horse for newbie

[MzCheerBaby]

i know i know.. everyone says to ride for a couple months before you buy a horse of your own.. but i really want to learn with my own horse. ive ridden before but just on trail rides and stuff. anyways how tall of a horse should i get? i'm 5"2 and about 89 pounds.. i found this beautiful horse i really want but he is 16hh. he's also $5000. i'm not sure if he's too tall for me so i'm asking for your advice =) i really look forward to getting started in riding.. i'd LOVE to compete in local shows and stuff. lol im getting all excited just thinking about it.. anyways any help would be appreciated. thanks!

[bexj]

Hello!

I can see the appeal of learning to ride on your own horse, but, and this is a massive but, you are going to have to search high and low for a good horse to learn on. Good Riding school horses are worth their weight in gold because they will generally put up with no end of wobbles, pulls, kicks and other things that new riders do, and they will make their best guess at interpreting what it is you wnat them to do. To put it bluntly, most private horses won't tolerate this and could potentially put you in a very dangerous situation. AS a beginner you need the experience of riding and dealing with lots of different horses before you take the plunge. What happens if you get your own, then you feel overfaced by it? Do you just keep it as a paddock ornament or do you sell it?

If you are dead set on having your own, then I would suggest a share, lease or loan forst, so you can see what you are letting yourself in for. 16hh is big for you - especially as a beginner. AS you are small and light, then I would suggest something around 14.2hh for starters. But then again, a riding school would offer you the opportunity to try different horses of different sizes before you make your mind up.

Sorry if I am dampening your dreams, but horses are potentially dangerous. Get some experience first!

[T-bred]

Where would you keep this horse? Do you know how to take care of one or what to do if they colic? Who will be financially responsible for the horse because you always need to have money for their board, the farrier and the vet[especially if the horse colics then the vet bill can get about $3,000 and up]. I would do lessons and lease a horse first before buying to see if you are ready and if you even like doing it. I had been taking lessons for 7 years before I got my first horse[ I am 16] and I still had/have alot to learn but luckily my dad is an experienced horse person/trainer so I have 24/7 help!!! I don't personally think it is a good idea but thats just me.

Anna

[Jay.o]

Originally posted by MzCheerBaby
i know i know.. everyone says to ride for a couple months before you buy a horse of your own..

Couple of months?? I waited about a year and a half before i got Mysy. Alot wait longer, I would say 3 years experiance at a school would give you the basics for your horse and to be able to care for him properly.

I waited 1 and a half years, but should have wiated longer. I worked for those one and a half trianing and breaking in horses from shetland to about 14hh (about 4 altogether). I had leassons aswell throughout. i was tuaght everything I know from one guy. I bought my mare as a 3 year old last year. Turns out, shes only three this year - so i got plenty of work to do in the next 3 years.

You are going to need alot of help with your first horse, anyone would. Maybe a share or loan agreement with the riding school would be your best bet for the first year, then go from there.

Good luck

[MzCheerBaby]

thanks you guys for making me realize it is really naive to go out and buy a horse as a beginner.. i'm going to start taking lessons and then decide whether or not i will be able to take care of my own horse. thanks so much for all your help!

[Bay Mare]

Originally posted by MzCheerBaby
thanks you guys for making me realize it is really naive to go out and buy a horse as a beginner.. i'm going to start taking lessons and then decide whether or not i will be able to take care of my own horse. thanks so much for all your help!

Good move :D In addition to taking lessons why don't you also do some work at a yard? This will also tell you whether or not you want a horse of your own. Horses eat, pooh, drink and pee ..... sometimes they *love* you and yes, they sometimes even let you ride them ;) BUT most of your time is NOT spent in the saddle it is spent cleaning up after them or feeding/watering them :p I LOVE it but there are days when I REALLY don't want to get out of bed (I work 4 days a week at my 'proper' job and then 'help' at a couple of riding schools on the other three days).

ITA with the loan/share thing but you do need to have lessons of some kind too.

All the best


x

[bexj]

Baymare - how come you're not Lynne AC anymore?

MzCheerBaby - good move! Glad you've had a rethink!

[Dango5]

I wish I could get my own horse as well! But where I live you need a town variance for any animal larger than a hampster, or so it would seem.:( :mad:

BTW, I'm also a beginner!:D

[T-bred]

It's great that you are deciding to wait and try it out before you buy one especially if you have to take care of the horse yourself, I should know,I swear I have to take hundreds of showers a week when I'm finished cleaning stalls, working out and dancing!!:D Anyways it's good for you to ride school horses it gives you experience riding different horses and that makes you a better rider!!:)

Anna

[MzCheerBaby]

hahaha.. i went to ask about lessons today and they're $48 for half an hour.. lol i didnt konw it was that expensive.. oh well *shrugs* well thanks again everyone

[Dango5]

Originally posted by MzCheerBaby
hahaha.. i went to ask about lessons today and they're $48 for half an hour.. lol i didnt konw it was that expensive.. oh well *shrugs* well thanks again everyone WHOA!! My lessons are $20 for an hour and a half!!!!!!!:eek:

[MzCheerBaby]

wow.. lol where do you live?

[Bay Mare]

Originally posted by bexj
Baymare - how come you're not Lynne AC anymore?

I never wanted to be LynneAC but it was one of those 'oh hell, what do I put as my username' moments! I've been meaning to change it for ages. PLUS I like to remain relatively anonymous! My ice skating coach dumped me because I mentioned something that he'd said on an ice skating forum, it wasn 't as though I'd ever said anything bad about him, he was a great coach and skater. Yes, he was very immature to react like that and I'm pretty sure that there were also other issues at play but it also meant the end to me working on a particular discipline within skating :(

[jUmPingIsLifE]

What do you think about leasing a horse at your barn? leasing is always a good thing to do before buying a horse no matter if you have a couple months experiance or 10years experiance. You don't really know the responsibility and commitment until you do buy a horse but leasing a horse will show you exactly what your up against but you have that option to give the horse back to the owner if it doesn't work out or you cant do it.

--about the is 16hh to big? question...16hh isn't to big if its the right horse for you.

[T-bred]

My lessons only cost $20.00-$25.00 an hour. It depends on where you live though,I live in Michigan.

Anna

[MzCheerBaby]

jumpingislife-that might be a good idea but i think i should wait a couple of months until i'm positively sure i want to take care of a horse

tbred-wow id ride like every single day if my lessons were that cheap =( all you guys are lucky your trainer doesnt ask for $48 per half an hour lesson lol

[Luv 2 Trot]

Hi,
Well, I am in the same area as u. I am about the same height and my horse, Toby, is about 16 hh. I bought him about a year into my riding experience. Actually, my mom was riding him and i think she bought him for both of us. But anyway, I think he could be a good size if your not going to grow anymore. Thats the key, buy a horse that is big enough that if your still growing, a few years from now u can still ride him.



Luv 2 Trot