Buying your first horse

[LynneAC]

Hi

I *may* be in a position to buy my own horse in the nearish future (if everything that I'm planning pans out) and wanted to ask how you decided on the horse that you did. Did you get an expert or someone with experience to come and look with you?

What did you look for? Did you have a checklist or were you quite open minded?

I realise that buying a Grand Prix Dressage horse would be a complete waste both for me and the horse but how did you decide on the 'level' of horse that you eventually bought?

Any tales/tips would be greatly appreciated :D

Many thanks



L

[virtuallyhorses]

Hi Lynne - I 'did it on my own' and managed to find a real gem but getting help would be really good idea (I just didn't have anyone to ask through a strange set of circumstances).

Anyway I run a website and put together my Buying your first horse page (http://worldzone.net/recreation/virtuallyhorses/buyahorse.html) through my experiences.

As you'll see from this page I definitely believe in checklists - for a start it will help you be clear about what you want and need and not get distracted by a 'pretty face' that will be completely wrong for you - it will also stop you becoming that worst of worst horse people - a timewaster :) do a search on that term if you want to see what people think of them ;) However I am open minded on things that I don't think are that important like colour or breed.

[G.Gracious]

Well Gracie is my first horse, i've loaned horses before but she's the first one i'm buying. At first my budget was quite small (£1000) so i went out with an open mind as i didn't think i'd find the perfect horse for £1000 and that i'd have to have a look at anything that sounded remotely suitable. But after about 3 months of looking all the horses were either:

- too old
- too young
- problem horses
- sick horses
- etc.

That's when i decided that i might as well higher my budget a little even if it means working extra hard!! I looked around for horses £2000 (including tack and rugs) and although i saw a couple of nice ones none of them really grabbed me! Then my mum's work collegue told us that his daughter had a 4 year old cob for sale for £1500. We went to have a look and i fell in love with Gracie immediately :D I love stocky native breeds and Gracie was so shiny and cute. I've been to see her about 5 times and am going again soon, i've told the owner i'd like to buy her and hopedully i'll have her home by february.

Gracie's 'level' is OK-ish. She's only 4 so i wasn't expecting anything spectacular but she surprised me!! She reacted to leg aids and voice and apart from a couple of bucks whilst asking for canter she was extremely smooth. Her jumping is just outstanding! I jumped her today for the first time and she has only been jumped a couple of times before but she went over a 2ft 3 straight as if it were a ground pole :eek:

I wasn't originally looking for a young horse, more something aged 10-12 but i really like Gracie and can't wait to start working with her!!

I think a lot of people find their horses by chance, i mean, Gracie wasn't advertised so if my mum's friend hadn't of said anything i neevr would have found her!

Unless you are set on one breed, type, sex, etc. of horse then i'd say, go out on your search with an open mind and just have a look at as many horses as possible. That way you'll find your perfect horsey.

I've got to go now but if you want to know anything else (upkeep, costs, vets, etc.) just PM me and i'll be more than happy to help :D

[Ginger Thing]

Lynne, I did what everyone thinks is the "wrong" thing by buying a very green, young horse when I was a novice rider.

I did have experienced help though - my OH had had a horse for 3 years, and my instructor tried the horse for me first.

I did have a checklist - it had to be a gelding, about 14.2 - 15.2,
not young, not green, preferably native/cob and preferably not chestnut.What did I end up with? A 5yr old ,16.3 chestnut TB who had been bred and trained to race - the only thing right was he wasn't a mare!

I bought my horse purely for his lovely temperament - he certainly wasn't the 'level' of horse I wanted (he was as green as grass!) when I wanted a 'been there, done it, got the T-shirt' kind of horse - BUT with nearly 2 years of good instruction, I've managed to do ok with him. So I would say yes have a checklist of what you're looking for, but don't be surprised if you fall for one which doesn't fit the bill completely!

You will meet him at Wrexham and see what a lovely boy he is!

