Horse mad rider considering first horse. When is the right time?

[Pirate Mouse]

I am a 27 year old who was a horse mad youngster and got back into horse riding the last 3 years. My dream is to buy my first horse in the next year and in January I am getting a pay rise which makes this dream even more easy on the finances. I was just wondering when is the right time to buy.. (preparing about £250 a month for grass livery and I wont be competing - just hacking etc)
I do weekly lessons but horse sharing in my area is pretty much impossible. I've kept an eye out but none have come up in the last year (apart from young horses which need bringing on which is above my skill level). This means I lack horse care experience but dont really have a way of building it up.
I'm a happy hacker who wants a school master/older heavy horse so feel like I've peaked in my lessons and many people I know bought horses at this point but I have never owned/shared before so the step up is quite daunting. I have a work colleague who is very experienced in horses (owns 4) who would happily come with me to buy but she lives too far away for me to help out/learn more about the random/obscure things that you pick up with owning a horse.

Has anyone got any advice on next steps and suggestions on my situation. I'm always wanted a horse (15years+) and feel that my horse requirements (happy hacker/easy going/ riding horse but mostly pet) and if I picked a good livery yard where I can gain experience, I am ready to start horse shopping.

 

[Red-1]

That sounds really exciting.

I would look at the budget, such as you need to factor in insurance (get a quote) or have a cushion of a couple of thousand available on a credit card, and even then you need third party insurance to ensure you do not land a bill that could lose your home. Shoeing or trimming, again get a quote. Dentist, vaccinations, wormers and worm count.

Even on grass livery you need to factor in hay/haylage in winter, and an emergency stable for in case of illness.

You would also need a budget for tack/rugs/ first aid kit/ muck out kit/ grooming kit....

I would start with having a look at livery yards, and ask prices locally as this does depend very much on where in the country you are. I would speak to the owners for information on hay prices etc, and find out if the hacking is good, and a school is a bonus for forming a bond.

I would also factor in lesson fees, as I know it is a mistake to presume that when you own your first horse you will not need lessons, when in fact this is the time you may well need them most. I would find the prices of local trainers who can come to your yard.

You may also find that if sharing in your area is impossible, that if you have a horse to share then you yourself could be an owner, with a sharer to help you out. Horses that are good to hack are in demand by a lot of people. Not only could this help with costs but it is also an extra person to share ideas and experience with.

Good luck!

 

[Shay]

The right time to buy is when the right horse is available!

More seriously.. with the type of horse you are looking for there isn't really much seasonality in sales. But it is also the hardest horse type to find so plan on a fairly long period of hunting - or a lot of travel. If you are limited in the livery yard you can reasonably get to -or have a determined preference - it can be a good idea to reserve a box when you start to look so that you have somewhere immediately available when you find your horse. There is little worse than having a sale fall through because you couldn't get livery sorted. (As Red-1 says you need access to a box even if you are planning on 24/7 turnout.)

Generally it is easier to sell a horse (and therefore to buy one...) in spring because only the most determined buyers come out in all weathers and it can be hard to spot a quality horse under the mud. However spring is also when horses can go a bit mad on spring grass so some sellers hold off until later. Late spring is the time to pick up something that has hunted which the owner wants to sell off the field rather than rough off. These generally make good hacks and are well behaved in company - but could potentially be strong. There is another rush in august as people sell off horses for kids going into Uni and competition horses who will not go further in their current home. Hunters roughed off over the summer and brought back to work tend to come on the market about September / October. But that is a massive generalization and horses come on the market all the time.

For me I tend to prefer to buy in late October / November. But I've mainly bought competition ponies and the winter is needed to get to know one another etc before the spring competitions start. Winter is a rough time to start out in horse ownership - especially if you lack experience. But if you survive it you can survive anything!

You might want to think about the BHS horse owner's certificate whilst you wait? Even if you don't take the exam bit the training will give you a good basic grounding which can help with confidence as you step into horse ownership for the first time. You are absolutely right about starting off on a good livery yard for the support.

Its a bit daunting at first - but well worth the journey and all the heartbreaks that go with it!

 

[ycbm]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/So-Youd-Like-Own-Horse/dp/0955828600

Written by someone I know, who's forgotten more than most of us will ever learn!

