The naive friend-buying-a-horse - update post 118

[FindingSpirit]

I’m very very happy this worked out-- as someone who looked heavily into Friesian crosses (particularly Georgian Grandes aka saddlebredXFriesian/or draft). Too often Friesians and their crosses get a bad rep. I personally love the crosses that have been further developed with a purpose, such as the above, though many times the equine community makes me “second guess” friesian crosses I suppose. Still love them. I hope your friend won’t be given a hard time due to her horses cross typing, but it sounds like your friend is confident!

As for the mare, I agree she can gain a bit more weight. Her longer back is a bit typical of modern grandes (if she is one). She looks good to me from the picture.

[atr]

A friend of mine bought a really very cute Friesian cross (with QH, we think, he’s an absolute gem and a very fancy mover,) that came from an Amish breeder last year, through an acquaintance who is a horse dealer and runs a dude string.

He goes out to Ohio regularly with an empty trailer, buys 10 usually solidly green-broke horses from his Amish contacts, and brings them back out West. He spit polishes them a bit, sends them out with the wranglers on the trail string, makes really good videos of them doing all sorts of things like galloping across snowy landscapes and hauling Christmas trees out of forests and all those romantic things people think horse ownership is all about, and then sells them for startlingly large sums via online and in-person auctions. The horses are actually mostly pretty nice if you like black and hairy.

[2DogsFarm]

Thanks.
More experienced (than my 6+yrs) Driving friends tell me I won the Mini Lottery.
He’s my 1st experience Driving one of my own.
Got him as an unbroken 2yo in August '16, sent him to a young Amishman in October with the intent to bring him home in December. But a stretch of bad weather kept him there through the Winter. In May '17 I got back a pretty much deadbroke baby. Since then I’m working - at a glacial.pace - on getting him finished for the CDE I’d love to do.
He’s a Cones Machine, would canter through if I let him & water doesn’t faze him, so someday: Marathon!
But, I digress…

I hope your friend’s mare is amenable to bring ridden.
If not, easily resold - maybe for a profit - to a Driving home. < Assuming no holes there either.

I get to Napanee, Middlebury, Topeka & Shipshewana several times a year. I’ll wave as I pass Elkhart

[2DogsFarm]

Around here, often younger members choose to be Mennonite which sanctions both cellphones & internet as well as driving cars.
One Amish family of my acquaintance has started bringing back the Hackney Horse & has clients coming from as far as Canada & CA for their youngstock.
Oldest son (early 20s) is Mennonite, has a cell & FB presence as well as truck & trailer.
Time Marches

[quietann]

Ah, this makes sense. There are a lot of “Amish” Morgan trainers and breeders, and the younger ones sell horses on the internet, come to shows, sometimes show their horses, etc. They’re clearly breeding for the show market, and some of their horses sell for top dollar at Morgan auctions. I always wondered “how can they do that?”

At New England Morgan show last year, for example, there was a young “plain” family who showed up in an enormous motor home. Young parents, 3 or 4 young children, and what I assume were teenage relatives to help with the kids and the horses. The husband and one of the older boys were working a lot of horses but I didn’t see them showing any.

[chestnutmarebeware]

Even before I read through the whole thread I was considering posting that although I love reading train wreck threads and your friend did just about everything possible to set herself up for failure, I’m also a four-time example of the fact that taking even free horses sight unseen (and knowing almost nothing about them) can sometimes work out wonderfully. And it sounds like your friend may also have found a gem despite herself!

I’m certainly not a beginner, but two of my freebies came right from the track on the basis of emails from the track vets shilling for good homes for their favorite client horses, and the other two came from rescue orgs my ex-SO donated farrier work to, where they pulled TBs from New Holland and had no room for them (a whole other thing).

All four were uncomplicated but green under saddle, and had no dirty tricks in their repertoire. Three eventually developed health conditions that killed them years later, but nothing that would have shown up on a PPE. The fourth (my profile pic) is currently cruising along 18 years later, fat and happy.

[BrendaJane]

I believe the Menonites are not as strict as the Amish are.

[2DogsFarm]

Correct.
Benefits the older - & still Amish - members of the family if the next generation is more Worldly.

[Janet]

We have quite a substantial Mennonite community near here (Northern Virginia). The young girls, in high neck dresses with bonnet strings flying, racing around the field on ATVs, make quite a sight.

[Christa_P]

The Amish might sell if the horse is too slow on the road or doesn’t have the endurance for their use. A friend of mine has a full Morgan (with papers) that was an Amish horse, after a few trail rides we figured out why he was sold - he’s in no hurry to get anywhere.

[Bogie]

@Christa_P

• he’s in no hurry to get anywhere.

Smart horse

[demidq]

Here in Southern Ontario there is a large and growing Mennonite population. Old Order Mennonites sound like the US Amish, buggies etc. Other groups are as modern as most of us, tho women may wear prayer caps with jeans and t-shirts. There are may ‘communities’ between these extremes as well. Our neighbour is a “mechanised mennonite” with every big machine you can imagine and over in the next concession is a family who hardly speak English, only wear black and plow with horses.

[RHdobes563]

If the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks weren’t this weekend, I would be tempted to go to this auction. Especially to see #38 (Fjord gelding), #583 (Morgan yearling), and a few of the Standardbred geldings.

Yoder Bros Large Horse and Carriage Auction (estatesale.com)

72176_spring_horse_catalog_apr_2022.pdf (gotoauction.com)

[B_and_B]

That catalog is a fascinating read. ‘Will go the miles’ ‘good for short trips’ ‘afraid of big trucks’ ‘can go to church on Sunday work in the fields Monday’ ‘classy’ ‘sharp’ ‘lots of steam’ ‘jumpy for women’ ‘been my brother’s personal horse for a year’ ‘first sale’ ‘safe for grandpa’ etc.
I’ll be honest, I wish more people would put that sort of description with their horses, even if it isn’t always accurate!

[lenapesadie]

I like “safe for grandpa” lol

[blue_heron]

Oh, 445 is cute! How do you find out about these auctions? I need to stick to a serious budget for my next purchase

[Widget]

@demidq

Old Order Mennonites sound like the US Amish, buggies etc.

Yes, they are quite similar. There are different ‘levels’ (for lack of a better way to put it) of Mennonite. It may depend on each church/group, as to what mechanics or other modern amenities are allowed. That has been my experience.

[Xanthoria]

several of the riding horses say " Will lay down to mount and dismount." Is that a standard thing???

[BrendaJane]

Mennonites and Amish are the same, the Amish take it a step further.
I asked one time a genealogist from the old country what the distinction was and at least in Europe it is what the people thought, it wasn’t a greater communal thing, or family thing.
So you might have had brothers who diverged in their believes, or cousins getting mad at each other (and change the spelling of their names)

Which makes genealogy so much fun…

[She_s_Pure_Gold]

OP, any updates on the horse and your friend? Is the horse still seemingly sane after settling in? Has anyone sat on it? Is your friend still smitten?