Looking at horses, critiques please! - Update

[Josey'sMom]

Since I know I am not the only one here addicted to the LeightonFarm.com site, I figured I'd post here for opinions on a few of the horses there. My DH and I are going to the farm tomorrow to look at three of their horses. We will be looking at "Stormy 3" on the Looking for a Home page and "Triton" and "Bobbi" on the Off Track Horses page.

I am leaning heavily towards one in particular, but I don't want to say which since I want unbiased opinions. However, I like all three for different reasons and we plan to look at them all before making any decisions. I have spoken to Kim a few times about them and she has been awesome about telling me all about them. I can't wait to go meet her and the horses! I'm hoping to find my dream horse tomorrow, or if not, we will probably look there again later.

We have 4 horses here now, 3 of which are drafts. I love our drafts, but they are not the mount of choice for eventing, lol. And I always dreamed of a tb in HS and college before our riding took a different turn. Now I am getting back to my "roots" as it were with this potential new horse. What we are hoping for is a horse that will be a fun ride and has the potential to be competitive in lower level eventing. We will never be doing any upper levels, so the horse does not have to be talented enough for that, we are more concerned with a horse that we can have fun with and that will hopefully hold up in the long run soundness-wise. Our next horse will be our last one for a long time, so we want this to be The One :D Our max eventing level will probably be novice, though the potential to do prelim would be a plus just in case I ever get that brave, lol.

So, what do you all think of these three horses given what we are looking for? Pros/cons? Does one jump out at you and scream "wow"? I know one of them, the pictures just call to me for some reason, but I want to see if I am missing something or if that horse is as well put together as I think.

Thanks for any input!!!

[carrie_girl]

I can't watch videos here at work, but just going off pictures, I like Triton best. That's probably just because he really reminds me of my old prelim horse though! That site sure has some nice horses.... It's probably good I'm on the other side of the country!

[jn4jenny]

Ms. Bobbi Socks has something funky going on with her front end in the videos. I hope it's something minor like foot soreness and that it'll be gone when you get there, but if her front legs are as icky in person as they are in her picture, then you should pass.

Stormy is cute, but I'd like to know more about what "smart" means. "Smart" sometimes means "clever and willing", and sometimes it means "has ideas of his own". If it's the latter, time to pass. Otherwise I see no reason not to give him a whirl.

Triton is a handsome fellow with no glaring conformation or movement problems (based on video and pics). He also looks damn good for having been off the track for only a few weeks, which suggests that maybe he was well taken care of at the track and/or was a barn favorite.

Also, this is just MVHO, so take it with a grain of salt...but for a DD and yourself who have only just completed a first horse trial at elementary and BBN respectively this past November, I would *not* be looking at an OTTB for a first eventing horse, esp. if it will be your first TB. If you were already riding at BN or Novice with confidence and experience, then that would be a different story. If you already have an eventing trainer involved and they've blessed this plan, then happy shopping--otherwise, I'd urge you to get in touch with one to discuss whether this is the right road to a happy first few years in eventing.

[eventerwannabe]

jn4jenny - i thought the same thing about Bobbi's front end:no:

I like Triton the best (but I am no expert). I think he moves nice and he has a quiet expression.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Ms. Bobbi Socks has something funky going on with her front end in the videos. I hope it's something minor like foot soreness and that it'll be gone when you get there, but if her front legs are as icky in person as they are in her picture, then you should pass.



She looked sound but it looks like she paddles slightly...not a big deal for what the OP is looking for. Her trot is going to improve a lot...she still just looks pretty tracky as did the other two. I liked Triton the best but I did also like Bobbi....didn't see enough of Stormy to really form an opinion. Bobby seemed a nice sort and had a nice canter for her training. Any one of them would be a nice lower level horse.

Now that horse Grand is my type....he's who I would want to bring home.

[CBudFrggy]

Give me Double Ask any day--off to buy my lotto ticket!

[Josey'sMom]

:)Also, this is just MVHO, so take it with a grain of salt...but for a DD and yourself who have only just completed a first horse trial at elementary and BBN respectively this past November, I would *not* be looking at an OTTB for a first eventing horse, esp. if it will be your first TB. If you were already riding at BN or Novice with confidence and experience, then that would be a different story. If you already have an eventing trainer involved and they've blessed this plan, then happy shopping--otherwise, I'd urge you to get in touch with one to discuss whether this is the right road to a happy first few years in eventing.

Thanks for your concern and I totally understand what you are saying. However, while we are new to eventing, we are not new to riding or thoroughbreds. I have been riding for 20 years and actually worked as an exercise rider for a race trainer for a summer in high school. Granted, that was some time ago, but I am at least quite familiar with what it takes to ride a racing trained tb. And I am a better rider now than I was then. For a large part of my riding life, I rode mainly thoroughbreds. It was more recently that we fell in love with drafts. And the smaller drafts that we use sure do look pretty in plate armor when we are jousting :) But I rode mostly hunters in college. DH has been riding for 8 years. I've done most of the training on our horses (and on the "problem horses" at the barn when I was in school and couldn't afford my own, lol). And we are working with an eventing trainer who we've ridden with for the past few years too :) So I feel relatively safe.

That being said, there is a reason we are only looking at the horses on the farm and not on the track. Kim has already done a lot of the initial retraining work and has been very honest with me about where they are in their training. And when we try them out under saddle tomorrow, I know she will be honest about if she thinks we are a match too. So I'm trying to stack the deck in our favor and we will not hesitate to leave empty handed if none of them turn out to be what we are looking for.

Thanks again, I really appreciate your comments :)

[Josey'sMom]

Now that horse Grand is my type....he's who I would want to bring home.

