Oh don’t worry, you’ve been a huge help! Thank you very much for your kind advice 
I’ll see what he says about the counteroffer and keep you guys posted once my (hopefully) new boy gets home!
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You’re welcome.
Hoping you get him soon.
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Yeah, they wanted to see if he did indeed have the scope and he didn’t disappoint 
I mean good for me and at the same time it made him more expensive but yeah, I can totally now see why they raised his price. (Sadly the pony is still being tried out but I’ve got a ton of people asking about him so my parents said they’d support me to buy Finn while my current horse sells, I’m quite lucky)
Wow, those are some heftly prices, usually a good 1.10m jumper at most goes for like 35k but it totally depends on the buyer and how much of a winner the horse is so I guess Mexico is a bit cheaper compared to the US. I think Europe is the cheapest place to get horses but if you take into account the trip plus the time spent going around trying out horses its almost as expensive as buying one here.
OHHH I had no idea! English terminology is so funny 
I think Finn had on a pretty big bit but my trainer had warned me that his friend usually used bigger bits so that his riders wouldn’t need to use a heavy hand to keep the horses in place and he was sure he could get him into a lighter one if I wanted (though I think as long as I keep a light hand that bit will be fine). He had on double reins and I think some sort of pelham, asked the owner and he said the horse had lifted his head a lot with other bits and that was the one that fit so we’ll experiment and see how it goes. My horse I rode had on a two ring pessoa with a snaffle bit in the middle, like a really light bit, so hopefully we get fit into a lighter one.
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The bitting, bridle, & martingale.
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To clarify, my earlier comment on the rigging was in response to the picture where DollyDolly is riding the horse. The bitting configuration is not something I’ve personally ever seen on a jumper before: almost a hybrid of a driving Limerick & a Vaquero, but with a spade-like top to the shanks instead of rings. The cheek pieces appear to run over the spade & down to what I assume is the curb strap & up to a very low set, tight throatlatch. The flash strap has been replaced with gag cording, which runs over the back of the spade & through a hole in the bottom of the shank. One rein attaches to the gag cord & the other to the (offset) curb rings. The latter miiiight be a draw-type rein that runs through both rings instead of attaching individually. I can’t see it well enough to say for sure. The reins cross more than once & it looks like both standing & running martingale attachments are utilized.
In my (admittedly not expert) opinion, that’s a lot going on to make a horse ridable for a petite AA over a 1.10m course. Tremendous pressure exerted on the poll nose, & mandible.
I’m not an expert on bits but I was able to see them put everything on him and tack him up, he was well behaved and didn’t pin his ears or protest anything, but when I did see the bit I also thought it was strong. Not sure if that’s a red flag or not but I’ll post another picture of the horse wearing the bit (though I did see that inside his mouth he did seem to have a weird sort of plate?? or something like to place over his tongue.)
You can’t see but he does have a running martingale on and I was using double reins. Is that a red flag?
Looks like it might be a Mikmar. They were quite popular about 10 or 12 years ago, and some people liked the nose pressure from the rope piece.
I never had enough experience with them to say how comparable they are to more typical bits severity-wise.
Edited to add link: https://mikmar.com/products/mikmar-combination-bit
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OH IT IS, I just looked it up and its exactly like what they put on him! Is it a bad bit?
I would say that like any bit, it depends on the horse’s facial shape and preferences and the rider’s hands. It shouldn’t be a go-to bit for most horses, but might work well for a particular horse and rider team.
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I do have a pretty soft hand, and it really helped me when I tried him out feeling how quickly he came back when I tried out a really tight turn (to see if he would be good at it). But I’m worried its really harsh ;-; Last thing I want is to get a horse that is super hard at the mouth
This is the same horse as the pro was riding in the video, yes? In that video, it appears the horse is going in a bit/bridle that is commonly used by jumpers. I wouldn’t worry that the horse is dead mouthed from over-bitting – it seems that the Mikmar is not the bit it normally goes in. Double reins & a running martingale are also not uncommon. The Mikmar is not a bit that I have ever seen used before. So, yes, I personally would have asked the seller why they chose to put the horse in that because I’m unfamiliar with the leverage actions of that bit.
