4 to have the experience and knowledge to care for your own horse:

Unconscious incompetence

The individual neither understands or knows how to do something, nor recognizes the deficit or has a desire to address it.

Conscious incompetence

Though the individual does not understand or know how to do something, he or she does recognize the deficit, without yet addressing it.

Conscious competence

The individual understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires a great deal of consciousness or concentration.

Unconscious competence

The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it becomes "second nature" and can be performed easily (often without concentrating too deeply). He or she may or may not be able teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned.

_________________________________________________________________________



some general horse buying ideas, but I dont think you should..........

Buying a horse as a novice / learner is a potential nightmare....... Buy the wrong horse and you will have months if not years of heartache, probably pain, frustration, no money, etc.

Buy the right horse. You'll need to see all lot, educate yourself on what's required etc. For example two years ago we were looking for a nice youngster to bring on at the sales, saw 800 horses but not one that fit the bill.

When I was young, my parents bought us two ponies (one small, one then bigger later on) and we all spent MONTHS finding the right pony for a novice youngster who would do the following:

1. Give confidence
2. Keep rider safe
3. Already well trained (experience horse is what a novice rider should have, otherwise there's a lovely saying that green on green turns into black and blue - its good if one of you has lots of experience) and knew all the basics backwards, lots of experience of pony clubs, hunting, basic shows etc.

It's also buyer beware. Start off from a position where you do not believe a thing you read, only believe what you see. Yes there are some nice horse dealers / sellers out there who are totally honest , but its a business for most, and they want to sell a horse, doesn't matter to who.

That's a fairly blunt reply but if you buy the wrong horse then you're stuck with it, you'll get scared, hate going up to yard, end up probably bucked off, pay €€€€ for retraining, etc. Get a nice basic, experienced, kind, mature (old-ish), seen it all, confidence giver who you can have fun with and you'll never look back. You'll need to go through a lot of horses to find one of those. Again - if someone says - yeah he's quiet.... don't believe it till you see it - and see it a few times.

As above, don't touch the sales for what you want, you may or may not get a trial, but come and see horse a few times, including BEFORE they've been caught. The turning up to a yard a little before the scheduled time is a known tactic to see what's going on.......

Good luck sorry for the bluntness again.

Hobbidance

Deleted User wrote: »

I'd agree with convert on that point.

There is no way that I would ever let one of our horses leave the yard unless paid for. You are more then welcome to try him out in our yard, or we can bring him somewhere but under no circumstances are you driving out with him until the deal is done.

I always take horses on trial of about 2 weeks, however used to a place a horse is I want to see how it will act in a new place, bring it out to competitions (not compete just get a general feel for how a horse will act in the warm-up ring in a busy yard or out on a cross country course, in the box, riding away from the horses etc.) For example my horse Z was in a riding school yard but wasn't part of the school at all. He was prefectly fine with all the roads near there, bit spooky with the sheep, fine in the school and wasn't clingy to the other horses.
I might add I also bought him looking for a horse with little to no work done, so I could school him and bring him on myself so I knew that I wanted a bit of spook, sensitivity and lots of energy. It's not the same for the OP but if he's looking for a horse to improve his riding and he brings a horse home to find out two weeks later he won't go out hacking on his own and keeps spining around or has far more energy and spook than when he tried him out 2 or 3 times. Then these things wont necessarily show with riding it a few times on someone elses terms.

I paid the price we'd agreed on and got the previous owner to sign a contract saying if we had two weeks to decide on whether we were going to keep him provided he went back exactly as he left. Not lame, head shy etc. I rode him a few times at their yard and the owner agreed to allow me to take him home. (I never just take a horse without any kind of collateral that the owner agrees to.)

