Advice re. buying your first horse

[AntiPuck]

Hi, everyone

I'm hoping to benefit from some of your wisdom with regards to buying my first horse - I feel a bit silly, but don't really understand how to go about it the right way. I'm planning to start looking in 5-6 months, so hoping to get some advice as to what I need to do now to prepare.

As a teenager I was around horses constantly, helping out at riding schools and being lucky enough to have a few shared poines at weekends, however it has been around 11 years or so since I was in regular contact (just a bit of riding on and off during that time) and so it seems I need to re-learn a lot when it comes to horse care and the stable management side of things.

I plan to keep the horse on full livery so that its care wouldn't be 100% determined by me, at least in the beginning.

Hoping some of you may be kind enough to give me your thoughts on these questions (or to let me know if I am, in fact, asking the wrong questions!):

- Without having access to a yard at the moment (living in central London, unfortunately...) - are there recommended practical steps I can take now to re-learn when it comes to horse care?
- When it comes to viewing horses, if you don't already have an instructor or close horsey friends, how do people manage the need for advice on suitability of a horse?
- I understand that livery yards often have waiting lists - what is a normal timeframe in which to start contacting yards? Is it normal to pay a deposit whilst looking, for example?

Thank you for any insights you might have - I feel very out of the loop!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

If you are going to be on full livery, then you can talk about whether the staff would have the time to support you for a bit until you get into the swing of things again. You could also look to see if there are any BHS stable management type courses that you could attend in your area before you buy. It's definitely worth checking out the BHS website for that and maybe equine first aid too if you can find one.

I would choose a yard and expect to pay to hold the place while you shop for a horse. You may want to get on a waiting list soon if your favourite yard doesn't have places come available often.

Are you currently having riding lessons? If not I would do that now in preparation for when you buy and it would also mean that you have a professional to talk about buying a horse with and to support you.

The main piece of advice I give to any new owner is to not overhorse yourself. You need a horse that is within your capabilities not only when ridden but also on the ground.

Good luck.

 

[AntiPuck]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

If you are going to be on full livery, then you can talk about whether the staff would have the time to support you for a bit until you get into the swing of things again. You could also look to see if there are any BHS stable management type courses that you could attend in your area before you buy. It's definitely worth checking out the BHS website for that and maybe equine first aid too if you can find one.

I would choose a yard and expect to pay to hold the place while you shop for a horse. You may want to get on a waiting list soon if your favourite yard doesn't have places come available often.

Are you currently having riding lessons? If not I would do that now in preparation for when you buy and it would also mean that you have a professional to talk about buying a horse with and to support you.

The main piece of advice I give to any new owner is to not overhorse yourself. You need a horse that is within your capabilities not only when ridden but also on the ground.

Good luck.

Thank you, Meowy - this is all excellent advice - much appreciated!

 

[ycbm]

- Without having access to a yard at the moment (living in central London, unfortunately...) - are there recommended practical steps I can take now to re-learn when it comes to horse care?

There are so many resources now that I wouldn't know where to point you. The forum could be very useful to you. If you ask a question there will always be people happy to answer or to point you in the direction of books/websites/podcasts.

When it comes to viewing horses, if you don't already have an instructor or close horsey friends, how do people manage the need for advice on suitability of a horse?

You can pay a local instructor to go with you. The forum can recommend names if you say where the horse is. There might also be experienced members in the area prepared to act as another set of eyes. I would if the horse is in the North West, nothing I like better than viewing horses!

- I understand that livery yards often have waiting lists - what is a normal timeframe in which to start contacting yards? Is it normal to pay a deposit whilst looking, for example?

The market is moving so fast that I would try and find a livery place and then pay a retainer to hold your place until you find the horse. That could get expensive, though, if it takes you a long time to find the right one. It's a difficult balance and depends how tight livery space is in the area that you want to keep the horse.




Welcome to the forum and back to the horse owning world
.

 

[AntiPuck]

There are so many resources now that I wouldn't know where to point you. The forum could be very useful to you. If you ask a question there will always be people happy to answer or to point you in the direction of books/websites/podcasts.






You can pay a local instructor to go with you. The forum can recommend names if you say where the horse is. There might also be experienced members in the area prepared to act as another set of eyes. I would if the horse is in the North West, nothing I like better than viewing horses!





The market is moving so fast that I would try and find a livery place and then pay a retainer to hold your place until you find the horse. That could get expensive, though, if it takes you a long time to find the right one. It's a difficult balance and depends how tight livery space is in the area that you want to keep the horse.




Welcome to the forum and back to the horse owning world
.

Thank you, ycmb - more great advice!

It's looking likely to be Worcestershire where i'll be moving to and looking, which is West but perhaps not quite North enough for you, otherwise I would take you up on that kind offer! ? Great idea to post and specifically ask for instructor hiring recommendations/helpful HHOers who would be able to come along on viewings, I hadn't thought of that.

 

[coblets]

If you're in central London, there's plenty of pretty easy to access yards where you might be able to volunteer (Trent Park, Ealing, Mudchute, Deen City), granted that most of your fellow volunteers will be in their early teens.

 

[Grajo]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

If you are going to be on full livery, then you can talk about whether the staff would have the time to support you for a bit until you get into the swing of things again. You could also look to see if there are any BHS stable management type courses that you could attend in your area before you buy. It's definitely worth checking out the BHS website for that and maybe equine first aid too if you can find one.

I would choose a yard and expect to pay to hold the place while you shop for a horse. You may want to get on a waiting list soon if your favourite yard doesn't have places come available often.

Are you currently having riding lessons? If not I would do that now in preparation for when you buy and it would also mean that you have a professional to talk about buying a horse with and to support you.

The main piece of advice I give to any new owner is to not overhorse yourself. You need a horse that is within your capabilities not only when ridden but also on the ground.

Good luck.

Great advice you made