May trade for a new horse thoughts please?

[rodriguezpoultry]

Whoops! Sorry, I thought the 16 hand gelding comment went with the first photo.


How large is the mare? She looks to be fairly stout. How tall is she? Any weight guesses by the owner? As for them getting along together, the mare will state her dominance over the filly...there will be a ruckus.

 

[arabianequine]

If I remember right she said mare is 15.5 hands. I don't think I asked a weight on her but I think the owner said she is 290 and she rides her with no problems. I have not had another mare out there with her before just a mean food aggressive gelding and she followed him everywhere. But stood her own for food and dipped and dodged as necessary.

I do have other smaller pens if needed. How should I introduce them? Or any new horse with my filly.

I was thinking to keep them in an adjacent pen from each other for about a week but close enough to smell over the fences and such but still close enough to get away.

 

[patandchickens]

Honestly none of these new horses really looks like a great prospect structurally. (Although personality and training are also really big issues and obviously can't be evaluated from photos)

The App probably being the most-plausible of the bunch. She would not be too difficult to fit a saddle to and carry a heavier rider comfortably. You'd want a soundness/leg exam. If you are ok with the price you might at least go and see her, just in case her personality and state of training *happened* to be what you're needing. (THey might well not be, of course)

The others (the black-or-dark-bay and the palomino) are both REALLY deficient in their topline muscling, partly through general underweight and partly through serious lack of muscling related to poor or "absent" riding or some sort of back pain. This will make them very difficult to fit a saddle to PERIOD, and about 10x moreso if they are to carry a larger heavier rider. It is extremely unlikely IMO that you will be able to find a saddle that will fit these particular horses so well that they will be comfortable carrying you; and if they are not comfortable, not only is that hard on the horse and potentially damaging, it also often causes behavioral problems like head-tossing, running away, jolting gaits, and poor response to the rider.

BTW I am positive that it IS the same palomino in at least most, probably all, of the pictures -- a number of palominos really do change color QUITE a lot from season to season, and are not necessarily the same from year to year either. The markings and structure all match, to my eye. But as mentioned above I question her structural suitability ANYhow.

Don't be in a hurry. (I'm not saying you *are* of course, just saying, don't be

) It is real easy to get desperate and feel you have to get a horse NOW and leap at the first sort-of-not-catastrophically-mismatched thing that comes along, and wind up stuck with a horse that really does not suit you or even has some serious problems that you cannot deal with, behaviorally or soundness-wise. This is especially true in the current market where you cannot at all count on being able to unload a horse that doesn't work out for you. Bide your time. The right horse WILL come along

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[MustLoveHens]

I would look into all three. While the Appy mare is defiantely one to look at and ride, I would also take a good look at the gelding. Im not put off by anything I see on him just because his is a little "rough" looking. I really like the way he looks. I dont see much of a sway myself, but a sway backed horse does not disswade me mainly because a sway has nothing to do with the back of a horse or it's ability to be ridden. A horse can sway at 2 years old just as easily as an older one. A sway back is caused by the lacksing of the abdonmial muscles.
Also, the question I have on the gelding is wether he is pastured. The grass he was photograhped on looks to be poor to me. Even if he is not pastured, I think that with good quality hay and a good senior supplement, you'll have him back in condition. Then with riding, he'll tone up. He looks just out of tone to me. The Palomino is a little gem from the description of her and yes she does have some "drawbacks" as far as added care, but this can be handled with free choice hay and a gooq quality senior and some rice bran added into her diet. Yes, there would be some added cost with her, but the mind and temperment she poses may just out weigh the extra care for her. I have an older mare of 26 years of age and she too is a very hard keeper and even harder in the winter, so I know very well what is involved with an older horse, but the knowledge that she posses is well worth the extra care she needs.
It is important to be able to take a step back and see beyond the "packaging". You need to be able to see what the horse can bring to the table as far as "mind"- mental stability, temperment, knowledge, and patience. Since you are "rusty" and relearning your horsemanship, you need a horse that has been around the block and can handle the task of helping you to become a better rider and horse person.
I always look at the horses "mind" first and tallents, then age over all health and conformation, then the packaging. The outside can be changed with a good top quality feeding regime and but the foundation of the horses skills are taught. Also, make sure you get pre purchase exams done on the horses even if they are a trade or free. This is such an important investment that can save so much heart ache at the very beginning and costly vet bills later on.
As far as introductions, I myself would use the small pens and get them used to eachother. Then slowly let them out to pasture together watching carefully. They will establish a packing order, however, depending on how the new horse is with your filly, you may want to wait on feeding them together until you feel that you trust the situation.
Hope this helps you out, I just wanted to put my two cents in!
Oh and you had a queation about the palamino in the pics-yes that is the same horse. The darker looking horse is her with her summer coat and the lighter colored horse is her in a long winter coat. But she has the same marking on the cute face of hers!

