Background

I have been very happy with our trainer with respect to the show and teaching program. My horse -- a green off track QH -- was given to me so I showed up at the barn with him. He is now sore and I think will need several months of R&R. In the meantime my husband has decided he wants to ride. We are therefore shopping for a new horse that is gentle enough and big enough for him to learn and advanced enough for me to ride as well while waiting for my guy to recuperate.

Problem

Every horse my trainer has liked is over 12 and "will need their hocks done". I am sick of vet bills and am not crazy about the notion of "doing hocks." Trainer is telling me that in my price range -- $20K -- that is all I am going to find. I hit the websites and find a beautiful horse -- quiet, has been a lesson horse, is 6 years old and has won championships as a pre-green and baby hunter in his last 6 shows within my price range. I ride it, husband rides it, and even little tiny daughter rides it. I go back to the barn thrilled and Trainer will not even look at the tape. Says, "If the horse is in pre-greens it will kill your husband." I try to explain that I saw the horse in person, I rode the horse. Response - people have needles and sedatives. My response - vets have blood tests. End of discussion.

Is quiet pre-green an oxymoron?

There are plenty of "pre-green" horses out there that are quiet. Some warm bloods from Europe that have shown in jumpers get imported here and show in pre-greens! So no, not all pre-greens are wild. I think your problem is the trainer. Unfortunately trainers all have their types and other trainers they like to buy from. You will be hard pressed to find a BNT that will just let you go by a horse. Good luck. Hope you can find something. If you do buy this horse, do get a blood test. You never know!

If you like the horse and he's safe for your husband get him... you can always replace the trainer, but good horses are hard to find.

If only more trainers realized this....
You trainer may also be annoyed that he/she didn't have any part in finding the horse for you. I found a project horse on my own, cute, super quiet, and just a sweetheart. The trainer hated her before she even got to the barn.

I don't know why some people have to be that way.

I know this is an old post, so hopefully your horse is sound and healthy your husband has a great horse and your at a barn with a trainer you can agree with.
I personally think that what has happened in the show industry and especially with the hunters and dressage horses is ridiculious. I don't know what your previous horse experience is, but alot of trainers try to keep you in the dark strictly for profit. What you don't know they are going to charge you for. She will get an agent fee 10% a finders fee 5% will charge to go look @ the horse. So she already makes $2-3,000 then the horses training +$ ,board +$ , lessons+$. You can have a showing "green" thats not green. Also look at other disciplines funny how a teenaged actually been to the olympics Eventer who does dressage[HUS] and Jumps[stadium] can be bought for $80,000 but you can't touch a "Hunter" for under $1000,000. Look outside the box, QH are wonderfully athletic and very safe and forgiving great husband horses. Hate to see anyone being taken advantage of, there are enough clients/horses that trainers need to start putting honesty back as the # 1 priority.

Ltch4h, You are my hero! I'm so glad to see that honesty and integrety is alive and well... somewhere. I am so tired of the greed in almost every endeavor anymore. Putting away the soap box before I crawl upon it!

Thanks, after reading it again I guess it is a little soap boxy. Just really do have a problem when someone tells me that a horse costs more than the farm it lives on. All in all it is just a horse.

::: Chuckling to myself :::: I was talking about MY soapbox. This has been a major issue with my Virtual Assistance buddies. We see so-called industry leaders (who are also self-proclaimed) throwing ethics and honesty out the window. It's been a HOT topic on the VA forum and I was really "fired up" when I read your post. It was meant only as a compliment!