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I thought I had decided on the Gypsy, but this Fell Pony has several things going for her. I prefer dark horses. The Fell, though still has feathers, isn't nearly as hairy as the Gypsy, because of my disability it would be challenging to use a hose. And I don't do sharp objects. She's 11 years old vs. 4 for the Gypsy. The Fell mare isn't maiden. I think there would be more demand for a Gypsy or cross baby.

Have you not bought the Gypsy mare yet?

How well broke is the Fell? I would go for training and rideability over feathers, colour, offspring value etc..

It's not so much a look I like or don't like, it''s the care of said stuff. And neither has a lot of experience under saddle, they just seem to have appropriate body types and size. I was looking for insight on breed traits. And I have not bought the Gypsy, yet. I won't have access to funding til later this month.

It's not that individuals of any breed, size, color might not be perfect, it's that I can't drive. Because I can't get around to go find those individuals, I have to rely more heavily on advice and stereotypes - I mean breed traits.

You said on another thread that this would be your riding horse and also would teach two kids to ride. A green horse of any age or breed will not be able to do that. I agree with orono, go with training and rideability.

There won't be teaching of anyone to ride anymore. That all changed when I decided to board.

I answered but the ether ate my response. I too look for temperament and experience and then soundness when horse buying, be it for me or others.

Now Gypsies popularity is definitely waning. There was a massive Fresian and Gypsy auction by an SPCA recently of seized and rescued Gypsy ponies, Fresian, and their crosses. If you need now, I think you would hit a bottomed out market come time to sell.

Fell ponies are more rare and have a following somewhat.

It's good to dream and plan, but being logical and thoughtful helps.

Breeding is kind of the stretch, since there's not much I could do with a baby. However, breeding is something I may get involved in, because for the most part it doesn't have to take a lot of ground help. I wouldn't be much good in an emergency, though.

So the horse will be boarded out, you will be the only person riding, and you don't need the horse for lessons or breeding (just trying to keep up!). What about a good old QH gelding?

I was hoping for personal knowledge of what's typical for the breed like: they're difficult to canter, they tend to be stubborn, their trot, though jarring, is usually easy to sit, etc.

A good, old Q H gelding has several issues. Though there's bound to be exceptions, it's difficult to get folks to own up to the problems, and I can't drive, so that makes it more difficult to go look for myself. QH tend to have feet that aren't great, are likely easily swayed by my inability to sit straight. QH is one of my strong maybes. Oh yeah, and I'm definitely a mare person. Of the 5 horses I've owned 4 were mares.

Yes, it's true. Many do have issues, some are worth their weight in gold though. I am also a mare person, so understand that bias.

A good ranch bred QH would be much sounder individual. Having said that a good friend of mine and I went to look at a APHA horse for him, black and white not what he wanted at all. Turned out though even though only 6 months prior the APHA had been a stallion he was my friends perfect horse, smaller at only 15.1 but stocky enough to carry a man and pre purchase vet said totally sound horse, something he had only said one other time in over 20 yrs of practice. He was not your typical QH looking APHA though, he has good bone and good feet and not overly muscled up and muscle bound. BTW he looks stunning in Western tack.

I know nothing of Fell Ponies or Gypsy's for that matter. I would think Fell Ponies would be fairly rare, where Gypsy have been bred in not such a thoughtful manner. Sounds like you need a quiet easy going horse, I would look at individuals rather than sticking to a certain breed. Young and green would not be my choice for safe horse for compromised individual.

If good feet and a smooth ride are important, look at an Andalusian. My mates trot is unbelievably smooth! She goes barefoot, and is a nice for me. She's around 15.1 or 2.

Since we both are green she's a bit of a struggle for me, but that's not against the bred just our experience.

I could do 15.1 or 2, if I had to, and though I have looked at Andalusions - it seems like you get a lot less training and experience than othhers for similar price. And they're likely too hot and/or too sensitive. But I keep looking, it's just that I don't raise my expectations.

Would 15.1-2 be on the tall or short side for you?

Maybe too tall. I'm hoping 14 to 15 hands.

I've known some Dales which are very similar. I think they come from the same county originally or close to. They're neat, if I were going to get a small hairy pony, that would be one I'd look at but I'm a terrible snob about the Gypsies The Dales and the 2 Fells that I knew were pretty cool, but they were neither bombproof mentally nor bulletproof physically. Like any breed, they have their stars and their not so good uns. They do not seem to handle the heat very well, here in California, in competition. I was kind of surprised that any of them had any orthopedic lameness, but some of them did. Your choice if you want a hairy one (I get the appeal, I truly do, but as the owner of multiple feathered horses, lemme tell you, it is some work) but if I wanted a 15 handish solid riding horse, I'd dang sure rather have an old style QH like Freeway who lets not forget, was pretty dang sound well into his 20's and took all of 5 minutes to give him a bath.

The hair thing really does get old sometimes, if you like to play my little pony and groom and bathe a LOT, then great. Plan on spending a fair amount of time squatted in catcher's position washing feather if you want it to look nice and checking for lumps and bumps and burrs and birds nests and whatnot.

I still like the temperment of a fjord for you, though they are extremely wide, not sure if you would find that comfortable? Have you been riding in the past few years? Is there somewhere that you can go and try a few horses to narrow down your search even more?

