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A Resale Project- What would you do?

Hunter/Jumper
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#41

[QUOTE=RugBug;7447565]
IME - college students who can ride at a decent level and who are willing, will have plenty of horses to work with. I could use one right now to help out with Horse#2.

I agree with others, wait until your in college, know the ropes a bit (how much will you need to study, how much time will you really WANT to ride, etc) before tying yourself down to a project.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. During my undergraduate years…I worked, double majored at a very competitive school and rode quite a bit (as in just about daily). But I didn’t own my own horse. Because I was a decent rider…I had NO trouble finding many horses to ride and even jump.

In law school…I did the re-sale thing. I picked up OTTBs, retrained them and resold them (either as eventers or jumpers)…I brought 3 up to the 3’6" level in that time. I would say that was more atypical. But with the right person, possible.

Number one focus while you are in school should be school–and getting good grades…horses are very doable for most people. You need to get there and see what will work for you.

#42

The video is actually from a rated show, the Auburn Summer Classic, I believe.

#43

Cute horse, though. COTHers, how did you find the ad?? I tried sleuthing and failed. :frowning:

Can someone PM me the ad?

ETA: Got it. Thanks!

#44

Color me confused buuuut…

Op why would you be looking for a resale project when you are a “novice jumper” yourself? Typically with projects, the horse is very green, or needs a lot of work, or whatever, and from what you’ve said, you don’t have the experience for that. Even if you were to go after a pony jumper, or this one, or whatever one, it’s going to require you to show it bigger than .95 meters, and you don’t have the experience for that. A resale project is not the type you want to buy, and learn how to ride on. You want to make it look good, so that someone will buy it. The 1.10 (3’6") is a lot bigger move up than I think you realize. One does not just go from 2’9" buy a horse that is scopey enough to get around the 3’6"+, learn to ride that height with no mistakes and then magikallly sell it.

Don’t waste your money on a resale. If you are serious about going to Ocala, go buy a made high children’s/adult jumper for 30-50k and start showing. Those jumps are a lot bigger, and a lot wider than you think.

#45

Just for the sake of discussion and keeping in mind watching is free and one of the best training tools…

The mare in the video is not that bad under a reasonably competent ( if not polished) ride. I expected far worse, it’s not pretty but not dangerous. And doesn’t stop despite some arguments to the base of these fences. And it takes a joke. Those are pluses.

But I don’t see much indication of being able to do any more then this very friendly 1m or less course. Does not look like she wants more height and nothing there that makes me think a 4’ with a 4’6" spread followed by a tight 2 to a 1 typically found on the high Ch/Ad or low Juniors is going to make her shine. Usually, if a 4’ claim is made, you want video of it competing at that level, not 6" to a foot lower with no spreads or combinations of particular difficulty.

The big minuses are for your stated purpose of re schooling to market as an up to 4’ horse. The resale market is for big, dark colored geldings that quietly pack proven in the show ring at advertised height. Not “spicy” small grey mares with attitude that need some work.

You can learn from these things… Maybe not what you wanted to but learning to develop an eye for actual ability and suitability for intended purpose. Master that, it will serve you well.

You need to go watch some rateds too. Learn the divisions and requirements ( height, width, pace or time allowed, water) for them and the kind of horse that can meet those requirements. Understand the requirements if you want to think resale project. Doesn’t cost a thing to do that.

ETA studied the ad text a while ago and the horse is honestly represented as a level 2 Jumper. No claim in the ad of 4’ show mileage from these sellers. They did call it a DABBLED grey which made me chuckle. But nothing misleading at all.

#46

If you guys are confused, just think of how confused I am!

A horse IS GOING with me to school, whether it be a horse we already have or a new one. That is not entirely my decision; my mom simply cannot keep up with the maintenance and riding for 3 horses (we own 2, one is a boarder) completely by herself in addition to working. Cannot do it.

The question now becomes which horse to take, and what I want to do. Hunters, jumpers, dressage, reining??? As much as I would like a finished hunter or jumper, I can’t afford anywhere near 30k. My hope is to find something green, but safe, and finish it myself.

