# 4 year old horse advertised as beginners horse?



## Kristyjog (Nov 11, 2013)

I've been looking for a aqha begginer safe experienced kids show horse for a few months. I've seen many ads listing 4 yr olds as beginner safe. They are still babies at 4yrs and I would never trust one for a novice/beginner they are still learning. Maybe there's the rare few??
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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

It depends on the horse. I have met a few standardbreds who are young and good for beginner riders. That said I have also met some that are older and not good for beginner riders. I think its possible and its worth investigating.


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## Paradise (Jun 28, 2012)

I sold a 4yo last year as a 10 year old's horse. The 10 yo was not quite beginner and the horse was one of those 'born broke' horses.

Having said that I also never advertised her as an ideal beginner horse. I had done everything and gone just about everywhere I could with her. She was naturally quiet and she, at 4, also had seen a thing or two. I was approached to buy her.

Man that horse was my pride. I probably never should of sold her..but anyways in your case I'd definitely do some investigating. Don't let age turn you away.

A lot of times I like young horses better even because they aren't so set in any bad habits an older horse may have picked up over years of carrying beginners.
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## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

I would never advise getting a young horse for inexperienced riders. They are not finished growing, learning, and have not had hours and miles of riding required to make a broke horse. Just because he is calm for the trainer, does not mean he will stay that way in a different situation without consistency and knowledge to carry on his training. Horses tend to have different personalities depending on the rider. An experienced rider with confidence may find a green horse quiet, easy to ride, and cooperative. Put a green rider on the same horse and it may be a different story they may not have confidence, skill or balance and that will be enough to make a green horse nervous, hard to ride and uncooperative. 

I always advise people who are looking for a mount for friends, or inexperienced riders to look for a been there done that horse, that is proven on the trials, had travailed to different locations, and truly a horse anyone can ride. They are hard to come by as they are usually the horses no one gets rid of but they are out there.


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## LadyDreamer (Jan 25, 2008)

It CAN happen, but only buy from someone you know and trust. One of our horses who is now in his mid-twenties was showing in 10&under Walk/Trot classes at 4. That is part of the reason he is still with us 20 years later.
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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

Kola was this type of horse from beginning I would guess.

But they are rare and also depends greatly on the inner core of the beginner too.

Some people, even if basically new to horses, just have "IT" and can handle horses better, and won't have as many problems.

But most don't have that.

Way too many people advertise a horse now as beginner horse when they really aren't.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

As others say, it depends on the horse. There are some that are dependable at that age. The second horse I bought was a green broke 3 yr old for my 13 yr old sister to learn to ride on. we were very lucky as this mare was honest safe and dependable (probably born that way) but this was just luck for us and I would recommend buying from a reputable person and if possible have a trial period before buying so you have time to see if this horse is right for you. It`s worth taking your time and getting the right horse.


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## Customcanines (Jun 17, 2012)

My Nibbles is one of those rare "born broke" horses. She doesn't do much of anything wrong, and when there is something scary up ahead on the trail, she will take the lead, because we know she will go by without any problems. She is better behaved and calmer than my daughter's24 and 28 year old. My grandaughters ride her, and have since she was 2 ( with close supervision). However, I would never advertise her as a beginner's horse. One, a beginner could mess up her calm temperament very quickly if they didn't ride her properly and make her respond correctly. Two, SHE'S A BABY (she just turned 4 yesterday). Maybe we just haven' come across the one thing that will make her go ballistic. In my opinion, NO horse should be considered "bombproof", but certainly not one who just does't have enough miles on them to have seen just about everything.
However, she would certainly be a better choice than an older horse with bad habits, as long as the rider didn't get complacent and realized that there will probably be unexpected behavior/problems at some time in the future. Good hunting!


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## ecasey (Oct 18, 2013)

If you do buy this horse for your partner, make sure you or another very experienced rider rides him at least once a week to keep him "tuned up". I do this with my mare because if she only has my poor signals/seat to listen to, she'll go downhill. Since I expect her to kind of teach me a few things, it's important that she not forget them herself. Or so my trainer tells me.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Personally, I would never _buy_ a young horse for a beginner rider, regardless of how "calm" they were simply because I didn't know the horse and all his quirks/triggers.

However, when I was a kid (under 10), I rode a lot of younger horses that were around the age of 4. My niece started riding her horse when she was 5 and he was 4.

BUT, these were all horses that had been trained by family and had been run through every gauntlet a horse can be run through before the child was ever handed the reins.

So, it's entirely _possible_ for a horse that young to be beginner/child suitable given the right temperament and training, but I don't trust other people to get them trained/exposed enough to be that trustworthy. 

So, I always advise that someone looking at a horse for a beginner don't look at anything under 8 at all, but preferably stay above 10.  Usually, by the age of 10, a horse has mentally matured enough to not spook easy (unless he has a spooky or reactive nature), and they have been under saddle for enough years that they've been exposed to a fair amount and aren't likely to be taken by surprise.


