Buying versus leasing?

[Linny]

OP, obviously, you realize that you are in an expensive area and at Westchester hunter barns there are going to be big commissions to be paid. Those nice old show horses are often available free if they are going to a great barn because the owners want them 'off the payroll" but want to be able to keep an eye on them. The problem is that there are rarely commissions to be made there.
If your goal is to do A shows and win/ribbon well, you might need to spend that but if you are looking for a safe, sane horse that you can have fun with and maybe do some shows you and/or your trainer should look farther afield. My guess is that sales barns that specialize in show horses are going to be most expensive because the seller is paying high sales board rates and those places deal with high end big $ clients. ( I noticed that you replied on a sales barn thread.) Barns/trainers tend to have their circle of contacts and most of the contacts are barns very much like their own. If they are an A circuit outfit, so are their contacts.

If you are on Facebook, do some independent research. Look for regional equestrian sales pages and see what’s there. Contact sellers and get an idea of bottom line pricing. Find or post an ISO (In search of) ad and see what shows up.

I’m in the Capital District and several of the local barns go down to Westchester and the Hudson Valley to show (Gardnertown, Old Salem) over the fall and winter and they do quite well with horses that might not win at A circuit shows but who are capable of jumping around between 2’6 and 3’ with kids or ammys and none of these horses cost $25k or would sell for that.

Would you consider a been there, done that thoroughbred? QH or Appendix? WB cross? Unregistered but a good guy?

[LetRed]

Thanks so much Linny for your kind and helpful response! I am much obliged! I am on FB and I am truly trying to cast as wide a net as I can and I belong to many groups devoted to horses in my geographic area, ability, interest, price point you name it! And I am utterly free of prejudice with regard to breed- I just don’t want a horse that needs lots of maintainence. And I want a sweet horse too that I can spoil - silly as that may seem! And I am NOT using my age as an excuse, RAyers, I am saying that when you are older, you are often a less interesting or compelling client to trainers who are focused on bringing along young talent. And yet, older women like me are the ones with a bit of money (maybe “only” a bit) and time and desire to find and ride and love a good horse!

[LakeEffect]

I think you said you’re working with a trainer, right? Which is great - you definitely can benefit from another set of eyes that you can trust. But realize that what has worked for them in the past may not work for you: their network works together… bring the client to sale barn and take your pick from the mid-fives selection. These horses (not always) have been marked up to meet this built-in demand.

So, don’t be afraid to a) take your time and b) search in your own. I went to sales barns in my most recent search on my own, let them know ahead of time I was on my own (or maybe you can bring trainer for round 2?), and they were all professional. I also had luck looking at the one-offs: the barn had all ponies but one horse whose kid went to college, or an eventing barn but one that happened to be nicer than they knew, etc.

Last, a phrase that helped me in my search was to focus on “children’s” horses rather than “Amateur.” The one I ended up with had been casually mentioned as “good for a kid coming off a pony.” These types tend to be a little smaller (16-16.1) and more of a kick ride, but it read as “this one will give you confidence” to me. Just my two cents - I love my new guy ☺️

[LetRed]

Thanks so much LakeEffect- those are some great points! Maybe I should rephrase my search or ask my trainer to ask for such a horse. I am working with a trainer but I’m doing most of the searching- which I guess is the norm? Glad to hear you found a horse you love!

[akhunterrider]

I live in the midwest and just sold my horse last August. At the time my son was 4 1/2 months old and I didn’t have the time to dedicate to owning a horse and caring for it myself. He was most definitely a project type horse that I was capable of riding, but due to a lot of factors I became scared of riding. To say I bit off more than I could comfortably chew with a very green horse was a massive understatement. I am 32.

For me, owning doesn’t make sense. I have limited time and the horse I could buy v. the horse I could partial lease aren’t even in the same ballpark. I am just getting back to jumping after 6 years of not jumping (my gelding never learned to jump) and I am still overcoming some fear issues. I was scared of the canter depart because my old horse had some saddle fit issues and for a while would pitch me off going into the canter. This translated into me making the problem worse and causing the departure to be an issue on other horses. I’ve also learned that I really don’t like jumping on my own. Jumping in a lesson causes no anxiety, but jumping on my own does. The horse I have been riding since last October is well broke, but is still learning his job a bit, especially over fences. He’s never shown and doesn’t really have a lead change, but is safe, safe, safe.

All that to say yes, any horse can probably jump 2’6", but with a smaller budget you may find a horse without a good lead change or a little green. While this works for me, this may not work for all riders.

So in my opinion, leasing makes more sense. I think that you would be able to get more of what you want by doing so.

[mfglickman]

Hi there, we are in the same area as you are. I sent you a PM with some thoughts. We were in a similar boat to you some years back and had some creative strategies that worked to find a suitable horse.

[gertie06]

I have to ask you to unpack this a little (no pun intended). What is a packer to you? Is that a horse who will find its own distances, canter like a metronome, never ever spook, require no prep, always auto change, and take every joke in the book?

[Bogie]

@LetRed

Thanks Bogie and mh97 - that is an interesting idea (about novice eventing horsesr/fox hunters). I didn’t think of that - I will see if I can widen my circle to those horses as well. And I certainly didn’t come from money either- my very first horse cost $400 (albeit decades ago) so $25K still does seem like a lot of money to me. And I don’t need a horse for “A” shows - just something safe, fun and kind who can win the odd ribbon in a modest venue.

Well, my OTTB was $300 and included a blanket. As an older rider, and not wanting to start another one off the track, I paid $10K for my current foxhunter. That got me a lot of horse and I felt like I’d spent a lot of money. I know plenty of people who have picked up super fancy foxhunters/eventers for $25K.

[LetRed]

Thanks OutsideLeg- you are right. Finding a truly reliable horse is definitely a needle-haystack challenge. And it’s not as I am someone who just wants to be carted around or someone who has outsize ambitions unmatched by (small) budget. The fact that such a seemingly straightforward quest is so fraught is what inspired this post! (Aside: an American friend riding in France told me such horses are SO much easier to find there; the inflated price/expectation equation simply does not exist- at least not in the same way as it does here and particularly in the NYC area.) Sigh.