Update in Post 85- Possible horse purchase: WWYD/advice?

[MissusS]

I am in the market for a nice, safe, sweet, sound, beginner friendly horse. My ambitions are weekly lessons in flatwork, maybe entering a schooling dressage show one day, trail riding, and hopping over tiny cross rails… maybe even over a log on a trail ride one day.

I am an adult beginner, riding for 3 years on an OTTB gelding schoolie. We ride or do groundwork 2-5 times a week so while I’m not a complete and utter newbie, I’m still very much a beginner. He is a fairly quiet, lazy guy who does NOT like to go fast. He has some hind end issues that are mostly managed through maintenance and he also has EPM which was caught early and treated but does result in some uncoordinated moments/tripping etc. He and I work together really well. I’ve never come off < knock on wood >, I have good enough balance to stay in the saddle when he loses his balance/trips. He also has a very big trot that I love riding.

My coach has sent me a few ads for horses over the past couple of months as I indicated I was ready to start looking but we both agree that I’m in no rush and want to be picky - I’m looking for a horse I can love for the next 20 years of a partnership. We did find a very nice 6 year old QH gelding that I went to see on Friday.

He is darned near perfect. He’s a bit smaller than I would prefer (basically I’ve only ever ridden the 16.2 OTTB and this guy is 15.2 - and I’m 5’10 with long legs) but it’s not a deal breaker. He was incredibly sweet and willing and safe in my test ride. He is being sold on consignment and has been with the seller for 2 weeks. The seller is known for being a nice human and a good rider who sells many horses on consignment.

Before making the journey I did ask about any vices, maintenance, soundness issues, etc. and the responses were all acceptable. In some of the photos and in all of the sale video he was wearing a running martingale which I asked about - the response was that it’s what the owner rode him in and he seemed comfortable in it so they’ve just continued to use it for the couple weeks he’s been with them.

When I was there the seller disclosed that the horse had reared with its owner once. The owner called the vet right away and got xrays of the back this spring. No issues resulted from the vet check. The xrays were provided and my own vet looked at them and agrees there’s no significant findings.

My coach has commented that the rearing could have been many things - saddle fit related, teeth need to be done, horse pushed beyond what it feels it can do either as rider error or horsey temper tantrum. She has my best interests in mind and has said for her it would not be a deal breaker but if it’s going to be hanging in the back of my mind then I have to acknowledge that.

This horse is at the top end of my budget (10K CAD) and is the first one I’ve been interested in enough to go see. There was one other that I would have gone to see but it sold within a matter of hours. The market is crazy so I certainly cannot waste time if this is the right horse for me to buy. But if it’s not the right one, I’m happy to continue waiting for the right one to come along.

My next step will be a PPE on Tuesday. Since it’s quite a distance away, I will have the local vet perform the PPE and video flexions etc. I have a list of xrays recommended by my vet. I am excited and anxious!

So if you have made it this far… I’d appreciate any COTH wisdom! Is there anything I’ve missed on asking? With this limited context would you consider the disclosed rearing incident a deal breaker? I have the support of a VERY good coach, a great vet, plus an incredibly trainer if I need. I’m not in any rush so if PPE results in findings I can’t accept or any other considerations come into play I will move on, but I really would love to have this all work out!

[Sdel]

I’m currently searching for the same horse, for the same reason. I would walk away at being told the horse had reared, even once, with a rider, especially with an unknown cause or possibly “rider error”….

[Bluey]

Sorry, rearing even once means, “if in doubt, don’t”.
Unless you are a professional and is your job to follow thru to find why and hope you don’t get hurt and horse is salvageable.
May be why he is for sale.

Same for bucking running off and such.

The kind of horse OP needs is what every one in her situation needs and are rather rare.
Take whatever time you need, especially if this first one needs to be a lifelong keeper.

[OzarksRider]

For me, the rearing incident together with the fact that the horse is ridden with a martingale would be a possible red flag. It’s not necessarily a deal breaker, but I would want to know more about the rearing incident, and I would want to see how the horse goes without the martingale.

When you get out on the trails you may find that you like a 15.2 hand horse. I’m 5’7" and my horse is 15.1. My knees aren’t what they used to be and if I have to dismount, I have to put my horse in a ditch or straddle a log to get back on. Also you’re more likely to whack your head on a branch on a taller horse.

When you find your horse, whether it’s this one or another, be prepared that he may behave differently in his new home than on his test ride with you. He’ll likely test you in various ways, and you have to prove you are his trustworthy leader. It takes time to make that bond, but it’s totally worth it.

[clanter]

The market is crazy so I certainly cannot waste time

for a Good Horse the market always has been crazy Forever.

We have never made a purchase based upon got to do it now

[NaturallyHappy]

I’m w everyone else who said “nope”. It could have been an awkward situation and a one time deal for this horse. Or, the seller feels some liability here so says it happened once so it’s now “buyer beware”. This horse could be quite skilled…I’d go no further.

[Warmblood1]

Please do not get a horse with a history of rearing as a beginner.

[MissusS]

@clanter

for a Good Horse the market always has been crazy Forever.

We have never made a purchase based upon got to do it now

I will edit my post above for clarity - I am personally not in a rush - if I pass, I’m happy to wait for a better option to come along, I don’t have to have a horse of my own right this instant. But, if this is THE horse for me, I will have to move quickly because of how quickly things are moving in the market and someone else will buy him if I wait too long. Thanks for the feedback!

[Sdel]

@NaturallyHappy

Or, the seller feels some liability here so says it happened once so it’s now “buyer beware”.

This! I would take this as a subconscious acknowledgment that this horse is not at safe as advertised. I have bought drugged horses before. The seller at the last minute “took off” some because her teeth and feet needs done. That “needing done” was a broken jaw and accessed tooth and holes in the navicular bones.

