How to Find Your Dream Horse
Find and go to local stables, local horse breeders, tack shops and even in the local newspaper or Internet that may have any advertisements or know of any horses for sale., Try to find an older horse that already has been well-broke to the saddle...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find and go to local stables
You can also look for a horse that you know or your local riding instructorknow, if you have already taken riding lessons and/or are familiar with some horses that have been up for sale.
Or, if you know one or more local horse breeders, you can contact them as well about any well-broke horses that they may be aware of or know about. , Look the horse over as it stands where it is and when you get it to trot around on the lunge-line.
Study the horse's conformational qualities, especially with the feet and legs, and also the topline, the neck and head.
A horse with sound feet and legs and a strong topline is a good horse that will take you almost anywhere you want to go. , It's best to do this with the owner as well as with your riding instructor or an experienced rider that knows you well enough to judge your riding abilities. , If you like the way the horse handles grooming and being saddled up, ask if you can do the grooming and tacking yourself to see how the horse reacts around you.
Your riding instructor or experienced horseman-friend should be there as well to assess whether the horse is within your level of horsemanship. , Don't buy the horse right away, as it's possible that the horse will not be the perfect one for you.
It is also likely that the horse may react much differently around you when in a different setting, like in its would-be new home and when the owner and/or your instructor is not around.
You may want to think about requesting with the owner to bring the horse to a more neutral setting (away from the horse's home) to do another analysis of its behaviors and actions towards you.
If the horse is not up to your standards, or you do not feel comfortable that it is the perfect one, then look elsewhere. , You may have to barter a bit with the seller if the horse is priced too high or low priced for what it's worth.
Don't over-guess the price either, as since this is your first horse, you will be less familiar with how much a good horse should go for than the owner or your riding instructor will be. ,, This is a time to join-up with him/her and establish your dominance (since, after all, this is your place, not his/hers), and give him a sense of "migration" from his old home to his new home, just like what wild horse herds would do when they had to move from an old grazing an area to another a fair distance away.
Don't work it too hard, as this could increase the stress level for the horse and cause it to go off-feed. , Each horse has their own time and levels of coping with the stress of leaving their own home and getting used to their new one.
Your horse may only take a day to settle in, or he may take a couple weeks. , Your vet's number should be on speed-dial no matter what in the first place. -
Step 2: local horse breeders
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Step 3: tack shops and even in the local newspaper or Internet that may have any advertisements or know of any horses for sale.
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Step 4: Try to find an older horse that already has been well-broke to the saddle (preferably a ranch-type horse).
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Step 5: Take a one-on-one look at the horse.
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Step 6: Ask if you can ride it to get a feel of how it moves under you and whether you like the feel of him between your knees.
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Step 7: It is also a good idea to watch it being groomed and tacked up.
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Step 8: Go home and think about your decision.
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Step 9: After you are positive that the horse is perfect for you
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Step 10: confirm about the price of the horse.
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Step 11: Take the horse home and put him in his new paddock with fresh water
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Step 12: hay and/or grass.
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Step 13: You may want to put him in the round pen or something similar and give him a good bit of exercise after all this.
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Step 14: Leave him be for a day or more until he gets totally settled in.
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Step 15: Contact your local large animal equestrian vet and/or the owner if your horse suddenly goes down with colic or goes off feed.
Detailed Guide
You can also look for a horse that you know or your local riding instructorknow, if you have already taken riding lessons and/or are familiar with some horses that have been up for sale.
Or, if you know one or more local horse breeders, you can contact them as well about any well-broke horses that they may be aware of or know about. , Look the horse over as it stands where it is and when you get it to trot around on the lunge-line.
Study the horse's conformational qualities, especially with the feet and legs, and also the topline, the neck and head.
A horse with sound feet and legs and a strong topline is a good horse that will take you almost anywhere you want to go. , It's best to do this with the owner as well as with your riding instructor or an experienced rider that knows you well enough to judge your riding abilities. , If you like the way the horse handles grooming and being saddled up, ask if you can do the grooming and tacking yourself to see how the horse reacts around you.
Your riding instructor or experienced horseman-friend should be there as well to assess whether the horse is within your level of horsemanship. , Don't buy the horse right away, as it's possible that the horse will not be the perfect one for you.
It is also likely that the horse may react much differently around you when in a different setting, like in its would-be new home and when the owner and/or your instructor is not around.
You may want to think about requesting with the owner to bring the horse to a more neutral setting (away from the horse's home) to do another analysis of its behaviors and actions towards you.
If the horse is not up to your standards, or you do not feel comfortable that it is the perfect one, then look elsewhere. , You may have to barter a bit with the seller if the horse is priced too high or low priced for what it's worth.
Don't over-guess the price either, as since this is your first horse, you will be less familiar with how much a good horse should go for than the owner or your riding instructor will be. ,, This is a time to join-up with him/her and establish your dominance (since, after all, this is your place, not his/hers), and give him a sense of "migration" from his old home to his new home, just like what wild horse herds would do when they had to move from an old grazing an area to another a fair distance away.
Don't work it too hard, as this could increase the stress level for the horse and cause it to go off-feed. , Each horse has their own time and levels of coping with the stress of leaving their own home and getting used to their new one.
Your horse may only take a day to settle in, or he may take a couple weeks. , Your vet's number should be on speed-dial no matter what in the first place.
About the Author
Dorothy Murphy
Creates helpful guides on crafts to inspire and educate readers.
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