# Buying prospect mare



## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

hiya

im not a fan of her conformation. her back is a little long and her rump seems to drop off instead of having a nice roundless to it. shes also a little downhill.

however temperament wise she looks nice. she has a kind eye by the looks of it. 

as far as value goes i can only give a price based on my area which would be about $2000-$3000

she looks very sweet


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## quixotesoxs (Jan 19, 2008)

Ok, I don't really like her and I would say keep looking if I were you. 
So here's here report card.

Conformation-D. She has a LOOOOONG back. If you ever want to do western pleasure, this is not your horse. And I wouldn't want her for contesting, either. Her long back will interfere with her turns, and it will make it harder to collect her up for WP. although it's not impossible.

Pedigree-D. Your not looking for a racehorse, so why buy something bred to be a racehorse? Her price shouldn't be bloodline based because she is not doing what she was bred to do. I stay away from speed bloodlines when looking for a first horse for someone. You need something that's nice and slow, physically AND MENTALLY. She may be very well trained and sweet, but I would be leary. 

Training-C+Once again, I stay away from horses who have done speed events. She may have been well trained for it and kept inder control, but I would be leary. 

So really, it depend on what you want. Talk to your kids, do you want to do WP? Or english? Or eventually get into contesting? The best thing to do before you buy a horse is take riding lessons. Let the kids figure out what they like to do, and then maybe THINK about buying a horse. And I suggest having a trainer go with you when you look at a horse. You may have been experienced in the 70s, but trust me, the horse world has changed. So it really doesn't sound to me like you need to but quite yet, maybe try leasing. And can you tell me how much they are asking for that mare? I don't want to put a price on her without seeing her, but I would be able to tell you if the price is outrageous or not. Thanks, don't take it personally if I was harsh. Just my opinion, some of the stuff i said may be false since I don't know you or the horse.


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## gumbeaux (Feb 16, 2008)

Honest opinions are welcome. I thought she had a long back too but I don't have a good eye. They are asking way too much I think, $7000. I'm going to visit her again today and take some more pictures. I like the idea of lessons or leasing. I haven't seen any horses for lease but I'm sure most horses for sale at a training facility could be leased. Thanks for taking the time.


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## quixotesoxs (Jan 19, 2008)

Glad I could help! Yes, lessons and leasing are great things to do, plus you will get an idea and see how interested your daughters are going to be. $7000!!!!! If horse prices are anything there like they are in Ohio, that is outrageous. Here you can get a nice horse for 1500!


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## LinRodeo (Jan 30, 2008)

Yikes, $7,000 for that horse. I too recently bought a horse after nearly 18 years of not having one. My dear, how things have changed. I saw a lot of horses and notificed people are trying to sell based on pedigree to justify the cost and so many dishonest people out there. 

Perhaps, it would be wise to start the kids with riding lessons or lease a horse to find out their interest prior to horse shopping.

I bought my horse with a 30 day trial guarantee. So, I paid 1/2 of the total purchase price and when I decided to keep the horse, paid the balance. Prior to purchasing the horse, I went twice to ride the horse before I brought her home and all seemed fine.
During the 30 day trial period, I noticed a few bad habits that I had not previously detected. The big one, was ground tying and bucking on the trails. So you see, I could have got my money back. Incidently, I kept the horse, but she was a lot more work then I imagined. It might be helpful to see if the seller is willing to work out a similiar arrangement with you.

Good luck and happy horse looking.


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## gumbeaux (Feb 16, 2008)

I went out and saw her again today, took some more pictures. She is more impressive in person. She has a very pleasant disposition and is very well behaved. I really like her. She has had about two years of professional training since she has been owned by the trainer. I still haven't reconciled with the price though. She doesn't appear slightly long at all in person. 










She really was facing slightly downhill on this picture.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

mmm... even with those pics you took today, she does have a long back... and a really short neck...


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## quixotesoxs (Jan 19, 2008)

Still not impressed, just dressage it was right. I would say keep looking, $7,000 is way too much. You could find better.


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

$7,000 for THAT horse isnt appropriate whatsoever. I dont know where they figure this horse can price this high, professional training or not. Keep looking.

For that price no matter where you are, you can find a better horse. Either a way better horse for that price or cheaper horse of the same caliber as that one you posted.

The conformation is less than ideal, far from it. Very long backed, straight shoulder, short neck, small head in proportion to the body.

I really encourage you to keep looking, this is a rip off in my books.


