Real New Rider

[wonka]

Hi. I am a new horse owner. Very new. :-) I always wanted a horse as a kid growing up and over the weekend my husband bought me a beutiful 3 year old horse. She is extremely gentle and patient. I am learning and have been told that she also is learning.She is very loving, laying her head on my shoulder and leaning toward me when I am brushing her and just following me everywhere I go. I have already fallen in love with her but I want to make sure she gets the best treatment and training possible. Is there a good book out there that can teach me what I need to know? I need to know things like when to shoe her, how a saddle should fit, what it means when she does certain things (movements and noises),how I should train her, just about everything. :-)I have rode her a few times since she has been here and a few times before my husband bought her, now I want to treat her good. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!! :-)

[Vina]

Wow, how lucky, I wish my hubby would bring me home a horse one of these days! *LOL* Okay, really now, I guess it would help if we had a barn to keep it in, and I'm working on that! You sound like you are really concerned about caring for your horse properly and it's great to know there's lots of people out there who care so much about them (as opposed to owning a horse merely for the prestige---I've come across a couple of those myself, but that's another story). I'm a new rider myself, so I can't tell you much, but what I would do is find a good local trainer...someone who will not only help you train your horse, but teach you how to ride. Books are truly helpful, but I don't think there is a substitute for hands-on help as well, if you know what I mean. Anyhow, good luck with your horse, I hope you have many happy years together!

[Mar]

WONKA -- It's nice to hear that you want to do right by your new horse, and I'm glad that you are asking for advice. YOU WILL NEED IT!

There's a saying in the horse world: green horse + green rider = bad combination. I am repeating this to you, not to discourage you, but so that you understand what you are up against.

I have tons of advice for you, but will try to keep it short and sweet:

1. Get a trainer to come out to your home (if that is where your mare lives) or to your boarding stable and have him/her work with your horse WITH YOU PRESENT, so that you can watch. Work on ground manners constantly. Make sure your trainer's philosophy is the same as yours. There are good and bad ones out there. Make sure your trainer wants to TEACH rather than BULLY.

2. I assume that your mare passed her vet check. If there was no vet check, have a vet come out ASAP and do a thorough examination.

3. Find a farrier to come out and give you advice on shoeing. Your horse may or may not need shoeing at this time.

4. Find a riding instructor to give you riding lessons -- on a "been there, done that" schoolmaster. Then move on to riding your mare. This may take many months. I would not suggest a new rider riding a 3-year old.

5. Read, read, read. I would suggest anything by John Lyons, Mark Rashid, or other books about horse behavior, horse care, training and riding. But at this point, I would concentrate on care, behavior and training.

6. If there any ever clinics in your area, go to as many as possible.

You mentioned that your mare "leans into you" while you groom her, and you are perceiving this as affection. It's probable that it is not affection, but she is disrespecting your space. You must not let a horse invade your space UNLESS you invite it, or UNLESS you know enough to perceive that it is affection vs. disrespect. A horse can toss her head and knock you into a wall. She must learn that you are the ALPHA, and she is 2nd on the totem pole.

Mares -- some people don't like mares, others I know would never have anything else. Yes, mares can get PMS just like humans do, and some of them can get pretty nasty during those times. Mares can be very aggressive. After she settles into your new place, you may find her to be a different horse, for better or worse.

What will you be feeding her? And do you understand worming?

Where do you live?

As you can see by my suggestions, you will have a very hard time with your mare without professional help. A horse is not a dog -- it is a powerful animal that, in the worse case scenario, can kill you.

I would like to hear more about your set-up -- is the horse at home with you? How much previous training has she had? Do she come with any tack at all? Do you or your husband have any horse experience at all?

You are in for a very exciting, lifetime commitment. You are going to have tons of fun, and lots of disappointments and worries. Your life will have to revolve around your horse, yes they take that much time! But you will hopefully build a partnership with these amazing animals which will enrich your life immensely.

I'm sure others on this board will add lots of information for you.

Again, I don't mean to sound negative. I'm very excited for you! Just be safe.

Well, I'll get off my soapbox now. We will look forward to hearing how things proceed with your mare. Good luck!

