So I’ve been hunting for a good eventing horse for a while…I bought my mare, Magic, from CANTER about 3 years ago, but she and I don’t really “click”. Then this summer I bought Finn, a super adorable Belgian/Appendix gelding who can jump the moon. I thought he would be perfect, but he’s not really ideal for eventing, either.
So, I’ve been working for a few months (or years, in Magic’s case) to find them new homes. I think I’ve found Finn an awesome home , and hope to finalize Magic’s home as well this week.
Which means it’s back to horse shopping for me. Which is a lot of fun, as far as the potential goes (based on the ads), but also a major pain in the rear, based on how different the horses are from their ads.
I want to find another “forever” horse…Java was one, until she died at age 8. The 3 horses I’ve had since then…not so much. I love Finn, but I’m also not heartbroken to sell him (mostly because his young owner-to-be is so frickin’ cute and excited about owning him ).
Just in case anyone’s interested in what I’m looking at, my current 3 favorites (as yet unseen in person) are:
Marley, 6yo unreg/unraced 16.1h TB gelding - supposedly done a couple of events at BN (beginner novice) and N (novice). Only question mark with him is what he’s doing now (I’m not sure if he’s in active training at the moment), and how lazy he is, she said he’s a “push” ride.
Divine Warrior, 7yo OTT 15.3h TB gelding - OMG, adorable. (See other picture). He didn’t race until 3, which I like, and he didn’t run more than 8 times in any given year, which I like…and, supposedly, he retired from racing because he became ineligible for the races, not because of any sort of injury (he was unplaced in his last 12 starts/2 years, so maybe not so much with the racing talent ). He’s also got bloodlines that scream eventing. Only thing I don’t like is that I wish he were 1-2" taller , but he’s pretty solid, so I can handle a little bit small if my leg still fits him. He’s been lightly ridden for the past 3 months and has done trails, jumped logs, etc.
Streak, 6yo unreg/unraced 16h TB gelding - also supposedly done a couple of BN events. Unraced, which is nice, but known bloodlines (also nice for eventing). Price is a bit high, and he sounds kind of “looky” at bright jumps in the ring…his conformation picture looks like he has quite a straight shoulder, which I’m not crazy about, but his jumping picture is cute, at least.
I have a few others on the list, too, but they don’t sound as promising as these three.
Yeah, I love his conformation and coloring. Really wish I could stretch him another inch, but if I fit him and he shows some vague ability to jump, I’ll be happy.
I’m planning on seeing Marley this weekend, and Divine Warrior/Streak next weekend. We’ll see how it goes.
Oh Shanthi, I’m sorry Finn didn’t click. Good luck horse shopping… Now is a GREAT time to buy; you should be able to negotiate A LOT.
I really like Marley; he’s very lovely. I would interpret the ‘push’ ride comment as “push-button”, not 'driving aids required", but I’d be curious. He looks like a dynamite find.
Divine Warrior is really pretty, and he does have a really nice pedigree. He looks to have a really pointy croup though, and is kinda straight behind… it could totally be the picture or that he needs to be adjusted. Really AMAZING color though…
I’d agree with you about Streak… he looks a touch spooky, and his shoulder is kinda straight, with loose knees… $7.5K for a green TB gelding is asking A LOT…
I’d lean towards Marley. My old trainer use to say you can always wear spurs and carry a crop, but it’s a lot harder to fix a horse that’s running away with you lol Also he looks like he has a kind eye and I get a sense of mellowness from him.
Anyways if you click with Marley he seems like he would be a great horse to get experience with in eventing, and raise your confidence (if you need it). Who knows, in a few years you could turn around and sell him as a packer novice/training eventer, make a nice profit and then move onto something more forward or whatever.
Streak looks cute too, but just from the jumping picture alone I think he looks a bit hot, not really sure why, I guess his expression reminds me of my old thoroughbred who was a firecracker.
I’d personally stay away from the Canter horse, especially since you’ve done that once and it didn’t really work out for you. I say get something you can play with now and doesn’t need training
Definately true, when we’re breaking the babies to saddle and they are quiet it’s great, usually when the owner comes to see them they are concerned because the horse isn’t excited. My boss always says to them, “You can always razz them up, it’s harder to calm them down.”
