Hoping to buy my first horse next year

Miss_Millie

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Hi everyone,

After having a good 10 year break from riding, I've been having weekly 1/2 hour private lessons for the past 6 months at my local riding school (although there have been some weeks off, due to various lockdowns inbetween!)

I feel that I've come quite a long way in this time - still so much to learn, but going 'back to basics' has been just what I needed. I've been lucky to really click with a particular instructor - I find her teaching style very accessible, and after every lesson I have with her I feel so happy and positive. These past six months have confirmed to me that I'd really like a horse of my own, and that I'm totally prepared/willing/excited to make horses a daily part of my life.

First of all, some practical/ financial pointers. I am self employed and work from home, which means that I can schedule my time just as I like. I'm a one-woman business, so do not answer to anyone or employ anyone else. My monthly income on average is 3-4k, with £600-£700 in outgoings max for bills/mortgage, food etc. I have no other financial commitments - no kids and no intention of kids. I think this is quite a realistic income for what I want, which is really a lower-maintenance happy hacking/leisure riding lifestyle with a bit of schooling and jumping here and there. I have quite a large amount of savings for any emergencies too.

I've ridden lots of horses/ponies at my school over the past 6 months, and my favourites were on the smaller side - 14.2-15.3hh. I'm only 5ft6 and weigh under 8st (very petitie), so I think a pony would be suitable for me. I'd be very happy to buy an older horse. My favourite pony at the school is 21 years old, 14.2hh and he is wonderful. I'd obviously hope to have a long time with the right horse, so maybe 15 years upwards is realistic? Are there any disadvantages of buying an older horse if they are generally in good health?

My riding school is only 15 minutes from my house and offers livery. So when the time is right, I think it could be a good idea to keep my horse there so I can continue having weekly lessons with the same instructor on my horse. The only downside is that there aren't great hacking options because it isn't very rural, but I still think it would be a better idea than starting on a private livery yard. I'd worry about bothering experienced riders on a private yard asking for help/advice, compared to at the riding school where they're probably used to getting a lot of questions from less experienced people.

The riding school will be shut for at least 6 weeks now due to lockdown rules, so I'm trying to forward my education with self-motivated 'homework' during that time. I've bought the BHS Complete Manual of Stable Management and Ride with Your Mind Essentials by Mary Wanless to read during this time. Any other recommendations? I will be doing the Stage 1 BHS exams are soon as I am able to at my riding school.

Only 6 months of lessons might seem a bit soon to be thinking about ownership, but I feel that I'd learn much more quickly and gain confidence/knowledge at speed if a particular horse was a daily part of my life. I really love the grooming/horse care side of things too, as much as if not more than riding. I'd really love that with one special horse. I'd probably be on DIY livery so I can be completely present in the whole daily process of caring for my horse.

Is there anything else that I should consider? When the time is right, I'll ask my instructor if she would mind viewing potential horses with me. My budget would be around £4k + extra for all equipment.
 

dogatemysalad

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Welcome to the forum. Absolutely, go for it. You've thought carefully and realistically about progressing to horse ownership. I think it's a good idea to initially livery on a yard where you feel comfortable and supported. However, the downsides are that the hacking is limited and long term, this may be an issue.
For leisure riders, hacking is quite important, unless you have a horse box and a companion to join you to box up and go out somewhere accessible.
Does the RS have good turnout and has the virus made the yard place restrictions on owners seeing their horses ?
I think your instructor could be helpful in finding the right horse. She knows you. It's a minefield even for experienced riders. Buying an older horse is fine, but equally don't discount a younger horse. It's temperament and the quality of training that matters. Some oldies never grow up, and some younger horses are born wise.
Good luck with the next step in your horsey life.
 

Kaylum

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My first horse taught me so much. He was a total idiot but I got him by chance so stuck with him. Learnt how to school him and desenitise him and get him fit, which seems a dying art these days of ready made horse people want.

You never learn to ride till you get your own horse. Its amazing what you can learn.

The BHS stages are a nice learning route so brilliant your doing those. And if your at your riding school yard you will have plenty of people to help you.

At least you have given at plenty of thought. Yes give it a go with help ofcourse. We had one guy at our yard get an eventing woman to get him a horse. She didnt know his capabilities and we said the horse wasnt suitable. Did he listen nope it didnt go well.
 

JackFrost

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Wow! Really commendable the amount of prep you are doing! Absolutely a great idea for you to get one.:)
All my ridden horses (all superstars) came from humble backgrounds- charity rescues/ ex trekking ponies etc. Cost a couple of hundred £ at most and all turned out fantastic. The only horse I spent real money on and bought normally was one that I didn't ultimately keep. So keep an open mind on sourcing it.

