Green on Green?

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HelenMac

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I’m looking for a first horse. To be clear, I am a novice. I plan to continue with weekly lessons.
I keep seeing adverts for young horses aged 5 or 6 that are, “sane and sensible,” “ridden by my 8 year old,” “safe as they come,” “your granny could ride her,” “old head on young shoulders,”etc. One even said a 5 year old that had “done everything.”

I am right to steer clear aren’t I? I was thinking more of a 10 year old minimum. The horse I ride at the riding school has been there since he was 5 and has apparently been steady Eddie even as a youngster. But I am not experienced enough to take a risk on a 5 or 6 year old am I? No doubt these unicorns exist but am I right to think this is too risky at my stage?

(PS “safe enough for your granny” really is needed as I’m old enough to be a granny 😁)

Thanks in advance for your advice.
 
I think it’s so hard to give advice on this because it really depends on the specific horse and the specific person. A confident novice with a balanced seat is very different to a nervous wobbly novice.

I part loan a 10 year old cob. His current owner is very experienced but his previous owners were novices. He was sold to them as suitable for novice, he probably was suitable at the point of sale but over time he picked up lots of bad habits and they just didn’t have the experience to care for him properly, he became obese and his feet were a mess, his ground manners got bad and they were scared of him.

The way a horse is kept can have a huge impact on how they behave. Riding is only like 10% of owning a horse, the rest is caring for them and honestly that’s the hardest part. Riding issues can be worked through but if your horse becomes difficult on the grounds it’s awful and makes you dread dealing with them.

If you can find a nice part loan I would really recommend that. Failing that I would ask your riding school for lessons out of the saddle, just doing horse care and going through potential problems and how to deal with them.

Good luck with it all, it’s very exciting! I’m so glad I got back into horses, I hadn’t realised how much I missed it.
 
Ditto @Herewegoagain , what on-the-ground experience do you have with horses? This is definitely more important than riding experience when you buy your own horse. Can you catch, lead, tie up, groom, tack up independently? Can you recognise signs of illness, handle bargy behaviour, treat minor wounds? If not, you will either need to keep your horse on full livery where someone experienced handles all the ground elements and you learn on-the-job, or you spend time now learning before you buy a horse.

If your riding school aren't able to give horse care/groundwork lessons, maybe volunteer at your local RDA. There you will learn all the elements of horse care as well as getting lots more hands-on experience while supporting a very worthwhile organisation and in 6-12 months be far more prepared, both in terms of general horse management and riding skills, for your own.

Re: age - 4 year olds tend to be very subservient, then they start testing boundaries at age 5-6 and provided you are patient and consistent in reinforcing good behaviour, will usually be back to their normal pleasant, reliable selves by about 8. If you want to avoid the "Kevin" years, choosing something age 10 or more that has already done all of the things you want to do and knows its job, increases your chances of enjoying your new horse.

Good luck! :)
 
Yes, OP, you are right to steer clear. The 8 yr old might be able to sit on the horse and steer with a parent in the background but certainly won't have the strength in the legs to ride a horse under all circumstances.

I am old enough to be a granny and an experienced rider/owner who doesn't want to fall off, so I might be tempted by one of the adverts you've seen but that wouldnt make the horse suitable for a novice
 
I would say you are absolutely right to stay clear, except that when I bought my first horse as an adult novice I answered an ad for a 10 year old mare that sounded ideal only to end up buying one of their other horses, a 4 year old Arab colt. I did have the sense to have him gelded before he came home.

He turned out to be perfect but I think I was very lucky. I also had lots of support from the livery yard and a good instructor.

The thing I would say is that at 4 he hadn't been long backed and would have benefitted from someone more experienced to progress his own training. As it was it didn't matter that he never achieved distinction in his schooling because he did what I wanted to do (hacking mostly) and I never intended to sell him on.

Fast forward 12 years and I bought another youngster. Completely different story - I had to get professional help with this one. If he had been my first horse I wouldn't have been able to cope.

But, you could also buy a 10 year old with issues ..

Anyway, good luck with your search. Exciting times!
 
Try to buy a sound horse. Easier said than done, but physical issues at any age throw up all sorts of behavioural and ridden problems, quite understandably. Have vettings done, but also study the various pain ethograms available and learn something about what an uncomfortable horse can look like, even when not showing overt lameness etc. When you view, watch them being tacked up, legs held up, rug put on, to gauge their reactions. See if they are happy to be touched all over (with regard to your own safety obviously).
 
It really depends on the horse, the rider, what you want to do with the horse, what management/keeping setup you have available, and what support. When we bought a horse for my OH a few years ago we went green on green, mainly because the ridden market seemed to be a complete minefield, so we just went out to buy type, temperament and soundness in the end and brought home an unbacked 3yo cob x Clyde. She's been an absolute joy and more novice friendly than I had even hoped for tbh.

However, OH had me to train her and back her. He was very insistent on wanting her to be ridden in no more than a side pull bitless, so for her education it was probably more straightforward for her anyway that she hadn't first been ridden in a bit in a previous home and then was being asked to make the transition. Plus she already had my management regime to slot into. OH was, I guess fortunate in this respect because it allowed him to go for a blank canvas that just had a really good temperament, but it would theoretically be possible to buy in the support you need instead, just as long as you can find professionals that you trust.

