Potential first horse advice/help?

Hi there! So the time has come to search out for my very first horse!

I'm an intermediate level rider, wanting to advance more particularly in dressage, although I am interested in jumping every now and then, to break the monotony. Also, a little trail riding would be nice too.

So, first, here's a video of one of the top contenders.
Any thoughts on anything you see? It looks to me like he's carrying himself behind the vertical a little. Is this a huge deal? Is it hard to break a horse out of that habit, or is it merely the way he's being ridden? He's 14, although he's had the last year off. This is a recent video.

The other horse is an 18 year old, who's been off work for 4ish years. I have gone to see him in person already. He honestly does not move or look like an 18 year old, he was incredibly limber and flexible (owner was massage therapist, so did a lot of stuff with him), as well as remembered a lot of his training, from what I could tell. Canters from walk, half passes (all his lateral movements were so lovely!) etc. He was schooling 3rd level. She had started doing some jumping with him before her illness forced her to stop riding. She did say that he was a little nervous on trails, as she never really did much with him. Is he too old to fix that? No serious health or soundness problems ever.

Another concern of mine is that the first horse seems to have a reaction to immunizations. I've asked more about it, but so far all I know is that he coughs. The owner and vet decided to stop immunizing him. Is this a really big concern? What would you take of this?

What are your thoughts?

Hello and Welcome to the Horse Forum!!!

I'm no dressage expert, so I really can't help you there, but I did want to put in my 2 bits on the immunization:

In my opinion, its dangerous to not immunize a horse. Not only is it a danger to that individual, but it is a danger to all other horses around him if he were to contract a disease. Especially if you will be boarding this horse, you more than likely will need to get him vaccinated. If I were a barn owner, I wouldn't allow a horse to stay on my property without the basic immunizations. Its not only a danger to my clients horses, but a risk that could damage my reputation as a BO if an outbreak were to occour.

I'm not saying not being immunized is a deal breaker, but if you were to go with your first choice, I would look into getting him immunized and inquire about what happens when he is immunized.

As for the second horse, no horse is to old to train. If she didn't do too many trails with the horse, he may just need more time out on the trails. Usually the more a horse is exposed to, the less nervous they get.

Hope I helped you some, and good luck with your first horse!

That's what I was thinking... seems a little worrying, but I'm still waiting for more information from the owner about the immunizations.

Oh, right, that also reminds me of my other concern!

How stressful is it to a horse that's not been working after 4 years to start being worked? Especially as a new owner, I'm afraid I won't have the experience (even with help) and perhaps it's not the best of ideas. Would you hesitate to suggest this horse, knowing that, to a new, inexperienced owner? Because otherwise (besides his nervousness on trails), this horse is pretty much my dream horse.

Anymore advice??

The first horse is your best bet. My friend has a horse that is allergic to vaccines. He coughs but not for very long just that day. It is not a big deal just don't ride him that day.

Is he allergic to all vaccines or just some?

SS

Not sure. Owner suspects allergies as she never really had it resolved-- merely stopped vaccinating with her vet's support.