For Kachina, it was mostly this photo:
I looked at that photo, and I thought "I can make a dressage horse out of that trot". Possibly not the smartest thought I've had, as I know that the walk and canter are more important and harder to fix, but I really like when a horse knows how to track up and use their hind end. Luckily, she ended up having three pretty nice gaits.
She was also labelled as an "Amazing trail horse - go out alone or with a group!" and I really liked that prospect, as I do enjoy trail riding but don't have the confidence to train a horse to be good at that myself.
On the other hand, was there something in their ad that made you almost discount them?
Kachina's ad had her listed as 16.1hh. I am short, and while I use mounting blocks when available, I wanted to be able to get on from the ground in a pinch and anything over 16hh was going to be an issue. I'm glad I didn't let that put me off as Kachina ended up being only 15.2hh (though I still have trouble getting on her without something to stand on - I'm pretty vertically challenged).
I'd love to hear your stories!
The only video of Stinker I saw was one where he was crooked and running around with his head straight up in the air. I also didn't know anything about saddlebreds and thought he was funny looking. I wasn't really interested but D (who was doing the actual looking) encouraged me not to discount him. I basically let her go look at him because she thought he had talent. I didn't see him in person until almost 3 months after I bought him.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of trust in D! but it seems to have worked out pretty well :)
DeleteHa ha ha ha. Oh this brings back memories. Here's a link to Nilla's sale ad picture: https://diyhorseownership.com/nilla/ It was so bad, looking back on it, I wonder if they actually wanted to sell her at all. The only redeeming features were that she was a mule and not chestnut.
ReplyDeleteI guess with mules, the ads are few enough that they don't need to be good to catch your attention haha. I can relate to going to look at an equine just because they are close by - but the last time I did that I found a downhill, mutton withered mare who had to be ridden in a bareback pad and a hackamore due to her conformation, and had learned she could get away with anything with her young owner. Sounds like you did well with Nilla!
DeleteI saw a couple of pictures of Paddy, watched a video, and then drove 2000 miles to get him. Yes, I'm basically 12 and a sucker for a cute face.
ReplyDeleteWell we all know how ridiculously photogenic Paddy is, so I'm sure the pictures in the ad were convincing :)
DeleteI always find it funny that people don't seem to stick horses properly when they post them for sale!
ReplyDeleteVery true! It also seems far more common that people overestimate their horse's height than underestimate it... which is a little shady when you consider the demand for taller horses.
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