Finding Mr or Ms Right. Clarity of focus and purpose will simplify the process of selecting your next horse and help you avoid costly mistakes.
How knowledgeable are you? Horses are very hardy in the correct circumstances but ignorance of the basics can have disastrous consequences. So be frank about your level of knowledge and get help if you are new or haven’t had horses for many years. If you know a trusted professional this is the best person to help you.
Know what you want. Make a list of the things that are important to you in the order of importance. What do you want the horse to do - help you bring home the ribbons or a be a trusted trail companion? The various western and english sports each has its breed or group of breeds which are preferable. Knowing this will narrow your focus to suitable horses.
Horses can be calm or high spirited or too much either way. Training makes a huge difference. The well trained horse will be much safer even if it is not trained to carry a rider yet. The willingness to do what you ask is important.
Try to match the level of training to your abilities. Leave the untrained horse to the experienced. Similarly, a horse too far above your level may become impatient with you and act out. A horse, bomb proof with me, reared when a rider pulled roughly on her mouth. A horse used to being handled by reasonable people will always be preferred. This is easy to determine by leading the horse and asking it to move in various directions.
Conformation is a big factor in selecting your horse. Some horses literally have trouble moving. This is not a bad thing for someone who wants a horse for occasional trail rides or companionship. However, for a particular sport it is necessary to consider conformation. Whether foal or adult notice how it moves. Graceful movement on springy joints is preferred. Choppy, sluggish gaits may be uncomfortable to ride or signal health issues. A knowledgeable person will be able to tell you about conformation and function and the different conformation of various breeds.
Health: Have a vet look at your prospect. They can tell you about club feet or old injuries which may impact health or performance. X rays can be helpful though they now can show things which will never impact performance.
Finally, it is very important that you have a horse that you like. Just be sure that you don’t let emotion cloud your judgement. Having your list of what you want and things to do at the interview will help you make the right choice.
By: Candace Costis