 

[abbijay]

I only got my first horse in my mid twenties having mostly done riding schools up to that point. I did manage some shares first but they were largely unsuccessful - youngsters I couldn't cope with, undisclosed problems and the genuine one who ended up breaking my hand... but I had done quite a lot of stable management up to that point. I made sure I was on a supportive yard and my horse came to me on loan so I had an owner I could call up if I encountered any problems. My horse arrived on 23rd November so I had to deal with the depths of winter but we got through it.
I would love to go on grass livery but it's pretty rare in my area and beware of starting on grass livery in the winter. Depending on your job it might be very hard to do twice daily checks during daylight hours in the depths of winter and prolong the getting to know you process of a new horse. I ended up on part livery as my horse would have been turned out at 7am and not brought in until 6pm in the pitch black, at least on part when I got down he was stabled and I could just flick the lights on.
Time is the biggest thing to budget, nights off and lie ins will no longer be an option without paying for care or hopefully getting into a reciprocal arrangement with a fellow livery (but you can't rely on that until you know who is about). And make sure £250 a month is a reasonable figure for what you want: broken rugs need replacing, hay and feed, farriery, injections, dentist, unexpected emergencies, liability insurance, saddle checks, fly spray, etc it all adds up!

 

[wren123]

My first pony was bought as a teenager rather than a young child as we moved to the country so was common and cheap to keep ponies. She was a very slow cob, rather different to the well schooled ponies I had been riding, my riding instructor picked her and advised my non horsey parents, she was not advertised.
I have to Confess she was hard work however she was safe, I had not one scary moment. I gained so much skill and experience. When I outgrew her in ability and size She was sold on easily to another family.
My point being go for it but don't over horse yourself.

 

[Showmum]

I agree with Wren123, just go for it. I'm a horsey mum, my daughter does the riding I don't but we share the care. She had always part loaned and we longed for our own. We took on a pony last October/November on full loan on grass livery and moved her to my friend's field. We thought this would be the easiest and cheapest option. However didn't bank on the dark nights (I work full time) so had no bonding opportunities with her except at weekends. There was no school and no where except the dark lane to tie her up and groom, put saddle on, etc. We also had no support network and consequently our bomb-proof sweet pony turned into the pony from hell rearing, bucking basically every mum's nightmare. She went back after 2 weeks! We left it a while and after a suggestion from a friend, turned to a pony sanctuary. We told them what we were looking for and they matched us to our pony to suit our abilities. He is stabled on a small yard and the YO is also an instructor so we always have help on hand when needed. Because we are fostering, if it didn't work out, they will take him back. The only downside with our sanctuary is that we are not allowed to loan him out. I'm so glad we ended up with him in a stable, he is also on individual turnout so we dont' have herd issues. things are so much easier this way and we've had him two months now and things are going fine. Any other questions, please feel free to ask.

 

[SaddleUpSin]

I'm looking to buy my first next year and super excited, if you ever just want someone to chat to and be excitable with message me anytime! Definitely getting a yard space reserved first and foremost though!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Deleted, wrong thread

 

[Orangehorse]

The BHS do evening classes for people such as yourself, run through the local county branch. They are called Owners Certificates, I think and start at Level 1 which is basic everyday care to Level 4, which is very advanced and even experienced and long term owners said that they learned a lot! If you did go on one of these courses you would also meet people who might know of a suitable horse for you too.

When we think of owning a horse we can let our imagination run away, and think of doing things that, if we think about it seriously, are a bit too ambitious. So we like the idea of buying a top class dressage horse, but could we ride it?
Remember riding is supposed to be fun.

For your first, if you want to hack, I would go for a larger pony or cob they are much easier and cheaper to keep and easier to get on and off when out and about on your rides! Always have a vetting and get it in writing, or from the advertisement, that the animal is suitable for you. Always see it ridden first, and see if you can ride it from its present owner's premises - catch, groom, tack-up, go out for a ride, try in traffic, etc. An owner wouldn't let you take it out by yourself the first time, but you should check that it WILL go out by itself. But also remember that a horse for sale will probably have been given lots of work and not much food, to make sure it behaves itself, so expect some teething troulbes, but it should be basically well behaved and co-operative.

 

[cherylee]

Exciting times! Do you have a local riding school stables you could ask to help out with the stable/yard management I did this for 6 months and it really helped me I experienced lots of things and built my confidence I also made lots of new horsey friends who now help and support me with my horse.

 

[michelledud]

BHS Horseowners Certificates are a great thing to do, you'll learn lots. Also there may not be many sharing or part-loaning opportunities around you (keep looking though) but if you put something in your local saddleries or Facebook pages offering free help mucking out/grooming etc a couple of evenings a week, there are plenty of people who may need that over winter or who have multiple horses and would appreciate the help and you'd learn lots!

 

[karenharvey141]

After wanting a horse my whole life, having never had the opportunity to ride even as a child, I finally bit the bullet and bought myself my first pony at age 42. I had ridden/hacked out on a friends horse fairly regularly in my early 20's but that was self taught and I literally rode by the seat of my pants without fear.

