Good Advice – and a question!
Sep 07 2009
I can’t take credit for this – it was found on Portland Craigslist – but boy do I agree with it! Kudos to the writer.
DEAR HORSE SELLER:
IMPORTANT THINGS TO UNDERSTAND—-
Most of the ads that you are posting are inaccurate and your horses are way overpriced FOR THE CURRENT market.
DO NOT CALL A HORSE “BROKE” IF THE HORSE HAS NOT BEEN UNDER SADDLE FOR AT LEAST A YEAR CONSISTENTLY (RIDDEN BY AN EXPERIENCED HORSEMAN)
A BROKE HORSE DOES NOT: BUCK, BITE, REAR, CHARGE OFF, OR KICK.
A HORSE IS NOT BROKE BECAUSE IT IS FRIENDLY AND COMES TO YOU WHEN YOU ENTER THE PASTURE
A HORSE IS NOT BROKE BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN CHASING IT IN A ROUND PEN
A HORSE IS NOT BROKE BECUASE YOU WATCHED A SERIES OF “DOWN UNDER HORSEMANSHIP” VIDEOS OR ATTENDED A PAT PARELLI CLINIC
A HORSE IS NOT A “RANCH HORSE” BECAUSE IT GRAZES IN THE SAME PASTURE AS SOME COWS. (FHOTD in: ROTFL! ROTFL! ROTFL!) A RANCH HORSE IS A HORSE THAT CAN CUT A COW, ROPE A YEARLING AND DRAG CALVES TO THE BRANDING FIRE. A HORSE THAT HAS DONE TEAM PENNING DOES NOT MAKE IT A RANCH HORSE. MOST RANCHERS WOULD NEVER BUY A HORSE THAT HAS TEAM PENNED. TEAM PENNING IS THE OPPOSITE OF HOW YOU WOULD ACTUALLY HANDLE A HORSE WHEN WORKING CATTLE ON A RANCH.
Most horses on Craigslist can have their asking price cut by 50% and probably would be overpriced even then. The horse market is in the toilet. ESPECIALLY IF YOUR HORSE IS OVER 3 YEARS OLD, DOES NOT HAVE PAPERS, AND IS NOT A FULLY FINISHED HORSE IN SOME DISCIPLINE. IF YOUR HORSE IS 6 YEARS OLD, PARTIALLY BROKE, AND GRADE: YOU ACTUALLY HAVE DOG MEAT TO SELL. (FHOTD in: Mean but accurate. That describes a “horse you will be lucky to give away to a good home for free”)
YOU MUST ACCEPT THE FACT THAT YOU PAID TOO MUCH FOR IT WHEN YOU BOUGHT, YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO TRAIN IT, AND NOW YOU ARE ASKING WAY TO MUCH FOR IT ON CRAIGSLIST!!!!!
TAKE CARE
So this leads us to a fun question – if you had to write a sale ad for your horse today, would you define him as broke, green broke or started, and why?
My 24 year old TB mare is green broke – it has nothing to do with age. No one rode her after the track and while she’s quiet and seems safe so far, she doesn’t know much. She may never get further than green broke – I don’t have intense riding goals for her at her age, I’m just hoping to find her a good adopter who wants to ride lightly and feed lots of carrots. A lot of horses who are solely trail ridden (the “just for fun” type of trail riding, not serious trail riding – I know some of you have made it into an art form) NEVER get more than green broke in their lives.
Track broke, in general, is green broke in my mind. There are exceptions. Some trainers just about finish them and kudos to them – they are doing those horses a HUGE favor.
My 29 year old, although retired, is broke. She competed in multiple disciplines. She retired still a ball of fire and no doubt would consider giving me some excitement if I hopped on her today, but she was a made polo pony, a decent short stirrup hunter on a good day, and fast enough to place in barrels and poles at open shows. That’s a pretty versatile, broke horse.
My 4 year old is somewhere between green broke and broke. He is show-ready in the arena but just hasn’t been “out” yet – he will go to his first shows soon, and hopefully his first trail ride yet this year. Although he rides like a well trained horse in the arena, I don’t know that I could call him “broke” yet due to his lack of experiences.
What about yours? What would you say about them, and why?
129 comments to “Good Advice – and a question!”
« Previous 1 2
« Previous 1 2
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment. Not a member? Registering is free, and you do it here!
Oh, I forgot……If you have a horse/pony that has “been handled since birth” Im going to assume he/she has also seen the vet twice a year, and had farrier work done every 6-10 weeks. The only excuse for a “BHSB” horse not standing for these when I get home is if the vet or farrier routinely abused them while your back was turned for some reason, LOL. But seriuosly anyone who is looking to sell any horse should take a month or two to work on these basics with them, It will bring the price up a little. I just hate it when you get a “broke” horse home and have the vet out for their shots and HOLY CRAP they took the vets arm off and bolted through the fence!
