# Buying an older, already trained horse vs training a youngster yourself



## Sheepdog (Sep 25, 2011)

I was just wondering, those of you who have trained \ do train your own youngsters are there any real pros to breeding your own youngster or buying a yearling from a stud vs buying an older, experienced already trained and "ridden in" horse?


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## BarrelRacingLvr (Feb 26, 2012)

I personally prefer to train our own, ya we send them off the first 30 days to get a handle on them as I don't have the time to do that part. But that is the ONLY thing we send them off for. We do the rest of the foundation, and starting them on the pattern. 

I want to be able to have a horse I can train to how I like them to work, run, ride, ect. I don't want to have to learn how to ride a horses style and such, because I have my way that I want a horse to go along. I also like the feeling that I trained the horse and did pretty much everything except the first 30 rides. 

Now if your a person that doesn't know how to train a horse....I say they should buy a finished product. Because it is a lot of work, and you can't cut corners and it takes time and you need to be experienced enough to do it. 

That is just my personal opinion.....


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

My first question to you is what experience do you personally have in breeding, raising a foal, and training a youngster? If you say none, then your best bet is to buy an already trained adult.


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## PunksTank (Jul 8, 2012)

I'm in the same boat of training my own. It depends on your skill level honestly.
I find breeding for a foal yourself is really the worst option though. You don't know what you're going to get, male or female, dominant or gentle, strong willed or quiet. Then you have to wait a year for the birth, wait for them to be weaned, at this point you can start short 5-10 minute leading sessions, but can't do much actual ground work until 1 1/2, but really the attention span doesn't come until 2-3 years and you can't ride until 3-4 years depending on the horse and then you have to take things exceptionally slowly.

I adopted my mare, 7 year old draft horse untouched. She's been magnificent, I didn't have to wait for anything, just train her up and go. Adopt/purchase 4-7 year olds is my ideal option, if they have basic manners down all the better. The horse is more ready to learn, mentally and physically.

Trained horses are fantastic to buy, but it's not all that often you can get a horse that you don't need to untrain and retrain again before they're useful in what you need. Unless you're looking for high class competitors.


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## Charley horse (Nov 12, 2012)

Sheep, breeding your own is a preference to what you would like to do..
Personally I have bought an older horse and I have raised and trained now going on three horses..
I prefer the raising and training by self rather than buying an already grown established horse...Because you get more of a bond and a connection w/the horse.
You can buy a great horse too and have a connection but its not the same..And if it ever does become the same it takes a few years to get that.

I had a Arabian gelding I trained from 1yr old, another Arabian but mare I started at four...Kept both horses for fifteen yrs..
Now working w/a four yr old Appy I just acquired.
Ive had one that I bought that was 11yrs old..I ended up selling that horse five yrs later without missing..The ones I worked with and raised I think of them everyday.
So yea its a preference if you have time I would say do it yourself.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

The only pros getting a youngster (IF you are NOT experienced) IMHO are 1) you learn A LOT as you go, 2) while people may not agree I believe in a deep bond if you handle a horse since a very young age. However there are many more cons if you don't have experience dealing with the young horse and training in general. Speaking from my own experience here. :wink:


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Please don't start with the, 'you get a MUCH better bond if you raise it from a foal' nonsense. Because that's all it is, nonsense.

Time and shared experiences create a bond, not because it's a baby.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Speed Racer said:


> My first question to you is what experience do you personally have in breeding, raising a foal, and training a youngster? If you say none, then your best bet is to buy an already trained adult.


This is the most important part. If you have the knowledge to train them yourself (or the budget to have a trainer help you every step of the way), then it's all a matter of your own preference.

Personally, since I have the knowledge, I prefer to train all my own instead of buying one already trained. With me doing all the training, then I will know exactly what the horse has been trained to do, what they haven't, what their triggers are if they have any, and they simply don't have any baggage. Whenever I ride a horse that's been trained by someone else, I'm always wondering "When will I come across the snag in their training that gets me hurt?"


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Speed Racer said:


> ...Time and shared experiences create a bond, not because it's a baby.


