Thanks for all the input. I am letting him go. There are two other potential adopters waiting in the wings that may be a better match. He deserves a good forever home.
I hope I can find a better match with his personality. Back to the for sale ads for me!
[QUOTE=MSP;7101120]
Thanks for all the input. I am letting him go. There are two other potential adopters waiting in the wings that may be a better match. He deserves a good forever home.
I hope I can find a better match with his personality. Back to the for sale ads for me![/QUOTE]
As a parent who has found several wonderful horses for my 3 kids all I can say is thank goodness!!
You will feel so much better when you don’t have to worry what kind of horse she is on, or what he will do next. I second the " small horse, large pony", especially if she is a bit timid in her riding. She will be more comfortable. Good luck in your search.
Nice to hear two other adopters in the wings. He is a darling horse.
Good advice from many… I might add to look for a flat mover/, modest stride that is a bit slow…that way even if they speed up a bit or react (any horse can), it is so much easier to stick with them.
Some mounts never put a foot wrong but just feel like too much horse … a bouncy mover with a long stride can give a rider that feeling.
Smaller is better but a calm temperament would trump size…still, imo for a child particularly a timid one, why not make it size appropriate?
An older been there done that morgan, arab, part bred, part welsh…just depends what is out there. I am not one of those who thinks a QH equates to placid…I have met too many athletic semi stubborn ones…they are quiet till they suddenly take exception to something…there are golden ones of course…but there is a stereotype that every QH is a dead broke ranch type…they can have a catty drop shoulder spook, some of them have a bit of TB or come from race QH lines (same for paints or any stock horse breed)
Another option to find a great match for her… consider an ex show horse or pony that is calm/ been there done that and has some trail exposure…one that is no longer sound enough to compete, but sound enough for the kind of riding your daughter will do.
These horses are so ring savvy and trained that if she decides to take a bit of instruction later and get her equitation down they can double for that (light work of course but most can do it with some maintenance)
Some of these horses are fantastic and their owners practically give them away to ensure a good home.
A friend of mine got a FREE, magnificent Hanoverian that at one time was a 100k plus jumper. This horse had a rear suspensory ligament drop so it could no longer jump. But it could do light ring and trail work and was fantastic on trails…the calmest, most level headed out, more so than a supposed dead broke western paint someone bought that turned out to be a bit of a nut case in certain situations.
Also an ex school horse no longer able to do a full school work but sound enough for light riding.
After reading the post with the videos, which I didn’t watch, I changed my opinion from maybe to “find something very broke”, so I’m happy to hear you’re moving on. Beginner adults often have a hard time with horses like what you described. Good luck in your search.
Check out the old horses, they are diamonds for the taking.
I recently purchased an 18 year old former jumper for our daughter. Wonderful manners, and has all of the buttons. She is sound, smart, and sane. She is used 3-4 days a week, with 2 of those days ring work/ jumping. Not only is she holding up well, she is ready to compete. Will she do the 1.20 again? Should we jump her daily? No, of course not. But she is everything a young rider needs.
She loads on anything, goes anywhere, rides on road and trails. Does not mind dogs, clippers, cars, trains, trucks etc. Never refuses, and loves to work. No shoes, and no health issues.
The down side: she is a PRINCESS. Blankets when no other horse has one, likes her stall if the weather is off, and is Boss mare on turnout. Generally, expects us to worship her. Okay, we will.
We know that she will work at her current level for a few years. Maybe 2, maybe 5. What ever is left brings joy to all of us. Her former owner sold her into retirement with us. We paid $800, and a promise of e-mail updates and pictures, and the promise that when the time is right, we will bury her on our farm.
Find your daughter one of these old dolls. You will never regret it.
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