 

[denim deb]

Out of the 3, I liked the looks of the appy, too. The gelding looked thin to me, and did look like he was developing a sway back. And, the palomino looked a bit thin, plus w/her age, you might find that you'd have to retire her pretty soon.

As for the height, I'm not sure what you mean by 15.5 HH. Normally, hands are written as 15, 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 16. If the horse is 15 and 1/2 HH, it's normally written as 15.2.

 

[chickenzoo]

Yep, I'd take my time looking. Right now horses are a dime a dozen and I've seen a lot of nice horses going now for considerably less. None of those catch my eye, but that's just me. I like a well rounded horse, thick neck and butt, stocky strong legs, a good shoulder etc...

 

[WIChookchick]

I think the palamino is right out. She is far older than the person is saying, she has a Lot of grey around her eyes. that says older to me.
The black, If you can't be bothered to get the horse out of the pasture, and get a pic of him standing with a nice side profile...or saddle.
Then how can you interest a person into buying or trading.
I think take a look at the appy, i like her.
I am 230 lbs, and with saddle and other stuff... my 15.2 hh ASB x carries all over.. and she is mostly a pasture puff.
Carol

 

[arabianequine]

This gelding is said to be 18 and FREE.....I think it looks better shape then the black gelding. It seems to have blemishes or the picture does.

Yes 15 1/2 HH

I decided no on the palomino the mid twenties mare. I just don't want a horse that old in age regardless.

 

[donrae]

I have a soft spot for Appies, and that girl is pretty............and fed! Is there a hay shortage in your area, ALL of the other ones are underweight.

The free chestnut looks too long to carry a larger rider well. You want to look for a short back, thus stronger. Also he looks to have upright pasterns and probably shoulder, can't tell from the pic. This would equal a choppy, rough stride.

The Appy's pic isn't a straight side view, but she looks nice to me. Can't tell about her head/throatlatch, but her neck ties in high to her chest, her neck looks to be a good length, shoulder slopes nicely, looks short backed, NICE butt, nice long croup and though the pic doesn't show clearly I'm guessing her hind legs are well set. Only concern I'd have are her front legs. The off fore (right) knee looks wonky to me, and both legs are set back under her instead of straight down. I can't remember what the knee thing is called, but it looks to me her knees would be prone to buckling. I'm a big girl, too, and I don't want those legs giving out from under me!

Of all you've shown, she's the only one I'd look at. The dark gelding is long and skinny. Maybe his owners don't realize that green stuff is all weeds?

The palomino mare is pretty colored, but again is long backed. And, if that's as good as she looks weight wise, I'd way pass. I'd be embarrassed to have something that skinny in my pasture. Old does NOT equal skinny. Look on the archives on fuglyhorse blog, people have horses in their thirties who don't have spines sticking up like that. She also looks to have an upright shoulder and pastern, thus short choppy strides. Well broke, reasonable young horses are a dime a dozen these days. Take your time, and PLEASE have someone experienced go with you. SO many horse people would love to go shopping, and we all love to give advice, don't we

Good luck on your search. Course, if you have a jersey heifer you're wanting to trade, I might start looking at MY girl with a new eye. I don't ride hardly at all anymore, and am coveting a milk cow

 

[arabianequine]

Some of my statements are wrong. The appy mare is 14. The black gelding is 11 and has been switched from alfalfa and pasture to grass hay bales....he did not like it says the owner. He has been switched back to pasture and alfalfa bales but only a few days now and they can tell a big difference in his weight already.

28 horses here and they put out big bales she said and they just eat off them plus the pasture.

The owner of the appy is 290 pounds and she says she rides her and handles her just fine. The appy was papered at one point.

The owner says the black gelding she thinks is qh/tb and he is like a big saint bernard/teddy bear and actually is being picked on a bit. He has been ridden bare back tons and the owner said he does have high weathers and should not have trouble fitting a saddle to him. I think maybe his breed with the weight loss and high weathers have him looking sway back. He is still fairly young.

I am going to see these horses on Monday.

Keep the comments/opinions coming.

Thank you for all the help.