11 year old grade chestnut gelding, 16hh. Well broke but not a beginner’s horse. Loads, clips, bathes, longes, stands well for the farrier. Very much an “in your face” horse. Can neck rein or direct contact. Has competed successfully for 5 years in Drill. Can be ridden bridle-less with a neck ring and has COMPETED bridle-less. Has carried flags in competition. Huge heart and is a big pleaser – he’ll try anything you ask him to do. Asking Price: NFS – sorry!
My big goofy boy carried me to a high-point win at the Oregon State Fair Drill competition. My quad team competed bridle-less and carrying flags. I posit that he is, indeed, well broke. Not neccesarily well trained, but well broke. But, even though he is well broke, he can be a high-energy horse and is not for the weak of heart. I would also never sell him in a million years. Even if that means I live in a tent. He is my soul mate and will be with me until the sad day that I put him in the dirt.
I’m sure someone else has commented on this, but I for one have to object to the statement that the average trail horse can’t be considered “broke.” I would consider most solid trail horses the epitome of broke!
A trail horse has to be able to leave other horses, leave home, often trailers, deals with obstacles and uneven terrain at different gaits, crosses water and bridges.
I guess it’s a matter of your values, but I would rather have a horse that doesn’t spook at the sight of a bicycle than a horse that can trot sideways.
How many “trained” horses cannot or are not ridden outside of an arena because of rider fears? Fugly, you said yourself that you consider your 4 year old almost broke, yet you will “hopefully” trail ride him this year? If he is pretty much broke, you should have no hesitation if trail riding is so “fun” and easy!
10yr old registered 14.3h arabian. not for begginers! must have soft hands and seat to ride him.steers stops and backs off seat and legs alone.neck reins.lounges and bathes and trailers well has done trails in a group or alone has a little issue about having to lead in a group. will follow deer not spooky. not afraid of atvs traffic and gun shots. has placed well in open shows in halter,western pleasure and western horsemanship.his dam and sire are champions in the show ring.he is sound safe and sane also does tricks such as kisses hugs acts ashamed opens and closes gates and doors and bows all on command
i consider him broke he will do anything for me but messes with people who never rode him before he LOVES to pretend spook or refuse to walk forward or only go sideways if you dont know what you are doing i have owned him since he was 5mo old and average 250 hours a year in the saddle(i know this because we do the frequent rider thing through AHA) on him i didint consider him fully broke untill he was 8 hes only gotten better each year i have been offered $8500 for him but turned it down i cant sell my best friend!(my husband cried he hates this horse so bad!lol)
then theres our 8yr old grade belgian hes my husbands horse hes basically green broke.he has done trails speed shows(always places dead last and gets laughed out of the arena) and drives but hasent had the consistant hours put on him. he stops and back does not work off legs well not spooky but likes to look at things.trailers ties and bathes loves to go swimming. hes a big lovable dumb dumb he hates working and loves to go slow. he hasent been riden a whole lot due to my bad knees i cant get up there most days hes too tall and my husband doesent ride real often.he lounges,bathes,and ties farriers and vets love how well he stands.
3yr old registered 15h dun qh lounges ties bathes.started well under saddle has done light trail riding likes to go slow will trot if asked. he is green broke and so far has proven not spooky will go anywhere you point his nose not afraid of traffic,atvs and gun shots.he also enjoys swimming. he is just learning to move off your leg and starting to get the hang of neck reining
and my 3yr old qh
19 y/o gray TB mare. Has schooled up to 4′ in the past and shown at 2’9″ and 3′; she has not jumped seriously in a few years, but still is sound and very willing if you choose to. Schooling some first and second level movements, has a big swinging trot and forward smooth canter. She is even a great trail horse, has been on a few very long difficult rides, deep into narrow canyons, and up rocky steep paths. She is a real been there done that kind of horse, her early years were spent at the track and on the polo field too. There really is not much that this girl hasn’t seen or done! Don’t her her age fool you this mare has alot of spunk and life left in her, she will still be going for some time. Best for an experienced rider or someone with a trainer.
I’ve seen some interesting versions of “broke” my fav was the almost 30sumthing pony that came into my trainer’s lesson program. He was a picture pony, he would stand relaxed all day long as long as you never put your leg on him. The first day I rode him to see how he would be for lessons I gave a little squeeze for a trot and he took off bucking like a little rodeo bronc. After a couple of weeks he was walk/trot ok for little kids lessons, I would never have called him past green broke tho.
18yr old paint has navicular is a kids horse delux. was a cow horse,trail horse and retired as a therapy horse where we adopted him. impressive breeding n/n. has halter points was shown in the APHA world show as a yearling. i think they tried to make a show horse out of him and pushed him too hard he hates arenas. hes a safe reliable kids horse will do anything asked requires regular chiro appointments due to arthritis and a vitamin E supplement and regular farrier care due to his navicular is ridden reguarly by a 7yr old kid.
