# Buying a Brumby - Smart?



## thesilverspear (Aug 20, 2009)

Novice rider (in the grand scheme of things, you sound like you are, even though you've sat through spooking and so on) + unbroken feral horse = bad idea.

There's always someone with some story that's an exception, but generally, you need years of horse experience before taking on an unbroken youngster, and even more so when the unbroken youngster is a feral horse off the range.


----------



## christopher (Feb 11, 2011)

if you get this horse, chances are very high that it won't go as you probably expect it to go. massive risk of you getting hurt.

do yourself and whatever horse you eventually get a favor by becoming a far better rider and horseperson first.

also i don't think there is much sense in getting a brumby specifically.


----------



## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

Don't think its a great idea. 

Young horses are difficult, unbroken horses are difficult and wild horses are difficult. You combine those three and you get a young, wild, unbroken Brumby. 

A 15hh horse might be okay if they've got a suitable build, but many of the Brumbies I have seen haven't been that solid. I don't know how much you weigh, but the rule is generally 20% with tack, and Brumbies aren't that heavy. Its not just saddle you have to break it to, but leading, picking up their feet, going in shelters, tying up, rugging, other animals, buckets, jackets, flappy things, cars etc - things that a domestically raised horse would have been exposed to since they were born, and taught when they were young and relatively easy. But you're going to have a 3 year old who knows nothing and is big and strong. 

Many experienced people wouldn't want to do that. Much less intermediate people. And if it doesn't work out and you are in way over your head its going to be near impossible to sell her on. 

I'm not saying give up on your dream, but maybe work towards it more. Go to clinics, work with breakers, get a young a horse if you want to - but one that has been handled so you don't have to teach it everything!


----------



## Tracer (Sep 16, 2012)

This filly was actually bred domestically and is being worked with on the basics such as leading etc, which is why I thought of it as a possibility.

Thanks guys, this is what I needed. I've always had a soft spot for brumbies and one day the ultimate dream is to buy a group from the sales and do what I can with them. But you're all right, I need to work up to that.


----------



## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

Here is the honesty.. and I am going to be very blunt.

A Brumby probably goes 900 pounds fully mature and 15HH (and maybe less). You do not want to put more than 150 pounds on that horse WITH the saddle. No idea your size and do not want to know (you know) but ask yourself if YOU can fit that parameter and then keep it like that. 

Second.. you are taking on a horse that leads and sounds very young. You are not comfortable cantering a horse that is trained that you do not know well. RED flag. You are a "self taught rider." RED flag. 

Build up your riding ability (take lessons from someone GOOD). Get involved (if you can) with a stable and do "catch riding." This is where people need their horse ridden from time to time because they are not around. This will give you experience on a variety of horses and a variety of levels of training. 

When you have done all that, revisit the Brumby idea (different horse than this one now.. but there will be another). 

GOOD LUCK!!! If you REALLY want this you will take the 2-3 years of intense work to earn it!


----------



## Tracer (Sep 16, 2012)

The weight issue is a big one for me, and I've always been careful with which horses I ride. I was extremely reluctant to ride horses shorter than 16HH for many years, until my riding teacher (only one I've ever had for 6 months of a horse course) insisted that I ride her 15HH clydesdale cross mare. I was amazed the horse didn't collapse underneath me to be honest, but she carried me without batting an eye. If I was to buy a brumby, I would make sure that it was solidly built and if it showed any signs of discomfort, that'd be the end of it. But I do understand where you're coming from, definitely.

If only it was that easy Elana. There are no stables within 2 hours of where I live, which is precisely why I'm self taught. If I could have lessons, I would have been taking them for years.

I can't even ride any horses around here because of my size, or at least I presume that's why. It's really horrible, so my plan is to buy myself a suitable horse to build confidence and work on all my techniques and, with any luck, by the time that happens there'll be a facility near me somewhere that I can take at least a few lessons.


----------



## Tracer (Sep 16, 2012)

This is a little unrelated, but would you all also recommend staying away from retraining a Standardbred? Even green broken they are said to be suitable for beginner riders due to their generally placid nature.