Took him home, got him out of the box, took a few minutes to coax him into a well lit stable, next day introduced him to our pony. Then took him out for a hack and he practically had multiple heart attacks when dogs came up to fences barking, there was puddles, mud, a river, there was construction work going on and he took a while to take it all in. Took him to a show, he was very well behaved but curious, still had problems walking into new barns and stables. Was fine beind washed all over. Basically he acted completely different and very spooky but not out of reason for being a 3-month broken 4 year old. If I was any less competant or didn't know better if I was going on how he acted in his own yard then I would've been in for a big shock when I brought him home. My dad (who can just about ride to a trot but is very wobbly and doesn't practice much) could ride him in his own yard without much trouble at all. There is no way in heaven or hell he would've managed at home. All in all I was happy though.
Also I like knowing that when I'm looking after the horse it's not getting any kind of sedative (herbal or chemical) or being lunged for two hours before I ride him or any other tampering. Plus anything in his system would fade out after about 10 days.
I don't trust the words out of any horse owners mouth. They either lie, don't have an answer or leave out very important information. Perhaps there are people out there that tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth but I've never met one that's trying to sell a horse.

We met with the owner 2 weeks later he said he was happy that the horse had been looked after well and after giving us some 'good luck' we went back home with my new horse.

I just thought I'd explain this further just to give an insight into what I meant when I was talking about a 2 week trial. It has always worked for me and I've never had any problems with this method. I've only ever come across one person who refused a two week trial and I didn't persue the horse any further. I'd say the only thing that would make me not care about the two week trial was if I was offered a free horse lol.

Plus I'm not saying this will work for everyone it's just my own way of buying a horse.

Also Ell has a really good point, you should maybe look into sharing a horse could turn out much easier in the end and it's not all on you to look after the horse. It's a nice way to ease yourself into being a horse owner.

convert

Hobbidance wrote: »

I always take horses on trial of about 2 weeks, however used to a place a horse is I want to see how it will act in a new place, bring it out to competitions (not compete just get a general feel for how a horse will act in the warm-up ring in a busy yard or out on a cross country course, in the box, riding away from the horses etc.) For example my horse Z was in a riding school yard but wasn't part of the school at all. He was prefectly fine with all the roads near there, bit spooky with the sheep, fine in the school and wasn't clingy to the other horses.
I might add I also bought him looking for a horse with little to no work done, so I could school him and bring him on myself so I knew that I wanted a bit of spook, sensitivity and lots of energy. It's not the same for the OP but if he's looking for a horse to improve his riding and he brings a horse home to find out two weeks later he won't go out hacking on his own and keeps spining around or has far more energy and spook than when he tried him out 2 or 3 times. Then these things wont necessarily show with riding it a few times on someone elses terms.

I think if you re-read the post carefully, you'll see that Zaraba was not saying that they wouldn't allow the potential buyer to try the horse/pony, just that they wouldn't allow the individual to take it out of the yard without paying for it. Afterall, there is always the potential for a dishonest individual to take advantage of the situation, not to mention the fact that the horse could come back injured or destroyed mentally from ill or excessively rough treatment, etc.

Re. riding the horse in different situations, see my post above about my own experiences.

Hobbidance wrote: »

Also I like knowing that when I'm looking after the horse it's not getting any kind of sedative (herbal or chemical) or being lunged for two hours before I ride him or any other tampering.

From what I've read on this forum, and from speaking to a large number of people in the equestrian world, giving horses sedatives before competition/hunting seems to be commonplace. I don't agree with it, but it seems a lot of people are happy to do it, regardless of the fact that it doesn't solve any problems.

Hobbidance wrote: »

I just thought I'd explain this further just to give an insight into what I meant when I was talking about a 2 week trial. It has always worked for me and I've never had any problems with this method. I've only ever come across one person who refused a two week trial and I didn't persue the horse any further. I'd say the only thing that would make me not care about the two week trial was if I was offered a free horse lol.

Hobbidance wrote: »

I don't trust the words out of any horse owners mouth. They either lie, don't have an answer or leave out very important information. Perhaps there are people out there that tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth but I've never met one that's trying to sell a horse.