28yr old pony IR and prone to founder so must be kept on dry lot. was a 4h show pony he rides and drives some idiot nerved his tail so it doesent work at all and he requires regular cleanings under his tail due to the fact he cant lift it.wonderful kids pony without the pony attitude. we have shown him in costume class and my kids ride him often and have roped off of him. not spooky have taken him inside a local pet store for a costume contest that he placed 1st in. he is sound and even though he has foundered there is no real damage to his feet and they look normal outside and in just have to watch his diet and he needs a special feed.
18yr old paint/arab mare been there done that has the shirt to prove it!. ridden by kids sound safe and sane though she does have a enlarged ovary that requires her to be on regumate or she goes into heat hard and doesent come out of it on her own may need ovary removed in the future. she swims ties trailers. my kids can tack and untack her and pick her feet by themselves she is the only one i will let them do by themselves. she has even ridden by bears with cubs and kept her cool.
none of my horses are for sale but thats what i would write if they were. that above mare i paid a bit much for $800 i didint know about the bad ovary until after we got her and my son was in love with her the two clicked so well we decided to deal with her issue if anyone has any ideas or tips for a mare of her issues i would love to hear them! the people we got her from used her for breeding and trail riding and she was kept with mares. after the first week here being kept with geldings here she turned into a nightmare you couldent lead her she was peeing on the geldings who were all scared of her! and she would bite and kick people who tried to touch her and was in obvious pain on the left side.the vet examined her and noted a enlarged overy gave her a shot to take her out of heat that worked for a week and she went back in then we started the regumate and that has worked really well i just hate to keep her on it forever as i dont know what it will do to her long term. i am saving up to possably have the overy taken but its such a risky surgery shes such a wonderful kids horse and my sons best friend i dont want to lose her like that
2003 Registered Oldenburg Mare. 15.3, black bay with a white sock. Well started under saddle–w,t,c both direction, pretty solid on leads. Trotting over poles with rider, lunging over small crossrails. Clips, loads, ties, but not a huge fan of water. Loves to be curried and brushed. Picks her feet up and stands well for farrier. Has been out to shows and is quiet but interested. Has been in an indoor arena once–looky, but not spooky. Extremely picky about well-fitting tack. Will show training level in dressage next year and do level 1 or 2 jumpers. $35,000.
And yes, the price is because she’s absolutely not for sale.
I have a small horse rescue in Wisconsin. My website is http://www.2ndchancehorserescue.org
These horses are in these categories.
1. Lady- a 19 year old Registered Morgan. Was started last year to ride. First year we had her, she was a mess, always on alert and we just did ground work on her. She is considered what i say is green broke. She needs some finishing. Has only been ridden in the indoor arena. She knows walk, trot, canter. Impeccable ground manners. When we first started working with her, she walked faster than I could run! Now is great with her handler. Listens well and is a great horse! But she has well over 70 rides on her. Needs an experienced rider. And we will be getting her to trail ride as well yet this year.
2. Daevin- a 10 year old Arab. Was registered but I dont have papers. He is broke, but needs a confident rider as he loves to go and will test his rider. But listens well to a saavy rider. He has been in parades, trails, arenas, can just 2’2″ jumps, is very lovey. He was starved when he was 4 years old and has a bit of a sway back, but it doesnt get in the way of him riding. He loves to ride. Also knows line driving with and without blinders but not hooked up to a cart yet. Very short, about 14.2.
3. Mr. Butters- used be a lesson horse. 16 years old, 16 hands, a palomino. Been there, done that kind of boy. But if he is trail riding, he will test you and try to go back to the barn! But will listen without too much trouble. I consider him as well broke! He also has a adoption pending!
4. Max- a 23 year old (gorgeous) register Morgan. He was from a Morgan farm that the county seized. I did adopt him out before training him to ride. He was returned 10 months later – the adopters trainer said he couldnt be trained. My trainer trained him in 3 months! I sent a picture to them with my trainer, her 4 year old son on him! He is green broke. Not too many rides on him yet!
I have others, but not trained to ride yet! But we make sure the ground works is imbedded in them before riding them!
Thanks for reading!
These are my definitions:
Not broke: never been ridden
Started: has been ridden, will walk and trot under saddle, but may still steer like a big truck with no power steering and doesn’t feel solid underneath the rider yet
Green broke: will walk trot and canter, steers pretty well, halts, backs, stands quietly (at least briefly), still needs experienced rider, still doesn’t feel completely solid underneath the rider
Broke: will do pretty much whatever is required of a horse in the discipline in which he is being used, feels solid underneath the rider, suitability for beginner/intermediate/experienced rider mostly a function of horse’s temperament rather than the level of training the horse has reached.
Dead broke: broke plus suitable for beginner rider
My 22-yr old mule is broke, but will never be dead broke because he’s got just a bit too much “go” for a beginner. It’s not that he won’t do what he is asked to do, but at the same time, he expects his rider to get with the program and get going. I think that in a previous life he worked on a pack string or dude string and whoever trained him said, quite forcefully, “Son, your job is to get on down the trail,” and by God, that’s what he’s going to do.
My 4-yr old mule is not broke, because, up until the past few months, I just didn’t feel like he was mentally ready to start. I will get him started this fall.