I am a novice, but the horse I’m jumping on now I also finished myself and taught how to jump. I would kill for a finished horse (in my mind he’s a 16-17 hand dapple grey warmblood with big eyes and floppy ears) but I don’t see him anywhere in my future ever. I didn’t have any help or training when I started, and I’m a lot better off now than I was 2 years ago when I started my current gelding over fences.

Sigh…I don’t know what on earth I’ll do!

#47

Just a thought, but if I were the owner of the horse in question and I found out that it was the topic of a COTH thread that is not entirely complementary about me or my horse, I might be a bit hurt. Videos are linked now and I guess it is too late but the owner did not ask for critiques, I get that the video is on Youtube, and therefore public, but still.

The horse does not seem to be marketed as a 4 ft prospect (unless I am looking at the wrong ad)… it’s marketed as lower level jumper, what you see is probably what you get.

Apologies if I am being sensitive or over-reacting, but that would be my feeling in the owner’s position after reading the thread.

#48

[QUOTE=chillydc;7447770]
Just a thought, but if I were the owner of the horse in question and I found out that it was the topic of a COTH thread that is not entirely complementary about me or my horse, I might be a bit hurt. Videos are linked now and I guess it is too late but the owner did not ask for critiques, I get that the video is on Youtube, and therefore public, but still.

The horse does not seem to be marketed as a 4 ft prospect (unless I am looking at the wrong ad)… it’s marketed as lower level jumper, what you see is probably what you get.

Apologies if I am being sensative or over-reacting, but that would be my feeling in the owner’s position after reading the thread.[/QUOTE]

Yup…and that’s why I tried to keep it quiet. Tried to disguise her as a gelding and not mention directly where she was from.

She is being marketed as a lower level jumper, but when I talked to the owners there was talk of 4 ft. It’s not a huge deal at this point, because she’s definitely not for me, but I am a little worried about the owner (or someone who knows her) finding the thread…

#49

[QUOTE=chestnuthunter;7447764]
If you guys are confused, just think of how confused I am!

A horse IS GOING with me to school, whether it be a horse we already have or a new one. That is not entirely my decision; my mom simply cannot keep up with the maintenance and riding for 3 horses (we own 2, one is a boarder) completely by herself in addition to working. Cannot do it.

The question now becomes which horse to take, and what I want to do. Hunters, jumpers, dressage, reining??? As much as I would like a finished hunter or jumper, I can’t afford anywhere near 30k. My hope is to find something green, but safe, and finish it myself.

I am a novice, but the horse I’m jumping on now I also finished myself and taught how to jump. I would kill for a finished horse (in my mind he’s a 16-17 hand dapple grey warmblood with big eyes and floppy ears) but I don’t see him anywhere in my future ever. I didn’t have any help or training when I started, and I’m a lot better off now than I was 2 years ago when I started my current gelding over fences.

Sigh…I don’t know what on earth I’ll do![/QUOTE]

Confused - if you get a new horse to take…doesn’t that still leave 3 horses at home?

#50

[QUOTE=bugsynskeeter;7447781]
Confused - if you get a new horse to take…doesn’t that still leave 3 horses at home?[/QUOTE]

can you sell your other two, and put that money towards a new horse?

#51

[QUOTE=chestnuthunter;7447779]
Yup…and that’s why I tried to keep it quiet. Tried to disguise her as a gelding and not mention directly where she was from.

She is being marketed as a lower level jumper, but when I talked to the owners there was talk of 4 ft. It’s not a huge deal at this point, because she’s definitely not for me, but I am a little worried about the owner (or someone who knows her) finding the thread…[/QUOTE]

If you are worried, you can go back and delete the video from your prior post… that makes the thread fine, I would think, only those that have seen it will know what horse/rider you are talking about. That is what I would do.

#52

[QUOTE=chillydc;7447793]
If you are worried, you can go back and delete the video from your prior post… that makes the thread fine, I would think, only those that have seen it will know what horse/rider you are talking about. That is what I would do.[/QUOTE]

Too late… someone had already quoted the post with the video in it.

#53

[QUOTE=chillydc;7447793]
If you are worried, you can go back and delete the video from your prior post… that makes the thread fine, I would think, only those that have seen it will know what horse/rider you are talking about. That is what I would do.[/QUOTE]

I did that, but someone quoted me and put the video link in it…I’m not that worried or anything, just don’t want to offend anyone!