Yeah, Grand is pretty fancy. But she said she's pretty sure he's sold, so he's probably not available. Otherwise, he'd be on my list too :)

[Josey'sMom]

Give me Double Ask any day--off to buy my lotto ticket!

Well, if we're talking after we win the lottery, he's my pick too, lol. But since I think DH would divorce me if I asked him to mortgage the house so we could buy a horse...

Well, lets just say he's not on my list until that lotto money comes in :D

[Toadie's mom]

I look at that site all the time! I've only bothered Kim once for info. about one of the horses and he was on there less than a week b4 he was sold.

Can't wait to hear what happens :D

[HWilliams]

Out of the ones you mentioned I like Trinton the best.

Off topic, but Revy, on their home page is my trainer's horse. He is a super cool horse.

[purplnurpl]

thought I saw something a lil funny up front with Triton as well.
Or was I imagining things. (which is possible!)

[joharavhf]

It looks like Bobbi is over at the knee. She appears to be in her conformation shot (though her coloring may skew there) but she DEFINITELY moves like an over-at-the-knee horse. I've met one before that moved just like her....and he was over at the knee.

I'd be interested in hearing what you have to say about her!

I like Triton the most. Although the old bow may be troubling. Not a fan of the look of Stormy - both under saddle or conformation shot.

Do you have any other prospects? I'd probably pass on all of these horses.

[Josey'sMom]

Of these three, our first pick is Triton. Honestly, the more I think about it, we probably won't come home with any of them, though I still feel it's well worth looking. And if Triton is as quiet and level headed as he sounds, we may end up really liking him. My preference by far would be to find an older, been there, done that kind of horse for my DH. According to my trainer, she has no problem with me on an OTTB. But it would be better for DH to have a more experienced mount if at all possible. Point taken, and I admit I am bad about looking for what I want to ride and figuring he'll be fine with whatever horse I can ride. I sometimes forget that I have over a decade more experience than him :o

The problem is, our budget is not big for buying a horse. We can afford to keep one more and can come up with the money we need if there is a big vet bill. But we really need to stay in the lower price range when buying a horse in order to not eat into the emergency vet money. And it's hard to find a good campaigner for under 2k (which is about our limit). OTOH, with the economy there are likely going to be more out there that are going for less than they should be worth. So maybe we'll manage to find an awesome deal. We are not in a huge rush to buy, but would like something by spring or so. And our instructors are keeping an eye out for us as well, so they may turn something up.

Thanks again for all your thoughts and I will let you know what happens :)

[jen0601]

I like Lucky Charm. I think while you are there you should at least peek at him.

[Josey'sMom]

I like Lucky Charm. I think while you are there you should at least peek at him.

I like him too. He looks like a ton of fun. But unfortunately, he is out of our price range. And I would hate to look at him anyway, fall in love, and know I can't take him home :(

[CBudFrggy]

I can't wait for your update! Have a fun day horsey shopping!

[Josey'sMom]

Well, we went to Leighton Farm today and I had a great time. Kim is really nice and you can tell she really cares about her horses. It started raining right when we got there, of course, lol. We only ended up looking at Triton, but boy is he a sweet guy.

I went out with Kim to bring him in and Triton came right over and stuck his head in his halter. I led him back to the barn and he was as calm and nice as could be. Tacking up he did lift a leg a little when his girth was tightened, but not a mean pose at all, more of a "hey, you're doing it wrong" kind of look. He is still confused by having the girth tightened before you ride, lol.

Kim took him out and hopped on, walked and trotted him around a bit and cantered a little. They didn't canter much because it had just started raining and the grass was slick, but he was very controllable. Then I got on and he was a little confused at having two riders back to back. She said that was a first for him. But he was a doll. I did not feel like I was riding a horse that had raced less than a month ago. He definitely felt green and "looky" with a little giraffe neck here and there, but you could tell he is really trying to figure out his new job and never felt at all intimidating. I really liked him. I walked and trotted him, then he stood on a loose rein while we talked, perfectly happy and relaxed even though it was dinner time and he'd really rather be in his stall eating, lol. I didn't canter him because the grass was slick and it didn't seem worth risking having him slip and possibly injure himself when I already knew my decision was made. If the grass had been dry I would have felt perfectly safe asking him to canter.

If I was looking for a horse for just me, I would have been really tempted and probably had my trainer come out to look at him. But, I don't think it'd be fair to him to buy him. He is still just a little too much horse for my DH. Not that he was bad AT ALL, but he needs a soft ride with someone to help him learn confidence in his new job and I'm afraid DH is not experienced enough to ride him just yet. And I'd hate to have any part in ruining such a sweet horse. But I really think someone else is going to have a lot of fun with him. And given a month or two more retraining, he probably would be fine for DH, but we're looking for something we can both ride right off the bat. And I don't want to offend DH by telling him I don't think he can ride a horse yet that I feel safe on. The male ego is so fragile...

We didn't look at the other two because Triton was the best bet. Kim and I discussed it and decided if DH wasn't ready for him, he wasn't going to be able to ride the other two either. She was very nice and thanked me for coming out. I'm so glad we went and I had a very nice time. Definitely worth the drive :)

[joharavhf]

Thanks for the great update! And KUDOS to you for going with what your DH needs and not what you want! :D

Good luck in your search :)

[asterix]

Hey, just wanted to suggest that you not totally rule out draft crosses in your search. I bought one for just the purposes you are looking for -- lower level eventing plus a horse that my DH can ride. He's a very green rider who just wants to bomb around in the fields, jump logs, hunter pace, etc.

Anyway, there are PLENTY of draft crosses who could make very nice lower level eventers (my coach has already said she thinks the baby could easily go prelim, which is as far as I'll ever want to go), and they are sane and sensible for less experienced riders.

So just another thing to think about as you consider your options!

Good luck...