# Not sure where to put this! Buying a horse and found one im interested in



## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

I read some of your other posts and to be honest you should not be looking at a horse this young. I don't believe you have the knowledge to ride one this age and even 5-6 years of riding to me is not enough.

I am also concerned that you state that you only have $500.00 to spend and what if something happens resulting in an expense you are unable to cope with.

Owning a horse is a huge responsibility and expense.....very difficult even for people with better finances that you have.

Give it a lot more thought.


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## rosie9r (Dec 1, 2008)

I agree with Spyder, 3 year olds even make me nervous and I have ridden now for 15 years. I would look for a horse with some experience and miles. Is she even broke to ride yet?

On the money part, I bought my horse for $500 but have paid almost 3 times that already in vet/chiropractor bills plus new tack and all those other goodies we just had to have before I even start him under saddle (nonracing saddle.)

Keep looking if you can, there are a ton of horses out there with some miles on them that need great homes for good prices. Im sorry to be negative!


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## AshleyNewman (Mar 5, 2009)

I have enough money for any and all surprise costs. I did not ask for your opinion on whether I was ready to own a horse..frankly, I know I am. 
And what do you mean not enough knowledge?
You don't know me or anything about me.


"very difficult even for people with better finances that you have."

You *do not* know my financial situation. I have more than enough money for this. 
Once again, you don't know anything about me.


EDIT: Atleast rosie put it nicely. You had a downright nasty attitude and outlook. :3


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

AshleyNewman said:


> I have enough money for any and all surprise costs. I did not ask for your opinion on whether I was ready to own a horse..frankly, I know I am.
> And what do you mean not enough knowledge?
> You don't know me or anything about me.


 
Lets make the quote correctly

I said...



> I don't believe you have the knowledge *to ride one this age*


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

I agree with what Spyder said. 
On top of that, I am not a fan of this horse. I don't think she is attractive at all. Just go to an auction, you can get some cheap, decent horses.


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## MaieuticManege (Mar 2, 2009)

I know I don't know anything about your or your situation. Just remember there is a lot to know about horses and you may belief you know enough to train, but in reality there is still a lot to learn before you try to work with a young horse of your own. Trust me I've learned this through experience. You won't know how much you didn't know until you learn what you didn't know before. 

I'm not trying to be cruel, I just don't want you to make the mistake I almost made when I was in your same position. Just put more thought into it, and review all you know about riding and training young horses. There's a lot to it.


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## AshleyNewman (Mar 5, 2009)

Who said I was going to train her myself?


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## MaieuticManege (Mar 2, 2009)

No one did. Like I said, I do not know your situation. If you want someone else to train her that's fine, but I recommend not jumping into it without a good deal of thought


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

I think what she meant was any sort of ownership/contact with young horses is training.

Oops, There you go. She posted for herself.


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## Dressage10135 (Feb 11, 2009)

To me, there is just something that doesn't look quite right about that horse. I can't put my finger on it though. Have you looked around at auctions or local shelters that might have horses that are put together better and older?


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I agree with Spyder and Rosie, from reading some of your other posts, I am not sure that you are ready to own such a young horse who has virtually no training already on her. I am not being rude but going from riding well broke, aged horses to riding a questionable 3yo (even one who has been trained) is a HUGE leap and I would hate for you to get hurt. Also, is the $500 budget you posted in your other thread including possible vet bills, farrier, tack, training, boarding, feed, and all other unexpected horse expenses? OR have you already considered all that and have thousands saved up somewhere and $500 is all you have left to actually buy the horse? Everyone on here is just considering what is best for the horse and for you. No one wants you to buy her and then run into unknown expenses that could number in the thousands if you are not prepared for it.

On the note of the OP, I don't really care for the way that the horse looks. Her back is long and so are her pasterns. Her neck ties in very high though I think that is due to her breed. You can get an unregistered horse who has been trained for much less in this market.


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## AshleyNewman (Mar 5, 2009)

I haven't been to auctions or a horse shelter. Not really man around here. I've looked around. Not really finding anything else. 

I did not say I was buying her, I said I was thinking about it.
You guys are so anal, tbqh


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Not to start a fight but we are just being realistic. There are already enough ownerless and unwanted horses around for someone to jump into ownership without being fully prepared for what could be involved. Especially when, many times, the only option is resale which just continues the vicious circle of the nasty horse market. You asked for opinions and that is what you got with some free advice thrown in from people who are older and have more experience. 




