My mistake! I had done a search on RCMP in (what I thought) was the dressage forum. I can certainly understand why an eventer might not be interested.
bahahah same
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From the Canadian Auction:
Natcho is unsuitable for the very demanding job of touring as a musical ride horse, however, could potentially maintain a lower level of work. Natcho was started under-saddle, his training has consisted of basic dressage, small fences and hacking. […] This lovely gelding would make a lovely addition for anyone looking for a low energy and friendly partner to fuss over.
What does that mean? Only low level dressage? Or that he shouldn’t be shipped internationally every 6 months for the big shows?
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My guess is he can’t handle the rigors of 2hrs + of shows they do multiple times a month. It’s pretty intense training regime. Sounds like he would make a lovely low level ammie dressage or hunter.
I know a few people who have bought from the auction and their horses are all lovely with great temperaments. I think they need them a bit hotter for the show.
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If you go to the pedigree link it has the vet reports if you want to see the “why” on the horse not suitable for touring. Back issues.
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Yes the vet reports add a lot of background both vet and behavioral. I really liked the mare Oceana but she sounds like she might not be so amateur friendly. She looks so nice and elastic in the videos but the notes indicate she might not be so easy. Bummer!
We specifically looked in that market and most them weren’t sound. That’s part of the probelm with “broke to death” some are just broke to broken.
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That’s too bad. Makes me so sad how many broken ones are thrown away.
Remember that it’s also for RCMP officers who choose to go into the musical ride, that may not have any background in riding. They can get quite good, but temperament is key.
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@Jealoushe has it all correct.
Also someone asking about why the auction, it is a governmental policy thing and it makes them a lot of money for their foundation.
They have their training facility in downtown Ottawa, and then their breeding and young stock barns outside of the city. The breeding farm is quite large and a lovely set up, so having the odd chestnut isn’t a big deal. They are still wonderfully bred, and can bring in money.
Natcho sounds like KS to me. I really like Pace personally, and if my barn was more set up, I would be considering following the market. I have connections there that would be able to give me the inside scoop on the horses (some of them are feral at these auctions lol).
I was lucky enough to be in uniform one day, doing a recce so it gave me an excuse to drive down their driveway at the breeding farm to chat about parking some army equipment there. I tried to be professional, but eventually my 2IC told on me to their chief breeder. So I got the behind the scenes VIP tour. It was phenomenal
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On the topic at hand, my husband and I are ammies, but would both like to compete at training or above. We didn’t know that at the time we got our two, my husband was just figuring riding out and I was coming back from an injury and thought I wanted to do low level dressage.
We ended up with two TBs that had a bit of restarting. Are they the horses we would buy now? Nope. Ones down hill and a terrible mover, the other is pretty straight behind and he has a large knee. We paid under 6k USD for both, and then our ammie butts did the training ourselves.
Are they winners? Nope. They won’t score low dressage. Have they both gone training - yes. I wouldn’t be able to afford these horses to just buy. They never freak out at shows, brave and honest, both have great scope for mid levels. Excellent for vet, farrier, trailer. We can hop on after 2 months off, from summer to fall and take them on a buckle hack by atvs, dogs, tractors, transport trucks… you name it.
Future me would like a horse produced by a trainer. But I also completely see how great it is to have a horse produced by a couple average ammies. My horses are safe because sometimes we had these two horses that we competed but also just enjoyed and went on adventures with.
So now future me wants to create these super ammie friendly, go anywhere, have adventures with your bestie type horses. Everyone should have this!
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Well, I like that the RCMP doesn’t pull any punches in their descriptors, but the 17 year old horse they’re flat out dumping. He played their game of musical ride for years, tears a hind suspensory in March, they don’t even attempt to see if it rehabbed or not, and into the auction he goes.
^^dumping a horse that served the team for years…
Turns me off from the whole thing.
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They don’t have much of a choice TBH. I don’t know if they are mandated to retire on the farm. It’s possible that the breeding mares have a clause written in to be able to retire them, because I haven’t seen as many of them in their auctions.
But government agencies cannot do private sales. Not that I have ever seen, which is why you see random junk on gc surplus all the time.
Also, they have an excellent vet team and farrier team, and I imagine that team gets to decide when they go to auction. Likely they decided that the 17 year old had a better opportunity at a soft landing then a 19 year old that hasn’t been in training for 2 years.
Not defending - just pointing out that government agencies are severely restricted and RCMP is no different.
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I understand, but they haven’t done anything but thrown him on a walker for an hour a day since March, according to their records.
Just seems like bad horsemanship - don’t do the rehab protocol, then put him in an auction. Hopefully he does find that soft landing.
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So here is another possibility:
Summer of 2020 I bought a 2 year old warmblood with good breeding–out of a M1.45 very successful amateur jumping mare and by a son of Riverman. Got him for very low 5 figures. He was a gawky looking thing–but I also own his older full brother so knew a bit about what was likely in there.
He hung out at home and came up everyday and out every night with the 2 or 3 others I have for over a year. Fall of 2021 I sent him to a really good colt starter for 6 weeks. Then he hung out at a professional friend’s barn where she and all her competent kids hacked and dinked around on him and he saw a lot of things. In February of this year he went to a very accomplished upper level rider who trains a ton of young horses to do some of the YEH events and a couple HTs. He’s had a couple good breaks where he’s come home for a few weeks to chill and hack around so we didn’t fry his brain.
He just missed qualifying for the Fair Hill YEH Championships so came home a few weeks ago. He’s a big (17.1) gangly thing that’s all legs AND he’s grown 4 INCHES since January!! (I’m amazed that he’s been so willing and game with all that growth–4 year old YEH is NOT going to be won with a horse with that much immaturity and growth.)
I’m so tickled with him I can hardly stand it. He is a top class mover, he is forward and brave to the jumps–doesn’t bat an eye at anything. Best of all, he has a fabulous brain. He’s shown us no limits yet on his potential. If I can’t be successful with him I have no one to blame but myself.
Today, including the cost of training I am well below the 40K ceiling here and I’ve likely ended up with something that even as a 4 year old would be way, way out of my budget.
I think for an AA including in your buying budget the cost of a few months training with a really good professional might a very, very smart play.
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Unfortunately, unless you have a farm where they can grow without paying board, raising youngsters usually ends up costing more than buying already trained. Plus not all young horses end up being what you want. It worked for me too, but I own my farm and had a connection with a new young trainer who gave me the friends and family discount on training.
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My weanling to 4 yr old cost around $6500. (I don’t count the cost of up keep since she was also the companion to my riding horse while she was growing, so I would have been feeding something). Value now is probably $40,000.
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Yes quite a few of them don’t have much of any riding experience prior to joining the musical ride or at least that used to be the case. One summer the barn I worked at we took the day campers on a field trip out to the east end of Ottawa to watch them practice. I was surprised by the riding but it was explain that quite a few didn’t have previous riding experience.
Bay WB!
Sorry but I just have to brag that my crappy-moving TB from my earlier post threw down his personal best dressage test today, including a 9 on a canter lengthening! He is the best boy and I am verklempt.
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