First foal?

[Horse1029]

I've been riding for years, and LOVE every second. Getting a horse is becoming more and more realistic. I'm very interested in training, and I've been thinking about raising a foal. I've been researching for a while, watching my riding instructor train her horse, etc. Is it a good idea or bad?

 

[Latestarter]

Welcome to BYH. That's a decision that you really need to make. We have a number of horse folks here... maybe they can give some input/feedback as to what to expect. @Bunnylady @Ferguson K @Mini Horses @Baymule @Poka_Doodle And there are quite a few more... I just can't remember them all... sorry. Anyway, glad you came on board. Browse around and make yourself at home!

 

[Horse1029]

Welcome to BYH. That's a decision that you really need to make. We have a number of horse folks here... maybe they can give some input/feedback as to what to expect. @Bunnylady @Ferguson K @Mini Horses @Baymule @Poka_Doodle And there are quite a few more... I just can't remember them all... sorry. Anyway, glad you came on board. Browse around and make yourself at home!

Thanks, I Will!

 

[Ferguson K]

While starting with a foal may seem like a great idea, might I recommend getting an older more seasoned horse for a first horse? There's LOTS that can go wrong with a foal as far as training goes.

Get an older horse, 12-18, so you still have many years together. Learn and grow together. Figure out what it takes to own a horse that's through the growing stages and doesn't need special care before you go jumping into a young horse.

Foals are sponges. They soak up everything and it's easy to mess them up.

If you get a foal it could be 3 years before you can ride it, are you willing to lose 3 years on a horse you can't ride? Lots and lots of ground work. Daily interaction. Lots of training. Then if you're lucky the horse will be easy to saddle break, and eventually train.

I'm not saying don't do it.

I'm just saying think really, REALLY hard about getting a foal.

They require a LOT of special attention.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

X2!

 

[Baymule]

I would advise against getting a foal. Like @Ferguson K said, it requires a LOT of work, time and dedication for several years before you can ride it. Plus the opportunity for it all to go wrong is certainly there. You would be much better off to buy a seasoned horse that will give you years of enjoyment. Don't buy a problem horse, even if the price is cheap, thinking you can "fix" it. The "fixing" could come at a cost of broken bones and injuries--YOURS.

There are a lot of good horses out there that are well trained and ready to ride. What do you want to do with your horse? Ride on trails, show, English or Western? I call my style of riding Western Schlump. I just schlump around for my own enjoyment. LOL

When you buy your horse, are you going to keep it beyond it's useful life or sell it and get another younger one? I have 2 old senior horses, age 27 and 29. The 27 year old is a grandparents dream horse, great for the babies or any inexperienced rider to enjoy. The 29 year old is unsound, has lung issues and is unrideable. She still eats though. So I basically spend money on her feed and hay for her to hang out and put holes in my bank account. She has earned it and both of my seniors can live here until they die.

 

[NH homesteader]

My husband would affectionately call that horse a "hay burner". Now he is also willing to keep animals past their "useful" age, which is part of the reason we don't have horses!

I agree with everything above. My husband broke and trained horses when he was a kid/teenager but his parents were horse trainers so... He always had someone available to help if there were issues.

Horses are cheap right now, even rideable ones so you could likely find one, spend some more time working with trainers and work towards being able to train a foal in the future if that's what you want to ultimately do.

 

[Bunnylady]

Until you have handled a horse that has absolutely no manners at all, you don't realize how much even a very green horse has learned. Foals bite, kick, knock you around as a matter of course, simply because they don't know any better than to treat you like they would another horse. Even yielding to pressure is something they have to learn; the instinctive reaction of a young horse is to move into pressure and crowd you. Horses learn so much from other horses, one of the most important lessons has to do with respect. One of the worst animals to deal with is a bottle baby; as sweet as the idea of raising a foal might seem, it's not much fun dealing with a pushy brat that is bigger and stronger than you, and knows it!

It's every young rider's dream to raise and train their own horse, and lots manage to do it. But there is an old horseman's adage: "green plus green equals black and blue." Depending on your skill level, it may not be necessary for you to get a horse in its teens, but I think you'd be much better off getting a horse that already knows a fair bit about what is expected of it, rather than one that is a completely clean slate.

 

[Horse1029]

While starting with a foal may seem like a great idea, might I recommend getting an older more seasoned horse for a first horse? There's LOTS that can go wrong with a foal as far as training goes.

Get an older horse, 12-18, so you still have many years together. Learn and grow together. Figure out what it takes to own a horse that's through the growing stages and doesn't need special care before you go jumping into a young horse.

Foals are sponges. They soak up everything and it's easy to mess them up.

If you get a foal it could be 3 years before you can ride it, are you willing to lose 3 years on a horse you can't ride? Lots and lots of ground work. Daily interaction. Lots of training. Then if you're lucky the horse will be easy to saddle break, and eventually train.

I'm not saying don't do it.

I'm just saying think really, REALLY hard about getting a foal.

They require a LOT of special attention.

That's fantastic advice, I have a few horses I've been looking at that are older, mostly 10+ years. I've heard that older horses are a bit more been there done that then some younger ones. A rider where I ride worked with a foal, and they really do just soak up everything you do, and imprint. Ill think about absolutely, thanks for the great advice!

 

[Ferguson K]

Please keep us in the loop, we would love to see what you and up with and we're haooy to help with whatever you decide!