It also really depends on what you want to do with the horse. OH just wants to bimble around the countryside on his mare, mainly at a walk, for which she is perfect. If he had wanted to be going out to clinics and competitions then she probably would have gone sour quite quickly and it would not have been such a good match. If there are specific activities that you want to do with your horse then the best advice is still to go out and find a horse that is doing that now. That might mean you have a lot of wasted phonecalls replying to adverts, because if the seller can't show you the horse doing what you want to be doing and give good evidence that it has been doing this job happily then it really isn't worth your time viewing.

Not sure if any of that is strictly helpful, but just some things to think about. Good luck in your search 😁
 
@HelenMac you're completely right. You may hit and find a suitable young horse but the chances are much lower than if you go for something older that's genuinely got more miles on the clock and you can see who they are rather than take a punt that the willing child will grow into a nice adult.

As for "safe eough for your granny" , well I once had a horse that, on a good day, coukd be described as that and I once said so to someone. Hisreply was he'd cheerfully put his granny on him, she'd been dead many years and so it wasn't like he could do more harm!
 
Herewegoagain said:
I think it’s so hard to give advice on this because it really depends on the specific horse and the specific person. A confident novice with a balanced seat is very different to a nervous wobbly novice.

I part loan a 10 year old cob. His current owner is very experienced but his previous owners were novices. He was sold to them as suitable for novice, he probably was suitable at the point of sale but over time he picked up lots of bad habits and they just didn’t have the experience to care for him properly, he became obese and his feet were a mess, his ground manners got bad and they were scared of him.

The way a horse is kept can have a huge impact on how they behave. Riding is only like 10% of owning a horse, the rest is caring for them and honestly that’s the hardest part. Riding issues can be worked through but if your horse becomes difficult on the grounds it’s awful and makes you dread dealing with them.

If you can find a nice part loan I would really recommend that. Failing that I would ask your riding school for lessons out of the saddle, just doing horse care and going through potential problems and how to deal with them.

Good luck with it all, it’s very exciting! I’m so glad I got back into horses, I hadn’t realised how much I missed it.
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Thankyou. Yes we’ve done horse care and groundwork lessons too. I love the care bit. I ask questions all the time
 
kaiserchief said:
Ditto @Herewegoagain , what on-the-ground experience do you have with horses? This is definitely more important than riding experience when you buy your own horse. Can you catch, lead, tie up, groom, tack up independently? Can you recognise signs of illness, handle bargy behaviour, treat minor wounds? If not, you will either need to keep your horse on full livery where someone experienced handles all the ground elements and you learn on-the-job, or you spend time now learning before you buy a horse.

If your riding school aren't able to give horse care/groundwork lessons, maybe volunteer at your local RDA. There you will learn all the elements of horse care as well as getting lots more hands-on experience while supporting a very worthwhile organisation and in 6-12 months be far more prepared, both in terms of general horse management and riding skills, for your own.

Re: age - 4 year olds tend to be very subservient, then they start testing boundaries at age 5-6 and provided you are patient and consistent in reinforcing good behaviour, will usually be back to their normal pleasant, reliable selves by about 8. If you want to avoid the "Kevin" years, choosing something age 10 or more that has already done all of the things you want to do and knows its job, increases your chances of enjoying your new horse.

Good luck! :)
Click to expand...
Thankyou. Yes I’m doing lots of care stuff too and doing jobs in the stables as often as I can.
 
Burnttoast said:
Try to buy a sound horse. Easier said than done, but physical issues at any age throw up all sorts of behavioural and ridden problems, quite understandably. Have vettings done, but also study the various pain ethograms available and learn something about what an uncomfortable horse can look like, even when not showing overt lameness etc. When you view, watch them being tacked up, legs held up, rug put on, to gauge their reactions. See if they are happy to be touched all over (with regard to your own safety obviously).
Click to expand...
Great advice. Thank you
 
You are absolutely right and I only wish everyone buying their first horse was as sensible and realistic as you are being. You have much more chance of being able to enjoy your new horse with that attitude. Good luck in your search.

The problem is that many horses are well enough behaved to be ridden by a novice from time to time if between times they have more experienced riders keeping them up to scratch. The rot can set in when a novice rider tries them, they behave well and are purchased by the novice. Suddenly they are no longer being 'tuned up' between novice riders so any bad habits creeping in are not addressed quickly and a young horses behaviour can quickly deteriorated. Hence novice riders then end up with a horse they can no longer manage or enjoy. An older more established horse will hopefully retain their training and manners longer, or just be generally longer in the tooth and less inclined to add excitement to rides.
 
HelenMac said:
I’m looking for a first horse. To be clear, I am a novice. I plan to continue with weekly lessons.
I keep seeing adverts for young horses aged 5 or 6 that are, “sane and sensible,” “ridden by my 8 year old,” “safe as they come,” “your granny could ride her,” “old head on young shoulders,”etc. One even said a 5 year old that had “done everything.”

I am right to steer clear aren’t I? I was thinking more of a 10 year old minimum. The horse I ride at the riding school has been there since he was 5 and has apparently been steady Eddie even as a youngster. But I am not experienced enough to take a risk on a 5 or 6 year old am I? No doubt these unicorns exist but am I right to think this is too risky at my stage?

(PS “safe enough for your granny” really is needed as I’m old enough to be a granny 😁)

Thanks in advance for your advice.
Click to expand...
Try sharing a riding school horse for a few months. Less responsibility, more support from professionals. You will gain experience and practice needed for handling, stable management and more riding time.
 
I believe a green horse with a green owner is to be avoided where possible. It could damage confidence of both parties, making big issues of small things and create unhappiness all round. Gather as much experience as you can without owning and when you do buy take knowledgeable folk with you and go for an older horse who is already doing all the things you would want to do.
 
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