That’s true, but I’d really rather a horse that’s in between. Goes well off your leg, and is naturally “forward” (i.e. doesn’t need nagging to stay at the gait you set for them), but isn’t trying to bolt constantly, either.
I looked at a gelding last weekend that was nice, but w/o spurs he’d just volunteer to go down a gait, even with constant leg. With spurs he was better, but I don’t want to have to wear spurs 24/7 just to get the horse to go…I’ve always followed the philosophy that spurs should only be for lateral movement, not plain “go”.
After eventing a few that needed the “go” and a few that needed the “whoa”, Id much rather have the forward momentum in an event horse.
I wouldn’t worry about the height either (unless you’re really tall). None of mine were over 16 or 16.1 and then of course there was Teddy O’Connor!
At first glance, I liked Streak. But the more I look (and it could just be the pictures) his conformation is a little odd, his left knee looks a little wonky and he’s pretty straight behind. He’s also hanging his front end a bit in the jumping shot.
Marley is absolutely gorgeous. Hopefully he rides nice and isn’t really that slow.
You’re The One, 6yo OTT 16h TB Gelding - Apparently walked out of the gate the last few times they tried with him, so they retired him. He’s got a few less starts than Divine Warrior, is a year younger, an inch taller , and sounds pretty mellow. He’s only retired recently from the racetrack, but is located near DW, so ideally I can see both of them at the same time. (Second pic) He’s not as cute as a grey, but he’s still got dapples.
I think Magic’s home is also a done deal. Both girls are friends with each other, and I know the girl who wants Magic from the barn (she boards her gelding out there). So it’s nice to have the local connection (Finn’s actually going to keep living at the barn, so I can say hi whenever I want).
And apparently I have one more to add to my list. She’s not really “ideal” in any way since she’s coming 3 and a filly…but she’s potentially ideal in every way because she’s really similarly bred to my mare Java.
Cozy Act - her great-grandmother is Banquet Scene, who is the grandmother to Java. As a bonus, on her sire’s side, her great-grandfather is Buckaroo, who was Java’s grandfather. She’s the closest bred to Java that I’ve found (I spent most of yesterday stalking all of Banquet Scene’s foals/grandfoals/great-grandfoals). So…no clue if she’s available, remotely attractive, or within my price range, but she goes on my list for sentimentality’s sake.
So I saw Marley (and another horse at the same barn, Fling) today, and am 76% in love with both of them. Fling is more the “type” I’m used to…sensitive, a little fidgety, super willing to go forward, etc. Marley’s WAY quieter, to the point of the first 5min being like “what the hell, why won’t this horse move?” But then I did a little hand gallop with him (well, more like working/extended canter ) and he woke up a lot. Marley’s a lot more laid-back, but also a bit ADD (he kept checking out stuff outside the ring while we were jumping, though he had no problems jumping).
I’m going to go back out and try them both again tomorrow over cross-country jumps. They were both really nice in different ways, so I’m hoping another ride will help me figure out what exactly I liked/didn’t like. I think overall, I liked the general “impression” of Marley better, though I need to get used to his insane quietness, and figure out his “buttons” for waking him up. Once he got rolling, he was really nice, though. Fling’s a lot greener, even though he’s older.
I also saw 2 other horses, but I think they’re both out. One was super green (and priced accordingly, but only at 5k, and for 6k, Marley’s a much better horse), and one wasn’t as green but was small and young (only 4)…he was grey, but that’s not worth 8k to me.
Also need to get my trainer to check out all these videos, once I finish uploading them.
I really like the look of Fling. He has nice confirmation, nice slope to his shoulder, nice hip and is tall!
Of all the horses you posted, he would be my favorite. You should post more video of you riding him. That little bit on You Tube was nice but I find it hard to watch them as they don’t run smooth. There are some nice horses on the west coast but shipping is way to expensive!
Happy horse hunting and hope you find next best bud!
, and hope to finalize Magic’s home as well this week.
Good luck this round, I hope you find another Java!
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