Not Novice Ride...

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Charley657

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I'm sorry if this has been asked before, I did a search but couldn't see anything.

You see this term banded around a lot on ads with horses for sale/loan and I just find it so misleading.

What is a novice? To me, a novice is someone who is starting to learn to ride. They can walk, trot and have done some cantering on very well behaved (and very forgiving) school horse. I think a lot of the time though people use it to mean that the horse needs a very experienced rider.

What do you consider a novice rider to be? :confused:
 
If I was in a position of writing it (I tend to sell through word of mouth) I would be implying that the horse is safe but needs someone with confidence and experience to ride it to its full potential. However, I don't like the term and if it was written in an ad I would be put off because, as you say, people mean different things!
 
I would have to agree that the term also puts me off and I do find it quite misleading!
I think a lot of the time you have to look past this, contact the owner, and see what they really mean by this :)
 
I find it an interesting term because I deem novice to be much the same as you. Just learning the paces - in which case I'm never sure that they should be buying a horse at all.

Its almost as bad as mention of timewasters. I just ignore those adds.
 
I always think of a novice as someone who couldnt safely ride unsupervised and handle basic misbehaviour such as napping or jogging
 
To me, a novice is someone who may well be able to ride a riding school horse at walk, trot, canter and jump a small jump on a well schooled horse but given a horse that is not 100% safe and reliable, they would struggle to cope with anything unexpected. They would not have had the hours of experience on horses which could behave unexpectedly and would not have the experience to deal with problems out riding. My son's pony is 100% safe as far as we are concerned, but a novice would struggle with her as she is very sharp and has a tendancy to spook.

Someone could ride for years at their local riding school on lovely safe horses, but I would still consider them "novice" due to lack of experience with other horses.
 
To me: it is someone who is wishing to learn from the horse. SO whilst I would buy a horse to do Prelim dressage horse which was described as "Not for Novice" I would not buy a 2 star eventer described as not for novice!
 
I got back into riding after a 20 year break six months ago. My riding is alright, i have a bum made of velcro and the confidence to get on most horses but i wouldnt say i was a good rider again yet.

Am i novice or just out of practice?

Its a confusing term but if you see a horse for sale and its in the ad i wouldnt be put off calling them for a chat and being honest with your abilities as a rider. The only thing that would put me off calling someone up about a horse with 'not a novice ride' is if i was a nervous rider because in that case i would say the horse was unsuitable!
 
I would say a novice could be someone who has been riding a few years perhaps but might not be able to confidently handle a horse that isn't 'bombproof' or fairly quiet.

To me if an advert states 'not novice horse', I might expect this horse to be more lively than one that is suitable for a novice and that would then depend on the individual. The horse may get a little lively in open spaces but able to be controlled by someone that isn't going to lose it and clamp on, or the horse may occasionally buck when excited or the horse may spook..... It would depend on the novice and it would depend on the horse...

Another 'how long is a piece of string' really.
 
To me not a novice ride would say that the horse isn't always 100% bombproof, it could nap, buck or rear or do something unexpected. It wouldn't put me off a horse at all. If anything, i'd rather go for this type than a bombproof one x
 
It can mean all manner of things.

If I was to put it on an add, it would be for a horse who needed someone capable of riding quietly and in balance - or for a horse who could be cheeky, might have the odd stroppy moment and try it on a bit, who needs a confident or competent rider to ride them through it.

To me a novice is not a complete beginner, but someone who is not yet confident or able to deal with a particularly sharp or quirky horse.
 
Imo its someone who is a passenger, not a rider, basically someone who can ask correctly on a schooled horse, but can't really improve a horse without supervision. And by improve I don't mean stop it eating grass or half halt in canter, I mean really improve its way of going.
On an ad it can mean anything from 'complete & total nutter' to 'not suitable for a beginner' or even 'I've overhorsed myself, even though horse is a pretty easy ride, but I have such an over inflated opinion of myself I will make out the horse is a handful'.
And depends on the horse too. A not novice ride kids pony is very different to a top end comp horse that's not a novice ride. Though ime really top end comp horses rarely get described as that anyway.
 
