Talented allrounder Heritage stockhorse

Please read the whole advert - it is long on purpose!

The short version:

Rusty is a 16YO Heritage Stockhorse who was a competent athlete in his youth with a junior rider, but now he's a bit out of practice. He still has a cracking jump, has all the fancy dressage buttons, can open gates, jump logs, and be ridden bareback down the trail, but he's a little fat and unfit, and he needs a supportive rider who doesn't have an Olympic five-year plan but also wants to be active and have some fun. He has blossomed in a couple of months of reasonably consistent work and I see no reason he can't go back to EvA80/SJ95/Prelim or Novice dressage with his next owner (he has all the laterals and a nice walk to canter in there....so maybe even Elementary?).

The key to him is variety and a steady hand on the leadrope. Rusty has a few quirks (outlined in full below), but he's sound, cheap to feed, easy to do 97% of things with, and, perhaps most importantly, wants to spend time with you and bond. Please let me know if Rusty could be the right fit for you. He's a little small for me and I have giant eventers to focus on.

Videos at request. Price negotiable to the right home, or I'll swap for a giant Anglo Arab aged 12 or under.

The long version

Registered Heritage Stockhorse CAESAR MARLEY is looking for a new home where variety is the spicy of life. 'Rusty' is, as his name suggests, a bit rusty on everything, but in his youth, he competed up to 80cm eventing, 95cm showjumping, and Prelim dressage with a capable junior rider. Over the past few years, he hasn't done a whole lot due to following owners' time restraints and ability. Thus, he is a bit rusty on a lot of things, but he wants to be out there doing stuff again.

The good:
- Rusty has plenty of buttons. He is capable of doing walk to canter, reinback, most lateral movements including half pass, walk pirouettes, counter canter etc. He can pop himself in a nice shape as well. Physical fitness is his main limiting factor right now.
- Rusty can still really jump and makes a beautiful shape. In the pictures I have included, the tyre jump is 90-95cm and the rail with tyres attached is about the same, plus he is jumping up a reasonable slope. At his one outing with me, he was extremely keen and didn't touch a rail (we only did 50/60cm at it was his first course in years).
- Rusty is getting better at opening gates. He can be a bit impatient with it, but he has improved (and gets plenty of practice on the farm).
- Rusty is easy to lunge and free lunges beautifully in a roundpen. I have also hopped on him bareback in the roundpen and he mercifully did not ditch me, even when I wasn't particularly balanced in the canter. I have also played with him at liberty in a bigger paddock and he's stuck with me. He wants to please.
- Rusty is good to catch, rug, wash, clip, hardtie, trim his rock hard stockhorse feet, and pretty cheap to feed as well. Currently a little fat actually. He occasionally plays chase but most days he meets me at the gate. He's respectful of fences and has never been pushy at the gate.
- I can pony other horses off Rusty and he is pretty good for it.
- Rusty walks on the buckle down the road. He doesn't massively appreciate you texting and riding, but otherwise he's pretty good. He can be a little hard mouthed but he is not capable of pulling your arms off in any capacity.
- Like all good stockhorses, Rusty is going to live forever and isn't showing any signs of slowing down. I think he could get back to jumping similar heights if in consistent work and appropriately cared for, or he could pivot to doing working equitation and the like. He finds dressage pretty boring so I would prefer he go to a home where that is a sometimes activity.

The bad:
- Rusty has headshakers. It is largely mitigated by a nose net or flyveil that goes over the nose, and has been something he has had for a long time. I find him pretty manageable.
- Rusty can and will pigroot when displeased or uncomfortable. In the last couple of months of more consistent work and bodywork, he has vastly improved on this, but he can still do it at times.
- Rusty is not completely bombproof and can spook a little, but he takes a lot of confidence from his rider. Most of this is just having had years of not doing a lot and therefore not seeing a lot. He's good with buggies and qudbikes, tractors, dogs, flapping rugs on fences, he's not huge about cows but getting braver with every ride.
- Rusty has a few floating issues, but I have a straight load, which I think makes it a bit worse. We have worked out a method to get him on relatively quickly and he travels very well whether alone or with a friend.

The ugly:
- Rusty has a large splint on his near fore cannon. It is old and doesn't appear to bother him particularly much, but it is there.
- I have been told Rusty has the itch. He hasn't itched while with me and they did manage to get his tail and mane to grow out while he was living in Wyong valley, which is much more humid and coastal.
- I distinctly suspect Rusty was gelded late and as a consequence, I don't keep him paddocked with mares, but he is perfectly nice to them over the fence and nice to other horses too. He can be a bit pushy on the ground but is improving in this. A new owner just needs to be conscious of setting firm boundaries.
- At some point in Rusty's recent past, he was completely isolated from other horses and thus can get a bit anxious if he doesn't have friends nearby. He is happy with you or sharing a fence with at least one other horse. If I am working him and another horse, I usually hardtie him and he respects that.

Other than the aforementioned pigrooting, Rusty does not kick, bite, bolt, rear, windsuck, weave, or fencewalk. He pawed when I took him and another horse to an outing together, but I expect this to improve with time and he hasn't pawed when he has gone out alone. Rusty does not appear to have any other health issues than the ones described. He is up to date with feet/worming/tetatus&strangles vaccination, and getting his teeth done soon. He is registered with the stockhorse studbook but I don't have a copy of his papers.

Rusty is not ready to tow leadlines around or just do straight dressage, he craves variety and someone who is going to bond with him. He is a fun little horse who suits a capable handler of any age who doesn't an Olympic five year plan. This ad is as honest as possible in his best interests.

Videos available to genuinely interested parties, main photo taken 15/8/26. Please text/email/Whatsapp (same number). Price negotiable or will swap for a big Anglo Arab(15.3-16hh plus, 12 years or under, high % Arab....yeah I know I'm asking for gold dust).

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