> There is only one thing more painful than learning from experience, and that is not learning from experience. ~Laurence J. Peter


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## Mica Paprika (Feb 23, 2009)

I think you are being a little rude for people who are trying to help and give you some logical advice. :shock:

I wouldn't call them "anal" they are just trying to make you aware of the problems of getting such a young horse because obviously they have had much experience with this and know what they are talking about and after all we post on forums to get advice so we can get a better understanding of our situations and to help us make the right choices, we don't necessarily have to take this advice but you need to take into consideration that they are saying all of this in order to look after you and your horse as many people go into situations where they don't know what they are getting themselves into and as a result it is just a really ugly place for the horse and owner to be, so don't take it as them trying to put you down but more like caring for you and your horse in the future. 

I know you didn't say you were DEFINITELY buying this horse but was just a THOUGHT; everyone is telling you what you should be aware of or what might be a better option for you to help you come to a decision.

If you think they don't know you and you wanna know if this will be the right horse for you then why don't you tell us a little more about your experience with horses and what your budget is so we can help you out a bit more, I haven't read your other posts but obviously they have and have come to a conclusion of what you have said but if it's wrong then why don't you clarify the situation  I am not being mean, i just think there has been a misunderstanding somewhere along the line and you have taken them the wrong way 

sorry for blabbing on


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Ashley, I'm sorry but you sound like a kid (which can be the case  ). Noone tried to be rude or offend here, people are just concerned about you well being. 

As for getting 3 year old... Well... I got 2 yearlings having almost no experience with such young ones (although I rode for several years before including trying out horses from auction and dealers). They were in bad situation, so instead of broke horse I was thinking about I ended up with tiny unhandled ones (with the case of abuse for one of them). It was NOT EASY AT ALL to deal with all problems. All I can say if you have a courage, lots of patience (which I personally miss sometime lol!), HELP/training (from experienced person), and wish to learn and educate yourself how to deal with youngsters then I don't see much drama here. BUT(!) I consider you are the adult (18+). If not I'd NEVER recommend to get one as it puts certain constraint on your parents as well. 

I actually like this horse even though price look suspicious (too cheap even in this market, which can be because of some behavioral or health issues). At least she's ovbviously halter broke (unlike both my youngster were).  And mares make great mounts, btw.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Here's my critique of the horse, please mind that I don't know much about the Saddlebred breed type, perhaps LadyDreamer will stop in here and give her 2 cents. Here goes:

These aren't the best pictures to critique, there are none of her standing square showing her whole body; they're all cut off at the knee/hock, except the blurry ones of her moving. I would request different pictures of her squared up to get an accurate critique. 

- Long, upright pasterns
- Long body, short back (somehow...)
- Very camped out behind 
- There's something about her hip that I don't like.
- Very plain head
- Looks to have a decent shoulder.
- Decent neck tie-in points 
Overall, she just does not appeal to me. 

Just a note... considering she's reg'd and looks like she's been to a show or two, her price scares me a LOT. Even in today's market, I would expect a much higher price for a registered 3 year old Saddlebred.


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## randiekay215 (Feb 6, 2009)

I just came across this post and thought I would share some thoughts as well. First of all, I have been riding since I hit the ground. I've been around horses all of my life and rodeo as well. All I know is western, however. But anyway, here's just a bit of advice. I would definitely be worried at the fact that this horse is only $300. Like everyone else has said, even in this horse poor economy that price kind of makes me leary....What aren't they telling you in the ad? I didn't see much detail on the ad as far as breeding, habits, training, etc for the horse. There are a lot of people out there that just want to turn a quick buck by being shady with buyers. Been there, done that. I understand your price range issue. I too was in the same boat when I was looking to buy. I had the money and the resources to provide and care for a horse, but coming up with a lot of money up front to make a purchase was hard. I would just advise you to use a lot of caution with this horse. Maybe the she doesn't have any training and since she's that young, that's why she's cheap. I don't know for sure though. I do know that there are a lot of horses out there that do already have training and work put into them that are going for very cheap. I'd just take a look around and sit tight. I've been looking for a team roping horse for the past 5 months, and I still haven't found what I want. What are you wanting to do with this horse?


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

I live in bottom-dollar horse country, where you can go to an auction and get a foal for $50... I still paid more than that for my mare... and she was broke!

