Great advice! I'd add that a cheap horse never ends up cheap. And a good trainer is worth their weight in gold, but there will be a lot of trainers that aren't right for you. Don't be afraid of backing away when you see red flags with a trainer.
Thank you for the info, as a complete beginner I’ve always stood by the idea that I won’t jump in buying a horse until I am more comfortable. I am going to be taking lessons again when I move and I’m going to take some more riding lessons, maybe in about a year or two I will be comfortable and jump into buying my first horse!
I spent 6 months on Facebook and it was not a good experience. I finally reached out to the barn owner where I was taking lessons and asked her to find me a horse. she is hauling a horse in for me for a 2 week trial period. I will pay to board for 2 weeks but okay with that. hopefully, this horse is the one! i'll meet him on Monday
This is awesome info. Also agree with @Carolyn Harmon about emphasizing the not fun parts. I haven’t been able to ride my horse since last August while we are rehabbing an injury. Whoever said “healthy as a horse” never owned one. They can get in trouble easily, and the recovery can take a long time. Not to mention the expense. Weather is getting nice now, and someone just asked me about trail riding. Yeah, not sure when that will be able to happen. I’m very fortunate to have the good support team you mentioned. People really need to understand it’s not all hop on and gallop into the sunset. Even with a healthy horse, more time is spent on non-riding activities than people think. Thanks for all your great content!
I like tall horses as they feel like a rocking horse which is cute and I just love the idea of having a tall horse that was mostly affectionate and nice as a jumper and trail preferably a bay or chestnut also like grays
Great video! If you're not truly ready for all the parts of horse ownership, it's not fair to the horse. Maybe make a video that shows you actually dealing with all the not so fun parts of horse ownership, might take a while to piece all that video together but we have time, we can wait. Thanks 🐎
This is great! I'll have to reference back to this when I'm ready to horse shop in about a year. I haven't shopped or purchased a horse in 10 years (my sweet boy who I had for that long passed last September 😓), so I'm both excited and nervous to be looking again in the future.
Such good advice❤. I'm just starting to look and the last three questions especially were relevant for me. I would just add that I think it's good to have some ideas of genetic issues / health issues specific to the breeds you're looking at. I only recently learned about progressive lymphedema and feather mites for drafts. Others may not know that there's PSSM 1-8 genes which can be very tough to manage. Additionally if someone did buy a horse that turned out to be metabolic or have PSSM could they manage it wherever they plan on keeping the horse? I also tell beginners to read up on hoof care so they would recognize an abscess or stone bruise, and to understand the different kinds of colics, as well as the more common horse illnesses like West Nile.
I’m 15 and started riding about half a year ago. I’m not sure when to get my own horse though and I get mixed opinions from people. My trainer right now says people should only get horses after 5-6+ years of riding under saddle but I’m not sure I want to stay on lesson horses that long cause I might not be able to improve as much as if I owned a horse. Can someone please give me some advice? :)
Both approaches are valid. If you buy a horse now, the trouble you might run into is the horse that is safe & will help you progress now may not be the horse you enjoy in a few years when you have more skills. But I get that lesson horses aren’t always the most fun to ride either. If you can’t afford 2 horses, are you willing to sell your first horse to upgrade? Another consideration is if you plan on college - what will you do with your owned horse then? Leasing instead of owning might be a way to grow your skills faster, depending on what’s available in your area. No matter what you do, I would definitely make sure you have enough room in your budget to continue lessons and work with a trainer.
@@HappieronaHorse Thank you so much for this advice! The problem is that I live in Australia so leasing isn’t really an option in the state I live in and As for college I will most likely be going locally. At the moment we are currently financially well too. Thank you again :)
In my experience, horses owned by a riding school or trainer who has school horses for beginners works well since the horses are used to beginners, are safe, and “know the drill” so to speak. At my barn, one of the trainers uses another client’s horse for adult students and it’s a good fit also. Sometimes school horses have their quirks since they have to adapt to so many different riders all the time…but I personally never found this to be annoying until I got a bit better at riding. :)
Great advice! I'd add that a cheap horse never ends up cheap. And a good trainer is worth their weight in gold, but there will be a lot of trainers that aren't right for you. Don't be afraid of backing away when you see red flags with a trainer.
So true! Thanks for adding that.
Thank you for the info, as a complete beginner I’ve always stood by the idea that I won’t jump in buying a horse until I am more comfortable. I am going to be taking lessons again when I move and I’m going to take some more riding lessons, maybe in about a year or two I will be comfortable and jump into buying my first horse!