That horse also reared with my daughter leading her, and went over in crossties having a fit over kids grooming her. She was PTS within the week.

[Arlomine]

Rearing = DEALBREAKER

[MissusS]

@Sdel

This! I would take this as a subconscious acknowledgment that this horse is not at safe as advertised. I have bought drugged horses before.

I have considered whether the horse was drugged, and if I continue to PPE will ask for blood to be pulled and held. I did ask a trusted friend/trainer who knows this seller and she does not think this particular seller would drug a sale horse, but I know it’s always buyer-beware. Part of the reason why my budget is on the “lower” end is because I also have a healthy budget for PPE and expect I may have to pay for PPEs on multiple horses before finding the right one.

Also, thanks for your initial post saying this is what you are looking for as well! I appreciate your feedback.

[clanter]

He was incredibly sweet and willing and safe in my test ride. He is being sold on consignment and has been with the seller for 2 weeks. The seller is known for being a nice human and a good rider who sells many horses on consignment.

Before making the journey I did ask about any vices, maintenance, soundness issues, etc. and the responses were all acceptable

just responding to what has been written, two weeks really is not long time to detect much of behavioral characteristics, we have gotten horses in here that it took nearly a month for them to understand this home for them

[173north]

Disclosing a rear to a self-described adult beginner is a big red flag. I wonder if that’s why the owner sent it to the current seller/sale barn, rather than sell privately? And might also be why it goes in a martingale.

If the horse is generally level headed I’d bet the previous owner, who immediately called the vet, was onto something and there’s some physical issue brewing that may or may not show up on your PPE and may or may not be fixable. I have a friend whose nice young horse is probably about to be retired at age 5. First clue that anything was wrong was an occasional rear, and it took a year of vet work to get to the bottom of it. So I’m feeling pretty down on rearers right now, even for very experienced riders!

[Warmblood1]

@MissusS

I have considered whether the horse was drugged, and if I continue to PPE will ask for blood to be pulled and held. I did ask a trusted friend/trainer who knows this seller and she does not think this particular seller would drug a sale horse, but I know it’s always buyer-beware. Part of the reason why my budget is on the “lower” end is because I also have a healthy budget for PPE and expect I may have to pay for PPEs on multiple horses before finding the right one.

It doesn’t matter if the horse passes a PPE with flying colors. The horse rears. Rearing horses kill even professional riders. A horse like this in the hands of even a professional can be disastrous. Totally unsuitable for a beginner.

Save your money and move on to the next. There are much more suitable horses out there.

[Angela_Freda]

@MissusS

When I was there the seller disclosed that the horse had reared with its owner once. The owner called the vet right away and got xrays of the back this spring. No issues resulted from the vet check. The xrays were provided and my own vet looked at them and agrees there’s no significant findings.

My coach has commented that the rearing could have been many things - saddle fit related, teeth need to be done, horse pushed beyond what it feels it can do either as rider error or horsey temper tantrum

To me, a rider of over 40 years… None of those are acceptable reasons to rear. In other words, a horse who maybe rears because of the bold items, with no other warning, is a “no”.

And horses do not have temper tantrums. They have limited means of communication and stewards who don’t always listen well.
.

[Angela_Freda]

@clanter

just responding to what has been written, two weeks really is not long time to detect much of behavioral characteristics, we have gotten horses in here that it took nearly a month for them to understand this home for them

Absolutely. Or longer.

[Warmblood1]

Right. And the idea that the coach expects a beginner rider to be able to navigate a horse that has started rearing for whatever reason is crazy to me. OP may be an excellent beginner rider but the combination is totally unsuitable.

[MissusS]

@Angela_Freda

To me, a rider of over 40 years… None of those are acceptable reasons to rear. In other words, a horse who maybe rears because of the bold items, with no other warning, is a “no”.

And horses do not have temper tantrums. They have limited means of communication and stewards who don’t always listen well.

I think the thing we have landed on through this thread is that there is not nearly enough information about the combination of factors that could have led to the horse rearing. I have no idea if the horse tried other means of communication to say “no” before it reared. I don’t know if it was in pain, or scared, or anything else. And that no matter what the combination of factors might have been, it’s happened once therefore is not suitable for me.

[Paint_Party]

@173north

Disclosing a rear to a self-described adult beginner is a big red flag.

Yup.

@173north

And might also be why it goes in a martingale.

And yup.

At first I thought, “Wow, that seller/agent is being really forthcoming, saying the horse had reared once.”

But then I started thinking, “Maybe she’s telling you that so if you do buy the horse, you (or your surviving family members) can’t come back and claim you weren’t forewarned.”

Maybe I’m just a big ol’ cynic when it comes to horse sales, but my gut tells me that this horse has reared more than once and perhaps has a propensity to rear under certain circumstances. Hence, the martingale.

So I’d pass. In my experience, once a horse learns to put “rearing” in its Bag O’ Tricks, it’s always there. Could be next week, could be three years from now. But at some point, he’s going to try it again. You’re not a professional or a seasoned, experienced rider with a resume of dealing with equine bad habits. You. Don’t. Need. This. Horse.

[SharonA1]

Just to offer a different opinion, I’m not sure I would let history of one rear put me off an otherwise perfect-seeming horse. I wonder if the OP has any sense of whether the horse in question seems unhappy in work or, alternatively, seems like a good egg who maybe was having a moment?

Horses absolutely do have temper tantrums, even saintly beginner-friendly types. And having very basic skills to manage a small rear should be part of any horse-owner’s tool kit. A dedicated and dangerous rear-er, of course not. But a horse who lost it one time, for unknown reasons, but otherwise seems like a good match? I’d give it every possible chance to work out.