Looking for a horse for my daughter. Must be over 16.2 hands high and a jumper. Any ideas on where to look?

Question

Over 3 and under 9 years.

My daughter has been taking lessons for 6 years and her coach has no doubts of her talent or courage.

Answer 1

Go to www.dreamhorse.com click search at the very top of the page (not advanced search) and fill in the search criteria. It has several things you can specify with including age and height. I hope this helps, good luck! www.horsetopia.com is good too.

Answer 2

OK, lets look at what you have stated, your daughter has taken lessons for 6 years and you are now looking for a horse for her. The best person to look for a horse for her is her trainer. Spend the money on the commission and do it that way. If you do not trust the trainer's ability to find your daughter the right horse then you should change trainers. Your trainer will have contacts in the industry which will allow for horses for your daughter to try. Don't waste your time looking on-line or in a magazine (this will be explained later).
However, I have some concerns with your post. Who told you that you needed a horse over 16.2 hands? Every horse will fit the riders leg differently, you need to fit the horse to the rider. If your daughter is short then that size of horse may be too big, however a horse at 16.2 hands could also be slab sided, which would fit the leg differently. Horses are not like cars, you need to pick the one that is the right fit, not have a listing of minimum requirements and then hope the rider can ride the horse. You are going about it like so many novices.
Do not look on-line or in magazines, etc as you are a novice and have no idea what you are looking for. You will end up with a horse that is not appropriate for your daughter and her riding ability. In addition, your trainer needs to go along and also approve the horse. It is the most frustrating thing when someones parents go and find a horse for their kid (which is totally not appropriate and you had no input or even said it was a bad fit) and expect you to teach the kid to ride that horse that is beyond their abilities.
That is wonderful that the trainer says that your kid has talent, the courage statement for some reason concerns me that you felt the need to state that. Having talent and being a good horse person is in my eyes better than having courage, which could jeopardize the horse. Show jumping is a exciting, fast paced sport, where you are always on that edge and using your mind making calculated risks. However, following FEI rules (for example) the safety of the horse is paramount.
If your child has been riding for 6 years, it is unknown what her level of ability is, or what tools she has been taught. Riding for 6 years, only one day per week is not a lot, and it also depends on the abilities of the trainer and the tools that they have and their experience, etc. Sometimes for your first horse it is better to get a older horse that can babysit your kid. Do not buy a horse thinking that both your daughter and horse will learn together, see that too many times and it has not worked to date. It is like having your child taught math by someone who is learning math at the same time. It is better to underestimate your kid's ability, as most parents overestimate their kids ability.
Nice to see that you are supportive, and hopefully that continues, but please find a good trainer that will find you the best horse for your kid that you can afford. That way horse and rider will enjoy themselves. Also do not be afraid of the hunter ring, that is where so many top riders in North America have cut their teeth and learned their craft before moving to the jumper ring.

Answer 3

I would ask her coach to find her a horse. This person knows your daughter and her riding abilities best. And should be able to make a really good match. You need to discuss what you would like to spend with this person so they know up front what price range to look in. You may also think about possibly leasing a horse. This way you may be able to get a higher level horse that will only cost you board and care. There are a lot a equine websites to buy a horse from, but they are a real gamble on what you might be getting. Good Luck!

Answer 4

Avoid dealers at all cost. Yes, there are good ones, or so I'm told. Yet to meet one. If you have a local equine advertisement, trusted tack store or even better, a trainer, start there. Usually someone always knows someone who knows someone (see where this is going?) who has a good horse. Be realistic about what her level of riding is and what she wants to do and take an un-biased friend, who can say no way when you start thinking your daughter looks so happy with some slightly frisky horse or other.

Answer 5

agdirect.com
I have found it to be an excellent site both for buying and selling. The good thing is that you need to pay to advertise, so you usually get better quality horses and pictures than on the free sites.
Also can check out local jump shows, a regional jumper/eventer magazine, or local breeders --do a search for jumping/eventing stables in your area. Give them a call and see if they have any for sale, or know of any. You can also ask that at the shows and clinics.
As for your criteria, you never mentioned how calm you want the horse to be, how advanced your daughter is, how high you want the horse to be able to jump, and the price range. You can expect to pay a lot more for a good jumper that is good with intermediate riders. Two of our old horses were just sold by the people who bought them from us - one in PA for $14,000- an intermediate small adult/child horse, 2 yrs experience jumping, and one in NC for over $50k bought by some corporation with 3 yrs jumping on professional circuits.
You can see the prices vary alot depending on what skill you want the horse and how much previous jumping experience.

Answer 6

If your trainer knows your daughter that well, I would recommend using her as your main source. Don't just buy a horse because it's pretty this take people's word for their behavior etc etc. This is a big responsibility and buying sight unseen is a bad thing. Take your time, get the vet check, get your trainer to check it out,(if you locate one without her help)

Answer 7

I agree with what was said before. I'd recommend asking around ; if your trainer had any reputation at all, she should be able to put in a serch with a local equine 'circle' and help you find the perfect match for your daughter.
Make sure you keep in mind her goals, as well as her current horsemanship skills, INCLUDING ground skills. There're far too many good riders with poor to ineffiecient ground skills who get bullied by "spirited" horses when they try to work them in hand.
Again, look for connections, and be sure to think the decision over carefully. Your trainer, your daughter and the current owner should all be able to ride the horse for you to see before you make a final decision.
Feel free to email me if you have any further questions, I'd be happy to help :)

Answer 8

Ex racehorses(as long as they CAN jump) make great showjumpers- but make sure that your child DOES have the ability to handle such a large beast- Also, showjumpers DO NOT have to be over 16hh, 15hh is plenty high, as is 14.3hh and upward. Any horse that CAN jump, will have the heart to have a go at anything. I owned a 13.1hh pony- he could jump 5 footers with comfort...I never bothered to go higher with him as he was sold off to a young pony clubber....But I'd get her instructor to be on the lookout- offer them a finders fee for getting the perfect horse- and let em know they won't be paid til after the horse has proven itself...that way the instructor has a vested interest in getting the right one...Good luck- It worked for us, and she is going STRONG!!!

Answer 9

try not to get it off of the internet.because sometimes the people will give the horse a calming thing when ur there to see it.ask a friend or someone at the barn u kno if they kno of anything for sale.

Answer 10

THere are a couple of placed that you can look on the internet like:-

www.stockyard.net
www.cavalletti.com.au
www.horsedeals.com
www.quokka.com

When looking for this horse, you should take somone experienced with you or have someone experienced look at it before you purchase it.

Remember to always get seller to ride the horse before you ride it!!