[wonka]

Vina,thank you for your advice. :-)I have been getting my father in law to help me with her. He use to ride and own horses. Hopefully he will do as the trainer. ;-)lol Thank you again! :-)

Mar, I also want to thank you for your advice.You had tons of advice and I have tons of questions.As I told Vina, my father in law is helping me. :-)There was no vet check. She was bought from my husbands cousin. But, that is no excuse, a vet check will be the next thing on my list for her. :-)
What is a farrier?About her shoeing...I thought they needed to be shoed before you could ride them in gravels and other places that could hurt their feet.Why would she not need shoeing yet?
I saddled her for the first time today.That is by myself. :-) I rode her too. She was stubborn but I stayed with her until she finally went where I wanted her to go.(My father in law was with me.)
I do not think there is any clinics in this area, but I will look. :-)
I did assume that it was affection when she leaned into me. Why would she disrespect my space?
I am feeding her hay and grain now. I do know that I have to go to the feed store for the worm medicine. What is it about though?I live in the southern part of West Virginia. It is getting cold here now. :-)The horse is with me at home.As for her previous training, I know that she was rode by children most of the time. :-)What exactly is tack?
My husband use to ride horses when he was younger for fun. :-)Him and his cousins played cowboys and indians on them all the time. :-)He got out of riding as he grew older.
Well that is all the questions and answeres I have for now. Thanks for all your help! :-)

[Allie]

Wonka- first off, congrats on the new addition to your household! Depending on what you want to use the horse for, I personally don't think a vet check is absolutely necessary. I own 2 horses, and neither had a vet check before I purchased them, as they are used mainly for light trail riding.

A farrier is what you call the man (or woman) who trims the horse's feet and/or shoes them. Keep in mind not all horses need to be shod. If you plan to do a lot of riding on hard pavement, or simply ride a LOT, then she will probably need shoes. Riding on gravel barefoot will not hurt her, nor will being ridden on grass or other softer footing without shoes.

The reason you must worm a horse is because thay are grazing animals. Worms lay their eggs on the grass, and when they eggs hatch, the larvae crawl to the top of the grass stems, where your horse ingests them. She then in turm defecates more worms/eggs onto the grass, continuing the cycle. Worm medicine is intended to stop the cycle by killing worms in your horse's body. Horses must be wormed every 2 or 3 months, depending on what kind of wormer you use. It is also best to rotate wormers, or the worms could become resistant to the chemicals. I think you said you were located in the US- I would suggest you subscribe to a horse magazine, such as HORSE ILLUSTRATED, as these can provide good general info about caring for horses, and will often have articles about rotating wormers.

Tack is the general name for the equipment you use to ride a horse- the saddle, bridle, pad, girth, etc.

One very important thing to remember is that if you are unsure about something, it is never wrong to ask for help. People have done a world of harm simply because they did not know any better. Good luck with your new horse!

Allie

[This message has been edited by Allie (edited 05 November 1999).]

[Vina]

Allie, oh yeah, that is good advice, too---subscribing to a couple of good horse magazines. I pick up Horse Illustrated and Horse and Rider every month, they are such great learning tools, even for those who just love horses and don't own any yet. Not to mention I've heard that Enlightened Equitation by Heather Moffat (a lady who frequents this board no less!) is an excellent book to help in learning riding techniques....still have to find that one here, it's never in stock, just too darn popular I guess! Hopefully, you will have better luck in finding it where you are, wonka. But still, I would find those 'real life' people to help, too.

[CLAUDIA]

Hello Wonka! :)

Congrats on your new horse, and also finding this site!!! It's helped me tremendously since I started riding this past February. Oh, I thought I would let you know that I live in northern WV and attend the University. There are many things I could find out for you regarding your horse and WV climate, pastures, etc. A lot of people who leave their horses out on pasture don't know about all the possible things that can happen to grazing animals in this particular area, as we can have very lush grasses and some nutrient deficiencies. Also, talk to you county extension agent about internal and external parasites and the state of your pasture; it's helpful to know just what you're facing in terms of feeding your horse. Another thing...is your horse grazing with cattle or other livestock?

Anyway, welcome to the site and good luck with your horse; she sounds like she's in good hands. Come to us when you need advice! :)

[Mar]

Hi Wonka! Well, I feel better that you do have horsepeople around you. They will be a big help to you!

