[equiniphile]

Wow. This afternoon someone called telling us they'd like to trade their horse for the Paint Clydesdale I have for sale. I'm REALLY excited. This guy's horse is a 16hh mare....dapple gray I think he said, he didn't say her breed but he said she parks out like a TWH. I'm not sure if she's registered. She rides English and Western, and does BRIDLELESS, which I'm really excited about. I've always wanted to own a bridleless-riding horse. She's four years old but good and broke. The owner bred and trained her; he wants my Clydesdale in exchange because he sees prospect in him.

I'm going to test ride her this weekend, most likely just Western because that's my primary riding style. I'm going to ask to ride her bridleless while I'm there as well, though, to make sure she's good and reliable in a pen before I take her out on my trails.

If she rides well, has good ground manners and no major conformation faults, I'm most likely trading my Clydesdale for her. I'll post pics of her when I test-ride her this weekend. So excited lol! I'm wary, though, because the last time I bought a horse (that would be my Paint Clydesdale) he ended up being a total wreck. Doesn't let you trim his hooves, pick his hooves, he kicks, bites.....ugh. The trainer who owns the mare thinks he can solve his problems and make him into a good riding horse, so I'm more than willing to sell up. I'll post pics, maybe a video, this weekend! Lol I'm just so excited I couldn't wait to post this haha

-Equiniphile

 

[RadHenry09]

Hope everything goes well, def. make sure you check out this mare which sounds like you are. I know in my area there has been a lot of shall we say "misrepresentation" of horses for sale. My husband knows of a guy that bought a horse that had a guarantee but the seller did not uphold that...not sure of the details of the agreement but the horse may of been drugged.
I dont want to scare you but please just make sure you check her out and get your agreements in writing .....good luck , she sounds like she may be a good one : )

 

[PaintsPwn]

I'd do a trade and some cash. He came to you wanting to trade, so you've obviously got something they want pretty bad.

 

[equiniphile]

Its not really up to me as my mom technically bought the horse we're trading. I see your point, paintspwn, but my horse is useless to me. He eats a ton, has no ground manners, and I don't have a draft saddle to try and ride him in. If the seller seems like he really wants my horse for some unfathomable reason, I'll ask my mom to try and persuade him into letting me take his horse's tack when I buy her. 2 days and 30 minutes until I can ride her! Lol I'm excited
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[equiniphile]

I'll definitely be on the lookout for a drugged horse. I looked up some signs of drugging besides the obvious ear/lip movements and found these. Any more you would add?

Ears don't move, even when there is a lot of noise. They mostly stay in a tilted back position.
Dropped heart rate- a horse's natural pulse should be between 40-60 Beats per minute. If you are suspicious that a horse may be drugged walk up and take the pulse right along the girth line.
Extra salavation from the mouth, even when not worked. A horse will naturally salavate with a bit in their mouth, however, if you notice the St Bernard or Mastiff effect on a horse, steer clear.
Glazed eyes with hardly any blinking.
Dehydration of the skin- a horse normally doped up will not drink or eat properly. Pinch a fatty part of the skin, if it doesn't fold back to normal...you know something is wrong.
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[Indyhorse]

You ought to have a vet check her out before you agree to the trade regardless. Can you arrange for one to come check her out when you go out there to ride her?

 

[equiniphile]

Ill ask my mom, but her answer will most likely be something about how he's a trustworthy seller because he's her boyfriend's best friend....regardless, there could be something wrong he didn't know about
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[kitten_Val]

Actually "bred and trained" together with the fact he doesn't know her breed and just said "she parks out like a TWH" sounds pretty scary to me. :shock: Also "brideless" you mean no bridle? In 4 years old? Even Stacy Westfall said she rides bridless only in ring after 800 hours put on horse and she's a top trainer. I know it sounds very mean, but I really hope the horse is INDEED what he said she is. Be very careful evaluating the horse and do the vet check for sure.

As for "best friend" and such my neighbor got a pony from her "best friend" who almost sent her 10 years old in ER couple times. Needless to say said friend refused to take a horse back or exchange on another one. So pony just sits in her field with no use (girl is terrified to ride after that). I'm NOT saying it's the same with this guy but people behave not like expected sometime.

 

[equiniphile]

Okay. My mom's boyfriend drove us to hid friend's house (he's the Amish guy who's selling the mare we're thinking about) and the horse is a Shire, fleabitten gray in color, but the sire is a full Shire and the dam is only part shire. She's a nice looking horse. We picked up her feet, brushed her all over, led her around (she followed without needing to be held on to), and I rode her around after the owner did. She doesn't neck rein, so I had to act like I was holding an English bridle and lay a rope around her neck to reinforce the neck reining concept. She seemed a little green, but I could work with her on that; help reinforce commands and teach her leg yielding, sidepassing, etc. Her trot was a little bouncy, but I could get used to it. It would be easier to ride her English and post to it, I think. She was clearly not drugged; very alert. As for the bridleless, the owner said his teenage son who was helping to train him used to take the mare out with just a rope around her neck last summer to help bring in the horses for the night, and he said she listened great. I didn't try her bridleless yesterday because they hadn't ridden her much this winter and I didn't want to be the first to ride her tackless after a winter of not riding tackless, but they also said that they would be able to get her to the point where she could ride bridleless again within a few weeks.

Price-wise....The seller tried to talk us into trading my Clydesdale, along with a few hundred in cash, for his mare, but my mom vetoed that and suggested instead that he take both our Paint Clydesdale and our 10hh pony stallion. (the pony is registered) He said he was interested in that and would consider it and get back to us. He's Amish, though, so he has to wait until his English friend comes by, who has a cell phone, to call us.

I don't "have to have" this horse, but if he's going to accept our offer of two horses for one, I'll take her. Does this sound like a fair deal?:
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**I give him my broke-but-green (ridden Western) 7-yr old Paint Clydesdale gelding, 16hh and very stocky, who hates having his back hooves touched (but this guy's a horse trainer and a blacksmith so he could definitely work on that) and sometimes bites.

**I also give him my 5-yr old registered 10hh Welsh pony stallion.

**He gives me his 4-yr old broke Clydesdale, 16hh and pretty lanky, who is not registered and is not a purebred Shire. Rides English and Western (though I only saw Western saddles, so they most likely were implying that he responded to an English bit and English leg cues), rode bridleless a lot last summer, they said he doesn't have much speed but has endurance, I'm guessing he drives because most of his other Shires and Percherons we saw being both ridden and driven, although I would have no use for a driving horse.

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I like the horse. She has a good temperament, is alert but calm, and is pretty responsive and got over her barn-sourness once I made sure she knew I was getting a ride out of her before we went back to the barn. They said she canters, but never mentioned galloping. Am I right to push the I-give-you-a-Clydesdale-and-a-registered-Welsh-for-your-horse instead of giving him cash and my Paint Clydesdale?

 

[kitten_Val]

Is welsh pony broke to ride? Is he nice/easy to handle?

 

[equiniphile]

He's too small to ride....unless you were to have a 5 year old, but a 5 yr old isn't likely to be able to control a stallion under saddle. The family has minis and small ponies that drive, though, and I think he would excell at that. But a horse-savvy adult, or even a 13-yr old like me can handle him without a shank, just a halter and lead line. We even have a mare in the barn, and he's still able to be handled.

And btw, he does know her breed. I was just saying my mom didn't ask for the breed over the phone. But I did see her park out just by putting your toe behind her front hooves. She looks gorgeous when she does