So I’ve been horse shopping for about 3 months now, after I decided that my mare Magic won’t really work out for me long-term. I was kind of hoping to sell her before buying something new, but so far that hasn’t panned out too well.
This weekend I made a second road trip to MD, and sat on about a dozen horses, including 3 mares I really liked. I’m vetting out one of them tomorrow, and if things progress as quickly as I think they might, she might be standing at my barn (under my ownership) by this weekend.
Her registered name is Our Diamond Girl. She’s a 7yo Thoroughbred mare, 16h chestnut with a star. She raced from age 2-5, and her current owner’s husband claimed her on the track. He ran her 4 times before his wife “stole” her from him to use as her personal horse. Unfortunately, she’s just barely learning to canter, so an off-the-track TB mare is not exactly her ideal horse. So the mare’s been in and out of work/training for the last 18 months or so. She’s currently doing low level (beginner novice?) eventing, and jumper shows. I sat on her on Monday, and had a ton of fun riding…I didn’t want to get off. So, despite the fact that I was hoping not to get another mare, and I’m not a huge fan of chestnuts (though at least she’s copper-colored, and not liver), I’m making tentative arrangements to buy her (pending vet check and possible trek up there again to ride her a second time).
So…now I just have to not panic about spending so much money on a horse, and about owning 2 horses for however (hopefully) short a time.
I don’t have pics from this weekend yet, but will post them once I get them.
Glad you found some you like! Sorry I haven’t been much help, we had a mare looking for a home but she has two bowed tendons and needs a year off. (I figured she wouldn’t be something you were looking for )
Yeah, I’d be way more interested in the rehabing thing if I didn’t have to pay monthly board on horses. Someday, I hope to have my own land/possible boarding farm. Until then, though, I need to be picky.
Of course, minutes after I posted this, the agent I’m working with called to say the owners are being silly about the price. So the whole thing may fall through after all. At least I have 2 other mares on my list, though I don’t like them as much.
Paul - she does look a lot like her sire, actually. Small star, same color, pretty much the same build. Chestnuts are one of my least favorite colors, but she’s pretty cute. (And copper chestnuts are the best of that color, at least.)
Yeah, apparently they think the one jumper show = Olympic prospect or something. And while I agree that she’s probably worth $10,000, they should’ve clarified the price on Monday and not changed it after I saw her. (Just for fairness sake, I think…plus the agent says they’re pretty well-off, so it’s not like it’ll make or break the bank for them.)
I still haven’t heard back from the owners, but I did at least get the photos we took of her…not many, sadly, and most of those turned out badly. But the 3 that were decent are here.
Thanks. I’m trying not to bite my fingernails completely off, waiting for the owners to even agree to sell her for the price I can afford (so that she can be vetted). I don’t think there’ll be any issue with vetting her, but you never know.
Cute mare! She’s almost the exact same colour as my gelding in the summer… so naturally I think it’s a beautiful shade. Is that you riding her? If so, you two look really good together!
No, that’s the trainer. The few pics of me look like total crap (mostly thanks to the timing…it’s hard to get decent jumping shots), so I didn’t upload them.
Still waiting (and fingernail-biting) to hear back from the owners…so I may have lots (or no) opportunities for more pictures.
Hope so. She’ll be the 3rd horse I’ve vetted, so maybe 3rd time’s the charm. (The other 2 had major issues…colic/cribbing/lameness for one, possible EPM/neurological problem for the other.)
Thanks. I’ve got to test my patience now, though…the pre-purchase exam was supposed to be this morning, but then they called and said it’s scheduled for Monday instead. I guess on the plus side, that means I have a few more days’ leeway to sell my mare. (Not that 3 days will help, judging by the last 3 months, but we’ll pretend it will. I do have people at least coming to look at her next week.)
Shanti,
Suggest getting blood tests done to see if they gave her a bunch of Bute, Banamine or any other pain killer. I hate saying but it does happen and you can’t trust anyone.
The only time not worry is if you had the mare in your possession for a couple of days before the vet check.
Well, vet check ended up being a moot point because my trainer nixed her (conformation issues and basic personality being too similar to what I have now).
So, despite the fact that I was hoping not to get another mare, and I’m not a huge fan of chestnuts (though at least she’s copper-colored, and not liver), I’m making tentative arrangements to buy her (pending vet check and possible trek up there again to ride her a second time).
Good luck
Small star, same color, pretty much the same build. Chestnuts are one of my least favorite colors, but she’s pretty cute. (And copper chestnuts are the best of that color, at least.)