I'd limit the age to rising 15 this spring. There are some lovely quiet young horses so don't discount them because they don;t have much age. You have a great instructor to help you work on any issues/ training needs the horse may have, and it could be a very fulfilling journey for you to do this together with the horse.
The ponies/native types are a good choice for a newcomer, as they are generally easy to keep, and can live out. They can be cheap to keep, and thrive on just basic care. Some of the coloured cobs are nice starter horses, often with easy temperaments, and the chunkier 13.2 s can take a rider of your height/weight.
The most critical thing IMO is temperament - look for a horse that's a nice person, and one that you feel you click with. Don't consider anything with a tendancy to kick/ buck/ bite/ won't be caught/etc as these are clues that the horse has issues, apart from just being undesirable habits.
Look out for horses that could come to you on loan as this gives you time to get to know it and decide if it's the right one for you.
Yes, keep it on your livery yard. You will need a network of helpful people and it will more fun. Don't worry for now about no hacking, for the time being you are just getting started, finding the right horse and hopefully you will have many years ahead of you for adventures together.
Wishing you the happiest of new years x
 

Miss_Millie

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Welcome to the forum. Absolutely, go for it. You've thought carefully and realistically about progressing to horse ownership. I think it's a good idea to initially livery on a yard where you feel comfortable and supported. However, the downsides are that the hacking is limited and long term, this may be an issue.
For leisure riders, hacking is quite important, unless you have a horse box and a companion to join you to box up and go out somewhere accessible.
Does the RS have good turnout and has the virus made the yard place restrictions on owners seeing their horses ?
I think your instructor could be helpful in finding the right horse. She knows you. It's a minefield even for experienced riders. Buying an older horse is fine, but equally don't discount a younger horse. It's temperament and the quality of training that matters. Some oldies never grow up, and some younger horses are born wise.
Good luck with the next step in your horsey life.

Thanks so much for your response :) I think I'd see how the hacking goes, and maybe consider moving yards again in a year or so when I feel more confident and independent about ownership? When I say the hacking isn't great, I mean there isn't the sort of diversity you'd find in a more rural area, but as far as I'm aware there are still several places to go, and it is all off-road, so that is a big bonus.

I'm not 100% sure about their rules for liveries, but as far as I'm aware they've been able to come and go as usual, even though the riding school was closed to clients for several months. I'll have to check about that. I'll have to check about turnout - they have a lot of land but I think the horses are mainly stabled over the winter when the weather is crap? There are a large amount of stables (which all look very nice and well maintained).

Good point about personality/temper over age. I will definitely remain open-minded to viewing any horse that seems like it might be a good fit for me. Is there are recommendation for how far to travel to view horses? It seems like it would be a lot easier to look reasonably locally, but that might be very limiting too?
 

Miss_Millie

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My first horse taught me so much. He was a total idiot but I got him by chance so stuck with him. Learnt how to school him and desenitise him and get him fit, which seems a dying art these days of ready made horse people want.

You never learn to ride till you get your own horse. Its amazing what you can learn.

The BHS stages are a nice learning route so brilliant your doing those. And if your at your riding school yard you will have plenty of people to help you.

At least you have given at plenty of thought. Yes give it a go with help ofcourse. We had one guy at our yard get an eventing woman to get him a horse. She didnt know his capabilities and we said the horse wasnt suitable. Did he listen nope it didnt go well.

Thanks for your encouragement :) I do think/hope that I will learn so much more if I have my own horse. It's an exciting (and scary!) prospect.
 

Miss_Millie

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Wow! Really commendable the amount of prep you are doing! Absolutely a great idea for you to get one.:)
All my ridden horses (all superstars) came from humble backgrounds- charity rescues/ ex trekking ponies etc. Cost a couple of hundred £ at most and all turned out fantastic. The only horse I spent real money on and bought normally was one that I didn't ultimately keep. So keep an open mind on sourcing it.

