# buying my first horse



## debjes (Jan 2, 2011)

i am an older adult beginner, have been taking lessons for the last two summers and my instructor says i am doing well. some people have told me i should start with an older horse, maybe 12-15. i have found a 4 year old that a friend has told me about and she says that this gelding is so gentle and calm and does not spook, she says he is a 4 year old that has the mind of a 10 year old. i guess what i am asking since i am new is would a young horse be good for a beginner.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

many aren't good beginner horses at that age..people can say they are really calm and spook free but this horse is only 4 years...I would get atleast an 8 year old..that is still really young.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

NOt normally. But if your instructor saw the gelding and you tried him out it might be ok. It is not just the temporament, it's that the 4 year old will lack experience. so, you may have to help him with new and scary things. Are you pretty confident? On the good side, he should come with less "baggage", right?


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## myhorsesonador (Jun 21, 2009)

because he is only 4 he is still learning. I would go with some thing a bit older just because exsperiance comes with age if you know what I mean.


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## Pizmo (May 30, 2010)

It would also depend on what experience the 4 year old has, as some 4 year olds have done & been through more then say a 7 or 8 year old horse that gets ridden lightly in the same place or situation.

If the 4 year old is as calm & non spooky as they say & he has experienced different situations, I would take your trainer with you & test him out. Jmo.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Many young horses work very well for beginners depending on what you plan to do with them. For a good dispositioned, young horse, the biggest things they are missing are confidence and experience, and those comes from age and hours under saddle.
If you're going to spend all your time in an arena or riding in a group with experienced horses, you shouldn't have much problem. If you're planning on trail riding alone, plan on lots of time working with the horse to get that confidence and experience.
In any case, take your trainer with you and try riding the horse in all the situations you are expecting to ride (ring/trail/alone/group/etc).


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## debjes (Jan 2, 2011)

that all makes alot of sense, it is hard to find what you want.when you live so far away from most horses advertised and you cant ride them before they are sold. I just received a call from the guy and he just sold the horse. I will continue to look for an older horse and keep in mind all the advice i have received and thank you


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

While a 4 year old might have a great mind, be very calm and quiet, they still have a lot to learn training wise and you would be better off to get something more experienced. 8+ years I would recommend.


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## PaintLover17 (Jan 3, 2011)

Age doesn't always means anything with horses. My 11 year old mare acts much younger and is quite the handful. Typically younger horses are more energetic and green, but it is possible to find a vey calm well trained 4 year old. I say you should go and look at and ride this horse and consider very carefully if he is truly as calm as they say.


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

Horses, like people, have distinct personalities. Some people are calmer, more responsible, more intelligent, more active, more friendly etc. Same with horses. Some young people will act calmer than others, sometimes calmer than older people, just as you might have an 18 year old who is more responsible or calmer than a 50 year old. 

Saying that lets say a four year old horse is like a 10 year old child. Regardless of how mature they are, they are still a ten year old child. Regardless of the experiences they have had or how smart they are they are still a ten year old child. Would you trust them driving a car? Would you trust a ten year old child to look after a baby? Some people might - but to me they are still a child. They haven't got the same processes as an adult. They can still get afraid easily without guidance, act irrationally, because as a child they are not rational. 

This may not make much sense, but its the way I see it. Regardless of how good a young horse is, how calm and gentle and safe, they are still like a child. They can still get afraid, they still don't understand the same way, they don't know how to react the right way no matter what they have learned. For this reason I would not reccommend a young horse to an inexperienced rider or handler - this is because a young horse requires a strong leader who knows what they are teaching. By owning a young horse you are constantly teaching it, and reinforcing the lessons. Not just with riding but with handling, catching etc. If you don't know what to teach it, and if you don't have the confidence or experience to create immediate lessons then a young horse isn't for you. 

While having a trainer around can make it better, they are not going to be there to supervise you all the time, and its little things that you don't know that can cause problems later. 

There are heaps of "perfect" horses out there, even though it doesn't seem that way now. I'd wait for something a little older, something can hopefully help teach you, that is forgiving and that you can just muck around with without worrying.


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## Pizmo (May 30, 2010)

I really don't want to start an arguement, but I just don't agree.

It's all about training & experience!!

Wether your talking about horses or kids/humans.

I would trust with my life my 10 year old cousin that grew up on a farm & had been taught the ropes & has common sense, can drive a tractor & car on the property & listens & learns from his elders, than one of my sisters 18yo friends. 
The 18yo has no clue about pretty much anything, very vague & demanding, very spoilt, is never happy even with all the gadgets that get bought for her, brand new everything that gets broken & trashed. And recently drove me into a house in my sister's car, by just being plain ignorant & then laughed it off. - Just an example 

The 10 year old is very smart & forward thinking, & can handle a lot of different situations that pop up.