----------



## rookie (May 14, 2012)

Standardbreds are wonderful horses. Who have often been worked with since a very young age. Which means they have a better idea about people skills then the average just broke brumby. That said I would not discourage you from getting a standardbred but I think there is a right way to do it. I think you would have to be selective about what horse you choose. There are some standardbreds that are more mellow and novice friendly then others. You want one of the mushy sweet ones. Ex. you want a horse like my mothers horse, who is very soft, a little lazy but would be mortally offended if anything happened to her rider. As a result, this mare is not going to rear or buck its just not what she considers appropriate. Once you have the horse I would suggest sending it to a trainer to break to saddle. This would be expensive but the combination of a rider who is just learning leg cues and a horse who does not know legs cues could bring disaster. Send the horse for initial training that way the horse has an idea about what is expected.

I think a better idea still would be to look at a local standardbred pleasure horse organization. They may have horses that are trained to saddle and looking for new homes. That would be the best combination. Really your ideal horse is going to be one that is laid back and capable of teaching you the right things or allowing you to learn the right things.


----------



## Tracer (Sep 16, 2012)

I've never heard a bad word about Standardbreds, which is why I'm leaning towards one as my next horse. I was on the verge of buying one just yesterday but decided not to as she was pigeon toed.

Ultimately I would buy one already broken so I could know what it was like, even if it was only green.. However, the temptation is there to go to a local sale where standardbreds are regularly sold to doggers for around $200. If I was to do it, I would definitely do a search into their brand first for the age etc and would spend as much time around the horse as possible. If I could find a reliable trainer in my area, I would definitely look into getting it professionally saddle broken. Otherwise though, I have a friend who has begun breaking in young quarter horses and is doing a wonderful job on them.


----------



## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Standies are beautiful horses, BUT, speaking from experience... don't go there.

I had a Standy. Beautiful horse, beautiful nature, and I took him on green-broke with solid basics. I was more confident than you are now (and possibly more knowledgeable?), and guess what... I TOTALLY SCREWED THAT HORSE UP. Long story short he ended up bucking, bolting, and kicking, because of ME. Because MY lack of knowledge stuffed him up monumentally. I did repair my relationship with him and by the end he was a great pleasure horse, and I was devastated when he fell under saddle without warning or cause... which ended in me retiring him as I was worried it would happen again and someone would get hurt. By that time I'd had him nearly 2 years - he was 7 - and unfortunately couldn't afford to keep a horse that I couldn't ride, so in the end he was put down.

I would recommend a TRAINED standy for a beginner rider. They are absolutely awesome horses and so incredibly forgiving. But do not under ANY circumstances EVER get a Standy straight off the track... not a good move. Mine had been under saddle for something like 7 or 8 weeks when I bought him and his previous owner had taught him all the basics including basic laterals. It was an utter disaster. It would have been MORE of a disaster had I got him straight off the track, because many Standardbreds are not broke to ride.


----------



## rookie (May 14, 2012)

I think the best option regardless of what breed you get is that you get an experienced horse. As previously stated, an inexperienced rider and inexperienced horse can lead to a whole lot of trouble. It may be difficult and expensive to find an experienced horse but its worth it.


----------



## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

Umm




What's a brumby?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

DancingArabian, it's an Australian feral horse. Basically our answer to the Mustang.


----------



## kait18 (Oct 11, 2011)

i personally don't see why you couldn't have a brumby if you had the help of a trainer on an everyday basis and if your weight was supported by the horses build.

but as you stated that is difficult. if you really want a brumby i would buy it and send it off to a well known trainer and have him professional trained for atleast 90 days. that way you could have a solid solid foundation on him.
once the foundation is built working with a trainer once week should be no problem to help you both grow together. 

but i don't want to put ideas into anyones minds. it would get costly this way. to save time money and alot of damage on both you and the horse could you look for an older brumby someone worked with and trained and buy them . that way you get a brumby and know if the body can handle you and what you want to do with him?? just a thought


----------



## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Kait, the problem with that plan is that they barely ever come up for sale!! They are awesome horses, incredibly versatile and tough as old boots. I want one, but I like big horses, and it's all but impossible to find a brumby that's 16hh+ - though the majority of Western Australian brumbies are really chunky so for me that's not so much of an issue. I have seen brumbies that for all the world I thought were purebred Welsh Cobs, and I have a real thing for the Cobs, so I can usually pick them.

People don't sell them because they are SO awesome and when trained right you just can't go wrong. Stock work, mounted games, dressage, jumping, show hack, you name it they can turn their hoof to it.


