How do i find a horse thats good for me?

Question

Im a new rider, and i want to buy a horse thats good for trails. How do I know what breeds are good for new riders? I was told to get an older horse, but not the exact ages that are good.. help? : )
Thanks!

Answer 1

There isn't any one breed of horse you should be singling out. And you don't necessarily have to get an older horse. The best advice I can give you is take lessons at a local stable and develop more as a rider while you look. Start going to horse events, auctions, and playdays in your area. Many of the people you will meet at these events are trying to sell the horse they have now to graduate to a horse that suits the riding level they are at in this point of their life. These horses not only have a good amount of riding experience but still have a lot of miles left in them.
Keep yourself open to all ages, breeds, styles, and looks. Many of the people I've trained horses for tell me that the best horse they had was what you'd think is the ugliest horse in the barn, but they knew their job and did it well.

Get together with your vet and trainer and discuss your horsemanship goals. Have them go with you to look at prospects and always have a vet check done before you set your mind to one horse. Take your time. Cause I always hate seeing new horse owners buy the cheaper or the first horse they look at and about a week after bringing this horse home. the person is either broken and bloody, or the horse is lame and can no longer be ridden.
Also, if you find many horses that you like visit them many times and ride them to see if that horse is the right one for you. I will warn you that I've been training for a long time, and in my many years I've heard and seen people go to look at a horse that looked sound and healthy, but was in fact buted or aced to hide lameness and illness. Always use a vet of your choosing when you do a vet check and when he runs blood tests he will be able to tell you if he was in fact drugged.

Answer 2

You want a horse that is a little older but not too old to where they are not worth the investment. about 10-15 would be okya for a beginner.
you want a bombproof horse (calm) that has trail experiance and doesn't spook easily. horses can often get excited when riding out (on the trail or out of the arena) so its best to learn to ride in a closed arena first.

a good breed horse for this would be a quarter horse. they are calm and versatile. when you are more advanced an arabian makes a good competative trail horse but arabians can be very hot headed

no matter what the breed a well mannered begginer's horse will not nip, kick, shy, buck, bolt, bulk, or spook with a rider. and its better for a beginner to have a lazy horse than a horse that is very forward

hope you find the perfect happy healthy horse!
good luck!

Answer 3

If you are a new rider, you should first have someone very experienced showing you the ropes, and either a good barn to board the horse at or a god barn at home with plenty of turnout space.

I would recommend getting a horse that is somewhere in its teens, but be careful, and have a vet check. Tell the vet EVERYTHING you want to do or think you might want to do. You need a horse that is serviceably sound, but not necessarily 100% sound. It will probably be okay to have a horse that has a little arthritis, for example.

You have alot of options in the breed department. I personally like Quarter Horses, Morgans, Paints, and Appaloosas, but beware; there are horses that have perfect temperaments and horses that will be to hot for you in every breed. Don't rule any horse out because of its breed, but you might want to avoid Arabians, and I would avoid Thoroughbreds, both because they can be 'hot' and because you want a trail horse with decent feet.

So to actually find a horse, I would look several places.
1) Word of mouth. Ask around, Ask you Vet your farrier, your teacher or mentor.
2) the local newspaper.
3)on-line at places like Dreamhorse.com
4)Organized trail events, etc.

When you go to look at the horse, try to ride it in both the arena and on the trail. if going on the trail is not possible, Try having the horse walk over a tarp and through the stream of a hose. If he/ she hesitates, that's okay, but if the horse freaks out, you probably don't want that horse on the trail.

Answer 4

Well, there isnt a specific breed that is made for trails. It is specific to the horse itself (Though I would stray from Thoroughbreds and Arabians if I was a new rider). I would advise something like a Quarter Horse or a Paint, but it really doesnt matter. Some breeds are known to be calmer, but like I said, it is specific to the horse. As for ages, 10+ would be calm, but a horse can be lazy all on its own! Ive ridden a 2 year old that had about as much spunk as a 98 year old man.
Overall, just look around. Avoid horses that are recently broken in, but look at ads that say 'bombproof'! Sometimes its best to just look at one ad and see if you click with the horse. Clicking with a horse will inspire your relationship with him and he will trust you enough not to do anything crazy if he loves you. Im not saying buy a 2 year old Thoroughbred thats been off the track for a month, but look for a horse that connects to you. Good luck!

Answer 5

Shop around for a horse that fits you. It should fit your budget, riding style, experience and taste. Have an experienced friend go with you to look at MANY different horses. When you find one you like, ride it several times and at different times of the day to different places. Show up unannounced (if possible) so the owner doesn't have time to catch, calm or otherwise prepare the horse for you. Your rides should be easy and uneventful. If the horse has bad habits or gives you ANY cause for concern, pass it up. Problems will only intensify after you are one on one with the horse. There are far too many good horses out there to waste time as a green rider on one that will frustrate and possibly injure you.

When you find the one you think is perfect. Have it vet checked. Do not skip this part. My first horse died a week after bringing it home because I didn't know enough to know it was sick. She was easy to ride and calm. Come to find out that was because she was too ill to misbehave. That is an expensive and heart breaking lesson to learn.

If the horse gets a clean bill of health and all of your rides have been pleasant experiences then take your new friend home. Enjoy the experience of being owned by your horse!!

Answer 6

I'd recommend getting a horse between the ages of 11-15. Preferrably a mellow Quarter Horse. Make sure to ask why the horse is being sold. You'll want something that already has experience trail riding. Maybe look into someone who is retiring a school horse.

Get a vet check! It's horrible to come home with a horse you thought you got a good deal on, only to find yourself with 5000 worth of vet bills.

I hope I helped!

Answer 7

Find a trainer or horse expert, first of all, and get some lessons. Tell the trainer you are looking for a safe horse, and the trainer will know your riding ability (after watching you take lessons.)

Horse shopping should always be done with an experienced horse person, most of them can see through lies, and they can test the horse out before you ride it.

Answer 8

I disagree with the person that said wait till your experianced. Having your own horse is the best way to get experiance.You should look around the internet, www.horsetopia.com, on that website search for a horse in your area and kid friendly. Even if you arent a kid, you feel real safe on a kids horse. or check the classifieds in your local newspaper.

But make sure you try riding it before you buy it.

Good Luck, The perfect horse will come to you. It was so coinsidental how I got my mare and she is perfect.

Good Luck & Enjoy your new horse♥

Answer 9

If you want to find a horse, go to www.petfinder.com. They have alot of horses who are perfectly good horses whose owners just got tired of taking care of them. This way, you get accurate information about the horse and you're helping an abandoned horse get a new home.

Answer 10

New riders don't need to buy horses, wait until you have more experience.