Thinking about buying a horse in Ireland...talk me through this

[Libby2563]

After doing mostly dressage for the last two decades (sometimes by choice, sometimes due to horse limitations), I need some variety and would like to event primarily for a while. Dressage will always be there. Unfortunately, even if my wonderful 5-year-old recovers from his various soft tissue injuries, it’s unlikely that I will ever feel comfortable galloping and jumping him. My only rideable horse right now is a 13.2-hh resale project pony, who’s adorable and lots of fun but ultimately too small to be right for me long-term.

So I’ll need a new horse, though there’s no huge rush (and I’m open to a lease as well). I do love bringing along my own young horses but I’m a bit burned out on buying young right now. Plus I think it would be good for me in the long run to be able to focus on my own development and learn from a horse that knows more than I do. So, I’m thinking a horse with some experience at Training or Prelim. Foxhunting experience is a plus though I don’t need it to be super seasoned (I’m not a member anywhere but I like to cap sometimes and want a horse that’s sane in that environment).

Well, it so happens that my friend and I are doing a riding vacation in Ireland next month. We’re going to Flowerhill, where we will do several days of XC training as well as foxhunting. I have no plans to actively horse shop but if I end up really liking a horse that I ride there, I’d like to be prepared to vet it and bring it home. I’ve read all of the “horse shopping in Ireland” threads already but most of them are about where to shop, who to use as an agent, etc. So here I am, hoping for some words of wisdom.

First of all, is this a dumb idea? Is there too great a risk of buying a horse that seems wonderful in “vacation mode” but is not actually suitable in real life? I can send pics/video to my trainer as a reality check. (And post it here!?)

Second, what research should I do beforehand? I’ve started browsing DreamHorse and the EN classifieds to get a feel for “comparables” here. I feel there’s a greater risk in importing a horse, even one I’ve ridden several times, than in buying one locally, so it only makes sense to import if the price plus import costs is somewhat lower. I want to get a feel for what’s available and at what price, both here and across the pond. Does anyone know any good horse sales websites in Ireland, preferably ones with price and video? (So far https://www.irishhorsegateway.ie is the best classified site I’ve found.) What else should I look into?

Third, can anyone recommend a good vet for a PPE in the Galway area? I’ll have x-rays sent to my vet here as well.

Thanks!

[Xctrygirl]

www.donedeal.ie

www.horsequest.co.uk

www.horsescout.co.uk

You should know that for those of us in the Mid Atlantic area shipping anything from Ireland costs more than England and mainland Europe because you have to get it where it flies out of. Shipping from Ireland itself only really flies to Chicago. So then you qt in Chicago and drive to the Mid Atlantic from the mid west.

Most horse flights originate out of Belgium or Amsterdam to New York. When I bought Cudo he was 5 hours north of London. He was in transit to the airport over the course of 6 days before he got on a plane. 6 hours shipping on day 1, stayed at the barn day 2 and 3. Shipped 4 hours day 4 including Ferry ride and arrived at Amsterdam horse hotel. Waited there 2 days until he got on the plane on day 6.

So right off the bat Irish horses have a MUCH longer trip to get here. So much so that I would now recommend to people to look in England or France or Belgium, Holland to save the long long travel.

It took a while to get Cudo’s body comfy again after all of that and then being locked down in Newburgh with mo walking around for 3 days.

Em

[lep]

Just sent you a PM.

[weixiao]

Sending you a PM with some vets and a few other thoughts.

[Willesdon]

The cliche about every Irishman being a horse dealer? It’s true. And the one about the Blarney Stone? That too!

You will often find horses with a lot of experience but not necessarily a lot of education. That is worth bearing in mind if you decide to purchase.

So many Irish horses are exported overseas, there is a lot of expertise available. I suspect your hosts at Flowerhill will be happy to help you.

[Libby2563]

Thank you all for the posts and PMs!

[lep]

That’s not necessarily true about horses from Ireland having much longer travel time. Mine flew from Dublin to Paris to Chicago. There were no ferries or overnight stays involved. From his home barn to Chicago was less than 24 hours. I guess it depends on who is doing the arrangements as to how exactly the horses travel.

[Xctrygirl]

@lep

That’s not necessarily true about horses from Ireland having much longer travel time. Mine flew from Dublin to Paris to Chicago. There were no ferries or overnight stays involved. From his home barn to Chicago was less than 24 hours. I guess it depends on who is doing the arrangements as to how exactly the horses travel.

Ok but what did this travel plan cost?

Em

[Hilary]

I have no input on the purchasing experience but I’ve ridden in Ireland at the same hunts as the Flower Hill group on several occasions and expect you’ll have a wonderful time. I am envious! And I do wish a couple of the horses I rode would have fit in my suitcase.

My experience also is that they are game, very safe, and experienced out in the field and jumping natural stuff but not nearly as educated on the flat as we usually get here.

[gottagrey]

The Chicago connection surprises me when NY apparently has 2 import facilities. When I imported mine from Ireland -he went from the West area to Dublin, then to Amsterdam I believe then to NY. My Irish friend (who I purchased from) said that it’s much harder for horses to ferry to England that to fly to USA.

When I purchased and imported my Irish guy, I had gone on several riding vacations so knew the folks I purchased from pretty well and trusted them, and I’m not necessarily an easy mark which helped. I had 2 horses previously which both suffered life and career ending injuries. Next horse was going to have bone hence trip to Ireland. Chances are the horses you ride might not have much ring/flat work as most people heading to Ireland are there to ride cross country. But don’t let that stop you. My Irish guy has a knack for dressage, even seems to enjoy it! though XC is his thing.

