Picking the "Right" Horse for a Beginner

[greenfamilyfarms]

My husband has had very limited experience with horses and it has been several years since I have been around a horse. I grew up riding either a Shetland pony or my Daddy's huge Appaloosa. My husband has shown an interest lately in getting a horse and the only requirement he as mentioned was that he wanted a "big brown one." Yeah, kinda vague. So, what should he look for in a horse for a beginner? Any advice from you guys would be great since not everything that comes out of my mouth is taken into consideration.

 

[LauraM]

If he's not accustomed to riding, he would probably be most comfortable on a draft cross. Preferably with the draft being something not too enormous,....crossed with something sensible like a Morgan or QH and not something like a TB or Saddlebred........when you cross dissimilar body types like drafts and TBs or Saddlebreds, or Arabs, etc, you often get an "unbalanced" build that makes it difficult for the horse to be balanced,.....and thus more difficult for the rider. Not to mention they can add their "hotter" temperment.

Generally, these types of draft crosses (draft/QH or Draft/Morgan, etc) will have the easygoing, forgiving attitude of the draft, as well as a lot of the draft movement and build. The wider body build will give a less experienced rider or a larger built person more of a base and allow them to balance easier, and the draft movement is usually quite smooth and flat and most inexperienced people (as well as people with back problems or older people) find it very comfortable and easy to work with. Even with a large or heavy person, with this type of build, you don't need a horse to be very tall, and indeed, shorter will be easier for the inexperienced person to work with......its the width/stockiness of the body that is important. And while you can of course find very smooth gaits with the gaited breeds, it's often difficult to find the wider body builds and the laid-back personality all in one package.

Look for a horse that is in it's teens with a lot of experience in the type of riding your husband wants to do. Anything younger than 10 is simply not going to have LIVED long enough to have "enough" experience, no matter how much it experience it has. You want something that knows it's job and has enough self-confidence to ignore or put up with any mistakes your husband makes or to be able to deal with things without a lot of input from your husband.

Geldings are generally going to be easier for an inexperienced person. They are, in general, more "needy" of being around people, more like dogs, more "in your pocket" personalities, whereas mares are often more like cats......they can be much more independent and opinionated and willing to go their own way. That being said, there are always exceptions.......I've known several very "motherly" mares that just completely took care of their riders like mother hens......and some very independent and opinionated and stand-offish geldings. Just that it's generally easier to find a gelding with an even and forgiving temperament than a mare.......

Oh, and good thing he wants brown........they are the most common and there are a LOT of various shades of "brown."

 

[patandchickens]

Really the best idea would be for him to take a few lessons. Not just to get some help retrieving whatever riding and horse-handling skills he may once have sorta had, but mainly to get an accurate idea of what his personal strengths/weaknesses are, and what his preferences are.

You cannot really tell, until a person has had his butt on several different horses, what kind of horse he's going to get along well with. Some people tend to clutch on the reins and really need a slow steady horse who will have a sense of humor about being hung on a bit (as opposed to speeding up and getting tense); others tend to the opposite extreme of letting reins and legs and all just flap there and are fine with a horse with a bit more 'get up and go' but it'd better be a horse with very good judgement about what to do. Some people have a real problem with a horse that jostles them around a bit, and need something super smooth; others are perfectly happy on even the bouncier horses. Some people have balance difficulties on narrower horses. Etcetera etcetera.

Really really. Some lessons first, THEN go horse shopping.

Draft horses are great in some ways (even short ones, which are the best kind, are wide enough to absorb quite a long leg, and they are generally pretty levelheaded unless from hitch-type breeding) HOWEVER they also tend to require a certain type of rider/handler. Most draft horses, partly by virtue of bulk and partly by temperament, have a strong tendency to just keep on rollin' wherever they feel like it, at a slow but implacable speed. Thru fences, thru briar patches, etcetera. An assertive unflappable rider will have a different take on this than someone who is dismayed to discover the horse not responding or who gets mad at the horse for it.

ONCE HE HAS TAKEN LESSONS and knows what he's looking for a bit better, I would agree with the previous poster that he's most likely to find it in a horse that is maybe 10-15 yrs old (or older, if he would be ok with potentially limited riding - some horses stay sound til quite old, but it is not somehting you'd want to *count* on, you know?). If your husband is tall or large, remember that it is the WIDTH of the horse that counts, not the height. Short to average height horses generally stay sound longer, and are easier to handle and ride, than tall horses. And do get the horse vetted before you buy -- it is worth investing a few hundred dollars to minimize your chances of winding up with a horse that you soon cannot ride due to unsoundness and yet in this market cannot resell either.