Have you had a bad experience when buying a horse? I know there are a number of dishonest sellers out there who give honest people a bad name, but I think it's unfair to tar everybody with the same brush. Just because I'm unwilling to give my horse on trial doesn't mean I've something to hide. I'm just protecting my horse. I think it's unfair to the horse to simply give him to a stranger on trial without having seen them ride, seen their facilities and seen how they treat their horses. Furthermore, I know a lot of people who won't allow a horse to be taken on trial, but will gladly allow people to come and ride the horse, or bring it to competitions, hunting, etc. and they don't sedate the horses are lunge them for hours on end before allowing the potential buyer ride them.

Moreover, any horse I've bought has been without a trial. The last two horses I bought had extremely bad reputations - one for running away and the other for rearing (we didn't know this when we bought her, we only discovered it after). However, it turns out that these horses had the reputation for no reason at all - the people who rode them and owned them weren't able to ride them or handle them properly - firmly but compassionately - and as a result they took advantage of the owners (as horses are wont to do), consequently earning themselves an unmerited bad reputation.

When buying a horse you have to weigh up each situation independently and individually - it's not fair to treat each one the same. People and horses are individuals and need to be dealt with accordingly. If you get a 'bad' feeling or aren't happy about something then it's better to go with your gut feeling, but if it simply comes down to the fact that the owner isn't willing to give you the horse on trial but will allow you to try the horse at competitons, etc. that aren't in their own yard, then it's probably ok, but be guided by your gut feelings.

tpotter

I agree that you definitely want to take care. I used to work in the industry and there are plenty of less than reputable horse sellers. Some even give problem horses mild sedatives, so they act fine when you see them.

Like others have said, make sure you are considering the total cost of ownership and bring a professional with you, because with all due respect, 7 months isn't really long enough to truly know horses and what to look for.

bogshepherd

yeah i agree, i dont know the first thing to look for in a horse to know if its healthy or not... i have a few family friends and neighbours who deal with horses though so il bring one of them along with me

the other thing i was wondering is whether or not most horse sellers would be willing to deliver the horse once i agree to buy it as i dont have a horse trailer of my own. i could probably get my hands on one if i had to but i don't really like the idea of driving with someone elses trailer in cases something went wrong! by the by if any of you have got a suitable horse for sale or loan in the monaghan/cavan area feel free to PM me

ell

bogshepherd wrote: »

yeah i agree, i dont know the first thing to look for in a horse to know if its healthy or not...

Please DO NOT BUY A HORSE.

(edited to add - I assume this is just a joke thread???)

If its not, there's a high chance they are going to get themselves or whatever horse they find badly hurt.

bogshepherd

not necessarily... i recognise the fact that my equine knowledge and experience is severly lacking but that doesn't mean i'd be stupid enough to go and buy some dud of a horse without even thinking about it, thats why i posted this thread in the first place, and as i said there are plenty of people i know who would be able to come along to give me their expert advice (including my riding trainer)... i may be ignorant when it comes to horses but i wasnt born yesterday!

i already keep two ponies on my own land. they're two small for me to ride but keeping them has tought me all the basics about caring for horses, its just knowing what to look for in a good horse and what kind of horse would best suit me where i dont have a notion! but learn by doing right