*** HOWEVER, I was not there, did not ride the horse, did not see you ride the horse, and I am not a professional rider or trainer. Riding culture differs dramatically from country to country. I am American & that informs my experiences & opinions. As I mentioned upthread, the overall style of riders from Mexico/Latin America to be more masculine. That’s not a bad thing. Because taining style shapes the temperament of the horse, it will impact the pool of horses are available to you. This may well be the quietest horse you can find. I know what to reasonably expect from a show jumper in my location. I lack the knowledge of the Mexican horse market to give you any useful answer, unfortunately.
Ultimately, if you liked the horse, felt comfortable on it, were able to get it to do what you want to do within reason, & feel excited about what you can see yourself accomplishing in the near future with this horse, that’s all that matters. Good luck!
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Get the first one that you feel comfortable on. No matter how talented a horse, if you have that uneasy feeling and are not Confident, it won’t help your riding.
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Yes it was the same horse, though that wasn’t really a pro it was his owner! And the owner hasn’t ridden long which is why I was thinking the horse must be a nice ride to take a beginner so far so fast.
Thank you!
I’d be careful about making that assumption. Jump height doesn’t mean much. People rush rush rush into moving up the levels & there’s any number of shows where one can go jump badly around a 3’6"ish course. I watched a sale video recently where the rider had no business jumping an X rail, yet managed to careen around a 3’6" course & emerge on the other side in one piece. Combination of being a young male of the “hold my beer and watch THIS!” age and a very forgiving (and expensive) horse. And the horse looked like it must have ulcers – it clearly wasn’t having a good time saving this idiot’s butt. I know some horses that would buck a rider 20’ into the air for riding like that.
@Clover5, I’m pretty sure that’s a man riding in that video.
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Oh yeah, I totally get it and I know I should be careful but I do still think this guy will make a great horse for a novice like me, my gut is just telling me it’s the right decision. He seemed to withstand a lot of bad riding from my part when I tried him out (and i mean I am coming from riding a ‘hony’ who stops so I have a lot of bad habits) and when I saw a course of his in the 1.10 he was measuring distances by himself and he tried his heart out.
But hey, that horse you spoke about seems to have a big heart, poor boy probably was in pain yet he forgave. Given a good rider and more care maybe he’d make an even better horse. Personally my horse once had a toothache (the dentist had to come a week later than scheduled) and he literally threw me off right in front of a jump XD
Chiming in to say you likely have a soft hand if the horse went well in the bit/gag set up in the photo. I rode a lot of horses (most of my leases) in gags for shows/clinics with a rubber snaffle mouthpiece and a gag rein, but just the plain rubber snaffle with either a running or german (slightly controversial I know) martingale for schooling and quieter clinics/shows. I prefer runnings for jumping for reasons we all know.
I like contact and soft mouthed horses, so after building a relationship with the horse, I can often ride most in a ‘lighter’ bit. Gags do serve a purpose for certain horses, especially jumpers hence you see them so much in the jumper ring.
I’m likely larger than you (175 cm) and 65 kgs, and when going to the gym (sigh, COVID) am quite strong, I find riding a stopper often makes you have a really light hand (or throwing away contact) bc you’re throwing your hands up their neck to encourage, kicking, and hoping they gooooooo. When we all know contact to the base with leg is the right move…
hope you have him, he’s freaking adorable and looks like a good match for you
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OMG I thought I was the only one that did that XD I swear that ever since I started riding my stopper hony I’ve noticed that the second I feel like he’s going to stop I tighten my legs so much (which doesn’t help considering he is like a little speed demon) and just give him all the rein I can to encourage him to keep going Happy to know it’s a universal thing
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I used to ride a horse in Mikmar sometimes. The home bit for flat/smaller jump schools/gymnastics was a double jointed losse ring Sprenger KK Ultra, Mikmar was used for major school sessions and competitions (he was small/medium tour horse winning the 130-140cm). He was a straightforward guy to ride, just a pretty powerful little stallion so you wanted that extra leverage to contain the front and be able to bring him back quickly and take sharper turns for the jumpoff. Wouldn’t call him a dead mouth, but you needed some biceps to get him nice and collected for the course in the snaffle. The nose piece was really helpful for this particular guy, but as someone mentioned there was no real need to ride it in that bit most days and it just gave you that 20-30% extra when you needed it. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
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