Nervous/novice riders and 4/5yos

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Holly1982

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Having been doing some horsey window shopping I have noticed several adverts for young horses (4 and 5 yos) which are described as suitable for nervous or novice riders. I've been really surprised by how many I have seen with this sort of description. I have a friend who is currently looking for a new equine friend and by her own admission is a nervous rider - I know that she wouldn't look at anything this young and I also think the same. To me, they cannot have gained the life experience that they would need to cope with such a rider?

HOWEVER I also know that there are exceptions to the rule. Just wanting to hear if there are any novice/nervous riders out there who have bought young horses with success and whether she shouldn't actually discount them simply because of their age?
 
We have a youngster that can be ridden by novices, but he's always been a 'people pony', nothing has ever worried him.

There was also one called Marie, she was amazing and gave me so much confidence! First pony I ever hacked out alone.

However, I'd be very very careful! (sounds like you are being)
 
Oh the otherside of the coin, I'd say I quite experienced, riding for 28 years , owned lots of difo horses over the years, competed BSJA etc . Bought myself a 4 year old oldenburg , this would be my first youngster, thinking I could bring him on..!! Well...!!! I'm way outta my league, sone things should be left to the Pro's. After a freak accident resulting in operation and skin grafts for me I am now paying a pro rider to bring him on for next few months. Get him well established. He not a bad horse but a 17hh youngster in unexperienced hands can end up nasty as I found out. And when I say unexperienced I mean with young horses. All my others have been 7 or above. Believe me never would I buy a youngster again. It's proved painful and costly for me.
 
I have to say i personally wouldnt purchase a 4/5 yr old (i can be a nervy rider). However, my friend had a 4 year old for sale in summer and he was the sweetest confidence giving horse you've ever met!

In fact a nervous/novice teenager purchased him and became so confident she put him on loan to another nevous friend because she became so confident!!!
 
I broke a horse in for a friend when her dad decided a four year old was the best thing to buy for his 14 year old first time owner daughter. Out of sheer luck it turned out to be the kindest safest cobbiest cuddly lump I have ever come across! My current horse was bought as a 3 year old ready broken and from day one behaved like a much older horse when out and about, but these are exeptions to the rule. They are out there, but it will be luck or money finding one because once you've got one, you wont want to part with it.
 
After looking at every horse advert on every web site I found an advert for a pony literally a couple of miles away from me. I emailed and asked what age etc. In the reply they told me he was 5 and I instantly replied saying he was to young for me as I'd lost my nerv in a couple of bad accidents. I kept stumbling across the ad and thought he was so close he was worth a look and his advert was glowing, he really did sound perfect apart from his age. I'd done a few drive bys first to check the horse and his home out.
I arrived and walked into the stable and knew he was perfect, I'd openly admit I'd bought 2 horses previously that were older and just weren't right and that I could never click with. Rode him round the school and up the road and he was completely sane. I bought the horse and I've never regretted buying a baby, he had done alot with his previous owner who I completely trusted which is also important. Now he has filled out and lost that baby look nobody believes me that he is just 5!
I suppose with everything it depends on the horse but in my case I really feel we can grow together!
 
I have had a number of young horses in the past, 3/4 yr olds (not all at once!) and I currently have a rising 5 yr old who I bought at just turned 4. He's a lovely chap but definitely looks to his rider for confidence (i.e. me!). Once he's been explained to that it's really not that scary he's as good as gold but I just think that someone who lacks that little bit of confidence wouldn't have the confidence to pass onto a young horse when needed. But as you say, there's always exceptions to the rule.
 
At work there's a few 4-5 year olds which are more than perfect for anyone nervous or novice, they're the real kick along safe cob types. However, as soon as they were backed when they turned 3 they were used on most of the treks at the trekking/holiday centre their owner has, so were taken out on various trails right from the start with all the rest of them, with the guides to start with, and then were used for clients, so they gained a lot of experience rather quickly and were all even natured anyway. Granted, so whilst they may not ever have done actual 'schooling' per say, they're all perfectly happy and safe to walk/trot/canter, in all traffic and machinery, over any ground and well used to having to 'look after' any rider on them. So in a way, their 'attitude' is older than they should be I guess.
 