The best thing about what you’re doing is if there’s a horse you like, you’ll be test riding it for your entire vacation! I went for a week - road hacked, ring work and even took him to a show (his first one ever) before putting him on a plane.
My friend arranged for vetting and import. Pretty easy. Horse had just turned 4 so didn’t have extensive vetting, if the vet had a question I’d just find another horse, there are plenty there.

I’ll send PM about where I got mine as they’re not too far from Flower Hill.

[Libby2563]

@"Willesdon

You will often find horses with a lot of experience but not necessarily a lot of education. That is worth bearing in mind if you decide to purchase.

@Hilary

My experience also is that they are game, very safe, and experienced out in the field and jumping natural stuff but not nearly as educated on the flat as we usually get here.

Thanks! That fits with other threads and info I’ve read, and means that what I have been looking at as “comparable local horses” probably are no such thing. I have a dressage background myself so I think I could make up the flatwork deficiency but it would definitely affect how much I’m willing to pay.

Also, I took my project pony to her first horse trial this weekend and had such a blast that I wonder if I should just keep riding her until/unless I max out her ability or am not having fun anymore. She’s already bought and paid for (for a fraction of the cost of import alone!), and I already know what I have. Plus, cute pony…enough said, right?

I’m very excited about this trip, regardless of whether I love any of the horses I ride enough to buy them!

[Libby2563]

@gottagrey, we were posting at the same time it seems but thanks so much for chiming in! Your experience is exactly what I am envisioning. Looking forward to the PM.

[gottagrey]

@Libby2563

@gottagrey, we were posting at the same time it seems but thanks so much for chiming in! Your experience is exactly what I am envisioning. Looking forward to the PM.

Just sent it my experience is not recent, but I honestly don’t think too much has changed or if it has its for the better. Also geldings are easier to import so fall in love with a gelding, not a mare unless you have intentions on breeding

[lep]

Em/xctrygirl, import cost for my gelding was about $10k from his barn in Ireland to my barn down south. I preferred Chicago to NY since it would result in a shorter trailer ride after quarantine.

[NC001]

Can I go a little off topic and ask about riding while on vacation in Ireland? We are planning a trip for next year and my daughter wants to ride while there. What level of experience does she need to have to safely do some cross country riding there? Any suggestions on places to look into for a couple days that would also be in a nice area to visit? Thanks!

[gottagrey]

Shoot Flower Hill has some cute horses for sale on their website. Honestly if you fall in love with something there, they have experience with shipping to US so will be able to guide you through the process. there’s a little grey named biscuit you can put on the plane for me ! I’m looking for a hony

[Libby2563]

@gottagrey

Shoot Flower Hill has some cute horses for sale on their website. Honestly if you fall in love with something there, they have experience with shipping to US so will be able to guide you through the process. there’s a little grey named biscuit you can put on the plane for me ! I’m looking for a hony

Hee hee! Biscuit is super duper cute! I will pack him in my suitcase for you.

So, I know that they are experienced sellers and I’m really not worried about the shipping process. I have imported before (though not from Ireland and it’s been a long time).

What I’m more concerned about is appropriately screening the horse, knowing if it’s a fair price, etc. Especially since I don’t plan to actively shop so I won’t be seeing a large number for comparison.

Still hoping for some vet recommendations too!

[Willesdon]

Having just had a quick look at the prices of horses on the Flowerhill website, their prices seem to be in a reasonable range, comparable to UK prices, not dirt cheap but not expensive for the skill levels. Guess that makes them fair. ‘Ernest’ by Womaniser caught my eye: I have been noticing eventers by that stallion this year.

[AKB]

My daughter just bought a lovely, reasonably priced, horse from Tom Jones who stands Carrick Diamond Lad. Carrick Diamond Lad has sired a lot of top eventers,including a horse on the Italian team at WEG. Look at his website and email Tom, if you think he might have something that would work for you. Dutta horse transport made our shipping easy. The only issue we had was that our small town bank could not figure out how to wire transfer money to Ireland.

[headbrickwall]

Firstly, I love the Irish and Irish horses. They are great fun on a shopping expedition. But they could sell snow to the eskimos. Also, in general, they see Americans as rich and will inflate the prices accordingly.

Prices in Ireland are certainly on the rise and it’s becoming more difficult to find that diamond in the rough, the value there is certainly reducing. The general thought from a few people I have spoken to is France is a better bet.

Irish horses - well it depends on who has done the producing - there are a handful of super sources & producers but you will pay through the nose for it. The remaining really are old fashioned xc educators with little finesse on the flat, and if you are flatwork inclined you will see some dodgy sights and feel some rubbish production underneath you. That said, I’d direct you to the WEG thread about why the US don’t succeed sufficiently eventing, and for me it boils down to xc performance. So there are positives to buying a horse from Ireland which have learnt to cross the country.

The other thing is the Irish are less hung up about vetting results. Americans are towards the opposite end of the scale. My view is there should be a happy medium.

Id advise going with an open mind and a very clear and strong idea about what your budget is (and tell the Irish it’s lower than it is). Then if you ride something you love, fantastic! But don’t be charmed into something unless you are 100% happy.