Fjords are definitely on my yay list. I am not at all wild about all the hair - in fact, that's one of the main reasons I've moved away from wanting a Gypsy. I did like the one that was all clipped, though. That's another plus for Fjords. in anticipation of a Gypsy, I have a treeless saddle all picked out. I don't think wide will be a problem.

Quelah - tell me more about the Dales you knew. One is my latest possibility. You're right, and if I only wanted to ride, an old-style QH would be the way to go. But I like attention and would enjoy having a unique horse. Although are all feathers (even dark ones) that much maintenance?

Are you still in Clark County? Are you interested in a lease? I know of a horse who might be a good fit that could be part leased.

Hair is hair. Dark feathered legs and the skin underneath require just as much care as the white once, though I suppose staining won't show as much. BTW, in case you come over to the hairy side in horses, feather is singular. Horses have feather, birds have feathers. "That horse is nicely feathered" or "that horse has fine feather". Fine feather is preferable, horses with coarse or (shudders) curly feather tend to have the most skin troubles. Now you'll sound like a proper feathered horse person

That's a photo of the Dales mare, I put it a couple of messages back.

The image doesn't show in the thread.

It shows over and over for me. I wonder if it's because I'm on a mac. I'll try it on a pc later.

I'm not getting anything to work.

But the other picture does show up even though I'm on a pc.

What will I trade with a gaited breed? Like a Rocky Mt.?

goneriding - where are you? I am interested in that part-lease.

nwivy wrote:
What will I trade with a gaited breed? Like a Rocky Mt.?

I have several friends who bought gaited horses and then found out that gaited does not mean smooth gaited, and then their horses couldn't trot so they couldn't post either. One friend got a really nice Paso who then developed suspensory problems. A couple others got rough gaited horses who tripped badly and then couldn't catch themselves and would fall down on their knees. One got a walker who is hyper-reactive, and a RMH who started out really calm and nice but after sitting around for awhile got herd bound and difficult.

So IME, you won't necessarily trade anything other than maybe the ability to trot, because whether you get a horse who suits you is way more about the individual horse than the breed.

After all my changes of mind, I think I'm (maybe) gonna go with a 12-year old QH with experience as a therapy horse.
http://www.dreamhorse.com/ad/2039333/sh ... regon.html

Wow, I love her. Beautiful mare, sweet face, and sounds like the perfect temperament and experience. Hopefully you can see (& buy!) her soon! Keep us posted!

orono wrote:Wow, I love her. Beautiful mare, sweet face, and sounds like the perfect temperament and experience. Hopefully you can see (& buy!) her soon! Keep us posted!

Just be sure to go and see her (or send someone who knows what you need), spend some time evaluating her, and get a prepurchase done, because what one person thinks is a 2 disposition and sound, another will think is an 8 disposition and lame.

Another horse buying tip is to ask questions, because sellers will often leave out information, but if you ask them directly they'll answer honestly. But they can only answer as honestly as what they know and believe, which is why it's important to actually spend time with the horse to find out for yourself. That said, she does sound good on paper (which brings up the question of why they're selling such a paragon of virtue).

I just got a video of her "slow" walk. She was really tense, had her head up, and looked really unhappy. This is not a situation I want to be involved in.

Yep, you have to go with your gut when you're shopping.

Well then, back to gaited. I don't know a lot about gaited, but they often seem too fiery and/or too fast. What do you think of this: http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/grd/5637032341.html ?

That horse appears to have a strong GO button, but it's hard to say from pics.

i'm pretty sure the video was of a 3-year old. I don't want that anyway.

Any red flags with this one? Not very dressagey but I am out west. Besides that really mellow would be good. I am lacking in horse-knowlegable confidants.
http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/grd/5634407698.html

From my little experience - If I were you, I'd be looking at a gelding...While I love my new mare, she was unbeknownst to me Pregnant when I purchased her! When she's in "season" - she's a handful for me...and that's every 20 some days for many months of the year! UGH....I really dislike riding her when she's in "season". It's not fun....I'm a timid rider and it's not that she scares me - but, she does frustrate me.

My gelding that I purchased as a 13 year old - NEVER gave me a lick of trouble on the ground or in the saddle. He's 1/2 Arab and was always a safe mount.

Just my 2 cents....

I would stay away from anything that has a resume in gaming/gymkhana/playdays/rodeo. From your description of your mobility/needs, that's going to be much more go than you need.

She looks good, but you would have to see her in a video, and then in person. 'Ties' can mean a wide range of different things: "Doesn't break cross ties but does shuffle back and forth while being groomed' or 'falls asleep and can be safely groomed by young children'.

I think I've gone back to a Gypsy. A cross though.

I;m back to a Gypsy, but a 12-year old, and a cross.

Sounds good, hope it works out!

I'm still keeping my ear out for goneriding and the part-lease on the Haflinger. Here's the most current one: http://www.midnightsunranch.com/momsite/lilikoi.php
(I've given up on posting a photo.)

I'm gonna have her temperament evaluated and 30 days put on her.

She sounds extremely green for her age, every horse is different but i've found 'older and green' to be much more difficult than 'young and green'. The video also describes her as 'athletic and forward-going', that *can* be horse ad code for 'spooky and has iffy brakes'. But seeing her in person and having an evaluation done will be more telling than the ad.

And I did ask how forward she was and they said not very, just forward for a Gypsy.