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Veteran
Posts: 220
| How much would you expect to pay for a good kid horse? |
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 You get what you give
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Location: Texas | that does what? The one that packs a kid around and can trot the pattern? or a kid horse than can clock? |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | Well, I had one I got for free....and now I have one you couldn't rip out of my cold dead hands..... |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9991
Location: Kansas | I think it depends....I can get a leadline registered paint gelding for $400 (yes saw his ad this morning), I've seen some go anywhere from $1,500 to $3,500 |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| I think it depends on what you're looking for. For a dead broke, dead head type without any atheltic ability that will just walk around... I would say those are around $1500 (these from my experience often have some kind of lameness issue or are old). A kids horse who is super quiet but has some atheltic ability where the kid can learn and grow, I would say those are more in the 3000-4000 range. And for a horse who is competitive in something, maybe not 1D competitive but 3d/4d those are in the 5k-7k range. |
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Veteran
Posts: 220
| I am just looking for something I can put my kids on and let the just po dunk around on. Does not need to compete or anything. |
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Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | Firemanswife - 2015-10-12 2:34 PM I am just looking for something I can put my kids on and let the just po dunk around on. Does not need to compete or anything.
I found that for free-twice-one was a retire show horse-the other head horse-each with soundness issue that needed extra feed and care but dang they taught my kids a lot. They also taught my kids a lot about compassion and what it means to get old :( But I wouldn't have traded those 2 old farts for anything. Ask around you might be surprised what you will find through a friend of a friend. |
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You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | Firemanswife - 2015-10-12 2:34 PM
I am just looking for something I can put my kids on and let the just po dunk around on. Does not need to compete or anything.
we sold one just like this for $1800 i think. but he was a cribber and was a blown up barrel horse so he would have been worth more otherwise. For the little girl, he is great. He will lope the pattern with her in 7 and under, and is totally dead headed and safe for her to ride anywhere. He still tries to duck off when her mom runs her.. but I told them that when he sold, that he would duck if you really put the pressure on. |
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | We just bought a 14 yr old breeding stock reg paint gelding for $2500. He was just a ranch horse and has seen a lot of miles in his younger days and has no nonsense about him. He is fresh from sitting in pasture and so fat it's sad. He is sweet and kind and safe for my 7 yr old. So we think we got a steal. He does have a locking stifle issue we are hoping will go away with more riding and weight loss, which I think he also has insulin resistance. But he is everything else we wanted and my son loves and trusts him. He is priceless to us now. |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | Firemanswife - 2015-10-12 12:34 PM
I am just looking for something I can put my kids on and let the just po dunk around on. Does not need to compete or anything.
I two of these for free. My boys are 1 and 3 years old and just really want something to love on and sit on. They could care less if they actually move or not. We spend most of our horsey time just sitting on them while they graze, maybe breaking out a curry comb if we are feeling adventurous. lol.
We have a retired breakaway horse that belonged to a great friend of mine. He won a few state/national titles for her before tearing two ligaments in his hock. He had surgery to repair it, but had a lot of scar tissue form so that joint doesn't function very well - although he is NOT IN PAIN. He has a pretty significant hitch to his giddy up, but is 14.2, GENTLE, and loves apples. My boys love to just go hang out and brush him. He doesn't get ridden, just loved on.
We also have an older retired mare that is the SWEETEST horse I have ever been around. My boys AND my husband like to poke around on her and I trust her with their lives. She is definitely one of a kind. We got her from a friend who didn't have the room to give her the retirement that she deserves.
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 Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
Location: Texas | How long do you need the horse to last? I would try and find maybe an older rope horse or a horse that has a competitive career ending injury, but is still rideable for a small child. Most people will give these away to homes they know they will live their life out at. I would assume if you need the horse to last through 3-4+ kids that probably isn't your best bet and I would be looking around $3k |
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Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | Firemanswife - 2015-10-12 1:34 PM I am just looking for something I can put my kids on and let the just po dunk around on. Does not need to compete or anything.