#54

[QUOTE=xSelleFrancaisx;7447792]
can you sell your other two, and put that money towards a new horse?[/QUOTE]

And…herein lies another problem. One is my chestnut gelding that I could never, ever, ever, ever sell. Ever. Not in the cards for many reasons. I could probably get $25,000 easy for him, but he’s worth his weight in gold to me. He has a forever home with us.

The other horse belongs to my mom, and is not my call. She will probably sell him at the end of this year after he gets a few more show titles, but then I’m sure she’ll want something more competitive.

So it will probably be me and the gelding, and a new horse is just a dream. That’s ok, because the gelding is awesome and he needs to be kept in shape. I’m just concerned about how he will handle living in a new environment.

And the boarder will probably be gone at that point, so she would potentially just have one to care for.

#55

And…herein lies another problem. One is my chestnut gelding that I could never, ever, ever, ever sell. Ever. Not in the cards for many reasons. I could probably get $25,000 easy for him, but he’s worth his weight in gold to me. He has a forever home with us.

The other horse belongs to my mom, and is not my call. She will probably sell him at the end of this year after he gets a few more show titles, but then I’m sure she’ll want something more competitive.

So it will probably be me and the gelding, and a new horse is just a dream. That’s ok, because the gelding is awesome and he needs to be kept in show condition while I’m in school. I’m just concerned about how he will handle living in a new environment.

And the boarder will probably be gone at that point, so she would potentially just have one to care for.

#56

[QUOTE=chillydc;7447770]
Just a thought, but if I were the owner of the horse in question and I found out that it was the topic of a COTH thread that is not entirely complementary about me or my horse, I might be a bit hurt. Videos are linked now and I guess it is too late but the owner did not ask for critiques, I get that the video is on Youtube, and therefore public, but still.

The horse does not seem to be marketed as a 4 ft prospect (unless I am looking at the wrong ad)… it’s marketed as lower level jumper, what you see is probably what you get.

Apologies if I am being sensitive or over-reacting, but that would be my feeling in the owner’s position after reading the thread.[/QUOTE]

I do not think that anyone thinks this horse is being marketed outside of its capabilities. I think this mare is a good purchase for what she is, however she is not a good resale project. I think this mare is ready to go into the show ring and potentially win within her niche…so nothing negative here. Any commentary about holes in her training or flatwork was speculation, or lack of understanding about expectations of low level jumpers, made by the OP. Furthermore, any talk about the limitations of the horse showing competitively at 4’+ seems to already be realized by the current owners of the horse, which appears to be why the mare is for sale in the first place.

[QUOTE=chestnuthunter;7447779]Yup…and that’s why I tried to keep it quiet. Tried to disguise her as a gelding and not mention directly where she was from.

She is being marketed as a lower level jumper, but when I talked to the owners there was talk of 4 ft. It’s not a huge deal at this point, because she’s definitely not for me, but I am a little worried about the owner (or someone who knows her) finding the thread…[/QUOTE]

Disguising the mare as a gelding was not near enough if you did not want her to be identified. You posted a youtube video with a label of the horse’s name and show and then mentioned it was located near you. Very easy to look up, which I did solely because I thought the mare was nice looking and was curious what the price was that would make you think that she would be a good resale project (since I am always looking as well :D) I will remove my link of your post, but in the future if you do not want people to identify the horse, do not post video imo.

#57

[QUOTE=chestnuthunter;7447810]
And…herein lies another problem. One is my chestnut gelding that I could never, ever, ever, ever sell. Ever. Not in the cards for many reasons. I could probably get $25,000 easy for him, but he’s worth his weight in gold to me. He has a forever home with us.

The other horse belongs to my mom, and is not my call. She will probably sell him at the end of this year after he gets a few more show titles, but then I’m sure she’ll want something more competitive.

So it will probably be me and the gelding, and a new horse is just a dream. That’s ok, because the gelding is awesome and he needs to be kept in show condition while I’m in school. I’m just concerned about how he will handle living in a new environment.

And the boarder will probably be gone at that point, so she would potentially just have one to care for.[/QUOTE]

Well, then my suggestion is to be happy with what you have. I had the option of selling my junior jumper for a younger, faster model multiple times, but I could never bring myself to do it.