The 18 yo..... well the lights are on but no ones home. And would crumble under sitiuations less than what my cousin could handle.


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## Pizmo (May 30, 2010)

Just to add, I really do get what people are trying to say by buying an older first horse & that _is _advisable, but don't think that just because the horse is older that it will be more well trained & have more experience than a younger horse just because they are older.

Look at all horses & the training, experience & temperament they have. And judge for yourself. Also don't take all sellers on their word - try before you buy.


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

While it may not necessarily be true that an older horse will be super calm and super well mannered, and a four year old might...that four year old has what? Two years of under saddle work AT MOST. And depending on the breed, hopefully only a year. Their nature might be very good, they might have been well trained, but how much experience can they get in a year?

Let's look at it like this. Joe Blow got a new job one year ago as a doctor. Many times he has to get another doctor in the hospital to give him a second opinion, because of his short experience. Joe is a great doctor, and very nice, but he just hasn't been in his field long enough to know as much as the older doctors.

The other doctors have more than 10 years experience, and have seen and experienced a lot.

Mark Park, one of the experienced doctors, although he is experienced, is careless and displays rude behavior. Despite his years of experience, he knows quite a bit less than the other doctors of his experience years.

Basically, yes, there are older horses that are NOT beginner fit, but I have never met one 4 year old horse that I'd say is beginner safe. They can be so well behaved, but they are STILL green. Green+Green=Black&Blue. Because the horse after one year of training is still green, still has a lot to learn, they need an experienced rider to guide them and teach them and finish their training. They WILL have green moments, no matter how good natured. They will need a rider who knows how to handle those moments, and how to make it a positive experience.


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

I think it depends on a couple of things. A young horse with a good mind will be OK if you:

-Continue with regular lessons from a good trainer to ensure that you are training the horse effectively. A horse that is only 4yo will still require quite a bit of training and you want that done correctly in the beginning to save trouble later!
-Understand that the horse is young and you are prepared to _work_ with the horse. What I mean by this is that you won't be able to just hop on and go for a ride all the time, a lot of your time in the saddle will be spent finishing him.

If you would rather have a horse that allows you to work solely on your _own_ riding abilities (and this is perfectly fine for a rider still starting out), I would look for something older with a little more training and experience. I would have said 8yo - 15yo depending on what the horse has been doing previously.


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

sarahver said:


> I think it depends on a couple of things. A young horse with a good mind will be OK if you:
> 
> -Continue with regular lessons from a good trainer to ensure that you are training the horse effectively. A horse that is only 4yo will still require quite a bit of training and you want that done correctly in the beginning to save trouble later!
> -Understand that the horse is young and you are prepared to _work_ with the horse. What I mean by this is that you won't be able to just hop on and go for a ride all the time, a lot of your time in the saddle will be spent finishing him.
> ...


Thumbs up to this.

With any young horse, rider errors will be much more apparent. Older horses who are well trained can be much more forgiving of rider errors. A young horse that's great for an experienced rider may only be that good because the rider is experienced!

That's a great point though, that further justifies the point that a beginner probably needs an older horse - because you need to work on YOU more than anything!


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## MissH (Apr 10, 2010)

My horse is my first, and is also a 5 year old. She has a great mind and is super loyal/honest. That being said, she has taken a lot of hours (and so have I) to get to where we are at now (6 months into our partnership), and we will need to continue working together consistently to get to where I want to go. Also, I'm not sure I would've bought a 4 year old...my girl came with just enough under saddle experience that I could pick up and go from there. My mare is still more talented then I am, so between the two of us we make a good pair but it does take patience. 

Sarahver had an AWESOME post. I 100% agree with a lesson a week. There are people who will argue this, but in my opinion, there is no way to get better/more developed without eyes on the ground (and this applies to all levels) and a person who knows both you and your horse.

Edit: I didn't realize this was geared to a beginner rider. I would say I'm an intermediate rider and we are training solid first level right now. I've had about 14 years of experience on and off. I think if the OP is a beginner but confident in learning and the "process" that goes with buying an honest/loyal younger horse then go for it. But it does have its downfalls. You would get A LOT more enjoyment out of an older schoolmaster (12+) who can really show you the ropes!!!


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

My first horse was an OTTB and also barely 5 years old when I got him. Supposedly the worst combo possible. I had however been leasing TB's for years before that and was very used to their antics. I bought the personality more than anything else. My number 1 priority was "safe". While there really is no such thing, just make sure what you do end up with is a good fit for you. There are too many good horses out there to be stuck with one that is going to mess with your head.


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