I'd limit the age to rising 15 this spring. There are some lovely quiet young horses so don't discount them because they don;t have much age. You have a great instructor to help you work on any issues/ training needs the horse may have, and it could be a very fulfilling journey for you to do this together with the horse.
The ponies/native types are a good choice for a newcomer, as they are generally easy to keep, and can live out. They can be cheap to keep, and thrive on just basic care. Some of the coloured cobs are nice starter horses, often with easy temperaments, and the chunkier 13.2 s can take a rider of your height/weight.
The most critical thing IMO is temperament - look for a horse that's a nice person, and one that you feel you click with. Don't consider anything with a tendancy to kick/ buck/ bite/ won't be caught/etc as these are clues that the horse has issues, apart from just being undesirable habits.
Look out for horses that could come to you on loan as this gives you time to get to know it and decide if it's the right one for you.
Yes, keep it on your livery yard. You will need a network of helpful people and it will more fun. Don't worry for now about no hacking, for the time being you are just getting started, finding the right horse and hopefully you will have many years ahead of you for adventures together.
Wishing you the happiest of new years x

Thanks so much for your message! I completely agree that spending a lot of money doesn't necessarily = the perfect horse. I'm actually more wary the higher the price is, that is might be 'too much horse' for me. Humble pony = the perfect pony for my level. I don't want anything highly strung!

Thank you for the advice about age - I'll definitely be open-minded about viewing younger horses too. Temperament is 100% the most important thing to me. I want a horse that I can feel safe around and form a bond with.

I hope you have a happy new year too :)
 

JackFrost

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If you are based nearish to any of the RSPCA/charity horse rescue places, it might be worth looking on their website or contacting them to see what is available. They sometimes have ridden horses returning, and commonly recently started (or restarted) horses, that arent necessarily beyond your level if you have your instructor to help you. The big advantage is that they will be honest with you and always provide the horse on loan initially, with a clear contract that it can go back to them if you decide it's not for you. When I look for horses I consider 100 miles as about the geographical limit. Preloved is one of the main websites for selling/rehoming the 'family friend' kind of horse. Go and see the horse more than once, and ride it more than once.
Use your instincts about the seller as well as the horse! I think the circumstances of the seller are relevant - how much you trust that they really know the horse/ are genuine/ knowledgeable/ understand what YOU want from the horse.
 

Wishfilly

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I think you've put a lot of thought into this, and I think your budget for keeping the horse is more than reasonable- my income is nowhere near yours and I don't find it a stretch. It sounds like you are being very sensible with most things and I agree that keeping your horse at the riding school to start with to continue having lessons sounds like a great plan.

The one thing I would say is that it's probably a good idea to build up your stable management experience too, before taking the plunge- you mention riding, but on DIY, this is only a small aspect of the time you spend with your horse. It's great you want to be involved with all aspects of your horse's care, but to start with, it may be worth paying for part livery- because you then have more entitlement to help from the riding school staff, especially in an emergency. Depending on the set up, if you are DIY, staff may not have as much time to help you as you imagine.

What is your current experience with stable management? Do you currently tack up/groom for your lessons yourself? Are you confident catching a horse in the field? Can you fully muck out a bed? What do you know about feeding?

The disadvantage with buying an older horse is that over time, things are more likely to go wrong- you may find you are just getting going with the horse when it develops an issue that limits its ability. I'd definitely consider 15/16 an upper age limit personally, and get it vetted by your own vet. Definitely take your instructor with you if you can- although this may limit you a bit to horses in the local area only.

ETA: If turnout is very limited over the winter, make sure you buy a horse that is used to this!

I think £4k is a very reasonable budget for what you are looking for, but you may need to add nearly £2k to that to pay for tack, vetting (assume at least one failed vetting, especially with older horses), rugs and other equipment you will need!
 

Miss_Millie

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I think you've put a lot of thought into this, and I think your budget for keeping the horse is more than reasonable- my income is nowhere near yours and I don't find it a stretch. It sounds like you are being very sensible with most things and I agree that keeping your horse at the riding school to start with to continue having lessons sounds like a great plan.

The one thing I would say is that it's probably a good idea to build up your stable management experience too, before taking the plunge- you mention riding, but on DIY, this is only a small aspect of the time you spend with your horse. It's great you want to be involved with all aspects of your horse's care, but to start with, it may be worth paying for part livery- because you then have more entitlement to help from the riding school staff, especially in an emergency. Depending on the set up, if you are DIY, staff may not have as much time to help you as you imagine.

What is your current experience with stable management? Do you currently tack up/groom for your lessons yourself? Are you confident catching a horse in the field? Can you fully muck out a bed? What do you know about feeding?

The disadvantage with buying an older horse is that over time, things are more likely to go wrong- you may find you are just getting going with the horse when it develops an issue that limits its ability. I'd definitely consider 15/16 an upper age limit personally, and get it vetted by your own vet. Definitely take your instructor with you if you can- although this may limit you a bit to horses in the local area only.

ETA: If turnout is very limited over the winter, make sure you buy a horse that is used to this!