[wildponies]

my first 'completely owned by me' ponies i bought fairly recently ... 2 rescue ponies. Today i have been given 3 more. Apparently 2 11.2hh section A's who have thrown 2 young girls and owner managed to get hold of my number some how (???) and feels they'd be better off with me. One's slightly laminitic so i think i'll just put him in a grazing muzzle, anyone know if these are suitable for slightly laminitic ponies?) Also been given a warmblood x tb colt 2 years standing at around 14.2hh at present. Really looking forward to meeting this chap as i think he could be the horse for me :) yes well anyway.. as u can see i did not go about getting my first equines properly, but if i was going to suggest anything to you, i'd say...

1. as it's your first horse, don't get something that you can't handle on your own.

2. go for age range of about 7+ (personally i think older horses r great, but you don't want something thats on it's last legs)

3. don't let current owners pressure you into making a quick decision.

4. don't let people mess you about, if they say you can come on saturday at 3pm for a viewing... don't let them ring up and cancel, i've had this so many times in the past.

5. don't fall in love with the first horse you see. tell yourself you have plently of time and your perfect partner could still be out there.

6. Get livery arrangements or your own land or stables ready before you even think about buying a horse, you don't want to turn your horse out into a field and notice that a gate's been nicked from the bottom end... and you don't want to end up towing a horse and trailer round your local area begging farmers to let you 'borrow' a field until you can find some livery'!

7. ask for full medical history of the horse and all it's papers.

8. check out local newspapers and classified papers to get some horsey bargains! some horses are priced low because owner wants a quick sale.

Good luck, i've been hunting for a reasonably priced 16h (ish) tb type, young, ready for me to compete this summer, for about a year now with no luck. Unfortunately what i'm looking for seems to be what every1 else is looking for in my area! ponies are just as cool though, can't see them getting over a 6ft fence though. Sorry i'll stop rambling, have fun!

[kedwards]

Lynn, I bought my first horse last year. I took my instructor with me when I looked for horses. I looked at a lot of horses. I didn't have a strict list, per se, but I had reasonable idea of the things I really wanted and the things that I would not accept. I did often bring a list of questions that I would ask that would include specifics regarding manners, training, feeding, health history, etc. Since I looked at quite a few horses and some of them were a considerable drive from my house, I brought a digital camera each time and took plenty of pictures.

When looking at horses, I would recommend having the owner ride the horse first. Not only does this assure you that the horse is safe, but it gives you a chance to see how the horse goes under a rider who knows him well.

As far as "level," I think it's important to get something that you enjoy and feel comfortable riding right now. That's true whether you are looking for a trail horse or a something to bring you up the levels in a competitive discipline. If you are looking for a competitive horse in a particular discipline and are anxious to progress in your own riding, the horse's training and experience will be much more important than it's "potential."

[KarinUS]

I second kedwards one that.

I had thought about what I needed to have, would like to have and definitely could not accept before I went looking.
I took digital pics to show to my instructor.

She came out to check out one horse. The horse I ended up buying however was too far away so I went to try him out on my own.

By that time however I had already looked at quite a few and gotten a better idea.
The potential seller also had already called my instructor to check up on me ! and that made a good impression.
Rather than someone desperate to sell their horse, the seller was not going to let him go unless we would turn up to be a good match...

After I looked at him I was too scared to buy him. I figured he was too good to be true.
He still is just perfect.
I knew I didn't want a horse I always had to struggle with to make him go and my horse DJ is very forward going.
Unfortunately I am also a bit of a chicken, so lucky enough I found one of the rare horses that combine a lot of 'go' with sufficient 'woah' to keep me happy AND alive...

GOOD LUCK!

Hey, I think the best idea for you would be to post all the pics of the horses you are looking at!!! :D

[Peace]

Quanah was a boarder at my riding school, and we fell for each other long before he was actually on the market. As soon as I heard his owner was selling, I called and pestered her until I got him.

