novice rider should I buy an arabian horse?

L

lindiak007

New Member
Jul 7, 2007
194
0
0
New York,USA
Hello,

So, I am a novice rider and thinking of buying a horse.

I know I should get a gelding, cca 10 Y old....with a calm temperament
As for a breed, I am not so sure....I know I should look at the personality of the horse. I intend to be recreational rider.

Let's tell you a bit about me:
My trainer says I have soft hands and soft legs, but I am strong (as for muscles). I am tall cca 5' 9,5" and 125 pounds. Sometimes I feel during the lessons that I do a rodeo instead of riding, the horses are trying my patiente It is always challanging, but I appreciate when I have a nice quiet lesson as well;-) and I can practice the technique.
I like nice transitions from trot to canter. I do not care if the horse is smaller or bigger or faster or slower, just the NICE transition is important for me. I guess I enjoy the speed if the horse as well.
I am very good at skiing, that was my N.1 sport before...(similar to horseriding as for speed position;-))

I have a stubborn dog and a stobborn husband - what I want to tell with this? => I could manage them both, actually I manage the dog;-) really ok. I taught him a lot tricks - slowly, with a game, so he has more fun.....I tend to be attached a lot to animals / people.

I am thinking about an Arabian horse, but my trainer and my very best friend who both rides cca 20 years, hate them.

A calm horse would be great for me as a novice rider, however I tend to get bored really quickly and need changes. So Arabian horse , known as high spirited could be pretty challenging for me opposite to calmer breed .[/size]

What do you think??? Any other breed?
 
Bms-1.jpg

I'm a novice but I went for a "Part-bred Arab"!;):D (ears are bigger and so are the brains:D:
 
it depends on the horse some Arabs have a wild temperament and are really hrd to control unless you are experienced but some are calm yet spirited trey to find ab older one that has spirit yet is not out of control
 
me: owner of 2 arabs. my first arab is now 30, i was given her when i was 8 or 9 so have had her for about 10 years. she looked after me and has been a gem -recently badly behaved for some strange reason but i think that could be because we moved her to a different place whilst i went away and she likes to remain at home. won't be moving her again. arabs are highly trainable and can have very nice tempraments.
my 2nd arab (who people believe may have some welsh in him- not sure) is very hard to handle, i got him when i was 12 and looking back, it was probably not the best decision we made (we as in my family), he can be a brat like no other. he has not given me confidence- probably taken it away but i'm now trying to build it back up again. love both of them to bits and now wouldn't change them. knowing what i know now i would have looked for a quieter arab (they are about) but that is what inexperience does. arabs have a lot of spirit to be let out, so the quiet ones are very rewarding.
be careful when buying- every breed has its exceptions to the stereotype. arabs are very intelligent and can bond very closely, there are quiet arabs out there that you will have fun with i'm sure.
 
eml said:
I am alarmed that you felt you are doing a rodeo during lessons!

To be honest I really don't think you should be contemplating buying a horse after six months experience but that is perhaps just a boring British view :D
Click to expand...

well....not now....next year - in spring;-)
i am asking soon, I just want to get info soon enough to decide right. Also i am very excited about horses, so i search and ask a lot.
Don't worry, after 6M of riding.....that would be a bad idea...
 
Honestly, breeds all have their exceptions, I have worked in an arab stud and there were some really lazy horses and really quiet. They are very sweet. Sometimes when you get a new horse you have to change the way you ride to suit the horse. I have a really talented dressage horse, who I have had for 2 years, I have only really just clicked with him, I was ready to sell him a few months ago, saying he was just too hard to ride. Thats when my grand prix level trainer said to me, he is easy you just need to learn how to channel his energy and learn to work together. Then she said you will be unbeatable even at fei level. That really affected the way I thought about him, I always knew he was good but I thought he just needed a pro rider to get the most out of him. Its the riders job to understand the horse not the horses job to understand the rider, so I say if you like the horse enough go for it!!
 
Just be aware that privatly owned horses are very different from school horses and dealing with a high spirited horses all the time can get a bit grating especially if you aren't very experienced.

I would probably look for something quieter with a bit of spark, my mare is very safe but she has enough spark to light a bonfire;)
 
eml said:
I am alarmed that you felt you are doing a rodeo during lessons!

To be honest I really don't think you should be contemplating buying a horse after six months experience but that is perhaps just a boring British view :D
Click to expand...


Completely agree.

Another point to make is that the riding is a very small part of horse ownership. How are you on stable management and general horse care? Can you handle a horse on the ground? Do you know about feeding? About worming and innoculations? What about the diseases and other problems that can crop up? How about their feet? Do you know enough about their feet to know if the farrier/trimmer has done a bad job? Can you recognise atrophy caused by a badly fitting saddle and how the back can be affected?

Use your time between now and getting your own to learn as much as you can because no matter how much you learn you still won't be ready.

Ginger Thing told me that you'll feel like a beginner again when you get your own. I didn't believe her. She was right, I was wrong. If you don't have experience a new horse can knock your confidence in no time. If you have the experience or are just lucky you can get through it. If not it can put you off ownership for life.

Good luck for when the time comes but do take your time. Overhorsing yourself in the hope of catching up isn't a good idea and you can end up getting hurt.

