Horse people! How long did it take to find your first horse? What type of horse were you looking for?

Question

We are looking for a young hunter / jumper prospect for my daughter and every time one doesn't work out she gets sad. Like every parent I hate seeing her unhappy. I just want an idea on the average time it takes to find a decent horse.

My daughter is 17 years old, and just shy of 6 feet tall. She has been showing in hunter / jumper classes for 6 years, first on school horses and recently on a lease horse. Diego (her current mount) is a charming and beautiful but challenging Appendix Quater horse. My daughter is a great rider and she has awesome horse sense. As well she has earned and saved $3000. of her own money. She is able to and derserving of a great horse.

Answer 1

Finding just the right horse can take any where from a few days to a few years. What you need to do is get out there and look, but don't be disappointed when you don't find what you're looking for the first few tries. I find the best way to find a horse is to sit down and make a list of what your looking for:
What age range would you like?
What kind of temperment?
What do you want to do with this horse?
What is the personality of the rider you're trying to match?
Do you have a specific breed you're looking for?
Any colors that you'd really like?
Are you willing to put in some training, or do you want a finished show winner?
$3000 is plenty of money to find a nice little hunter/ jumper. Write out your criteria from the questions above, and then start your search. Stick with your criteria, if you wander off then you'll not find what your looking for. Matching personalities is best. Shy rider= shy horse, bold rider = bold horse. Then go out and evaluate what you like from what you find. Make a list of ten things that are most important to you (ie, temperment, training, conformation) that you can rate on a scale of 1-10. When looking at the horse rate it in each of the ten catagories. When you get home add up each ranking to get your total out of 100 points. If the horse is right for you, you would have scored it in an 85 or higher, other wise just move on.
With the way the market is going right now, and depending on where you live it really shouldn't take more than a month or two to find a decent horse. Now the perfect forever horse might take longer, especially if you're really picky, but a nice decent horse that will work well with your daughter should only take a month or two. To find horses online I like www.equine.com, they've got a lot of really great horses on there. Or you can just go to google and type in horses for sale, them go through all the classifieds sights. If you would like some individual help email me at [e-mail] with what you'd like (answer the questions at the top of this answer, and tell me where you'd like this horse to be located, ie city, state) and I'll find some horses that match your criteria and send them to you. Happy horse shopping!!!

Answer 2

Boy, this is a tough question... If you are looking for a particular performance prospect, it can take a while, especially if you are looking at a particular breed or in a smaller geographic area. You don't say how much experience your daughter has or how old she is, but if she is fairly green and young... you might want to consider an older horse... one that someone higher in training has outgrown, or a "retired" horse that could give her the confidence she needs while you continue to look for the perfect mount?

You may need to remind your daughter that it isn't like buying a car. I saw some people whose daughter showed interest in riding horses for the first time at age 8 run out and get her a (high strung) Paint that was 3 years old and just out of 60 days of training... needless to say, that was a trainwreck. Maybe you can tell her it's kind of like finding a man... you have to kiss a lot of toads before you find your prince. She's going to have to ride a lot of horses before she finds her match.

I personally wouldn't put a time limit on it... as you know, you can't force a pair (horse and rider) to work. They will either click together or not. In the mean time, look at all the experience she is getting with different types of horses... every horse she rides teaches her something and improves her riding ability.

Answer 3

It can happen the first trial to up to a year. But, if you have a good trainer he/she will find you a bunch of good ones quickly. What takes the long time is finding that compatable horse. I've bought many horses and all took under 6 months. My trainer will travel to find them and ask around about the horse before I've even seen it. That's what makes the difference.

Since she's tall that makes it hard because that limits your options and often the bigger the horse the longer he/she is, which means the harder they are to package (pull together). She'll probably be looking at horses at 17 hands and higher, so that is harder to find.

DO NOT RUSH! I rushed when I was less experianced and ended up with a horse I didn't connect with and we lost a lot of money on him. Once the trainer has educated your daughter on exactly what they are looking for, it's up to your daughter's gut.

Also, I saw people giving out price ranges. Do not listen to anyone because it all ranges in different regions. I bought my extremely competitive hunter for $175,000, but before him I had a fairly competitive children's hunter for $30,000. These of course are "made" horses, ready to go to the show ring. Also, I show in A rated shows. It all depends on where you are going, so price is something your trainer will help you on.