Sounds like a great plan! You will learn so much about yourself as a rider doing this!
I spent 6 months on Facebook and it was not a good experience. I finally reached out to the barn owner where I was taking lessons and asked her to find me a horse. she is hauling a horse in for me for a 2 week trial period. I will pay to board for 2 weeks but okay with that. hopefully, this horse is the one! i'll meet him on Monday
This is awesome info. Also agree with @Carolyn Harmon about emphasizing the not fun parts.
I haven’t been able to ride my horse since last August while we are rehabbing an injury. Whoever said “healthy as a horse” never owned one. They can get in trouble easily, and the recovery can take a long time. Not to mention the expense.
Weather is getting nice now, and someone just asked me about trail riding. Yeah, not sure when that will be able to happen. I’m very fortunate to have the good support team you mentioned. People really need to understand it’s not all hop on and gallop into the sunset. Even with a healthy horse, more time is spent on non-riding activities than people think.
Thanks for all your great content!
This is so true. I really appreciate you sharing. I hope your horse makes a smooth recovery and you get to enjoy some ride time soon. ❤️
I like tall horses as they feel like a rocking horse which is cute and I just love the idea of having a tall horse that was mostly affectionate and nice as a jumper and trail preferably a bay or chestnut also like grays
Great video! If you're not truly ready for all the parts of horse ownership, it's not fair to the horse. Maybe make a video that shows you actually dealing with all the not so fun parts of horse ownership, might take a while to piece all that video together but we have time, we can wait. Thanks 🐎
Great idea, thanks Carolyn!
Thank you! I'm not planning to buy a horse for a couple years yet but this will definitely help me determine when I'm ready.
Glad I could help!
This is great! I'll have to reference back to this when I'm ready to horse shop in about a year. I haven't shopped or purchased a horse in 10 years (my sweet boy who I had for that long passed last September 😓), so I'm both excited and nervous to be looking again in the future.
My condolences on your boy. 💔 I hope this helps when it comes time to look again. Best of luck!
Thanks for great advices
Such good advice❤. I'm just starting to look and the last three questions especially were relevant for me. I would just add that I think it's good to have some ideas of genetic issues / health issues specific to the breeds you're looking at. I only recently learned about progressive lymphedema and feather mites for drafts. Others may not know that there's PSSM 1-8 genes which can be very tough to manage. Additionally if someone did buy a horse that turned out to be metabolic or have PSSM could they manage it wherever they plan on keeping the horse? I also tell beginners to read up on hoof care so they would recognize an abscess or stone bruise, and to understand the different kinds of colics, as well as the more common horse illnesses like West Nile.
Thanks for sharing those specifics Brie! Important things to know for sure. 👍🏼
Great conversation and points.
Thanks Richard!
Thanks for this great video Stephanie!!
You are so welcome!
i love trail riding an showing
I’m 15 and started riding about half a year ago. I’m not sure when to get my own horse though and I get mixed opinions from people. My trainer right now says people should only get horses after 5-6+ years of riding under saddle but I’m not sure I want to stay on lesson horses that long cause I might not be able to improve as much as if I owned a horse. Can someone please give me some advice? :)
Both approaches are valid. If you buy a horse now, the trouble you might run into is the horse that is safe & will help you progress now may not be the horse you enjoy in a few years when you have more skills. But I get that lesson horses aren’t always the most fun to ride either. If you can’t afford 2 horses, are you willing to sell your first horse to upgrade? Another consideration is if you plan on college - what will you do with your owned horse then? Leasing instead of owning might be a way to grow your skills faster, depending on what’s available in your area. No matter what you do, I would definitely make sure you have enough room in your budget to continue lessons and work with a trainer.
@@HappieronaHorse Thank you so much for this advice! The problem is that I live in Australia so leasing isn’t really an option in the state I live in and As for college I will most likely be going locally. At the moment we are currently financially well too. Thank you again :)
Sorry just saw this! That’s great, you’ve got a lot of advantages then! I hope you find the right fit. Horses are so life changing in the best way! ❤️
For me the final thoughts about being able to walk away from a horse that’s not a perfect fit. I’ve never had a horse but hope to one day.
For gaining experience with horseback riding, would you recommend starting with school owned horses?
In my experience, horses owned by a riding school or trainer who has school horses for beginners works well since the horses are used to beginners, are safe, and “know the drill” so to speak. At my barn, one of the trainers uses another client’s horse for adult students and it’s a good fit also. Sometimes school horses have their quirks since they have to adapt to so many different riders all the time…but I personally never found this to be annoying until I got a bit better at riding. :)