Am I a novice?

[Crosshill Pacers]

I'd probably call and ask why the horse was considered 'not for novice' too.

This.

I would describe my mare as 'not for novice', purely because she's a pacer that needs stripping back to the basics and retrainining for trot, canter and basically being a 'normal' horse! I'm not an expert by any means, but I have done this before on a nutty mare and this one is infinitely calmer, sweeter and more sensible so makes the job a lot easier. Aside from that, she has the temperament that would suit a novice rider because she does as she's asked, without any fuss. She's inexperienced as opposed to a 'nutjob'.

Re: only riding for 7 months and never having owned or loaned a horse before, I was contacted by a girl regarding ex-racehorses who had started riding 12 months ago, bought her first horse (a pacer) 5 months later, and now 7 months after owning him has been competing at cross country all over the place! Talk about landing on your feet, she took the risk and it paid off (I know how lucky she was!)

 

[mcnaughty]

Only you know how well you ride and would recommend you ask your instructor for advice in this. IMO - if an advert says not for novices, it usually means the horse is sharp in some way. Please be careful.

 

[Ginger Bear]

'Not for novice' would always suggest to me that the horse/pony could do something that a rider would need to correct or to stay on so the rider would have to be in control.. So it could be a spooker, might put in a buck, be a bit silly sometimes, that sort of thing..Of course u would want something that is going to give u confidence for ur first horse, this doesn't however have to be a plod or a kick along. I was looking for a pony for my 11 yr old cousin recently, she has been riding for 3 years, is very competent, but lacks in confidence.. I aimed for adverts that said 'forward but safe' I was after a well behaved pony but at the same time gives her a situation from time to time that she has to deal with which teaches her! He doesn't buck, rear, take off, be silly on roads ets but he will spook which keeps her on her toes & learning to be a rider & not a passenger.

 

[georgie256]

I agree with the person that said ring to find out why it isn't suitable for a novice. And I agree with others, sometimes it's just so that more knowledgable people try and buy the horse, or sometimes it can mean that the horse needs a decent rider for a certain reason, i.e. spooker, a bit hot headed etc...
You're wise!!

 

[pec]

I would suggest that you are a novice but do not let that put you off. I would start going to look at some horses now with the intention of not buying, one of the dangers of the novice looking for horses is that they will buy the first horse that they see in the excitement. My wife did and then spent eighteen months trying to live with it before she sold it. She then bought an irish draught who you would describe as a plod, whilst no world beater she hacked him endlessly, schooled him, showed him, jumped him, dressage tests, endurance pleasure rides, hunter trails, side saddle and he taught me to ride. He is now retired in a field where he will stay for the rest of his days. Take at least one person whose opinion you can rely on and listen to them, do not take somebody who will simply encourage you to buy.
On a slightly different not there are plenty of honest responsible sellers out there but always have your eyes open and your sceptics head on.
Incidently we advertised a 4 year old newly backed welsh cob stallion as not a novice ride, and somebody rang up and asked what issues made him not a novice ride!

 

[njyr]

I'd avoid 'not for novices'. I bought my first horse 2 years ago he was advertised as 'suitable for a novice' but he still chucks in the odd buck and can be quiet spooky. I wanted to have fun with my first and build my confidence - Harley has done just that. He is on the upper end of what I can cope with and regularly pushes me outside of my comfort zone. He is certainly not a plod. If the owner has written 'not for novice' they have done that for a reason. Not all 'suitable for novice' are plods - look for those with BE points or competition experience these will tend to be more than the 'novice' you are thinking of.

Having said that if you find one that you like, call the owner and have a good chat. Ask 100s of questions - a good owner will want to tell you as much as they can and it'll help you decide if its worth going to see.

Good luck!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Hi, thank you so much for your reply, I am an exclusive riding school rider for 7 months, my 8 year old daughter started at the same time as me and she has her own section A pony that I care for at my father in laws farm. We have room for another horse for me and have excellent off road hacking on the door step. My background is small animal care, I am a qualified veterinary nurse and teach at a land based college teaching animal care and veterinary nursing. I have knowledge of basic horse care e.g. Vaccinations, hoof care, teeth, worming, tack, rugs etc. I am just jumping at riding school and have regular lessons, at least 1 hour a week. I have been trawling through adverts and keep coming across the same thing ' not suitable for novice '. Am just wondering whether that should put me off or not ?

Yes it definitely should put you off.
You should be looking for a horse which will not try to take advantage of your inexperience either in the saddle or on the ground - although you do sound to have rather more on the ground experience than many 1st time horse owners. Your instructor would be a good person to ask about the kind of advert you should be looking at and s/he might well know of something suitable that hasn't been advertised.

 

[Enfys]

Someone who has ridden exclusively in a riding school, has never owned or loaned their own horse and probably someone with no PC background as that fairly drums the basics in. A passenger rather than someone who can ride a variety of horses and improve their way of going.
QUOTE]

Ah, now you see, I consider myself a passenger, but I would never class myself as a novice.



To me there are two parts to being a novice.

You can be a novice rider (as covered in other posts) and/or a novice horse-keeper.

If I was advertising my arab for sale I would state, "not for novice riders" as she is just your typical arab, has an opinion and a bit of spark about her, not a bad bone in her body, she does nothing bad but enough to un-nerve someone used to a more sedate ride, she's as easy as pie to look after though.

Anyone with a basic knowledge of horse-care, the ability to read, the humility to ask if stuck, and a modicum of common sense could look after a horse.

I would class a novice horse-keeper as someone who has limited experience handling on the ground, tacking up, basic care and management etc, bit like a great many new mums really