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## TrailTraveler (Jan 4, 2014)

Gaaaahhh! _(I'm holding onto my head to keep it from spinning around like in "The Exorcist." If you're too young to remember the movie, look it up on youtube.)_

I am thoroughly convinced that "beginner-safe" is a phrase some unscrupulous sellers use to bait unsuspecting buyers who are new riders. Several of the "beginner-safe" horses that I looked at recently had huge holes in them: One did not know how to back up. Another reared and bucked the owner when he tried to transition from trot to canter. (Thank goodness, I always make the owner ride first when I go to look at a horse.)

Yes, a four-year old may have a wonderful temperament; but chances are, it doesn't have the experience and miles to truly be labeled "beginner-safe," especially for someone interested in competing (which I know _you're_ not, but maybe someone who's reading, _is_). If you're looking for a trail horse, then maybe you'll be okay; but really, why chance it? There are so many awesome, experienced horses out there, why settle for an unknown quantity?

If I were you, I'd be looking for something with 4H experience, trail and camping experience. You want a been-there-done-that-and-got-the-tee-shirt kind of horse. Often, they're overlooked in favor of young and pretty, but I kinda like a horse that's smarter than me (yet doesn't flaunt it). ;-) A horse like that is worth its weight in gold, IMO.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

^^Another great place to look is ranch horses. IME, they are generally the most broke horses you'll find because they've seen a million miles under saddle and been exposed to just about every hairy situation you can imagine...and probably a few you can't. The quality of training will depend on what type of cowboy rode them, but all of them will steer, go, and stop at the bare minimum.


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## kiwi79 (Nov 11, 2011)

Thanks all for your thoughts. We are going to take a look at her today and see what she's like but I am in no hurry to purchase. I will actually probably end up riding this horse more than my partner since he works long hours and will only be able to ride in the weekends, at least through winter anyway. 

Unfortunately we don't have ranch horses here and much of what is advertised right now is either young thoroughbreds or very expensive older horses that are dressage or show jumpers. I would be more than happy to pay more for an older been there - done that horse but these horses just don't come along often. 

I will get the owner to ride her first then hop on myself and then if I think she's as advertised will get my partner to have a ride. If anything its a good chance for him to get in the saddle as he is too big for my gelding and hasn't had the opportunity to ride in awhile. 

Will let you know my thoughts on her after we have been to see her and hopefully have a photo or two of her.


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

I think its a bit silly to dismiss a standardbred retired racer as green. If it is started under saddle as is common Australia and New Zealand than this horse has probably done the following things in the last two years. Been broken to saddle, ground driven, clipped, trailered, walked, trotted, washed, been worked alone, been worked in a group. Learned to lead quietly. A lot of standardbreds here (the USA) are trailered into a race. So the horse in the 7th race which let say has a post time of 6 pm. Is loaded into the trailer that morning at around 10 am, trailered to the track (anywhere from 5 minutes to 8 hours), unloaded, checked into the race steward, vet checked, harnessed, warmed up about 3 races before there designated race, cooled out, left to stand in harness, warmed back up, raced, cooled off, stalled or tied until the other horses in their stable have raced, loaded up and trailered home. They have basically gone to a horse show every week while in the "race season". They are not necessarily green in the manners and behaviors sense. They may be green in the cues that riders use for things like jumping or dressage.


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## Corazon Lock (Dec 26, 2011)

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## Corazon Lock (Dec 26, 2011)

I think it really depends on the horse's personality, if the horse has been trained correctly, and how much the training has been reinforced.

A beginner could as easily ruin an older horse as a younger one.
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## kiwi79 (Nov 11, 2011)

Drove down to see her and although she was a lovely horse decided to pass. She has only been with this lady for a couple of weeks who takes standardbreds straight off the track that are too slow and sells them on. 
She was playing up a bit, nothing major and the lady said she was friskier than usual. No problem for me except that the western saddle she had on did not have adjustable stirrups so I was essentially riding with no stirrups since they were so long. Lots of head tossing and pawing at the ground. My partner declined to ride her and I said she was not the right horse for us. The lady commented that she may need to change the ad and remove the part about being a beginners horse. Back to the drawing board, would still love a standardbred for him though.


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## VickiRose (Jul 13, 2013)

Sounds like you made the right choice.

I stupidly bought myself a 4 and a half year old unraced thoroughbred last year. The idea being I'd have lessons on her as I'm a beginner rider. She was a lovely horse, really well trained, supple and soft with great movement and temperament, BUT after a couple of lessons I could tell it wasn't going to work. My ineptness confused the heck out of her! She tried hard but was getting unsure and hesitant.. And she needed to be ridden regularly and I couldn't find enough time. So I sold her to a friend who has been riding before she could walk. Happy friend, happy horse and me learning a big lesson on what NOT to do.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

My first horse was a standardbred and a very good horse (I was a beginner rider then). I rode him miles, had to have a new set of shoes at every trim. He was a very forgiving horse. Have ridden other stb and found them to be good honest horses.