Best of luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[w c]

What breed? Some breeds tend to be more energetic and sensitive than others. Energetic and sensitive is not what you want in this situation. Arabians, Thoroughbreds, even Saddlebreds, can be quite energetic and sensitive.

I wouldn't usually recommend a Warmblood horse (these are bred for sport - jumping and the like). Warmbloods, good ones anyway, are expensive, but also have very bouncy, energetic gaits, and tend to be INCREDIBLY cheerful about being naughty and have a very highly developed sense of humor on the subject of obedience and less skilled riders. There are exceptions, of course. I have one, but no one will ever get him from me til I die, LOL.

Drafts and draft crosses aren't for everyone, as Pat said. They DO tend to know how big and strong they are, and they can indeed require a strong hand. But when you get a good one, you really get a good one. Some people get on very, very well with them. With some exceptions, they can be quite difficult to get into a canter, though, they just weren't developed for that. But for a long time, cantering may be the LAST thing you want to do, LOL.

I wouldn't assume too much about husband, though. One fellow I know got a wild idea to get a horse when he was 40. He had never ridden at all. His wife was wringing her hands and trying to figure out WHERE he inherited this startling ailment from and why it had waited to pop up til after their marriage.

Well he spent a while in lessons, and he just kept at it, and he just got so he loved it, and wound up going fox hunting, jumping, and like most men after a few years he was eyeing his sweet old beginner horse and saying, 'I want something Faster, Bigger and Cooler'. Or he may just go on for years, shuffling along on Old Reliable, and having a great time.

No mistake though, that first beginner horse is a must. And that horse should be very laid back, very easy to ride, a little on the slow side, and probably not at all Fast, Big or Cool. A real 'been there done that' type of horse that can be ridden safely even after a few weeks of Christmas vacation, when the wind is blowing or the other horses around are hopping up and down and acting like twits.

One of my favorite beginner breeds is the Fjord. They are not as cheap as draft horses, but wow. They tend to be very reliable and steady, and while not horribly sensitive, they are easy to get moving, one isn't ready to have a coronary by the time one gets them going, but they won't go off screaming into the sunset either. They are very handsome animals, usually rather wide and stocky, but not terribly tall...or brown. They're generally a sort of light tan color, with dark edges to the mane, tail, legs and face. OCCASIONALLY you find a BROWN one, LOL!

A bunch of pics of them here, scroll down a little:

http://www.mirrorkbranch.com/gallery10p3fjordhorse.html

about half way down this page:

http://hatterasislandhorsebackriding.com/2515.html

fjord site:


http://www.horsemanmagazine.com/2008/08/norwegian-fjord-horses/

Usually... usually men think they are 'really cool'. Once they find out they are 'The Horse of the Vikings - and the Vikings were Real Men', they usually say, 'Cool!'

You might consider this. Find a riding lesson barn, and find a horse that the instructor thinks he does well with, and take some lessons on that horse for a while, and then after having lessons for a while, buy that lesson horse.

Yes...some horses at lesson barns are old, lame and on their last legs. But if it's a decent place, if the horse is checked over by a vet, most of what's wrong with it should be known, and the vet can offer an opinion as to whether it would really interfere with some casual, family type riding.

Not everything 'wrong' with a horse really is 'significant'. For example, a lot of older, very nice 'high mileage' horses have some arthritis in their legs, but casual riding often keeps them limbered up and comfortable. They may not be suitable for galloping, jumping or other hard work, but may make a great family horse.

The advantage is that you can see that hubby and the horse get along.

There's also the possibility that after a few lessons, hubby would change his mind and decide he's not interested in owning a horse. And knowing that is better than getting a horse and not wanting it any more (the market is bad now, a lot of horses are for sale or being given away for free, as people have lost jobs or income or both).

It's awful hard to explain to people, but owning a horse is very different from riding it at a lesson barn. At the lesson barn, the instructor keeps the horse's training in place by 'tuning him up' now and again. More advanced students also 'tune up' the horse, and keep him from taking advantage. If he's only being ridden by a beginner, he might get, well, not so obedient.

 

[michickenwrangler]

DOn't be afraid to go for an older horse (teens) for your husband. An 18 yr old horse will still have 5+ years of good riding left in them.

Heck, mine's 18 and still goes like bat out of h---. Then again, she's an Arab Saddlebred, something that people are telling you to avoid!

In addition to having husband take a few riding lessons, have him read some horse magazines. Western Horseman is a good, man-oriented magazine. Horse and Rider and Equus would also be good choices. Horse Illustrated just seems so woman-oriented to me for some reason.

 

[()relics]

Quarter horse...gelding...8-15 years old...broke to trail ride....make sure he is sound and over-all healthy with a good attitude towards people. Talk to the vet that has been seeing him. Don't buy a rescue, too many issues for beginner/intermediate riders/owners....jmo