My boy is a very green 5yo and I'm not nearly as competent a rider as I should be *ducks in fear of flying projectiles* after a massive break from riding. I've also recently lost my confidence a bit due to bucking horses and being dumped after a rather spectacular bucking fit :rolleyes:
I have loads of experienced help from YO and her sister so we aren't going it alone, and, as it turns out my boy has a wonderfully gentle and happy nature and TBH is a bit of a ploddy confidence giver which is really what I need right now :D
I keep waiting for a tantrum as I've heard they can suddenly throw the toys out of the pram at that age but so far there has been absolutely no signs of this happening and I really do feel safe on him. So safe we've been thinking about putting him into working livery as a kids lead rein horse in the very near future :eek:;)
Obviously you've got to be careful but don't discount the young'uns out of hand as you might just find a gem!
Good luck to your friend! Hope she finds her perfect horsey partner soon! :D
 
Billybob s , I totally agree but also think it's not just about confidence but experience too. I think it depends on the type of horse and what you expect from it, if it's maybe a cobby quiet type you want for hacking and low level shows etc fine, but if you have maybe a WB or Tb that's to be a competition horse you need experience , so they are given a good start in their ridden career.
You need to know how to handle them when the **** hits the fan and they chuck their toys out the pram.
 
As I found out..!!! Cost ne two months off my work,a operation, skin grafts and now £600 a month for a professional to bring him on.!! I should of just bought a 7 year old, saved myself a lot of hassle.
 
I bought my horse when she was 5. I had only ridden as a kid and I am now 23, so I was practically a beginner. Her attitude is absolutely brilliant, she's more laid back than most horses older than her. Never spooks and is afraid of nothing. But its not just about temperament, I think with a young horse you have to be prepared to put in a lot of work. Although my horse is safe, she has a lot to experience to gain and I have had to school her loads. You have to remember that a young horse needs to be taught a lot, whereas a good schoolmaster can teach a rider. If that makes any sense?!

But there is nothing like bringing on a youngster that you trust. Great sense of satisfaction to be had! :D
 
I wouldnt recommend a youngster for a novice at all! UNLESS you are with or on a yard with help that is willing to help you bring it on etc. and do have the time to spend developing the horse. I look at a youngster but decided due to work etc that I had not got time to ride it enough ie every day with one day off etc.
 
It depends on the horse and the rider... I mean, I got J as a five year old when I was 12 and definitely novicey - but whilst he was rude, belligerent, unschooled, ill-mannered and pig-headed, he was never nasty or dangerous, and I was young and not nervy, so 12 years on we've never looked back. If I'd got Fergs at that age, he would have eaten me alive - I could put a novice on his back and let them ride him fine, but I'd never sell to one - he's far too smart to plod round for a novice all the time :eek:

If I'd bought a 5 y/old wb / tb I'm sure the situation would've been different.

Confidence is a funny thing and it's so individual what worries people - it's sometimes impossible to judge who will be a confidence giver and who won't because it's so subjective. As for novices - if they're confident, a nice steady young cob may work fine - or not, depending on the skills and sense of the new owner!
 
Ludoctro said:
Billybob s , I totally agree but also think it's not just about confidence but experience too. I think it depends on the type of horse and what you expect from it, if it's maybe a cobby quiet type you want for hacking and low level shows etc fine, but if you have maybe a WB or Tb that's to be a competition horse you need experience , so they are given a good start in their ridden career.
You need to know how to handle them when the **** hits the fan and they chuck their toys out the pram.
Click to expand...

indie999 said:
I wouldnt recommend a youngster for a novice at all! UNLESS you are with or on a yard with help that is willing to help you bring it on etc.
Click to expand...

Totally agree with both of these posts ^ The only reasons I took on a youngster with so little experience was because he is a Cob in all that the image conveys: gentle, ploddy and calm (don't worry Cob owners, I know they are not all like this ha ha!) :D and because of the amount of help my lovely YO has been willing to give me. If not I would have gone for something a lot older that had been there and done it all before, that you could set a bomb off next to and it'd fall asleep ha ha! :D
 
It depends whether the rider is nervous or novice. They aren't the same, and it is daft to think they are.

My husband is a self confessed nervous rider. He isn't a novice, he has been riding for about 13 years and has competed showing and dressage.

We bought a rising 4 year old last year and she has done wonders for his confidence. He will always be nervous but she is bold as brass out hacking which means he can relax and trust her.

I wouldn't put a novice on our young mare. She is sensitive and green and a typical baby. I have no worries about putting a confident quiet but nervous rider on her.
 
My last two have been 4yo when I bought them and my current boy was only just 4 when I bought him. At that time I'd lost a fair amount of confidence but am a relatively experienced rider so just needed the right horse to get my mojo back. A few people did roll their eyes when I told them his age but I knew he was perfect and I was right! He's helped me get my confidence back ten fold and I wouldn't swop him for the world.
 