(thought I'd add... it's bottom-dollar and top-dollar horse country around here. You can look one way and find a $50 foal, and look the other and find a $40,000 foal (of course the differences are apparant; one's bred well and is a performer, the other is grade and/or an unpopular breed around here.)


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## BarneyBabby (Nov 18, 2008)

Shes very pretty. Then again most Yorktown babies are :lol:. I love her tail set! By that one picture(it just could be the picture) she doesnt have the greatest motion in the world but that only matters on what you want to show her in. What is it that you want to show in? The pictures aren't well enough for me to really critique but thats okay. I use to own a horse related to her!

As for what everyone else is saying. She wants you to critique the mare, not chew into her from right and wrong. If the horse is horrible and rotten(not saying it is) and if she doesnt have the money for her (not saying you dont) then thats her problem not yours! If/and what you say is so and she doesnt have the money for the horse she will soon figure that out. NOW DROP IT!!

Great choice by the way! You can never do wrong with a saddlebred


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## NicoleS11 (Nov 21, 2008)

What are you planning on doing with this horse?


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

For starters, I get the feeling she isn't broke. Not the greatest pictures, and a very low price, also gives me the feeling they are trying to get rid of her, QUICK. I would be very very careful...

Just a side note, I garee with what spyder and rose have said. Really think it through, wether a horse this age and level of training is right for you. Even if you geta trainer, it will be a fair while before you can do a lot on her!!


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## morganshow11 (Dec 19, 2008)

Ok! I think that horse might be a lil to young. And she looks so sweet, and like a very good showmanship horse(mabey?) But to price her so little money, she looks A LOT more money than her price. And being priced that low she might have had an injury.
Just don't jump into buying a horse yet. Look for the perfect horse before you say "WOW! She/he is gorgeous." You should not look for the beauty in a horse, but look for the health and wellness of the horse. If you have any more Questions you can PM me if you would like!


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## BuckOff41570 (Nov 15, 2008)

Quite frankly, you asked for opinions and people gave them. Anything you put up on here is open for discussion. If you werent ready for other's opinions then you shouldnt ask.

On any public forum you need to learn to put your PRIDE aside and listen to what others have to say. Spyder was honest and, in my (as well as several others) opinion, she's absolutely right. She said it as politely as she could and was still able to get the severity of the situation across.

Anal is not the word I would use about the people on here. They are just trying to help you avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Owning horses is a rewarding experience...but it isnt something to take lightly.

I would say your not "qualified" to own/train/ride a horse like this simply because 1. Your a first time owner 2. You have never had the experience of "training" a horse before 3. Your way of dealing with the critiques and opinions of others is that of a young teenager...potentially not mature enough to take on a project of this magnitude.

Why not just wait and save up more money? If you put 500 away and put a little away every month then you have a much greater chance of getting a horse worth while...and that won't result in a trip in an ambulance or an emergency call to the vet.


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## Curly_Horse_CMT (Jun 8, 2008)

morganshow11 said:


> Ok! I think that horse might be a lil to young. And she looks so sweet, and like a very good showmanship horse(mabey?) But to price her so little money, she looks A LOT more money than her price. And being priced that low she might have had an injury.
> Just don't jump into buying a horse yet. Look for the perfect horse before you say "WOW! She/he is gorgeous." You should not look for the beauty in a horse, but look for the health and wellness of the horse. If you have any more Questions you can PM me if you would like!


 
Why do you think that she is worth more then for what she is listed? She doesnt look worth $300 at all...have you seen horse prices now?


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Alright guys, I know I really don't have the authority to say much, but I'll try...

The OP has gotten the point. I personally have read through her threads and it is my first assumption (yes, I'm assuming things, the OP is more than welcome to correct me!!) that the OP is to buy the horse and/or her parents have set a (lower) limit, but her parents are going to help care for the horse. The OP did mention that the horse would be stall boarded (usually more expensive than paddock/pasture board), and she would continue to take lessons once a week on said horse. 
CONSIDERING that stuff costs a lot of money, perhaps they want an inexpensive horse, but have funds set aside for the actual care of the horse. 
For example... my very good friend (who has consented to my putting this here) was in that exact situation. Let's say she had $4000 saved up, keeping in mind I haven't a clue how much she actually had, this is an imaginary figure. She ended up spending very very little on the actual horse because she wanted to have that extra money in the bank in case something happened to her or the horse, and she needed the money that was there. 

We do not know the OP's situation at all. 

... can we please go back to the OP's question about a CONFORMATION critique about the horse?