I consider one of my ponies broke. He walk/trot/canters/jumps, is quiet on trails, crosses water, rides in a loose ring snaffle. In a past life he was a therapy horse. He doesn’t spook at anything, loves kisses and cuddles. He has his pony moments but they usually just consist of him stopping by the gate and refusing to move b/c he knows the little kids can’t pull or kick hard enough to make him. One look from me and he sighs and gives up.
My other pony is as unbroke as they come. She’s 4 and until i got her 3 months ago was almost completely unhandled (except for being hauled from one auction to the next). Her feet had been allowed to grow into the slipper foot formation and somewhere along the way she learned if she bites she doesn’t have to deal with humans. Its taken 3 months but her feet look almost normal, she leads, ties, picks up all four feet, let you touch her all over, and has worn a saddle and bridle. She is still very nervous and i wouldn’t trust her around a kid or a beginner but luckily she is smart as a whip, and absolutely adorable (who wouldn’t love a 12hh, dainty, painted pony?). She’s now the first one in for dinner,loves wither scratches, no longer bites, and best of all moves sound! However I’m not deluded, she still has miles and miles ahead of her until she becomes a sellable pony.
let’s see, when i bought Cash he was on a 3X5 index card on a tack board outside a store, and my friend happened to see it. he was listed as a 17 hand 6 year old bay thoroughbred gelding. KID BROKE. 1,000. that was it. but since he was in town we decided to go look. i like “horse shopping” some people call it kicking the tires… oh well, i find it entertaining. what we found when we got there was: very out of shape, barely 16 hand BROWN 6-7ISH year old Gelding who was barn/ buddy sour. a tank who would walk all over you, refused to canter at all, popped up in the front when asking him to work, no coggins, no shots, long toes etc etc… needless to say, i was in LOVE… he had the cutest face i had ever seen. and i LOVE a big brown horse. long dramatic story later i got him for 750 dollars.
to sell him now 3 years later I would say:
10 year old ( have number through JC now) Brown 16 hand ( on a tall day a few weeks due for a trim) OTTB gelding. bombproof. intelligent. training level dressage with many 1st and some 2nd level movements. shown hunter on the flat locally. he’s always the same horse, let him stand a few days or a few weeks! rides in a snaffle, soft mouth easy and uncomlicated to ride. trail rides in front/behind and alone , has done hunter paces, and multiple parades. has been shown by kids in halter, w/p and trot barrels, rides double, and has no problem with water. has been to mountains and the ocean. is a great all around horse, would make a great husband horse or for a novice rider looking to have fun with an easy horse. not selling as a beginner/childs horse as he can be pushy on the ground if allowed, otherwise a real sweet boy. not hot, requires an upbeat warmup, or can be a little lazy, no buck no rear. clips, loads, bathes, stands for farrier and vet. 1,000,000 firm
Cash is NEVER for sale, however the poor guy has done more standing around in his life than work… i had a baby 1 year ago, so he’s had a year off, and not consitant work since then. people hear TB and they assume crazy. whe i got on him after having my baby he’d been out of work 11 1/2 months. he was EXACTLY the same horse i had before, minus the muscles and the flexibility… he was still broke. i have put rank beginners on him, i have put kids on him to show, he is a baby sitter, but he will test a rider who expects him to work. he hates to sweat.
wouldn’t trade him for the world. i always tell my husband that if i won the lottery i wouldn’t buy a new horse, i’d just send cash to training with debbie mcdonald…. hehe.
OMGosh!!!!! I LOVED this posting!!!! Who is this brilliant person!!! I’m looking for a horse in southwestern Ontario and for the life of me I can’t figure out how a TB/cross that does first level dressage and appears to be well broke is selling for $2500 while someone else’s grade backyard lawn ornament that has no professional training and has only been ridden twice in the past summer is listed at over $3000.00!! It’s enough to drive a grown woman to drink, and when the kids haven’t already done it, that is saying ALOT!!!!!
I’m not going to list all of mine, just my favorites. Here are three hypothetic ads (the ads are hypothetical; the horses are real and exactly as described):
(1) FOR SALE: 4YO Ch TB G, 16 h and growing. By a son of Mr. Prospector out of a Vice Regent mare. Gorgeous. Long step. Great conformation, great bone. Ran five times; recently off the track. Possibly the best-bred TB since Son of Seabiscuit to hit the track and never show the slightest speck of talent. The only racehorse in history to break from the 8 hole, make a sharp left and run out the gap without (a) injuring himself or (b) causing a multiple-fatality pile-up or (c) injuring anyone except the groom he mowed down after he ditched the jock and galloped back to his stall. Affectionate, smart, changes a snap. Due to his being so green, I’ve only jumped him once just to see what he’d do (and only did so because shortly after I brought him home, he jumped out of a 5-foot round pen – when it took me two hours in the broiling sun to catch him, I thought, “Well sucka, let’s see what you’re REALLY made of.â€) Jumped him all the way up to 4’9†(oxer) then quit raising the fence when I ran out of beer. This guy jumps in classic form. Jerks his knees and cracks his back in the air. Alas, he moves more like a bush hog than a daisy cutter… Never mind; I love this horse too much to sell him whether he ever enters the show ring or not.