Should add that mine is a warmblood, and happily leads much older horses, including cobs, natives and draft crosses past everything and anything we meet. We met a helicopter taking off on one memorable hack with the nervous DH on board. She jogged a bit as we passed it, but that was all. We met a gritter yesterday and have passed motocross racing, remote control airplanes, alpacas, a peacock, pigs, the works.

She is the most unflappable horse I have met in years, nothing phases her.
 
I have to agree, like Leg_end I'm nervous occasionally but I've had alot of experience with horses after working in hunting and dressage yards for over 12 years and having my own for over 20 years.
 
hmm...I'd be very cautious. It can, in some circumstances work. My mum rode for a lady who was very experienced but her confidence was shot after a nasty fall. She also broke her leg/hip which means she takes a little while to loosen up to ride. On the off chance we went to see a 4yo cob x. She was very sceptical but as I knew someone else looking for the same thing it was decided that we may as well go and if it was no good for her but would do my friend then it was worth it. Anyway, long story short he came home with her and has been brilliant for her. He's totally rock steady. My mum schools him and he's slowly turning into a nice, mannerly little horse, his owner hacks him out and he's perfect. She puts her saturday helpers on to ride out and he's brilliant with them too. A real old head on young shoulders. So it can work, but you really do need good back-up. I doubt she'd still be going with him if it wasn't for regular schooling/lessons and a quiet horse to hack out with. If your friend feels comfortable then go for it but I know I wouldn't sell my current 4yo to a novice and of the 8 or 9 young ponies I've had to sell, I've had to be very careful. They can change totally in different hands.
 
i think that it depends upon the horse obviously but also on what you mean by 'nervous/novice'.... there is a big difference in someone who gets scared by a horse breaking into a jog and someone who gets scared when they've been bucked off- people have different thresholds in what frightens them?

a lot of young horses would make great horses for novices but maybe not if they are totally left to their own devices? a bit like children and puppies, young horses will constantly test the boundaries and if problems aren't nipped in the bud they can become huge issues- these problems don't materialise in a lot of the RS/ trekking ponies described above as they are not soley being ridden and cared for by novices....does that make sense?
 
As above, it depends a great deal on the individuals involved. Also, a 5 yt old with good work is a far cry from a half broke just for year old. And the type of horse plays into it - big jumping/moving, energetic athletes can be a handful when they're young just because they're being themselves.

Re advertisements. . Well, they've written by people trying to sell horses, not the people looking to buy them, so I'd take such recommendations with a grain of salt. ;)
 
I was nervous and fairly novice when I bought my 5 year old, although having ridden all my life and had my own ponies and then having shared horses as an adult I would not have classed myself as very competent.

I was originally looking for an older pony but I could not find anything in my price range in the 7-10 age range. A few people on the yard suggested I look at 4/5 year old but I was not sure I could cope but in the end I got my pony at just turned 5, he had done loads of hacking but not much schooling as his owners did not have access to a school.

He was very quiet and steady until he was 7/8 and then it was as if he suddenly woke up and became a lot sharper. I had a bit of a blib in my confidence then but in some ways he has got sharper as I have become a better rider and this has improved our marks in dressage though he can get very excited jumping. My instructor has always been very supportive of us and she says he is definately the right pony for me.

I think there are quiet youngsters around but they can change as they age and you never know what you might end up once they have matured, especially with the slow maturing breeds.

However as much as I adore my pony if anything terrible happened to him then I would probably not choose a youngster again as it is very hard work.

I have seen a lot of people overhorsed and it is not just youngsters that are the issue there are some very sharp older horses out there too especially when people are buying something flashy looking.
 
IMO it all depends on both horse and riders personalities. There are many young ponies that are great for beginner riders, and there are geriatrics that are too "sparky" for the same rider!! So it is all about being savvy enough to connect the 2 right ones together!!
 
I find it depends on the temperement. Some horses have done loads by the time there 5, others have done next to nothing at 8! They can also wake up when they get fitter, so I would avoid something which has done nothing but looks like a dobbin, because once you get it fit and feed it it might be a different story. However I worked for a dealer, and we had a very quiet 4 year old (who was fit) who we made a couple of prospective customers for an 8 year old ride first, he was much sharper!
 
I think it depends on the backup you have. My first horse (after a long break) was a sharp 4yo unbroken 3/4 bred chestnut mare. I had her backed / ridden away & then based her with my trainer. She had a foal @ 5 and I rode her huge powerfully built 4yo son out hacking (accompanied by my trainer). Many years later, my mare's last foal became my 12yo daughter's first horse (moving up from a 13h pony) as a sharp, clever 6yo. I'd describe both of us as novices, but we have had experienced people around us who made sure we didn't go too wrong.
 
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