The Novice Horseman

I just received my Horse & Rider magazine.  This is just one of my magazines that I read front to back.  There is an article in this issue that you, as a novice looking to buy a horse, MUST read!!  The article is “7 SIGNS YOU SHOULD WALK AWAY FROM A HORSE FOR SALE (OR SELLER)” by Bob Avila.

This article tells you what bad habits to look for.  The article goes into bad attitude, this would be cranky, rude or impatient.  It tells you about being barn sour and also about not respecting your space.  There is a small section of information about lameness.  There are also signs to look for in the seller.  This article is only 4 pages long, but it does give you information that you will need when you go to look for that dream horse.  READ IT!! & READ IT again!! 

And when you are done with this article, read the one from Clinton Anderson on getting your foot shy horse  to let you handle those ticklish feet.  Oh and don’t miss YOUR HORSE YOUR LIFE for a few pointers.  There are some really good common sense things a novice horse owner may not know.  There are also on going articles on conformation, riding & horsemanship.  AND THIS IS JUST 1 ISSUE!!!

If you don’t have this magazine . . .  go out now & get it at your local bookstore, drug store or grocery store.  It is well worth your time and effort for this one.  This is just one MUST HAVE magazine for any novice.  It is just full of information.  There is also EQUUS.  I highly recommend this magazine for the latest in  horse health.  Practical Horseman & Dressage Today are outstanding magazines for the owner who leans more towards English riding.

These are the magazines that I subscribe to for the latest information in health, riding and horse related products.  Over the years, I have gotten an enormous amount of information from these magazines.  There have been articles on legislations that effect the horse world.  There have been articles on which hay may be better for your horse, oats vs sweet feed and which plants in your pasture are deadly to your horse.

 If you don’t have a subscription for any of these, check out the MUST HAVE MAGAZINES in the right column of my blog.  Just click on the magazine that you would like to subscribe to. 

Subscribe today, don’t miss another issue!
 

It’s been a few days.  Have you read up on the type of horse that is right for you?  I do hope you’ve spent some serious time on this subject.  You don’t want to go into horse ownership on just a whim.  To make it work out for both you & the horse, you have to be as prepared as possible.  So in all fairness, it’s time to talk about what a novice should not consider as their first horse.  That’s not to say you should never consider one of these next types, but maybe you should wait until you are a little more experienced.

I already talked about my #1 horse a novice should not consider.  That is the stallion.  I won’t go into stallions much more  than I did in my previous post.  Stallions need absolute distinct differences between what is breeding routines and normal everyday routines.  You need to be to the top dog . .  horse. . . with a stallion.  They need to respect you as the herd leader and you need to respect them for what they are.

My #2 horse a novice should not consider is a foal (weanling) or 1 year old.  But you say they are sooooo cute & irresistible.  Just remember foals are babies . . .  big babies . .  big babies growing bigger.  Their nutritional needs are more  than an older horse.  This will end up in a higher feed bill.  As with all babies, they take an enormous amount of time to raise and train properly.  They absolutely need to learn who the leader is.    If you don’t have the time EVERY DAY to spend with a foal/yearling, you are not doing yourself or the foal any good.  You have to teach these guys everything a good horse should know.  The only real discipline you can do with a baby is halter and if they are 1 year old maybe longe line.  You can’t ride them until they are closer to 2 years old.  Remember these are growing babies.  They need consistency and repetition, repetition, repetition. 

The #3 horse is the unbroke or green broke horse.  I want to teach my horse myself you say.  Green horses need consistency in their training, which means either you or the trainer needs to do something with them at least 5 or 6 days a week.  Training a horse needs a steady hand that is also gentle and forgiving.  A cool temperament on the rider’s part is an absolute must.  If you can’t keep your cool when stressed, trying to train a green horse will be a disaster. If you are a novice, you are still learning.  It is better to get a horse that can teach you.  

The last horse I’ll talk about would be one fresh off the race track.  These horses are trained for speed.  While they can make excellent horses, it will take a lot of just quiet riding time to retrain them for gaits other than running.  I would also watch for injuries to their legs.  I tell you this from experience.  My 1st horse was off the track.  While I knew of the injury to her legs that ended her race career, she had another leg problem that took a little time to show up.  I would definitely have a pre-purchase exam on an ex-racehorse.

This is my list of the top 4 horses not to consider if you are a novice.  You can buy one of these if your heart is set on a horse from one of these groups.  Just remember that you will probably need the help of a professional trainer not only for the horse but for you also.  You can make it work, just don’t expect miracles overnight.  Any of these will take a lot of time and even more patience.

Let’s talk horse breeds.  There are soooo many breeds and color breeds to choose from it’s mind boggling to a novice.  Take your time, figure out what discipline you want to pursue (riding, jumping, halter, trail, etc).  While any breed of horse can do just about anything, I would suggest that you read up on the different breeds.  There are lots of books and magazines at the book store and on the web.  I could go on for a long time about the breeds but you should consider this more homework.  Choose a breed that will be best for your desired discipline.  An example would be if you wanted a miniature horse, your desired discipline shouldn’t be dressage or trail riding.  If you want to show in the quarter horse shows, you shouldn’t get a loud spotted paint.  Talk with your riding instructor or horse friends.  Talk with the people at the shows.  Unless you are smitten with a certain breed, picking a breed will probably be a tough task.   

Don’t just consider a pure bred.  There are lots of show circuits and fun shows that you don’t have to have a pure bred horse to show.  You don’t have to have a pure bred to ride the trails.  If showing in the breed show is not your cup of tea, you might even consider a grade horse.   What is a grade horse?  This is a horse that can’t be regisitered in a recongnized breed registery.  This could be a solid colored paint that the owner just didn’t want to register.  This can be a cross between 2 different breeds that don’t recognize the other in their registries.  This could be a pony breed that the pony just grew too tall.  There are a lot grade horses and all of them have the same potential as any pure bred horse. 

I will say right up front, I’m partial to the quarter horse.  This would include the Quarter horse & any breed that recognizes it for acceptable breeding.  Why you ask?  The only reason I can give you is this is what I grew up on.  I personally own a Quarter mare, a Paint mare and a Palomino gelding.  They are all mostly quarter horse in their breeding.  They are not a small horse nor are they too big.  I like their temperment and they are versatile.  With that said,  these qualities can be found in any breed.

You can have just as much enjoyment from your equine friend no matter what his breeding.  The key is picking the right horse for you.  Have you read my slogan? 

Success is not what horse you have . . .  but what you do with that horse.