(2) FOR SALE: 22YO 16.1 bay TB mare by son of Dixieland Band out of a Blushing Groom mare. Stakes-placed as 2YO and 3YO, then descended to the claiming level and has the sorry-ass ankles to prove it. I bought because I felt sorry for her; she was one hot mess as a 5YO. Her only successful cover produced a live foal which stood and suckled, then keeled over and died — thus preventing me from recovering the $7500 stud fee. Showed as hunter after I decided that breeding her again would not only be cruel but stupid; she won zillions of ribbons during her career (all the way to regular hunter, won a classic at a Very Prestigious Show) but would stop on a dime if I even THOUGHT about moving so much as an eyebrow in front of a fence. This mare is a total love who remains hot as a habanera pepper under saddle and upon occasion forgets that she’s waaaaaay too elderly and arthritic to levitate sideways at the sight of a white plastic bag… Never mind; I love her too much to sell her no matter what.
(3) FOR SALE: 16YO b/dk br 16.3 TB mare. Unraced due to training injury (actually, her problem was that she’s claustrophobic and flipped once too often in the gate; nobody including me was willing to teach her to load). Bred to die for: by a son of Boldnesian out of Holy Bull mare. Although crazy as a fruit bat, she smacks her lips REAL GOOD in the round pen and lets you ride her bareback. Although spookier than Casper the Ghost, she could and would jump the moon. Did well up to Intermediate level. Produced an allowance winning and multiple stakes-placed daughter plus a warmblood son (Oldenburg) who did not inherit his dam’s disposition and is currently doing well on the ‘A’ circuit in adult-ammy hunters. This mare is probably the worst cribber ever born. She is to “beginner horse†as Tubby the Tuba is to Tinkerbelle. You’ll love this mare on trail rides if you’re a suicidal psycho with borderline personality disorder. Cannot be bred due to complications during last foaling and the fact that she’s a whack job… Triple never mind; I love this mare too much to sell her whether she kills me or not.
Hmm. I guess I would define Teton as “broke”. She’s 6 and was started when she was 2 (I had no control over this). She’s been to shows, though not conventionally, she’s performed in a drill team at several rodeos. About the only thing she does is get excited when she’s running and she’ll sort of forget what exactly “pulling back” means, but she will stop eventually. She doesn’t take off (though she has in the past, I think she’s out of that little phase, knock on wood) and she doesn’t buck/rear/etc (she will occasionally threaten other horses under saddle, but she is a mare and does go into heat on occasion. She never gets further than threatening and is reprimanded for that.) She has very good ground manners, and has only stepped on me when trying to get away from another horse trying to bite her (and she promptly moved when she realized it was me and not ground her foot was on). I’ve also ridden her for more than a year, and I would call myself experienced.
Sky is by all means broke. She’s been to countless competitive trail rides and done well in a lot of them. She will do pretty much anything asked of her, even if she may not want to. She will, on occasion, pin her ears at those trying to catch her, but once she knows them she doesn’t do it much. She just has a big mare attitude, but she’s a dream to ride. Just don’t try to be her friend.
If I had to sell my gelding tomorrow:
Appaloosa gelding, 15 years, 15.2 hands. Very inexperienced. Had 30 days western training at 3, only a few rides since. Was only ridden off the place once, and was very spooky then. Hasn’t been ridden at all for 10 years. MUST BE RE-STARTED. Easy keeper, good ground manners, good for farrier, not hard to load. Very sound – no wear and tear! Ties well BUT has only been tied in calm situations. Well cared for, good feet, needs teeth floated yearly.
Flea-bit bay varnish roan w/ white blanket w/ spots, plus good tail. Registerable – papers still in my MIL’s name. 3/4 Thoroughbred by blood. For sale ONLY to experienced people – bring your trainer or instructor.
With the market this bad, I’m only asking $550 for him.
End of ad.
We may have to sell him; we need a much cheaper place. If so, I plan on a) registering him, and b) sending him to a trainer. God willing, we’ll find a place cheap enough to have enough to spare to board him. My mare, beautiful cripple that she is, is not for sale. If we do have to move, we’ll put her down, which we’ll probably have to do soon anyway. Sob.
Ruthie
I recently sold two horses, one was a semi-retired show gelding, the other a retired roping mare. Both were sound, sane, and knew their jobs.
The gelding I described as TRAINED. Not broke, but trained. He could take a good intermediate level or above rider to state or regional shows and hold his own in halter, WP, Western Riding, and Trail. Several people called wanting to look at him, but after discussing their riding ability with them, I declined to show him to them. Not being a snob, but he was not a beginner’s horse and I turned several people away before I found a good fit for him in a show barn with a girl who worked consitently with a trainer.