I think £4k is a very reasonable budget for what you are looking for, but you may need to add nearly £2k to that to pay for tack, vetting (assume at least one failed vetting, especially with older horses), rugs and other equipment you will need!

Thanks so much for your response Wishfilly, this has given me loads to think about!

When the time comes, I will ask the riding school what their livery options are. Part livery sounds like it might be more sensible to begin with.

My past experience of stable management includes mucking out, rugging up, catching from the field, tacking up/untacking and grooming. Feeding is the area that I have little to no knowledge on. I used to do all of the above when I was a child/teenager helping out at my local riding school, and last year (before I started my lessons) when I first got back into horses, I helped my friend with one of her mares on the weekend. Sadly this arrangement only lasted a year, as her mare was elderly and passed away of old age. But I got to do all of the above with the mare at the weekends, she was a lovely girl.

I also know nothing about loading a horse into a trailer or lungeing. Or how to spot for problems/illness, other than the horse being off of their usual self. But I'm hoping these are all subjects I can continue to read about, watch lots of videos and learn from others who are kind enough to help me out.

I appreciate the advice about age - I'm definitely going to look at younger horses now too. Thank you so much.
 

Wishfilly

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Thanks so much for your response Wishfilly, this has given me loads to think about!

When the time comes, I will ask the riding school what their livery options are. Part livery sounds like it might be more sensible to begin with.

My past experience of stable management includes mucking out, rugging up, catching from the field, tacking up/untacking and grooming. Feeding is the area that I have little to no knowledge on. I used to do all of the above when I was a child/teenager helping out at my local riding school, and last year (before I started my lessons) when I first got back into horses, I helped my friend with one of her mares on the weekend. Sadly this arrangement only lasted a year, as her mare was elderly and passed away of old age. But I got to do all of the above with the mare at the weekends, she was a lovely girl.

I also know nothing about loading a horse into a trailer or lungeing. Or how to spot for problems/illness, other than the horse being off of their usual self. But I'm hoping these are all subjects I can continue to read about, watch lots of videos and learn from others who are kind enough to help me out.

I appreciate the advice about age - I'm definitely going to look at younger horses now too. Thank you so much.

It's good that you've got past experience of stable management- that will help a lot. I don't think you necessarily need to know how to travel a horse when you first buy, and although lunging is a useful skill, it's not essential- but it's something that most riding schools would be able to teach.

I think some knowledge of horsey first aid, and how to spot serious medical issues like colic is important. Knowledge of feed is important to an extent, because over feeding and sudden diet changes can have serious consequences. I think it's also important to know how to fit tack to an extent.

I think being in the habit of regularly handling horses before you buy is important- many horses will test the boundaries with a new owner, and you can end up in a tricky situation if you are not confident in your handling of the horse. I know this is difficult to get experience in at the moment, though!
 

Miss_Millie

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It's good that you've got past experience of stable management- that will help a lot. I don't think you necessarily need to know how to travel a horse when you first buy, and although lunging is a useful skill, it's not essential- but it's something that most riding schools would be able to teach.

I think some knowledge of horsey first aid, and how to spot serious medical issues like colic is important. Knowledge of feed is important to an extent, because over feeding and sudden diet changes can have serious consequences. I think it's also important to know how to fit tack to an extent.

I think being in the habit of regularly handling horses before you buy is important- many horses will test the boundaries with a new owner, and you can end up in a tricky situation if you are not confident in your handling of the horse. I know this is difficult to get experience in at the moment, though!

Would you have any recommendations of learning about the first aid/medical stuff - books or video resources? Taking a course perhaps?

I think I feel quite confident with handling horses on the ground :) At my old riding school as a teenager, I tacked up/lead/turned out/brought in a variety of horses and ponies. It was a while ago and I was younger (and probably more confident) but, I've never been worried about the handling side of things, which I guess is a good start.
 

Wishfilly

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Would you have any recommendations of learning about the first aid/medical stuff - books or video resources? Taking a course perhaps?

I think I feel quite confident with handling horses on the ground :) At my old riding school as a teenager, I tacked up/lead/turned out/brought in a variety of horses and ponies. It was a while ago and I was younger (and probably more confident) but, I've never been worried about the handling side of things, which I guess is a good start.

I think that's a good start, but I think having regular hands on experience is good too.

I am sure there are books and videos out there, and I think there is some basic first aid if you progress through the BHS stages. I would also just ask your riding school for some advice- I am sure when things return a bit more to normal, they'll be happy to teach/show you some of the basics?
 
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