Work - Life - Showjumping

To me, thats limited medical, especially if those are lifetime caps. why does it say policy cancelled?

Yeah, I mean that is how insurance works. you’re not going to get some high value that you would for something younger, but it would cover most medical treatments that are reasonable to perform and the horse continue working in the intended capacity.

Anything above that cost, you’d have a savings account for and or retire the animal or euthanize.

I suppose what you are saying is that you cannot expect insurance to cover like it would cover a 9 year old Dutch WB with great bloodlines and a short, but positive show record - yeah totally true

That’s how I found my guy! Trainer with excellent connections, he was never advertised. I feel very fortunate to have him.

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It helped the owners felt the horse enjoyed competing BUT did not want him overused or passed around a barn hence never referred to his past record or used his show name. Friend was also a perfect match, she was delighted jumping around 1m and had the grin on her face to prove it.

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Royalty living in anonymity!

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There are some really well-loved, well-taken care of horses (with maintenance) that can go a LONG time at the 1m/1.1m who are 16 years+.

I think part of this depends on how often you plan to lesson and how often you plan to show. The unicorns I’ve seen at those jobs usually have a fairly light load and stay at that height, no more–and that’s one of the criteria that gets stipulated in lease contracts.

If you’re thinking of a heavier load/loftier goals (trying to qualify for a particular event, as an example), then it might be better to target that 12-14 year old range where you’ll find seasoned horses who are maybe just starting to step down a smidge but have the energy/legs for the goals at hand.

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Obviously depends on so many things and always knowing it’s a gamble. Mine was 15 when I bought him and I didn’t really bat an eye at that. I would have gone older for the right price and situation. For my personal situation I know I can lease mine to a kid at my barn when he needs to step down to 2’6” because he’s such a hood citizen and I ride with lots of kids/teens/adults that would love a ride on something safe and well schooled. If he was a little more of a complicated ride then I would have wanted him to be either cheaper or younger.
Said saintly gelding took me (jumping 2’6” six months ago) to a clinic last weekend where we got to do the 1.0m+ section and learned so much about finer points of jumping a course because he just did his job the whole time. We got to learn how to ride a Swedish properly, and how to ride an oxer to vertical line differently that riding a vertical to oxer line, not jumping 2’6” and just desperately working on keeping my sh** together

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I ended my lease and ended the policy - I don’t insure random horses I don’t have access to anymore - does anyone do that?!?! Pretty sure I paid in full at the start of the policy term (1 year) and see below for why I ended it after 6 months - a few thousand dollars spread over the year vs in full doesn’t matter much to me, hence the refund.

I moved out of state (CA (LA) to WA (Seattle-ish)) and didn’t / couldn’t take him with me as the lease had to stay in my old trainer’s barn when Covid occurred April 2020 and didn’t move back to CA (not LA) until end of 2022. :slight_smile:

This horse is now retired from jumping - he went to a junior after my lease ended - I think they won a mini prix in San Juan Capistrano Fall 2020.

Here is his recent sale ad for a dressage home only: https://www.proequest.com/horse/rf-easy-going

But he was Marilyn Little’s CIC horse - he was an amazing .90cm - 1.0m horse for me as he aged. He just kept stepping down the levels as needed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owxZOWpTZYQ

I only had him about 6 months - got him November 2019 and ended the lease in April 2020 due to life. We just started hitting a groove. I was a dressage junior so “real jumps” were new to me - and I am extremely chickensh*t. This 90cm - 1.0m fence felt like a crossrail on him. Such an athlete.

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Marilyn showed this horse to the 3 star level (now 4 star) so this ad is incorrect in stating that he did a 5 star. Cute horse though!

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@Jump314 There’s a reason why I left those trainers - now you know how one puts together the puzzle pieces. I am pretty savvy, but I noticed them treating those without as much experience as myself and other seasoned AAs 
 not the same. Lies are lies


no such thing as an “honest mistake” in a sales ad for a horse with a FEI record 
 :slight_smile: :face_with_monocle: :golf:

Also notice I said CIC horse - I never said 5 star. I also didn’t write the ad. Oopsies for the dox - better for anyone reading to be informed if they’re in SoCal.

I ride with more household names now (Eventing) with better, vetted reputations.

Best advice ever offered on here:

VET THE TRAINER before the horse. BOTH trainers if you are buying. Plus any agents involved.

Do that and most surprises when you get the horse home can be avoided.

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Never bought said horse - just a care lease. Remember, this was for less than 6 months over 3 years ago. They never advertised him to ME as a 5 star horse. They gave me his FEI number and let me look up his record & bloodlines myself before I signed the care lease and before I insured him.

That was actually an issue with them - they lied to people they could get away with lying to as I came to find out.

I never paid them for full training, I always had a separate 2nd opinion vet & I never showed with them. They had access to some nice horses (sadly), and had pretty a decent reputation locally (they’re not BNTs so they’re MOSTLY unknown except in select Adult jumper circles on the West Coast), but they were always a temporary barn for me.

Anyone who has been in horses long enough knows that sometimes it can take a while for undesirable behavior to present itself in trainers. I know some BNTs with decent reputations that have done HORRIFIC things in front of me. Lot of folks in the horse world are unfortunately rather “grey” - vetting takes time and it is very smart to not sign any contracts you cannot easily get out of.

Above trainers didn’t specifically lie to me and other Adult A’s who rode for decades prior to coming to their barn. But they’re in LA and have access to very wealthy clients & I left when I caught them in many a lie to non-horsey $$$$$ parents of juniors - I unfortunately couldn’t take the old man (Easy) with me when I left.

I paid my final bills 45 days in advance, cleaned out my locker, and wrote the BO a departure and cancelation of contract notice. I pretty much kept my side of the street clean and ghosted them.

The vet the trainer advice was aimed at the general readership, not you personally. You did your due diligence and protected yourself, its a good example to newer, younger riders for their future.

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To steer as far clear of EDM as possible, especially on an import or horse from a less forage heavy region (Sand, dessert, Florida, etc) I would start at 11-12 and not stop til 17 or 18. Look for an average mover, not super lofty and get one of the regionally VERY good vets to do a PPE with a solid neuro exam first and foremost.

But that’s just me.

Em

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People can be so shady! On every post “barns in LA / horse shopping in LA” I DM the Original Poster and give them my and my fellow AA’s experiences.

Also major ICK that they would have me warm up in a German martingale over fences - another IMO red flag.

If they were really any good, no adult ammy client would need a german martingale to warm them up for a lesson.

Trainers job is to eliminate the need for gadgets just to get horse to where paying client can ride them. Supposed to TRAIN the horse for their money, not slap a gadget on let the Ammy pay to do the schooling they skipped.

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Love this :two_hearts:

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Thank you!!!

Em

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