The roping mare I described in her ad as broke, even kid broke. She was no show horse, but she handled like a dream, never got flustered, was very forgiving, would carry anyone around from beginner to advanced, in the arena or on the trail, with or without other horses, through traffic, noise, and every imaginable distraction, and would respond appropriately based on the rider’s skill. I sold her to a first time horse owner who described absolute horror stories of driving the tires off the truck looking at horses that people described as “safe,” “broke,” “kid broke,” etc. (Sadly, her stories are ones we are all familiar with.) She was seriously sick of looking, but she badly wanted a horse for her family. I worked with her 12-year-old son (who had only been on a horse once before in his life) for about 20 minutes showing him how to cue the mare and communicate with her, then I let him ride her in the round pen. He did great, so I opened the gate and let them go around in the field. Still great. He had the biggest smile on his face! SInce they were beginners, I told them they should NOT buy a horse without lining up a trainer to give them lessons, and was glad to learn that they had sdone that months in advance when they first started their search. They bought the mare, and the mom called me about two weeks later and said that her sons, who used to ONLY be interested in the ATVs and quads, now fought over who would get to ride the mare first when they got home from school!
One more thing:
Whenever I sell a horse, I always leave it in its stall or loose in the field until the potential buyer shows up. I want them to see me catch, halter, lead to the hitching post, groom, saddle and mount the horse. I get REALLY nervous when I arrive to look at a horse that is already saddled, and worse yet, covered in sweat or dried sweat. If the horse was worked for two hours to calm it down before I got there, I’m not interested. When this happens to me, I ask the seller to untack the horse and re-tack it, or I tell them I’ll come back another time to see the horse when it’s fresh. If the seller gets all weird about it, I just leave and don’t come back at all.
There aren’t that many really well broke horses out there, so it amazes me to see how many of them are advertised! LOL
I always sell my horses with a guarantee unless specifically stated in the contract (yes, contract) that there is no guarantee. For example, a riding horse gets a soundness guarantee, a breeding horse gets a breeding soundness guarantee, etc. I’ve never had a horse returned, but I would take one back if it didn’t fit the buyer’s needs.
Sorry this post was so long! LOL But this is a great topic!
http://wichitafalls.craigslist.org/grd/1363243385.html
Can anyone in TX or SW OK help this poor mare? I just don’t have the money to do so
oh, btw, i have it screencapped if it goes away! poor skinny old thing, may be bred to fugly roan stud, some idiot standing on her back… price is “make offer”… awesome.
I’ve been blessed with some pretty awesome horses in my life, broke or not broke, and I’m sure there are plenty more awesome horses out their that aren’t selling primarily due to their owners’ idiocy. The biggest mistake I see in horse ads is people telling me a bunch of reasons why their horse needs to be out of their barn, as opposed to telling me a bunch of reasons why I should want the horse in my barn. If you really want to sell a horse, stop handing me a sob story about how you lost your job and your great-grandmother is in the hospital and your dog needs an expensive surgery and start telling me about how great your horse is. While telling me how badly your life is going might make me feel bad for you, it will not make me want to buy your horse. I can’t buy every horse who’s owner I feel sorry for, and even if I could, I wouldn’t want to. If I want to know why you’re selling, I will ask you, but rest assured, I will ALWAYS want to know what makes your horse so much better than the other 3 million greenbroke 8 year olds for sale out there.
If I had to sell my boy this would be his ad. For Sale. 13YO Trakehner/TB cross gelding. 16.2 hands. Very well schooled in hunters. Good mind. Chestnut with white blaze and three white stockings. Perfectly suitable for advanced beginner rider with soft hands. knows lead changes. Has a big stride with incredibly smooth gaits. Honest over jumps. Has jumped ditches, banks, gymnastics, oxers, stone walls, and hedges. Has horse show mileage. Trailers well – can load into a slant, front load, or walk up ramp to semi-trailer. Professionally ridden in George Morris clinics the past 4 years. Diagnosed with navicular 8 years ago. Remains sound with pads and shoes in the front – barefoot behind. Jumping height limited to 3′. Prospective seller must test ride before submitting an offer.
Hmm very good question! 15 year old paint mare, reg, pont sizes ex barrel horse. Loves to go, but not marish. Used as a drill team horse, and now a kids lesson horse for the tiny ones, 5-9..a totally different animal with a child on her. Can be chargy at the lope, grunts, and doesnt like to bend. One of those that gets snorty when asked to do anything that requires you to use your leg but can run a set of poles like nobodys business!! I consider her broke, but not for beginners. Much to sensative. Clips, ties, trailers, vet, farrier…just dont touch her ears, lol.
4 year old paint. 15.3. Has done extensive trail trials(anyone who hasnt done them should look it up..dragging logs, walking over bubble wrap, being able to get off and back on while on a hill..etc.), and always places in the top three. Shown in several H/J shows, and always in the ribbons with me, his NON english rider. Just started jumping. w/t/l, can slide stop, pivot, back, side pass, yield, open gates, clips, ties, trailers, stands for all grooming. With a good rider he does flying leads, and has a stellar WP walk, jog when asked, yet will go for the english movement if asked. My FOUR year old is the one people ask to go with there spooky horses on the trails because nothing phases him. Took him to his first beach ride, and we were IN the water in 10 minutes. I consider him broke. But only being under saddle 9 months i wouldnt list him as such. He is the kind of horse born kid broke.