In the military, I was told "Shared misery bonds a team!" I asked if that meant we were going camping together...:lol:

Turned out the answer was yes. :shock:

I think my mare Mia and I are developing a pretty good bond. Lots of shared misery along the way, but it has been the tough times that prove and develop a commitment. I'm not saying good times don't help, but horses are pretty smart in their own way. At some level, they understand that the tough times are the ones that prove you care.


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## PunksTank (Jul 8, 2012)

I think the biggest difference between raising a foal or training a more grown up horse yourself is that with foals things are forced to go MUCH slower and there is much less room for mistakes. Older (4+) untrained horses are much more forging IME than a foal, and whatever issue you created you have a slightly easier time fixing in an adult than a foal. That's just my experience, but the wait is the biggest reason I avoid foals - I'm so not patient enough for babies  They're good to have in the background to work on when you already have another horse to ride/work with regularly.


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## thesilverspear (Aug 20, 2009)

It completely depends on how experienced you are, doesn't it? No one can _theoretically_ answer that question in the absence of any context... i.e. your experience, expectations, etc.


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## LisaG (Nov 11, 2012)

Training your own horse (even an older horse vs. a younger one) is a lot of work and potentially dangerous. It can also be very rewarding. It depends how much time you have, what your goals are, and what kind of skills and knowledge you have. You'll need lots of patience, ability to read the horse and troubleshoot various problems that start to come up during training. It really helps if you have someone who's started colts to bounce ideas off of.

Out of curiosity, why do you want to train your own?


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Speed Racer said:


> Please don't start with the, 'you get a MUCH better bond if you raise it from a foal' nonsense. Because that's all it is, nonsense.


It's not about raising, SR. It's about training. Usually you put lots more time into training (and by that I mean everything: brushing, fly spray, etc. etc. etc.) of the young horse comparable to the already trained one. So it's not about "much better bond", but you are getting to know the horse faster and establish yourself as a gentle leader horse can trust and follow.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

You can do the exact same things with a new-to-you adult horse, Val. Conny was 4 y/o when I got him, and supposedly green broke. I have a feeling their idea of 'green broke' was to wave a saddle in his general direction. :wink:

If you want that bond, you do with the older horse the same way you'll do with the youngster. Establishing a gentle leadership role has very little to do with the age of the animal.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Speed Racer said:


> Conny was *4 y/o *when I got him, and supposedly green broke.


Now THIS I call very young too.  

What I meant is some people get nice trained horses and all they do is just ride (of course, brushing and saddling are included). But they don't care about spending more time with the horse, training it, etc. I'm NOT saying in any way everyone is like that, and I'm NOT saying something wrong with it (it's up to every person). With youngster (or very green horse) you have no choice: you must train it or you are in a trouble. :wink: And by training and spending all that time you do build a deep bond (well... most of the times...).

With that being said I absolutely agree that getting a foal or youngster with no prior experience dealing with such horses (or no horse experience at all) just to "raise" or "train" is not a good idea at all (although there are exceptions to the rule).


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## nikelodeon79 (Mar 3, 2008)

I had an unbelievable bond with my first pony, Bandit. He was 8 years olds and fully trained when I got him.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Sheepdog (Sep 25, 2011)

Hi everyone. Just a little background info. I live on a farm, helping parents out while looking for Mr Right. I have raised, halter broke and even trained to the point of accepting saddle bridle, bit and learining to turn a young horse. I would have taken her all the way, but my vet bought her for someone and said he'll finish her training. I was almost at that point two years ago with two geldings I've had since they were weanlings when I broke my arm and had to send them for training. I'm now looking to start my saddler x gelding whom I've also had since birth ( his mom was the horse bought be my vet) I want to train to potentially hopefully be my riding horse. I was looking at another horse a 12 year old, but decided I can't imagine ever having that same bond I have with Silver. Reason I'm asking though is one day I hope to save up enough money to buy my life long wish a draught horse and couldn't decide whether to look at a youngster, not really a foal, but say 3-5 year old unbroken or buy a trained one. 
I'm glad to hear there are people who say you can have that same relationship with an older, pre-trained horse.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Speed Racer said:


> ...Conny was 4 y/o when I got him, and supposedly green broke. I have a feeling their idea of 'green broke' was to wave a saddle in his general direction...


Based on some of the horses and horse sellers I've met, I thought "Green Broke" was some sort of horse cologne sprayed on shortly before I arrived. And it seems to wear off fast, too!