----------



## kait18 (Oct 11, 2011)

do youh ave a market for trading brumby's?? 

if so then maybe you can buy a young one and trade it for an older one from someone who is looking for a brumby project with more experience...

just another idea :/ not sure if that is even possible lol just ideas i am messing with in my head :/


----------



## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

The difference in value between a brumby straight from the bush and a brumby that's been trained is phenomenal - a brumby straight from the bush is anywhere from free to $1000 depending on quality and who rounded it up, whereas a trained brumby is worth in excess of $5000 simply because they are such awesome allrounders. Jack of all trades, master of none - unless of course you do mounted games, at which they are awesome because natural selection has made them quick, nimble, and tough.

A lot of them do end up in cans because they're so cheap and unfortunately it's the cheap ones that the majority of newbies are attracted to... and it takes a huge amount of knowledge, experience, timing and feel to train an untouched wild horse whose only experience of humans might be being forced into a small pen, then onto a truck, then into a yard, from the yard into a crush, branded (gelded too if it's a colt or stallion) and then back into a yard again... to be forced into a horse trailer and then whatever the new owner does. Not all musters are like this, but some of them certainly are.

I do know an adoption agency not far from me that takes the brumbies from the bush and gives them basic handling, gelds the colts/stallions, and then sells them for between $800 and $1200. They're not broke to ride, but they're halter broke, will pick up their feet, stand for the farrier, and load/unload easily. They are simply lovely people and the horses they turn out all have strong foundations to build from.

edit; I speak from what I know about the musters in my state, but not knowing where OP is located I might be talking about entirely the wrong side of Australia. I'm in the West.


----------



## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

This is going to come across as blunt. But -
I think this is a very stupid idea. Getting an unbroken brumby, or an ottsb is going to end in tears. 
As much as I were love it to be true, real horses are not like Flicka and the Black Stallion. You would have to be extraordinarily lucky to successfully break or retrain a horse as a novice yourself. In your first post you mentioned that you're maybe an intermediate rider at best, on *key word* a horse that you know and trust. 
I don't think people realise just how much work goes into a young horse. Yes you may be good with them on the ground, be able to mouth them, get a saddle on etc. But when you're on their backs, they can be like slippery little worms. They have very little balance - it is the job of the rider to sit perfectly centred in the saddle, to help keep the horse balanced. If you lose balance on a breaker, the breaker then panics, you lose more balance, breaker bucks, you fall off, breaker learns to buck. Bad, BAD idea. You've then set the horse up poorly for the rest of its life and it resale value looks very poor. At this point you get the novice owners coming to forums like this, asking why their horse bucked them off or why they can't control them. 

The absolute BEST move for yourself, right at this point, is to find yourself a nice quiet type that you can learn on. Get your confidence and experience up. Then ride some younger, greener horses for a while. 

I purchased a warmblood weanling last year, having been around horses for many years, owned them since I was 10 years old, worked for dealers on nut case re-education jobs, taken ottbs, ridden breakers, competed extensively, and coached..... and you know what? I am terribly nervous about doing a poor job with my young horse. He is a wonderful little guy, his breeder gave him the very best start to life, he is super quiet and eager to learn, but I'll be sending him off for pre-breaking in the next few months as a 2 year old, and off to a professional breaker in his 3rd year for breaking. 
Its just not worth starting a horse badly. Youngsters are like sponges, and what they learn in their breaking process will stay with them for life. 

Not to mention, the likelihood of you getting injured in the process.


----------



## Tracer (Sep 16, 2012)

Blunt is what I wanted Kayty. I'm still leaning towards getting a Standardbred, but most likely one that has been a) professionally broken and b) knows at least the basics. If I was to get one that was unbroken, there would be no way that I would do the first rides myself, especially not at my size. I have worked with breakers myself so I am confident about all the things that need to be done on the ground, but not so much in the saddle.

I want to thank everyone for their input. It's the reality check I've needed. Now all I need is to find the perfect standardbred for me that's in my price range!

And then in a few years, with more confidence and skill and a little (or lot!) less weight, maybe save and break a couple myself.


----------



## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

A STB is a good choice, but yes, make sure you get one that has been re-educated. You want something that has an established canter, and try to get a trotter rather than a pacer. 
What about a nice solid Aussie stock horse?


----------



## Tracer (Sep 16, 2012)

I would love a stock horse, to be honest. But I figured that when all I'm wanting is a plodder, it doesn't make sense to pay out the money required for one, especially when I have limited funds to start with.


----------