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Double post, but wanted to add... the economy at the moment is crap. You CAN get good horses for your price range, OP, but you do have to be careful and weed through the bad ones. 
Example: Horse A was $300 prior to the economical crash. He was and is $300 for a reason... he has something wrong with him. Horse B's owners fell on hard times and are asking $300 for their beloved horse and only request that the horse go to a good home. Horse B has nothing/very minor things wrong. 
At first glance, it's going to be hard to spot the difference. 
If you have the funds to be able to, I do strongly suggest a pre-purchase vet check. 
If the owner is up for it, ask if you can take the horse on a 2 week loan, that you will cover boarding costs, and try the horse out for a week or two... this will really help you decide.

Best of luck!


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## morganshow11 (Dec 19, 2008)

Curly_Horse_CMT said:


> Why do you think that she is worth more then for what she is listed? She doesnt look worth $300 at all...have you seen horse prices now?


Yesss, I have seen the prices! I think she is worth more, cuz she looks like she is doing great at showmanship in the photos. That si in my opinion!


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## LeahKathleen (Mar 5, 2009)

My opinion is that Ashley asked for a critique of the horse, and not a critque of her readiness to own one.

While you may have an opinion about it, you weren't asked to give.

On the subject of critiquing the horse, when I clicked the link, there was no horse listed, lol, so I have no input on that.

However, I think almost everyone who has posted has offered an opinion that they weren't asked to offer.

Ashley, could you PM the link, because when I click it here, it's taking me to the page, but there's no horse listed... I'd like to see her, I love Saddlebreds. Ha ha.


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## zanyoutthere (Jan 31, 2009)

Guys! Calm down just calm down. Litsen, she did not ask for opinions but they are very helpful AshleyNewman~ They arent trying to be rude, they are just giving *their* opinions. I thiknk before you do buy a horse, you should try leasing one first.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

You don't have to be asked to offer an opinion, it's yours to offer as you want. And like sombody else said, by posting things on a public forum like this one, you are opening yourself up to anyones opinion about whatever they wish to voice it about. 

*shrugs*

I didn't think anyone was overly rude. They have made the point they wanted to make. Truly, there was not any photo's good enough to critique in the add, so there wasn't really much to comment on apart from the fact the horse is young, inexperienced and cheap.

Let's all relax


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## LeahKathleen (Mar 5, 2009)

I personally think it's common courtesy not to offer an opinion you weren't asked to offer, especially if you were specifically asked about something else entirely. I'm not even necessarily saying anyone was overly rude, but based on her reaction, she made it pretty clear that she wasn't asking whether or not she was "ready" to own a horse, or even that particular horse. She was asking about the horse's conformation, training, price, etc. 

But that's just me. Public forum? Yes. Answering the questions asked? Yes. Telling people they aren't good enough or financially stable enough to care for a horse? No.

Sorry. That's just the way I see it.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

> She was asking about the horse's conformation, training, price, etc.


And they commented on the horses conformation/training/price in relation to other information they had about the OP.

But hey, i'm not trying to argue, guess you didn't get the bit about we should all relax :]


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

LeahKathleen said:


> She was asking about the horse's conformation, training, price, etc.


 
Actually that is NOT what she asked.

Here is her original post (minus the link)



AshleyNewman said:


> Well, I'm looking for a horse to buy and found her.
> I think she's gorgeous!
> My mom even likes her. What do you guys think?
> I wish she was a gelding though, darn.


She asked *what we thought*. She asked NOTHING specifically about the conformation, training or price although that may have been implied as PART of what we think.

I gave her my thoughts and since I do not like to give any sort of advice in a vacuum I looked at what she had posted prior to see what she was looking for and if this horse may fit her expectations. Too many times an answer will be given and the OP will come back saying that "well I meant to say" or " I already said elsewhere " and that sort of response really bugs ME so I tend to only reply when I have fuller knowledge.

To ask what someone thoughts are is in essence giving them full range to say what they think and the reasons BEHIND those thoughts.


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## onetoomany (Dec 10, 2008)

LeahKathleen said:


> I personally think it's common courtesy not to offer an opinion you weren't asked to offer, especially if you were specifically asked about something else entirely. I'm not even necessarily saying anyone was overly rude, but based on her reaction, she made it pretty clear that she wasn't asking whether or not she was "ready" to own a horse, or even that particular horse. She was asking about the horse's conformation, training, price, etc.
> 
> But that's just me. Public forum? Yes. Answering the questions asked? Yes. Telling people they aren't good enough or financially stable enough to care for a horse? No.
> 
> Sorry. That's just the way I see it.