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I'd go with older. I wouldn't even ask this question, since I've owned/trained/retrained horses for 27 years now. As I work with my younger horses I KNOW what to expect. I KNOW the signs of disobedience and I can recognize the difference between attitude and fear. I also know that it's taking me lots more time in between training sessions now, with them than I ever did with "Corporal" (1982-2009, RIP) who went to his first CW Event 2 months after I first backed him, at 4yo. He was worked 5-7 days/week for the first 6 months I owned him.
I would look for a horse that is a comfortable size for you that is being sold bc the owner is moving up to another horse who can win better and higher levels in the show ring. THIS horse will have been groomed to death, trailed often, behaves for the farrier and the Vet and will have been very well trained. He--get a gelding--will be a good fit for you.
The PROBLEM with an inexperienced trainer is that every time a young horse is rewarded for disobediences it takes 5-10x more time to train it out of them. There are SO MANY poorly trained horses out there that you do them a disservice. I'm PM with more.


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## PunksTank (Jul 8, 2012)

Older horse IMO are easier to train, they've gotten most of their aging bugs worked out, no raging hormones to learn how to deal with, no phases of 'seeing where they are in the herd'. Young horses test repeatedly to find if they've reached a new spot in the herd, while an older horse only needs to do this if a dynamic changes within the herd, so they're a little less fussy with their human counterparts. But if I'm going to invest a lot of time into a horse I want a lot of time out of them too, so I like the 5-10 age range for untrained horse.

I'd take a fully trained horse of any age - but like I said earlier, often there's more to undo than do with trained horses. But if you're lucky enough to find one that works well with you there's no reason you can't have just a fantastic relationship with a fully trained horse as an untrained one (probably better because you won't have so many of those "what did I get myself into" days ). When you get your horse, trained or not, old or young, the best thing for your relationship is time spent together.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Sincere apologies to those who want to have their own foal hit the ground so they can train but ---- in this day and age of over-horse population, abandonment, abuse/neglect, and on and on, I am dead set against breeding.

I am not against buying a young, or older green horse PROVIDED the person wanting to do the training has all the skills <---and I mean REALLY all the skills, not just a Roy Rogers-or-Gene Autry-Legend-in-Their-Own-Mind.

It not only takes a certain skill level to bring any horse along but, working with a green horse is not for the timid/fearful person, nor should somebody who subscribes to "the beatings will continue until the morale improves" be training a horse.

It's a fine lined Sticky Wickett and, in summary, with all due respect, if you have to ask the question, the answer is "don't do it"


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

I think time and money is a real deciding factor. 

Sure you can breed your own but as mentioned, until you have a riding horse you're looking at 4-6 years. So much can happen in 4-6 years. On top of that you have to get the mare, buy the service (which can cost more than a horse) then wait around for 11 months and HOPE you have a good foal that is healthy and suitable, all while feeding the mother and paying vet fees. Then the foal is born and soon you have two mouths to feed which goes on for years! So a couple years later, after consistent handling you send it off to be broken, or do it yourself, so its either taking risks yourself or spending more money. So then you have a horse you can do a little work on, but not much really and then, after more work and/or money you finally you have something you can take out on a trail or whatever. I bought a yearling once and while she eventually was a great riding horse it took so long to get there. 

One day I do want to breed my own foal for the experience, but to me it would be a novelty of sorts, not the way I would do things. It would be more feasible for someone if they had their own property, rather than forking out agistment. 

On the other end of the scale you can buy a perfectly trained horse, get on and you can do what you want, have fun, compete etc. But they often don't come cheap. 

I guess I like something around the middle. My horse wasn't young, she was six and had been broken but has had very little work, more of just being a pet, when I got her. So I got her cheap, I can start working with her immediately. Sort of a middle ground. A finished horse costs a lot of money, a young one a lot of time, I really think the middle ground is best. 

Although you need all people. Those who breed and start them, those who finish them off, because there is nothing better for an inexperienced rider than a trained horse. They all have their place.