Since my instructor/barn owner knew both of us well, she could reassure me that he and I would be a good match. Otherwise, as a nervous mature novice, I'd never have dared buy a three-year-old as a first horse! Do you have someone who knows both your riding and some available horses, who could help you make a match?

I second KarinUS's suggestion - we all had a great time going virtual horse-shopping with her, when she was searching for DJ.:D

[Yann]

It definitely helps to have a reasonable idea of what you are after, but I found my ideas became clearer after looking at two or three horses that weren't. Rio was the first horse that fitted the bill physically, and as it turned out temperament wise too. There was also that flash of recognition you get when you meet the right horse, you're supposed to know it when you look them in the eye:D

In terms of level we were/are nothing more than moderate riders, and Rio was very green despite her age, having been a broodmare and a driving cob, so we have learnt and developed together, and it's not unlikely that as our riding horizons widen a bit she will be more than enough for us, it's certainly been the case so far. We struck gold first time, I hope you are as lucky in your search as we were:)

The main thing I would suggest though if you are a first time horse owner is to consider good temperament above everything else, many people go wrong buying something flashy and complicated and end up with stress and heartache as a result.

[kelsey]

Here is my experience -

First horse - contacted breeder over the internet, breeder dropped off horse for a one-month trial after assuring me that he was very well trained, fell in love with horse despite that fact that he was definitely NOT well trained, spent $$$ on professional training to correct aforementioned lack of training, have now ended up with a lovely well-mannered, forward and responsive horse (so it all worked out in the end).

Second horse - trainer found horse for me from the same breeders that bred her stallion, am now waiting for horse to arrive, have not ridden horse yet as I had no time to go over and try her out and didn't want to lose out by waiting too long. Will have to wait and see how it works out, however, I trust my trainer implicitly so I am hoping for the best.

I would not necessarily advise you to do either of these things!

Good luck with your horse search.

[katieB]

I have always loaned and looked after horses in the past so I think this helped me gain experience of what kind of horse I wanted. I started looking at horses around £1000 but like G.Gracious said, most of the ones I went to see had problems (which you can expect in most cases for that money) I wasnt too bothered about having to deal with schooling problems or anything like that, the horses I saw had problems with their feet or had bad vices.
I suppose I had a mental checklist of what I wanted. I like jumping and wanted something to do the fun rides on and a few small shows so performance wise I looked for a horse that was capable of that. I wasnt too bothered by age, anything under 12 really. Same with height, anything over 15.2hh. Other details like colour or sex werent important. After seeing a few more unsuitable horses I upped my budget a little and went to see Ellie. I had taken my friend who has owned horses all her life, with me to see all the other horses but went to see Ellie on my own. I think you just know when you find the right horse, when I had gone to see the others, there was no spark, I couldnt see myself owning this horse, but as soon as I got on Ellie I knew I wanted to buy her.
When you do decide to buy, dont be put off if you dont find the horse for you straight away, it took me over 3 months to find Ellie and im sure loads of people on here will tell you it took them the same, even longer for some!

[LynneAC]

Thank you :)

I'm in the process of buying a house at the moment (135 miles away from where I am now) and when I eventually move there .... long story, my mum will live there initially ...... will start looking at horses! I have two places that I know well where I could keep a horse so don't have the stress of that to worry about thank goodness so it's just a case of window shopping for a while until that wonderful day ;)

Lx

[HAYLEY GITTOES]

Well i was really stupid when i went to try Molly out, she was standing out side her stable all tacked up ready to go! I got on really well with the owners, and we arranged delivery for her before i even got on her!! Everythink was arranged, delivery the lot! I said well i better ride her,so i got on her and she was perfect i just new i wanted her before i got on !!

[kedwards]

It's good that you have some time to browse ads now. It will help you get a sense for pricing and what's out there once you are ready to search more seriously.