I did lots of reading and looked at many adverts before finding my first equine partner. I was extremely lucky with the yard I ended up choosing to keep my new friend at as the Yard Owner is extremely knowledgable and is also a riding instructor. As I work full time, I knew that diy or even part livery would be a problem for me during the autumn/winter months dark mornings and dark nights so I had no choice but to look for full livery. I did a lot of bonding and ground work with my pony before I started riding out and took several riding lessons (not enough). I also had the opportunity to ask questions and ask to be shown the correct way to do certain things with my pony. Much of which is common sense. You can not really ever say how much your horse will cost to keep as every aspect will vary from area to area and even when you have established your basics you always have to have contingency for anything that might crop up unexpectedly. I bought my pony in July so had the pleasure of riding for most of the summer evenings after work during that year, unfortunately no one else on the yard ever rode out or visited in the evenigs so on 2 separate occasions when I had a fall, there was no one around to help. I would say that is something you need consider. That wherever you end up there will be others around at the times you will be there. I was a total newbie at the outset and despite that, I still wanted to buy/own my pony as opposed to loaning as I felt I didn't want to ruin someone else horse. Despite all the setbacks that can occur, I would still do everything exactly the same. Being around horses and hands on is the only way to learn as every horses basic needs are the same but every horses emotional needs are different and you can only learn by spending time with a horse and learning/understanding what your horse needs from you.

 

[oldie48]

Having bought my first horse when I was 50, I would strongly advise surrounding yourself with experienced people who will help you out (and be prepared to pay for the help). I had the opportunity to do the B test stable management and I sat with kids learning all the basics, it was really useful. Make sure you have someone who really knows how well you ride to go to view any horse you are considering buying and get them to ride it and put pressure on it to see how it reacts, surprising what you see! Don't buy anything without manners, dealing with a rude horse on the ground in mud is enough to make you buy a bike. My first 5 years of horse ownership was exciting, challenging sometimes a bit scary and looking back my confidence came from complete ignorance! But, I'm so glad I did it. Good luck, I hope you have many years of horse ownership and you get lots of pleasure and no too much heart ache.

 

[Maesto's Girl]

I've just bought my first after 26 years of riding schools, training, loaning and sharing and I am SO excited about her arrival next weekend! I have budgeted £280-300 per month, and then another £100 for incidentals that gets saved if not used. I'll be on DIY and hay and straw are included.

What I will say is be prepared for the initial outlay. So far, this is my spending:

Insurance: £49.51 per month
Horse: £1500
Travel: £30
Horse transport £170
Rugs: £140
Yard tools, grooming and equipment: £500(ish)
5 stage vetting: £308
Feed: £25

Soooo, before she has arrived, that's £2,700ish! If you have it, and you have accurately worked out that the monthly cost is affordable then go forth and shop for your new best friend 😊

 

[tristar]

the best time to buy is when you feel confident enough and when you have lots of time to spend riding the horse you get, its surprising how few times a week some people ride, getting on it and riding it a lot will send you forward in experience and keeping your confidence levels high, a lot of novices come unstuck from underestimating the effort needed to work their horses sufficiently. good luck

 

[MagicEquine1]

There comes a point when the riding school has done its part teaching you the basics and when you want to go further in your riding career and get your own pony/horse , it will be amazing! I got my first pony 1 month ago and my riding has came on beautifully! good luck with you horse/pony search! If you think that you are doing the same thing every week at the riding school, and not learning anything new, get your own! You will have such a nice time with it! Xx

 

[Enfys]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/So-Youd-Like-Own-Horse/dp/0955828600

Written by someone I know, who's forgotten more than most of us will ever learn!

Hopefully you can get it cheaper than the $175Cdn that came up on my screen when I clicked the link!

 

[Pirate Mouse]

Awesome - I would love tips on what you learnt from owning compared to lessons and just your general experience. Its daunting committing to such a large long living pet so any info would be much appreciated!!

 

[Pirate Mouse]

Thank you all for your messages - I viewed my first livery yard today (very exciting) - grass livery 24/7 turnout with a lovely family and for only £50 a month (plus hay). I am in the stage of keeping an eye out for a suitable horse/pony now and have bought books on care/stable management. Its going to be a steep learning curve but I cant put into words how excited I am that my childhood dreams are coming true. I've got an experienced horsey friend who will come with me to check over all potential ponies +vet check etc. So if any of you happen to know of any 14hh (ish) ponies who are suitable for a first time owner (must be good on roads - not bothered about competing) in S.Wales please feel free to message me . And thanks again for all your support

 

[ycbm]

Hopefully you can get it cheaper than the $175Cdn that came up on my screen when I clicked the link!

I didn't see that !

If not, contact the author at New Barn Farm, Ollerton. I expect she's still got it on a computer somewhere.