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## Princessa (Apr 10, 2014)

Good for you on passing! The perfect one is out there.


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

It was a good idea to pass. There are those great beginner horses out there, and some of them are really young. Then there are older horses who are never going to be beginner horses. Good luck in your search!


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## palomino2897 (Apr 20, 2014)

Well actually i had a 3 1/2 year old QH mare who was broke in a day and she was more than beginner safe. i've had first time riders go on trails and even go swimming with her and she never acted up no matter who was the rider. so yes i believe there could be a beginner safe 4 year old horse. good luck!


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## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

It's very rare to find a young horse that is actually beginner safe. I would nearly never advise a green horse for a beginner, unless the horse was one of those true select few and the team would be under supervision of an experienced rider (and experienced rider would get on horse to keep it tuned up, provide training, etc.) 

My youngest mare was still a filly when I bought her. My ex-common-law husband was very much a beginner at the time. Mare was halter broke at the time and had 1 ride in a round pen before we bought her. She was thankfully one of those select few that a beginner could easily hop on and plod around on - she acts like a 30 y/o dead school horse, and acted that way from day 1. ex-husband and I are still good friends and he rides her often (mare is now 8). That being said, mare has way too much potential to be ridden by just a beginner or now-intermediate all the time, so she is ridden by advanced riders (myself + a friend) regularly to keep her training current and to advance the training. If I ever have a friend come out to the barn who's never so much as sat on a horse, Bev is my go to always. I can and have let green-as-grass beginners plod around in her bareback in a halter and she just says "okay" and plods on.:lol:

Generally though, I would be quite weary of a 4 y/o advertised as beginner safe.


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## kiwi79 (Nov 11, 2011)

The funny thing was after we got in the car and drove away my partner asked why I didn't like her because he really did, and I said I quite liked her but thought he didn't since he passed on riding her. A bit of mis-communication but I think it was for the best and will aim my search at older standardbreds that have had much more riding experience. 
We were debating whether that meant she has only been backed within the last two weeks, I actually have no idea whether standardbreds are typically ridden while in the racing environment.


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## coalitions (Feb 7, 2014)

This sounds like my situation! I just adopted a (almost) 4 year old standardbred that they told me was a confidence builder. And he is... somewhat. He is pretty slow and lazy and likes to plod along. However like a young horse, he spooks at random things, is learning and practicing every trick in the book to be stubborn, and still clumsy on his own legs some days. That being said, he has been a very fast learner and is doing great. 

In the end it all depends on the horse but I would say generally 4 is too young for a beginner. There's too much they haven't experienced yet and are still developing mentally.

Best of luck in your search!
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## kiwi79 (Nov 11, 2011)

Coalitions - they do sound very similar. She spooked at a grate on the side of the road but it was very minor and she really only looked, it was not dirty at all. What I loved about her was her amble, she had this lovely movement that was not quite a trot and it was like floating - I could have done it all day. But must keep reminding myself that this is not a horse for me!


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## aureliusandoinky (Nov 28, 2013)

My 14 year old isn't beginner safe AT ALL. But I'd totally consider my second horse who was just trained last year as beginner safe. It depends on the horse. I like what someone else said...some horses are born broke.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

JC used to be my only horse and he just wasn't suitable to let anyone ride and when you have a horse in an unhorsey area all your friends want you to let them have a ride. So I went in search of a companion for JC and would also serve to let a beginner ride them. I'd had my eye on a filly from the same breeder I bought JC from. She was a yearling but I'd watched her from birth and since money was tight an already trained horse wasn't in the budget. I knew just from her personality that she would make an excellent "anyone can ride" horse. She did and I started letting people ride her not long after I started her under saddle. The only wrong move she ever made in her 23 years was she laid down once when my niece (adult) was riding her and my niece was not an inexperienced rider. All of my horses will give this same niece a hard time anytime she tries to ride them so I don't know what that's all about. Her own horses do just fine for her and they'll do fine if I ride them so I wouldn't think it was a huge difference in riding styles. 

My current "anyone can ride" horse was 5 when I bought her. Had 30 days put on her as a 2 year old then had been a broodmare ever since. Same thing, I could tell from her personality that she was a beginner safe horse. She's 20 now and when she has to retire (hopefully no time soon) I'll be on the search again.


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## farahmay (Sep 2, 2013)

From personal experience, look further into it, go see the horse several times, ride her.
I ride a 6 year old stallion and he's quieter/more responsive than a 12 year old gelding I used to ride.


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## BarrelRacer23 (Aug 17, 2011)

I've had a few like that. Neither one could care less about anything and would just plod right along. They are rare to find but worth every penny if you find one. It doesn't hurt to look.
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