I think everyone answered your questions that you posed to me. The only point not addressed is the "respecting your space" issue. Since I did not see what occurred that day, I can't say for sure if she was "disrespecting" you or not. I just wanted you to be aware that you will NOT always want a horse in your personal space. Please talk to your father-in-law about this, and read up on it. Never forget that a horse is a 1000 pound animal that is so much more powerful than you -- SHE may think she's being affectionate, but you may get knocked on the floor in the process!

Good luck, and I hope that you come back here often with questions and success stories.

Here's a few sayings from the horse world:

1. Ride where you can, NOT where you can't.

2. Make the wrong thing difficult and the right thing easy.

3. No foot, no horse. (Take care of those hooves and legs!)

4. Break everything into tiny steps.

5. The reward is in the release.

Good luck!

[Anne]

For Wonka ...

P.S. What a great husband!

Riding has been a life-saver for me, for a number of reasons, but it would not have been possible without help both financially and supportively from my husband....

Just thought I'd put in a word on this score ... :-)

Anne

[wonka]

Thanks to you all again! This is really helpful! I am getting more relaxed with my horse and enjoying her more and more every day!
The tack I got with her was the saddle, bridle, blanket, shoes (not on her though), and a piece that goes on the front of her which at this time I cannot remember what it was called.
Today I went and bought her a new blanket, the old one I had was not thick enough for her. I felt like her saddle was hurting her. I also bought her a lead rope and the worm medicine. :-)
I have another question though. Today when I was walking through the field and she was following me I stopped and started petting her. She was trying to nibble my pants and shoes. I told her no and pushed her head away. Is this how the situation should be handled? Is there a better way that she would understand better?
Thanks again to you all! You are a GREAT help!I am really loving this site.:-)

[Anne]

Hi Wonka ... Lots of good, sensible advice as usual from listers, although I'm not sure about people who buy a horse just for the prestige, maybe underestimating what it entails, but certainly not for show, at least I've never come across someone like that, a horse is far too expensive and the responsibility and comittment involved is tremendous ... and you are obviously surrounded by people who can help you, so Good Luck to you!

Anne

[Janneke]

HI wonka!
You're a lucky bird to get a horse!

If the saddle is hurting her, it can't be the right saddle for her! A saddle has to fit by itself and not need thick blankets and such to make it fit. Ask your father in law to look at it laying on the horse without a blanket. I can't really tell you how a saddle should fit(I can see when it does, but explaining is another story! ;)Specialy in English :()

As for the nibbling, yes I think you handled it right. It is a form of disrespect when a horse does that, 'cause in natural situations, horses of same rank do it to eachother. And you're higher in rank!

Janneke

[Mar]

Hi Wonka! Your mare nibbling on your shoes is a good example of disrespecting your space! I know it probably seemed cute, though, probably hard to resist! I have a few quarterhorse friends who always untie your shoelaces -- however, the rest of their ground manners are impeccable so we let that slide! Anyway, just a word of caution -- be careful when pushing her head away. You don't want to create a headshy horse. Something I've used that seems to help is that buzzer sound you always hear on game shows -- it really gets their attention. She will eventually learn that it means "no."

[Vina]

Wonka, glad to hear things are going great for you! Anne, wow, you mean you have NEVER met anyone who has bought a horse just for the prestige of saying they own one (to brag about, etc) Maybe it's because I live in an area that caters to lots of 'rich folks'--but I am certainly not one of 'em! What I meant was, where I ride, there are a couple of people who pay to board their horse there, never show up for a few weeks or more, and yet continue to spend money on a horse they rarely even see...and when they do show up, they either can hardly stay in the saddle or treat their horse like an inanimate object (or curse and whip the tar out of it). A friend of mine boards a horse at his home, and this horse has not seen the owner in 9+ months! Definitely not my definition of a horse owner---people like that should stick to goldfish (and even then, I worry about the goldfish!) But like I said, you are lucky to live somewhere that all people treat their horses so well (and to be honest, MOST do here too)...it just makes my blood boil to see such a beautiful creature treated like nothing more than a toy. Unfortunately, there are some people like that out there (more money than brains). Okay, now that I've blown that off, I feel better now! Wonka, you definitely are not one of these people I was referring to, keep up the good work, your horse is lucky to have an owner than wants to learn and honestly cares about its welfare.