Sorry, but I think most of the people giving their two cents were doing it in hope of benefitting both AshleyNewman and the horse. Would you rather have her get stuck with a horse she can't handle? After she had gotten emotionally attached to the horse and unfortunately probably negatively impacted the horse with her inexperience (I think we all know where those horses end up). We all know people that this has happened to and I think we have all found ourselves thinking/saying "Oh I wish someone had intervened." While I didn't chime in with my own opinion on this thread it was only because it had already been said several times over. It wouldn't sit right with a lot of people if in five months it became "Cry cry I had to sell dear, beloved Fluffy because she was becoming dangerous." Espcially if those people hadn't voiced their opinions. It should occur to AshleyNewman that there is a reason why she is getting several people telling her the same thing, and maybe she should take it in and mull it over. Just my own two cents on that.


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## Joshie (Aug 26, 2008)

LeahKathleen said:


> Answering the questions asked? Yes. Telling people they aren't good enough or financially stable enough to care for a horse? No.
> /QUOTE]
> 
> If I heard someone say they wanted a horse but could spend only $500 then the red light would be flashing. Voicing concerns is not rude or mean. It's responsible. Horses are expensive. Spring shots can easily cost $300. I think it's a fair and responsible thing to voice concerns when presented with the above information.
> ...


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## LeahKathleen (Mar 5, 2009)

Well, the name of the forum here is "Horse and Riding Critque" -- and she specifically asked about the horse, NOT about her riding.

And honestly, while I understand the fact the opinions will likely be expressed regardless of the question asked, I don't know that everyone here was particularly nice about it. I mean, yeah, Member A may not be as experienced as Member B, but come on guys, everyone was "green," if you will, at one point or another, and we all bought our first horse, and we all made a mistake or two, and we all asked questions. I think making remarks about anyone's assumed riding ability financial situation is uncalled for. Lots of people buy young horses as firsts, work with experienced trainers, and succeed. Why not give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she'll be responsible about it? If you have concerns, ask her questions, be polite, and express an opinion when you recieve enough information to make comments about her riding ability and/or financial situation.


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## LeahKathleen (Mar 5, 2009)

Anyway, this is silly. I'm just defending a principle.

I wasn't trying to cause problems, I just know what it's like to have my finances and abilities judged by those who don't know me or anything about me. You wouldn't like it either. Trust me.

But. I agree with relaxing.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

It happened to me earlier today. I was mature about it and explained more fully my side of the issue, and the person in question just requested we be friends on here :]


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## LeahKathleen (Mar 5, 2009)

I think my biggest issue was that she expressed that she was not looking for opinions on her abilities, merely the horse. I just think there are some opinions that you keep to yourself until you're asked to express them. You know?


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Okay, guys. The OP stated later on that she was looking for a critique about the mare not her situation.
Having a $500 budget for a horse is fine, as long as you can guarantee funds later on to care for the horse and all its expensive needs. I'd rather someone spend $500 on a horse that fit the person and have $500 more in the bank than someone maxing out how much they can spend on the initial purchase price and cutting down on how much they can spend on care.
I really do care where a horse is going, but I don't feel from this poster that the horse is going to be kept in a crappy place getting cruddy care. If I am proven wrong I will gladly take this statement back.
This is coming from someone who was in a similar situation... I bought Maia for a very reasonable price and was able to guarantee myself just that little extra barrier (above and beyond what I was comfortable doing) in case.


For the sake of the OP (who I am guessing is no longer here, or doesn't feel welcome to post) I am asking, as another member just like you guys, to please stay on topic regarding the horse's conformation.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

The problem is, she was asking about the horse as a possible buy. Therefore her abilities do come into play. It is common practice on this forum to ask questions such as what you want to do with the horse, what is your experience, etc. People on this forum want nothing more than a good, SAFE, match between a horse and rider, in both the horse and riders best interests.

Anyway i'm off to ride my horse! Goodnight all :]


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Fair enough, but now that that is all out in the open, let's hug, make up, and move on 

*holds out arms... in hopes..??*


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## LeahKathleen (Mar 5, 2009)

I agree, and even though JDI and I were in agreement, I will hug her anyway. :]

*hugs*


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

I'm glad we are ending this on a good note!!


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