Buying my first horse!

[akaJELLYBEANx]

I'm looking into buying my own horse in the upcoming months and was wondering if anyone has advice I could use whilst looking for and buying a horse and whilst owning one? Also does anyone know of some good livery yards in cardiff or the surrounding area? Must be accessible via public transport/on foot and have good grazing and off road hacking. Thank youu!!

 

[Morgan123]

Congrats!

Most important thing I think when buying your own horse, is make sure you factor in cost for lessons. I know so so so so soooo many people who don't and then regret it - lessons aren't an option extra, with a new horse (especially your first one) you will need help!

Second thing is, take an instructor with you to view potential horses.

third - don't overhorse yourself! No point buying something young and running into problems.

Get your questions ready in advance (google - there are loads of threads about what to ask the owners), make sure you see it on severak occasions and several situations (e.g. hacking, being caught, etc).

 

[kaiserchief]

Exciting, bet you can't wait!!

Take someone experienced with you on the viewings - even if not your instructor, someone who knows what they're looking for, can ask the questions you forget to ask, and can give you an honest opinion. Do you have any horse-owning friends nearby who could recommend a yard or come on viewings with you?

 

[Spreebok]

Oooh yes, deffo take a very experienced horse person or two with you, someone who really knows what they're doing mind, not some blowhard. They'll be able to spot issues you wouldn't even know about, let alone notice. I'm so glad I had a couple to take along with me, saved me fro some real stinkers!

 

[wkiwi]

Agree with above posts re taking someone with you. Please also listen to their advice, even if you really really like the horse.

I went with someone once who immediately fell in love with a horses head; the horse had a lovely frame too overall, and a nice look about it.
However, I told her she couldn't buy its front legs!! (I am guessing it would not have stayed sound more than another couple of years). She still wasn't entirely convinced, but fortunately it ended up bucking in the canter which put her off.
Another friend took me to look at a horse; i said don't buy it (not a lot wrong with it, but it had too many brains and was too quirky for the level of rider; would have been fine with someone more experienced). She went ahead and got it anyway and gave up riding within about a year.
Remember that nice things don't always come in the most attractive 'wrapping' and having trust in your horse is the best way of having fun.