Saying all that, though, it IS worth the wait and you've got plenty of time to learn as much as possible before you get your own.
 
I bought a horse after just over a year of riding and never had any major problems, quite the opposite, so there's no reason it has to be difficult or a disaster. The most important thing is to make sure you're in a supportive environment and buy on temperament, regardless of breed. Remember that a kind temperament won't necessarily mean a dull horse to ride, far from it. If you fancy something with a bit of spark and athleticism a thoroughbred might also be up your street :)
 
Bay Mare said:
Completely agree.

Another point to make is that the riding is a very small part of horse ownership. How are you on stable management and general horse care? Can you handle a horse on the ground? Do you know about feeding? About worming and innoculations? What about the diseases and other problems that can crop up? How about their feet? Do you know enough about their feet to know if the farrier/trimmer has done a bad job? Can you recognise atrophy caused by a badly fitting saddle and how the back can be affected?

Use your time between now and getting your own to learn as much as you can because no matter how much you learn you still won't be ready.

Ginger Thing told me that you'll feel like a beginner again when you get your own. I didn't believe her. She was right, I was wrong. If you don't have experience a new horse can knock your confidence in no time. If you have the experience or are just lucky you can get through it. If not it can put you off ownership for life.

Good luck for when the time comes but do take your time. Overhorsing yourself in the hope of catching up isn't a good idea and you can end up getting hurt.

Saying all that, though, it IS worth the wait and you've got plenty of time to learn as much as possible before you get your own.
Click to expand...

well,i know....i understand absolutely what you are saying,
if i decide to do something i do it 150%,

i read a lot, spend in the stable more than just the time for my riding lesson,
i prepare the horse for me for my lesson, after the lesson i brush it,clean the shoe..... my trainer checks me after. actually i asked her if i could do this of my own:) because the ground work is very important for me....and i know that is the way you connect with the horse and learn most.

i ask a lot of question. i am pretty sensible while riding, so when i feel something feels differently, looks differently, i ask and the trainer explains....that means - maybe the shoe is off, maybe there is something with horse's leg.....(this hapeened few times)
of course i can not compete with poeple who has 20 years of riding experience and stable management and owned their own horses . also i won't be a vet, but common sense is common sense. it is like with children....many parents learn while having a child for the first time...

i know that if i decide for the horse 100%, so i will give it 100% and more.

my dog is my first dog and is still alive:) and considering this, i can say he doesn't have a problem and is one happy tail

also i plan to visit my friend who works as a riding instructor and around horses in another state and the deal is, that i will work there with her and have riding lessons as well, so i could spend more ground time with horses. :rolleyes:
 
Yann said:
I bought a horse after just over a year of riding and never had any major problems, quite the opposite, so there's no reason it has to be difficult or a disaster. The most important thing is to make sure you're in a supportive environment and buy on temperament, regardless of breed. Remember that a kind temperament won't necessarily mean a dull horse to ride, far from it. If you fancy something with a bit of spark and athleticism a thoroughbred might also be up your street :)
Click to expand...

great, which kind of horse did you buy?
 
i read that somewhere, that they are calmer...
Click to expand...

Some people do seem to feel that but my first pony, in fact all 4 horses at the yard I'm at, my current pony and my sister's pony, all mares. I certainly wouldn't rule out looking at mares, it tends to depend on the horse. As a general rule there may be more highly strung or bad tempered horses that are mares, but you can get geldings who are like that and mares who are sweet as anything. Sorry, I'm a mare fan, I don't like the trend for everyone to get geldings and tell people mares are nasty :D. Good luck on your horse hunting search anyway. Oh, and the other two horses at my yard are both Arabs, one is absolutely loopy, spooky and mad, the other can be a bit mad but she's sweet and very friendly. Handling wise they're both lovely I've found but hair-raising to ride! Depends on the horse again though. As a breed most are energetic and highly strung but you might be lucky and find one of the exceptions that's a bit calmer! :)
 
to Holly

yes, that is true...i have a dog who is neutered and his behaviour didn't change after . thanks god- in my case

i think the best thing is to click with the horse or fall in love.
i think i analyze too much:rolleyes:
 
I think if you have experienced people around you who can help and you know the basics then go for it, you will never know everything and you learn a lot from experience.I know more now than i did when i had my first horse but im still learning i have got a good friend that helps me out if i need it.Just make sure you dont end up with something you cant handle, its true you cant judge all horses by their breeding if that was the case i wouldn't of bought a horse with TB in it!
Good luck.:)
 
You obviously have common sense!! your having lessons and wanting to find out as much as possible and have friends round you that will help in all sorts of ways, so well done and happy horse hunting.

I loaned my first and only horse for 8months before i bought him so in September i would of had him 7 years. I've been around people with vast amounts of experience and who owned their own horses and had lessons. I was told my lad was too aggressive and bolshy and should not buy him. I'm so glad i didn't listen to them as i wouldn't swap him for the world.

The problem is there is too many people who will tell you when its wrong and negative and seemed to have a couple of bhs books lodged in their throat!!:D Its just like you said about becoming a parent, we can't all borrow someone else's baby to make sure we're capable!!

Personally i'm not an arab fan so can't give you any opinions on the breed as i'm a huge big chunky heavy horse fan!!! GOOD LUCK:D
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back