Neither of mine will ever be for sale though. My mare came with her negatives. I made sure my 2 year old has none since anything he doesnt do is on me.
I would describe my 5 year old pony mare as being well broke inspite of only being 5 years old. She has proven herself to be a safe, sensible mount at horse shows. She has also proven to be a versatile pony to ride in that she is competing at third level dressage, but will also jump around a 2’9 course with auto lead changes and is honest as can be over fences. She is just in general an easy pony to ride; responsive to both leg and hand pressure but not so sensitive that a child couldn’t comfortably get on and enjoy riding her.
My 3 year old mare would be one that I would describe as in the process of being started under saddle. She lunges well with tack, is great about standing for mounting/dismounting but that is about the extent of her knowledge. She is beginning to understand that she is supposed to move forward when she feels leg pressure but has only been sat on a few times now, so the steering and consistency of moving forward off of leg is certainly not there yet. She is one that I would not consider selling at this time as she could easily wind up in a bad situation as she is unregistered, an “off size” for an english horse. She is one however that I have confidence that in the future she will turn into the type of dressage horse I am looking for. She has good conformation, good breeding (just unfortunately was never registered), is a nice mover, and has a lovely temperment and her being small is a perk for me as I am vertically challenged as well so don’t need a big horse.
I just bought a mare on Craigslist – just last week in fact. She is an 8 yo APHA mare, She has never been ridden, was described as stubborn, rears and needs an experienced handler. Imagine my surprise when we went to see her and she is 15.2, beautiful with amazing movement. Her rearing? She pulls back when you lead her if she doesn;t want to go. Her fear of being saddled? Who wants a saddle pad sneaking up on them. In a week she is saddled, lunging, learning voice commands, navigating ground poles and obstacles, accepting weight in the stirrup, and I could not be happier. My only issue with her is that she toes out on her right front. A little research revealed her full brother is a WC HUS and has many prformance points. I am not sure how far I can take her, but she will be a nice trail horse even if she doesn;t make it as a 4-h or open show ride. Well worth what I paid, and way more deserving of the meat price she was sold for.
I just got Kieran a few weeks ago and he was sold to me as “very green”. Basically he’d had someone on him a few times like 8 or 9 months ago. He did have extensive ground work though and I know a good trainer so…
Anyway, he’s been with the trainer for a few weeks now and I would now call him basically greenbroke. So an ad might look like: 6 year old green broke Spotted Draft gelding about 16.2 hh (only sort of sticked him but I’m 5’4″ and his withers are a couple of inches taller than me so that seems right). Good ground manners, ground ties for tacking, lunges, ties, picks up his feet. Under saddle will w/t/c, still working on getting proper leads. Goes in the arena and on the trail, will ride alone or with other horses, lead or follow. Goes in water, over logs and has seen deer, bicycles, and cars going by him with nary a flick of his ear. Still needs an experienced rider but could become beginner-safe with time and miles.
I <3 him and he’s not going anywhere, though.
AD FOR MY HORSES:
“Charity cases, NOT for “sale”, but given a public thank you on Craigslist in order to shame some of the other Craigslisters featured by Fugly in her ongoing effort to stop the nonsense:
“One very elderly racehorse whose riding days were a distant memory but oh WHAT a memory. Retired sound from the track, still has gonads not that he notices any hormone messaging these days. Teeth terrible despite vet’s best efforts but that’s okay he has plenty to gum on so doesn’t look like a refugee from the dental police. His value to me? Priceless, for what he has taught and given to me about calm acceptance of aging.
“One elderly extremely tiny miniature mare with the patience of Job when little humans swarm around hugging her legs, her head, her tail, her neck, her tummy. Her value to me? PRICELESS for the view of her eyelids drooping with bliss as tiny human fingers comb and then clumsily braid flowers into her knee length blonde mane.
“One hunky young draftie with a habit of flirting with human females by rolling his Appy-eyes, lopping his rather large ears out sideways and batting his red eyelashes to coax treats out of said human females. His value to me? IMMEASURABLE because he gave me my heart back when I didn’t even ask after my heart got buried for years with a forever horse lost to cancer.
“One incredibly bratty gelding still unfinished in his teens who is priceless for teaching ME the patience of Job which believe me before him I did NOT have.
“One sad and resigned grey gelding with new and multiple melanomas who by this process is asking me to acknowledge that yes cancer is eventually going to take him too and asking me to once again somehow find the courage to give hospice care despite what I know will be the emotional toll.
and finally
“One precious dwarf mini whose extreme Arabian head and diva personality make me wish that I could have a daughter of hers but with knowledge of dwarfism in minis learned by having her to know I can never risk breeding her.”
To all my horses, you will never be sold because YOU have given ME far too much to ever repay especially in dollars and cents.