Answer 4

I rode about 12 or so before I got the one I now own.
I was looking for a thoroughbred. I wanted to trail ride and possibley do some jumping and maybe some endurance stuff.
I worked for years on a breeding training racing farm and was an exercise rider at the track so I had lots of ride time on thoroughbreds and love the breeds tempermant.
They can be to much for some people and it takes time to really form a strong bond with them.
You need to sit down and make a list of what you need in a horse and look at only those that fit the list. Maybe not taking your daughter the first time as that way she will not be in love at first sight and be sad. I would look at the horse first and then if it seems to fit what you are looking for and you want your daughter to test ride it then let her see the horse. It will save some of the heartbreak.
It takes time to find the right one and sometimes 6 months or more.
Good luck in your search.

Answer 5

It can take a while to find a good match for your daughter, especially if you are looking for a competitive performance horse. It took me about 2 months to find my first horse, which isn't too long. I was working with breeders in the area who were able to network with other farms to help me find exactly what I was looking for. I knew I wanted an Arabian, and I looked at and test rode at least 10 different mounts before deciding on my beloved flaxen chestnut gelding Flash. It was love at first sight! Finding the right match takes time, but it will be worth it in the end knowing that the horse and your daughter are compatible. She and her new horse will be much happier if the match is well thought out and their personalities compliment each other.

Answer 6

I was in charge of finding a mount for my 12 year old sister and it took nearly a year. The first she fell in love with but was already sold, the second had hoof problems when I specifcially asked if it did, and the third was incurably barn sour. Then we found a 7 yr. old paint pony only a hour away. There were no problems and now she has had him for about 4 yrs. The hardest part is in the details. I suggest not only looking at local ads but also online at reputable websites such as dreamhorse.com. Many ads have photos and all provide detailed information so you can avoid getting her hopes up on a prospect that doesn't turn out.

Answer 7

When looking for a horse you want one at your level. Try for one between the ages of 4-15. Do NOT fall in love with the first horse you see. Keep your eyes and hearts open. Try for horses around 16.3-17.3. Depending on what your daughter likes more go for Warmbloods and Thoroughbreds. Where do you live? I know people selling horses but you may not live in California. How high is your daughter jumping?

Honestly it took my about 6 years to find my perfect horse and no one else can ride him. And that makes me proud.
I got my horse from my trainer yes we paid way too much for him and I personally had to teach him to jump but its ok. He is worth a hell of a lot more now than he ever was.

Try horses that are off the track. Make sure you visit they horses more than once. Ask if you can take the horse on trial for a week or so. Figure out if she likes him. Figure out if they look and feel good together. Make sure the horse is not lame when you visit it. Take videos so you can let your trainer see how she interacts with the horses. And make sure the horse is not lame in the video.

That’s what happened to my friend. The horse was lame in the video, bucked her off, but just happened to be the first horse she saw and the only one she liked. Now every other day he is off and ever 4 weeks he needs $400 shoes. Don't let that happen to you. If you have anymore questions you can email me at [e-mail].
Please do not hesitate to email me.
Good Luck

Answer 8

I have and have had many horses. They are a major investment. First of all, you need to "try them on". Your daughter needs to spend some time with the animal. If the breeder/owner doesn't want you to do that-stay away. How old is your daughter? Hunters and jumpers are tall horses. Perhaps she is not oldenough for the responsibility yet. they are the most demanding . is this what your daughter wants? Hunters and jumpers are pretty demanding horses

Answer 9

It took me two years to find a quiet mare to do dressage. Then the match didn't work out. I agree that you can't put a time limit on it. My mare has turned out to be an excellent brood mare. You would be wise to ask your local riding school, horse trainer, farrier, vet, pony club and livestock agent to keep an eye out for a suitable horse for you. A recommendation is a huge bonus. Also make a list of attributes that your horse MUST have, like soundness, safe to ride, catch-able, transportable, will tie up, etc. and a list of preferences, like colour, size, price, etc. that you would be prepared to compromise on. This could help you settle on a horse that is decent as opposed to perfect. I hope you have better luck than I did.

Answer 10

I can relate - we've been looking for a good partner for our daughter for over 3 years now! There are so many factors to consider, the level of the rider, the level of the horse, the personalities of them both. One good source we have found is to contact horse clubs in your area and go and watch competitions and talk to other horse owners, sometimes they have perfectly good horses that nobody rides for various reasons, kids gone to school, moved away, not interested etc. good luck