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## gumbeaux (Feb 16, 2008)

Ya'll are killing me. She's such a sweet and well trained mare. I know. Anyway, here's a link to her pedigree if that makes any difference, :roll: . 
http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/stella+lovelee+lady

Also, here is another horse that recently sold for $7000. I can definitely see the difference in the back. Does this one look to be worth that much or are we maybe in a tough market for buyers? Now that it's been pointed out to me, most of the horses I see for sale seem to have long backs. Even the horse on the ad on this page has a long back. Is it becoming more prevalent?

http://www.equine.com/Horses/ad_det...h_id=bf581fbf-b94f-4514-ae15-ba86ad0d4281&p=2


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## quixotesoxs (Jan 19, 2008)

Sorry if we're killing you! But her pedigree isn't very good either. I only recognized a few names, and they were way back. The horse in the ad had a slightly long back, not bad enough to affect anything. The mare your looking at just appears to have a really long back. And no, I wouldn't pay 7,000 for the horse in the ad, but he is worth more than the mare you are looking at for sure. Trust me, you could find better.


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

Hey there,
At the end of the day, if you are willing to pay that kind of money for a mare like that then go for it, but in my opinion it would be a huge waste. 
What kind of riding are you wanting to do with your future horse? is it a horse for yourself, or is it going to be a prospect? Are you set on a particular breed? gender? color? age? can we help you find a horse online?

Cheers


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## gumbeaux (Feb 16, 2008)

I'd like a AQHA, APHA type horse, around 15 hands that is well trained, good temperment that the kids can learn on. They may want to go to local shows but I'm not going to be traveling all over the country for national shows, maybe Jackson, Ms at the most. I've been looking on Equine.com and Equinenow.com for prospects. I've found a few potentials that I'm willing to look at but there doesn't seem to be a lot with extensive training. Color is not as important as training and disposition. I'm in south Louisiana so I'd like to not have to travel too far to see the horse. So, if anyone sees any good prospects, I'm open to suggestions even though Special (her call name) is very Special. 
BTW, concerning this mare's pedigree, Special Effort, Dude's Pat Bar, and Blondy's Dude are rock stars in these parts. Not that I know why, they just are.


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## quixotesoxs (Jan 19, 2008)

What's your zip code? I can do some searches for you.


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## ahearn (Jul 10, 2007)

Sounds like to me you already have your mind made up!  

If you think Special is the horse for you and your family and you feel a real connection with her then buy her.!! Only you will know when it's the right horse. Yes, $7,000 is a lot for this horse. But I'd be willing to pay A LOT for some of my horses because I made a bond with them the first time I saw them. Who said love at first sight isn't real? Just my two cents!


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## gumbeaux (Feb 16, 2008)

I'm in 70030. I'm looking in south or central Louisiana and Mississippi.

It's hard to say if my mind is made up but I know what you mean. It's part of the Law of Attraction. 

It begs the question about what importance or value do you put on each variable. Is conformation all that important if you are not interested in breeding or showing halter? Is training and temperament more important if you are trusting your children with her? How does conformation affect the type of work or activities you will be performing? 
This mare is a 10 out of 10 on temperament and training and maybe a 6 out of 10 on conformation (at least from what I hear here). I'm not saying I've answered those questions yet because I may want to breed her at some point. It's just out there for discussion. Thanks for taking the time to engage in the conversation and help me sort it out.


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

Hi.

I found some horses. I only did 50 miles from your zip, if that's ok.
http://dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?form_horse_id=1171711

http://equine.com/Horses/ad_details.aspx?lid=573890&search_id=73b36e7f-00f0-4b85-a378-70822fda6c01

http://equine.com/Horses/ad_details.aspx?lid=545967&search_id=73b36e7f-00f0-4b85-a378-70822fda6c01


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## AKPaintLover (May 26, 2007)

Hello, 
That mare is seems pretty sweet, but conformation aside, there is nothing special enough about her that I have caught to justify the price. I just put a search in for your state, but here are a couple of horses that I might be interested in looking into more if I were in your position. 

http://www.equine.com/Horses/ad_det...earch_id=78bdb055-915e-4c63-9e62-207613c4db33

http://www.equine.com/Horses/ad_det...earch_id=ee41c1d4-cea7-47bb-b220-83c825312f9e

http://www.equine.com/Horses/ad_det...h_id=47f4aa28-1940-4959-bbd3-5ef163afaf1a&p=2


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## gumbeaux (Feb 16, 2008)

Thanks folks. All of those horses are on my radar as well. I've sent emails and made a phone call but no replies yet. I'd like to get out and see a few of them. Until I see them in person and under saddle, it;s hard to tell how good they would be with the kids. I'll keep looking. In the meantime i can visit and ride "Special" and make a good comparison. I spoke to the trainer this evening about her. She has had a lot of professional training at $600 a month. So I'm sure he's trying to recoup his time investment. I got to see her work under saddle and she moves great, gentle as a kitten but obeys every command like a champion. She's still very impressive. Just don't know if she's $7000 impressive. I could buy another for $2500 and still be able to spend the obligatory $2000 for 90 days easily. But wouldn't know if the outcome would be as good. I could go on and on.


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