So you (or your horse-crazed child) has decided that HORSES. ARE. IT. The deep end has been jumped into, and you are now officially a horsegirl, or mom/dad, a/k/a accomplice. Beautiful spring afternoons are spent at the barn, Saturday mornings are filled with the sounds of crunching hay, and when opened your Maps app automatically calculates the fastest route to Ocala’s World Equestrian Center. In fact, you are so entrenched in the pursuit of the equestrian life that you’ve decided to buy a horse of your very own.
All The Things
Most riders are taking regular lessons before they consider purchasing a horse. If you are looking to pursue any kind of competitive riding or even a high level of recreational riding, then I highly recommend that you dress for the job you want. I’m talking more than the clothes you wear, although a good set of boots and well-fitted helmet can make a ride safe and successful. Invest in good equipment, get it fitted and keep it maintained, and you will find that your equipment and tools work for you instead of against you. Even for children, make sure that your footwear is sport appropriate and well fitted. My must-haves for quality equipment: helmet, riding boots, gloves, saddle. Those items are worth investing money in. On the other hand, for most grooming tools, riding pants, bridles, saddle pads, and other equipment, cheaper is just as good as, if not better than, the most expensive brands.
Important Equations
Buying a horse should never be the first purchase. Horses are expensive, and the upkeep of them is even more so. However, there are few things on this earth that bring as much joy, confidence, and peace to children and adults alike as a good horse. There are a couple mathematical equations in horse-buying that I live by and recommend that all buyers remember: green + green = black and blue, and rider age + horse age ≥ 20. Both equations are related.
Green (inexperienced) riders are not equipped to handle, guide, and develop green horses. Those situations are inevitably disasters. I’ve had many an ambitious new rider want to retrain an off-the-track-thoroughbred (OTTBs), or parent that wants a single horse to last their child from elementary school through to graduation, so they buy a 3-year-old. Rarely do these pairings work well. If you are still learning about horses and riding, then buy a schoolmaster that will forgive you for your mistakes in and out of the saddle. Once you and your trainer feel that you gained some mastery then you can assume the role of guiding and training a 1300-pound flighty animal. If you’re choosing a horse for a kindergarten kid, a mid-teens pony will be appropriately world-savvy and set into good ground manners. Buying a horse for a blossoming middle-schooler? A horse around 10-12 years old will have enough training to know his job and still be competitive for another six or seven years.
Riding and owning horses are a major investment of time, money, and emotion. Finding quality products and the right horse can deliver an incredible return in the form of love, confidence, and joy that lasts a lifetime.
By: Allie Zorn, Owner and Operator, The Stables at Frederica