MDFM

Look, i think what everyone else maybe saying is that, don't rush into anything just yet. You have said you've only being riding 7 months, which is fine, maybe you're an accomplished rider, but you mentioned you don't know the 1st thing about spotting whether a horse is healthy or not, so maybe just now isnt the right time to buy? I'm around horses all my life, (nearly 30 years now, born, bred and reared with them on the farm) and to be honest, you can never know enough about them and while i'm not doubting your knowledge i honestly believe that there is something new to be learned everyday.
Could you perhaps help out or get part-time work at a local yard or riding school? Least that way you could get lots of exposure to the day to day management of the horse and access to many different types of horses, their management, welfare, mannerisms, needs, feeding, exercise, show/sale preparation, and basic (or more serious) veterinary care? When i come home from work every evening i always hope all is well with my horses in the yard, but you never know whether it is, and on the odd occasion, when things have gone wrong (sick/injured/colic horse) you have to act on your knowledge and experience and know to act immediately and how to care for the horse while waiting for vet to call or know enough to make the decision that a vet is not needed. You have to be prepared for the unexpected, such as a veterinary callout, and that can happen any time, day or night, and in the middle of a wet winters nite, its not so pleasant.
I'm not telling you not to buy a horse, but don't rush into it. As someone already said, perhaps horse-share for a while if working in a yard/school is not an option? I would recommend though a stint in a busy yard, you will benefit from it greatly. You may get the opportunity to ride different types of horses but the chance to look after them and will perhaps give you a greater insite into the costs associated with owning only 1 horse..believe me, its not cheap either. I don't know if you have a budget in mind, horses are cheap to buy at the moment, but that's prob the only cheap aspect to owning a horse, the initial purchase price, the running costs are another story!
Best of luck all the same, get as much advice from those whom you know that you can trust and know more about it all than you do. Its a never-ending learning process with horses, so please in the meantime if you are committed to buying a horse, shop around, ride lots of different horses, horse share, help out in schools/yards, go to shows/hunter trials and everything else you can think of..maybe even find out if there is a riding club locally that you can join and for now, hire a horse to take part in lessons/events that the club may organise. One thing for certain is that there will never be a shortage of horses in this country, so you won't miss the boat if you don't buy for a while!!

Hobbidance

convert wrote: »

I think if you re-read the post carefully, you'll see that Zaraba was not saying that they wouldn't allow the potential buyer to try the horse/pony, just that they wouldn't allow the individual to take it out of the yard without paying for it.

I realise this, my post was not a re-buttal but simply a deeper explaination of how I take horses on trail. As it's not a simple 'I expect yout to give me your horse for two weeks then magically disappear without leaving you any collateral.' However I ride the horse a few times, make an agreement with the owner, trial the horse, and come to a decision.

convert wrote: »

From what I've read on this forum, and from speaking to a large number of people in the equestrian world, giving horses sedatives before competition/hunting seems to be commonplace. I don't agree with it, but it seems a lot of people are happy to do it, regardless of the fact that it doesn't solve any problems.

Sedatives before competition I don't agree with at all, no matter what kind of class or situation if the horse is too stressed out to compete then it shouldn't be doing so and should be trained further before entering any kind of competition not only for their safety but the riders. Same with hunting, hunting is too dangerous to have a horse that can't react quickly to a possibly hazzardous situatuion. I'm not trying to accost you either, I can see you don't agree with it, but even you said it is common place, which is why I don't trust that the horse has not been drugged or given herbal sedation. Plus I like to know if a horse is going to freak out when I ask it to do something so I can work on fixing it so she/he doesn't. However if they do something extremely dangerous like bolting blindly through rope fencing at a show then I'd like to know that too so I can save myself a serious accident.

convert wrote: »

Have you had a bad experience when buying a horse? I know there are a number of dishonest sellers out there who give honest people a bad name, but I think it's unfair to tar everybody with the same brush. Just because I'm unwilling to give my horse on trial doesn't mean I've something to hide. I'm just protecting my horse. I think it's unfair to the horse to simply give him to a stranger on trial without having seen them ride, seen their facilities and seen how they treat their horses. Furthermore, I know a lot of people who won't allow a horse to be taken on trial, but will gladly allow people to come and ride the horse, or bring it to competitions, hunting, etc. and they don't sedate the horses are lunge them for hours on end before allowing the potential buyer ride them.

