If the horse is
sound, but needs work, first time owners should not think about retraining
a horse without help, so stay away from any that “just need work”. You
wouldn't buy a car that "just needed a new motor, gear box and front end"
when you want something to drive, now would you? Are you willing to trust
your life and perhaps your children’s lives to it? I sometimes say to
parents purchasing a child’s first pony, “How much is your son/daughter’s
life worth?”
There ARE good, cheap
and even free horses around. But you have to know how to find them and be
able to tell the fabulous from the unsuitable. That means that you
need to learn as much as you can about these wonderful animals.
We’ve all heard the
story that “I rode as a child, but then someone put me on a horse and…”
The fact that accidents happen in the sort of circumstances I hear about
doesn’t surprise me at all. What does constantly surprise me is just how
kind horses actually are and how many people keep getting back on, despite
bad experiences! There’s something about horses that just makes many of us
go gooey at the knees. Horses are affectionate, intelligent creatures who
will generally do their utmost to avoid hurting us. Having said that,
don’t buy a horse just because it “looks cute”.
It really helps to
understand that the vast majority of horses ARE kindly creatures. Like us,
they react quickly to pain and other stimuli. Like some of us, they have
good memories. And they are anything but stupid. I’m sure my best horses
are far smarter than my best dogs. Treated consistently and well, horses
are willing partners. They learn fast, and that goes for good things and
less desirable things.
If a horse is doing
something undesirable please don’t put it down to the horse being
“naughty” or “bad”. They usually are trying to tell us something! The
number of horses I see with behavior problems that need physical attention
of some sort saddens me greatly. The most common reason why horses are
“naughty” is PAIN: due to ill fitting gear (saddles most commonly but
bridles and bits next), new and old injuries, feet and teeth not
adequately cared for, badly-balanced riders bouncing on sore backs, and
just plain old previous abuse leaving memories of pain and stress.
Horses are NOT
“naughty”. They are trying to ask us to help them. To help a horse that’s
“naughty”, first find and remove the cause of the pain, then show the
horse calmly that you aren’t going to hurt it. And repeat… That can take
years. It is not a job for a “newbie”. Horses are relatively cheap. Why
buy something that’s going to give you years of grief when you can get
something that will be useful as well as a great companion?
Please don’t buy a
young horse thinking that you can train it and it will grow up with your
children. Baby horses are very big babies and need to go to school and
grow up before starting work. They are not physically and mentally mature
for a long time. Don’t buy a two year old and expect it to work hard, and
then live a long, sound life. First timers should buy something older and
more sensible, usually over 7. Look at it this way: the years you lose by
working a baby you gain in the mature horse’s sound later years. Horses
aren’t meant to work as two year olds, despite what the racing industry
does.
People ask me what
breed of horse they should buy. I hate to generalize because there are
individuals in all breeds.
As a general rule I
don’t encourage first time horse owners to buy Thoroughbreds. I adore my
Thoroughbred performance horses. They’re the V8 muscle-cars of the horse
world and I’m an equine rev-head. Thoroughbreds are athletes first and
foremost, but gallopers, especially those straight off the track, can be
challenging to downright dangerous for first timers! You may also have
heard the saying that “you can’t fatten a Thoroughbred”. That’s not always
true, but often, a Thoroughbred won’t do well without supplementary feed. They also have a lower than average life expectancy than some other breeds
Arabs are often good
doers, are sound and highly intelligent. They also have memories like
elephants. And that’s for good things and bad. I’d compare them to
highly-tuned rally cars; quick and requiring subtle handling. Thoroughbreds and Arabs are “hotbloods”. That means they have certain
physical characteristics that allow them to go fast and react even faster.