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## BarrelRacer23 (Aug 17, 2011)

I've always got young horses to train, it's what I can afford for the quality of horse I want. Thats my factor, money. I'm capable of training my own horses, yet I have no problems buying a finished horse and riding it. But what I can afford on a finished horse won't be the same as what the prospect I can buy with the same money and putting training into the prospect I can get more that way. Broke horses are more enjoyable and I have no problems bonding with an older horse, it just really depends on what exactly your wanting.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BBBCrone (Jan 28, 2012)

When I was young, you could give me anything and I'd ride it, train it, whatever.

Now that I'm not so young *coughs*, I want them ready to go. I have also learned in this day and age "broke" is a relative term. It could very well mean one of your bones.


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## Herdof2 (Nov 24, 2012)

I bought jazz when she was 1. And i am not a life long rider, nor a trainer. I had never even heard the phrase: green horse, green rider to give you some idea of just what I knew going into this. My rationale was that I saw 4 people buy older, well-trained, bomb proof horses- or so they thought. All of them had to be retrained, most had behaviors well established and 1 even had a bad medical history that wasn't disclosed. So when I looked over at little jazz who was pretty much a blank slate, I thought that was a better choice for me.

And it was, as I am pleased with what she can do, what I can do and how much I've learned to stay ahead of her (even if just barely). No doubt, I hired a trainer. Then fired her and hired a new one, Who suggested today we go* back on long lines* and review from day 1. I agree, but it is not inexpensive!

I can tell you that. I go to the barn almost everyday. I go to clinics, local groups, take lessons, read, practice on already trained horses and then work with jazz. Without a trainer for guidance, and an insane dedication to practicing, I would probably be in a bad spot. Jazzy rules my life. I wouldn't have it any other way. I honestly do not know if I would do it differently.

Except I would negotiate the buying price this time LOL. Sigh, live and learn.


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## Stan (Aug 25, 2011)

I would have gone along with buying a trained horse with a few years on it but now, No. Why, the experence I have is you find out the horses bad habits the hard way and its a pain trying to get past them.

And sellers don't tell you all the problems because they want to sell the horse.

New young untrained horse may be unskilled but at least you know what you have got and any behavour is a first and generally not inground as a bad behavour.


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## Stan (Aug 25, 2011)

Saskia said:


> I think time and money is a real deciding factor.
> 
> Sure you can breed your own but as mentioned, until you have a riding horse you're looking at 4-6 years. So much can happen in 4-6 years. On top of that you have to get the mare, buy the service (which can cost more than a horse) then wait around for 11 months and HOPE you have a good foal that is healthy and suitable, all while feeding the mother and paying vet fees. Then the foal is born and soon you have two mouths to feed which goes on for years! So a couple years later, after consistent handling you send it off to be broken, or do it yourself, so its either taking risks yourself or spending more money. So then you have a horse you can do a little work on, but not much really and then, after more work and/or money you finally you have something you can take out on a trail or whatever. I bought a yearling once and while she eventually was a great riding horse it took so long to get there.
> 
> ...


Not sure if I agree with the last paragraph. I once brought a what is called a finished horse with vast experence in the type of riding I do or more to the point attempt to do. The horse 8 year old trained. I have had so many issues I recently gave up with her. Over two years I have had only, condenced, 4 weeks of good riding. the rest has been working through issues. Why do private sellers as against those that make there living out of breading and training horses get rid of the bomb proof horse. Because it is not bomb proof and has issues. A trained older horse will recognise an inexperenced rider and take charge Now we all know that is the wrong way around and of course so will a young horse its the nature of the beast. So for me I have gone back to a young horse and with the experienced I have gained will do a better job of training my new younger horse. I also think the personality of the animal comes into play on how we respond to it and that inturn how it responds to us. I have learnt a valuable lesson over the past months. I am the boss not the horse. Now all I have to do is convince myself. Hahahahaha


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## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

I far prefer getting a youngster and training it by and for myself. I have purchased youngsters as well as gone the research and pick the stud route. Both are great experiences. The former is quicker. . There is also the benefit of "seeing" the youngster when you purchase one, vs breeding for your own desired results. I would not have a mare covered unless I had a wide expanse for a baby to run and develop, or purchase one that hadn't been raised that way...they are more resourceful, imo. 

Either way, if I did not have experience w training babies and ultimately starting them under saddle, I would not embark on that effort until I did.


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