Sometimes if you are lucky you can find one by word of mouth that someone just wants off their feed bill. That is how we ended up with a 40'ish old pony. He is worth his weight in gold. My little guy loves him to the moon and back and he won a buckle on him this summer in the assisted class. |
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 The BHW Book Worm
Posts: 1768
| im struggling with this right now... we have a 11.3 HH pony I trained for the kids. you can ride him any were no silliness, no spook, bite, kick, will go as fast/slow as you like. he is young, pretty, athletic as you get for a welsh X Shetland, and sweet... my 5 year old son only likes messing with him once in a while and the 18 month old gets lead line rides... im so little I can comfortably ride him around but without my son really showing much interest (gets mad when I try couching him and throws down the reins) I feel there is no point to keep him... but im just to lucky with him to sell him.  |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| Thistle2011 - 2015-10-13 2:34 PM im struggling with this right now... we have a 11.3 HH pony I trained for the kids. you can ride him any were no silliness, no spook, bite, kick, will go as fast/slow as you like. he is young, pretty, athletic as you get for a welsh X Shetland, and sweet... my 5 year old son only likes messing with him once in a while and the 18 month old gets lead line rides... im so little I can comfortably ride him around but without my son really showing much interest (gets mad when I try couching him and throws down the reins) I feel there is no point to keep him... but im just to lucky with him to sell him.
My daughter is the same way!! She likes to ride for about 5 minutes and she's done. I've finally accepted that it's just not her thing, she'd rather be painting her nails and doing cheers than ride a horse.... But my son is like a sponge and has no fear! We have a pony and she has bucked him off(I say buck more like hop until he falls off and then stands there until he gets back on) more times than I can count. He gets up, gives her a good smack and off they go. The day she doesn't get him off, which will be the day he's paying attention and not jacking around, will probably be the last day she trys but I wouldn't change it, she will make him a good rider in the end. |
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 Worst.Housekeeper.EVER.
Location: Missouri | I would not sell mine and I know there's no way I could afford to replace her. She's a saint. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKQ7AZNNBqU
I had her at the vet once after the farrier trimmed her waaay too short and she could barely walk... a man hung out and eavesdropped on my entire appointment. When I loaded her up to take her home, he offered me $500 for her for his trail riding business in Colorado. As if he was doing me a favor. I wanted to punch him in the nose!   |
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Location: KS | Thistle2011 - 2015-10-13 2:34 PM im struggling with this right now... we have a 11.3 HH pony I trained for the kids. you can ride him any were no silliness, no spook, bite, kick, will go as fast/slow as you like. he is young, pretty, athletic as you get for a welsh X Shetland, and sweet... my 5 year old son only likes messing with him once in a while and the 18 month old gets lead line rides... im so little I can comfortably ride him around but without my son really showing much interest (gets mad when I try couching him and throws down the reins ) I feel there is no point to keep him... but im just to lucky with him to sell him.
They are so hard to find that this is my advice...my son just turned 7. My opinion was that if he wanted to ride I'd saddle his horse no matter whether he rode 2 minutes or 20. Yes it was a pain and yes it cut down on my riding time. He rode an old rodeo horse of mine that was fantastic as long as he walked and trotted. He fell off him once because the horse left the 3rd barrel a little harder than he was ready for at the lope. He rode him the whole next year but he mostly walked because he was scared of falling off and he wanted a pony since it would be smaller. We borrowed a pretty nice pony that ropes both ends and is a heck of a ranch pony. But when you take him to new arenas he's a spooky SOB that crow hops occasionally. So we fought that pretty much all this year. So for two years we pretty much bribed him to keep riding. And this year my son was big enough and interested enough that he wants to rope the hot heels and help ranch/gather cattle but his pony made him nervous. Finally I got tired of all the hours I was having to ride the stinking pony (not to mention the stress of worrying about what he might do next) and let him have my good horse. I have stayed off her and he rode her two months at home roping and just riding before I let him take her to a jackpot. Now he begs to ride, he'll rope the hot heels until you make him quit and he loves taking care of her. SOOO if you have something that maybe they'll grow into and enjoy and you don't have to worry about bucking, running off or being a craphead--keep it!! |
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The BHW Book Worm
Posts: 1768
| jlrace - 2015-10-13 3:30 PM
Thistle2011 - 2015-10-13 2:34 PM im struggling with this right now... we have a 11.3 HH pony I trained for the kids. you can ride him any were no silliness, no spook, bite, kick, will go as fast/slow as you like. he is young, pretty, athletic as you get for a welsh X Shetland, and sweet... my 5 year old son only likes messing with him once in a while and the 18 month old gets lead line rides... im so little I can comfortably ride him around but without my son really showing much interest (gets mad when I try couching him and throws down the reins ) I feel there is no point to keep him... but im just to lucky with him to sell him.