That was the choice I made, I learned to ride him really well (over a span of almost 10 years), and now he’s teaching my mom how to jump 2 feet at the age of 18. I’ll occasionally get back on and take him for a spin, but I found new things in college that prevented me from riding enough to be at the level I needed to be at to show in the Jr./AOs… and I would have been wasting a younger horse the entire time I was in school, and sold my guy for nothing.

#58

If you’re interested in suggestions for your college/horse situation, I’d suggest bringing your gelding with you as you’re familiar with him. You don’t know your school schedule yet, and you want to make sure you’re focused on academics first, everything else second. First year of college is probably not a good time to be getting a new horse, trying to figure out college life, and bringing along an unfamiliar horse at the same time.

Are you going into a riding program of any kind at school, or planning to take lessons at another barn if not partcipating with the school? If so, ride as many different types of horses as you can. Get a feel for what you like, dislike, and what you really need. Learn and experience more things as a budding horseman. College riding can add a lot of different tools to your toolbox.

My advice (as someone who worried so much as a teenager about equitation horses and having the right horse as soon as possible, and big warmblood dreams) is to relax about the new horse thing and focus on school. Horses will be there in the future, there will always be another good prospect around the corner if you decide you need something different. No need to pressure yourself about it now. If you can’t afford a big, pretty WB now, then maybe years down the road with a good education and career, you will. Or perhaps you need a good, steady older/experienced TB, QH, or Appendix to give you that mileage over some bigger fences without breaking the bank. Either way, I’d suggest taking the pressure off yourself for a bit, and enjoy the ride.

#59

[QUOTE=GoneAway;7447825]
If you’re interested in suggestions for your college/horse situation, I’d suggest bringing your gelding with you as you’re familiar with him. You don’t know your school schedule yet, and you want to make sure you’re focused on academics first, everything else second. First year of college is probably not a good time to be getting a new horse, trying to figure out college life, and bringing along an unfamiliar horse at the same time.

Are you going into a riding program of any kind at school, or planning to take lessons at another barn if not partcipating with the school? If so, ride as many different types of horses as you can. Get a feel for what you like, dislike, and what you really need. Learn and experience more things as a budding horseman. College riding can add a lot of different tools to your toolbox.

My advice (as someone who worried so much as a teenager about equitation horses and having the right horse as soon as possible, and big warmblood dreams) is to relax about the new horse thing and focus on school. Horses will be there in the future, there will always be another good prospect around the corner if you decide you need something different. No need to pressure yourself about it now. If you can’t afford a big, pretty WB now, then maybe years down the road with a good education and career, you will. Or perhaps you need a good, steady older/experienced TB, QH, or Appendix to give you that mileage over some bigger fences without breaking the bank. Either way, I’d suggest taking the pressure off yourself for a bit, and enjoy the ride.[/QUOTE]

Sounds like a great plan! :smiley:

I am not planning on riding with my school; the Auburn equestrian team just won the national championship, and they’re NCAA D1. Part of being on the team is also running miles and doing early morning weight lifting. A little too competitive and intense for my taste, and I highly doubt I’d be able to make that team in this lifetime. MAYBE I could make the western team, but I wouldn’t get to show.

What I’d really like to do is board my sweet gelding at a hunter/jumper barn and take lessons and do the schooling shows at that barn. I’ve always had my horse at home, and would love to experience what it’s like to not have to wake up at 5 a.m. every single morning to feed him and clean his stall! I don’t mind doing that and I know it goes with horse ownership, but still! And an indoor arena! The luxury of being able to ride indoors when it’s raining would be amazing. I can’t imagine how nice that would be. And a lesson a week sounds like heaven. That barn has about 8 schooling shows a year, and they don’t charge much for hauling to Conyers, if one day I was at that level and my parents were willing to pay for it.

After college, my gelding would be 17 and probably ready for semi-retirement. Then maybe I could look for something :slight_smile:

I know school is first, and then career is first, and then family is first…but I’m already tired of life getting in the way of my riding! :smiley:

And sorry to everyone who was following the original thread- it has now become a reflection on my life, lol!

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