I haven’t read all the comments and don’t plan to finish, but by many people’s definitions here a Grand Prix dressage horse or jumper is not “broke” because it isn’t beginner safe. I strongly disagree.
I sold a TB gelding several years ago that I was jumping 3’6″ courses on. I had two horses at the time but this one was for sale so I typically took my weekly lessons on him to keep him nice and tuned and he performed all the same flatwork (extensions, collections, lateral work) as the $40,000-$70,000 hunters and equitation horses being ridden in our group lessons. He was so cued in to me that I only had to *think* about transitions and he would change his gait for me. However, when people would come to see him he would invert his back and neck, roll his eyes, frantically look for me and refuse to move forward. Didn’t mean he wasn’t broke.
I sold him (for a song) to the first person who came out and could actually ride him in a way that made him happy. Some horses just need a sensitive, experienced rider in order to perform.
Here is my ads for my two horses
14 yr old Appy gelding, 16.1 hands. Former rescue horse and at some point previously abused. Has had 30 days training, and done numerous overnight camping and mountain trail and prize rides. Green broke, never shown (that I am aware of). Needs a rider confident in their abilities, not a childrens horse. He is great on the trails, crosses water, goes over bridges, has been to the beach twice, gets nervous with other horses. He is very smart so would quickly take advantage of a novice rider. Great for farrier, vet, always up to date on shots, worming and farrier care.
20 yr old Standardbred gelding, 17.1 hands. Awesome trail & mountain horse. This is the kind of horse that you could leave in the pasture for months and saddle up and go for an excellent ride. Great with kids. Never shown. Has been used mainly in the mountains and has been to the beach three times and did great. Dont let his age fool you, plenty of get up and go and if given the opportunity to spook at silly things will do so. Great for farrier, vet and always UTD on all vaccinations, farrier and vet care. Because of his size not suitable for tiny children.
I did have these horses or sale, but was finding that only non horse people were calling so they will stay with me until I find a suitable home. I will do reference checks with boarding stable, vet and farrier. Approved home only.
my horse is pretty green; he’ll give an obstinate buck or two in the arena and will spook at some dumb things at times; depends on his mood XD
i actually want to write a sale ad for him… just to see what I would write…
My mare is broke. She’s never competed as far as I know and has only been owned by 2 people apart from me. She is 17 years old. She lived in the high country with her first owner and has been used for mustering at some point. We established this pretty soon after having bought her. I dare say she is one of the hardest working horses I’ve ever known. She is used as a trail horse now, although occasionally I will let her muster the stray sheep that get onto our property and herd them back into the neighbours paddock – she enjoys it and it saves the neighbour having to come and do it himself. She’s a sweet heart – I have never felt such peace as I do when I’m riding her – I wish that all horses were as angelic.
My bf’s mare is between green broken and broke – she’s around 8 years old. She doesn’t buck *touch wood* but she is VERY forward moving (I believe whoever trained her just jumped on and galloped around – I hate them with a passion). She also has problems listening – I’m retraining her from scratch in the hopes she will be more responsive.
Those are the only two I own at the moment – I’m hopefully getting a new rescue in a week though =)
There is a gelding here that I just finished breaking in – I will probably get sweet F.A for doing it – but he’s a beautiful boy and it was nice just to have him around – I rode him for the first time two days ago – no problems so far *touching wood again*, although he is yet to understand that he can trot without someone standing in the middle of the ring lunging him, which is a shame – because his trot is GREAT. I’m very happy with him though – he’s such a relaxed horse, maybe a little too relaxed actually – he always seems like he’s about to fall asleep lol. He’s starting to get the hang of it though. Obviously I can’t say he’s broke because he’s not – he’s green, but not what you sometimes expect of the typical youngster. I would SO much rather him be lazy than bucky, so I don’t mind too much that he’s reluctant to move around at the moment. I wish I could keep him actually – he’s such a great horse and he loves human interaction – which is a shame because his owner doesn’t spend much time with his horses.
I personally think training has a LOT to do with how broke a horse is, the first horse I broke in (with help, of course) is somewhere between green broke and broke after about 3 months of riding. She’s a good little pony – I saved her from a meat pen and she is a gem. Then we have my bf’s mare, who has been used as a riding horse for half her life (no foals, so unless she was sitting in a paddock rotting away, she’s been broken for a while) who is more difficult to ride than the above mentioned rescue that can be ridden by intermediate teens – I wish that people who didn’t know what they were doing would just stop. It’s much easier to break in a horse from scratch than retrain a horse. If they’re trained right there shouldn’t be problems – so many people just skim over the training. It doesn’t take me that long to break in a horse (approx. 1 month until the first ride – depending on the horse) and I make sure that they have the basics down pat before I move on to anything new, IMO if you can’t put time into making sure the horse has the basics down – DON’T TRAIN! I know that many horses need training and that often some is more valuable than none – even if it is crappy, but I’m sure a lot of these people CAN do a good job if they try – they just don’t bother.