Yep pretty much were I'm at .... I couldn't find nicer if I tried and not in a price point I can afford..... The little girl has horse blood in her so even if it's 3 more years I guess he will be 3 more years solid for her. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 754
Location: Arkansas | I would just like to add, that sometimes price isn't what gets you that nice kid's horse. I had a mare that my grandpa bought me when she was a weanling. I high school rodeoed on her (barrels/poles/breakaway/goats/heeling), then my stepson learned to run barrels/poles, then later on to rope on her. I never planned on selling her, but the right home came up and I traded her for a $3500 young horse. I had numerous chances to sell her for much more, but it meant more to me that she is in a great (and most likley forever) home now with a little girl that she can teach and that loves her. I can't tell you how many people came up to me after and said "I wish I would have known she was for sale, I would have bought her...", and I'm thinking to myself, no YOU would not have! lol
Edited by rodeochick382 2015-10-14 8:08 AM
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 434
Location: Northwest Florida | Firemanswife - 2015-10-12 2:34 PM
I am just looking for something I can put my kids on and let the just po dunk around on. Does not need to compete or anything.
I got one of these for free just last week. Not to say that you can trust any free kids horse.. There is a familiar saying- "you get what you pay for" and a lot of times there is a reason they are free. Mine was free because he is a hard keeper and the lady didn't want to pay to feed him thru another winter. I have no problem keeping weight on a hard keeper.. Only problem is, I don't have a kid!
I would try to find something thru a friend of a friend, like someone else mentioned.. and don't trust craigslist ads or that sort of thing when you're shopping for your kiddos:) Good luck! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 432
Location: Tennessee | rodeochick382 - 2015-10-14 8:07 AM
I would just like to add, that sometimes price isn't what gets you that nice kid's horse. I had a mare that my grandpa bought me when she was a weanling. I high school rodeoed on her (barrels/poles/breakaway/goats/heeling), then my stepson learned to run barrels/poles, then later on to rope on her. I never planned on selling her, but the right home came up and I traded her for a $3500 young horse. I had numerous chances to sell her for much more, but it meant more to me that she is in a great (and most likley forever) home now with a little girl that she can teach and that loves her. I can't tell you how many people came up to me after and said "I wish I would have known she was for sale, I would have bought her...", and I'm thinking to myself, no YOU would not have! lol
This is so very true. I "sold" my good horse (who incidentally was also a kid's horse) about 10-12 years ago to the perfect home. I wasn't using him anymore and he was standing out in the field depressed wasting away, he couldn't stand it when the trailer pulled out without him. The family I sold him to had a young girl just starting to get into barrel racing, and he was perfect for her. I sold him for $1,500 because that's what they could afford. I had turned down much much more than that for him just the previous month before, but it wasn't the right fit for him. He went on to teach her so much and she won several saddles and buckles on him. He turned 30 this year, is sound as a dollar, and treated like a King (he just has a few less teeth)  . She doesn't run him anymore, but he still enjoys packing around her nieces and nephews every now and again. I couldn't have asked for a better place for him, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I firmly believe he wouldn't still be here if I had kept him and let him stand in the field and waste away. Still being used is what he needed, and has kept him young. |
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