I've never had a bad experience buying a horse because I've always been this way and have always been careful. There's not alot of horses that I wouldn't buy. I enjoy the challenge of difficult horses, if the price is right I'll take them. The only thing I have a problem with is sedation. I always have my vet take bloods so in weeks I know exactly how the horse was when I saw them and I never tell them that my vet is coming I organize a day to ride the horse and vet it instead.

Twice I have found a horse doped (very lightly but it still matters to me), but after the trial they still weren't such bad horses. I have never accused the owner of doping the horse either I just go about my business. They want to sell a horse and what they do isn't my place to judge.

If a horse wows me enough and the owner refuses a trial then I'll most likely still take the horse but I will always feel a little uneasy and wait for bloods and x-rays. Take them out for a 'day' in clonshire so I can pick them up very early in the morning just to make sure.

I know most people won't lunge to tire or sedate. Especially when I catch them out when they do lunge then tend not to bother then when I ask them not to. I've seen many many many horses and ponies up for sale. I'm always looking for good, cheap prospects that people are almost ready to give up on as I never have alot of money at one time to shell out for a really good untouched horse. I have to find the good ones that I can help make into better horses.

I know it's a bit sad to do but if I go out thinking that someone is hiding something, then I stand to lose nothing and be pleasantly surprised when I find someone has been truthful.
After all unless they're part of a large breeding yard who have millions and only produce mint horses and a reputation the size of Africa for having the best of the best. Most people have a reason for selling a horse. If it was the next Desert Orchid then I'm sure they wouldn't be selling for any simple reason. I know people grow out of ponies, some people go off to college/travel, and perfectly good horses get sold, but those horses aren't the ones that I look for. I look for cheap horses with very little training or bad behaviour.

I hope this helps explain it more. I need to know alot about the horses I buy or else I could end up face down in a ditch somewhere. I've already barely missed being paralyzed from the waist down so I'm not keen to have something similar or worse happen.

I'm not trying to knock those who don't trial, I've just had quite alot of different and not-so-good experiences. So I always make sure I'm careful. Plus, even before my accident, it has been drilled into me by my dad because he has the same philosophy when it comes to paying for something that doesn't come with a reciept, gurantee or warantee. You need to get all the facts first and know what you're getting yourself into. If not then you're really just asking for trouble to come knocking.

Hobbidance

Also I noted in a previous thread you said you were going away to college bogshepherd.

Please, if this is correct don't buy a horse. It will only waste your money. Find a good horse share instead. Put posters up in riding schools you are happy to travel to looking for a horse share, explain your position (7 months riding, able to jump, need safe horse to help bring you on) and maybe a notice in the buy and sell. Pretty soon you could get a call from someone looking for extra exercise for their horse and a share in expenses.

This is probably the best road to take. Good luck!

tpotter

Hobbidance wrote: »

Sedatives before competition I don't agree with at all, no matter what kind of class or situation if the horse is too stressed out to compete then it shouldn't be doing so and should be trained further before entering any kind of competition not only for their safety but the riders.

You bring up some great points and I totally agree. It blew my mind when I saw how common of a practice this is. The first time I actually went to a show with the barn, I saw the trainer I worked for Ace up a horse, which admittedly was a little on the wild side, without blinking an eye. I had seen her do it before she put them in trailers and of course when they got hurt, but never right before the horse was set to show.

It seems like completely the wrong thing to do and to go against the principals of an honest competition.

convert

ell wrote: »

(edited to add - I assume this is just a joke thread???)

If its not, there's a high chance they are going to get themselves or whatever horse they find badly hurt.

Ell, you made your point clearly in a previous post. Comments like this are unhelpful and of no benefit to anyone. Please avoid them in future. Consider this a warning.

convert

Also, this is for everyone:

Can we please try to keep this thread on topic and avoid including realms of not-so-relavant information which is boardering on going off topic. If you want to discuss merits of other topics - for example, the benefit of taking horses on trial or the use of sedatives, etc. (both of which are valid topics) - please start a new thread.

Thanks.