I think if I were to advertise my horse, I would really struggle with what to write... Somebody confident with the basics in place but not experienced could quite easily ride her under supervision, she has her querks but gets a lot of confidence from her rider. With a nervous rider she is a madam.... so I guess ideally she wouldn't be a novice ride but that in an advert would put me off personally and I can ride her fine?

It really is a "how long is a piece of string" as BillieBlitzen said!
 
Or just be ambiguous like someone I know who advertised his stressy TB as "could be a novice ride". When i asked him what this meant he said, well it could suit a novice rider if they were a good, confident rider! Idiot!! When people who turned up to try the horse found themselves completely over horsed by its antics he called them timewasters and took the horse off the market.
 
LIZ66 said:
Or just be ambiguous like someone I know who advertised his stressy TB as "could be a novice ride". When i asked him what this meant he said, well it could suit a novice rider if they were a good, confident rider! Idiot!! When people who turned up to try the horse found themselves completely over horsed by its antics he called them timewasters and took the horse off the market.
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Well this is my point, I wouldn't let my horse go to a novice as she really would take the Pee without supervision but then I also wouldn't like to advertise as not novice ride as the term is such a minefield and could put certain people off viewing the horse.

To be fair, I once put "not novice ride" on a share ad for her. Horse is 16.3hh well built TB mare, and I had a reply from a lady wanting a ride for her 13yo daughter who was really good in the riding school so a very experienced rider and would quite happily hack my mare alone :rolleyes: that one did make me chuckle!
 
I have a lovely gentle Mare that I will need to sell later this year however I am not sure whether to add not a novice ride as to be honest she is very kind and doesnt do anything naughty but she looks to her rider for confidence. Will jump clear over 85cm but if it looks a bit scary will ask for reassurance that it is ok
She is great in traffic but again of not sure will hesitate if something frightens her. A beginner could get walk trot and canter out of her in a school and she doesnt buck rear or nap
So is she not a novice ride or would I be better saying needs a confident rider or is that worse Or should I say suit a confident novice rider etc
 
I advertised my horse as not novice ride. Actually I'd confidently put total beginners up on him and his worst behaviour ridden was the odd sideways walk round log piles and goggle eyeing at random things out hacking. I advertised him like that as I wanted him to go to a knowledgeable home as he could be a sod on the ground and was a big chap so a novice he may have taken advantage of eventually.

It wouldn't put me off looking at something if in the right context ie. green or needs bringing on but not if it means a fruit loop! Seeing as a lot are advertised dishonestly anyway then I guess you can only tell by having a chat with vendor then viewing if their idea of a novice sounds not dissimilar to yours! I'd personally say a novice is anywhere from a pretty much beginner to a good riding school rider capable on easier horses who can't handle spooky or nappy behaviour etc
 
I always wonder what this actually means! Puts me off when looking for a loan horse. I personally think it would be better for sellers to put exactly what they mean i.e. 'needs a confident rider who is able to cope with a slightly spooky horse'
 
I've known a few people use it to try to avoid people who have only ridden on riding schools ringing about their horse. I would consider a novice to be capable of riding in an enclosed area, and on reliable types out hacking, but nothing with a bit og go about it.
 
I'm definitely not a novice rider, as have been riding for almost 50 yrs but as I no longer think that falling off is fun I wouldn't consider buying a horse advertised as 'not novice ride', as I tend to think that those horses are loopy and completely unpredictable, although I might well view something advertised as 'green', as I am more than capable of improving a horse.
 
Isn't the answer to put up adverts stating the bare facts (breed, sex, height, etc) and show the horse in action through videos with a selection of still photographs?

The idea of an advertisement was a "Notice to Treat". In other words, the seller has something to sell and invites prospective purchasers to view and negotiate a deal?

Yes, I know that videos can be edited and stills can be photoshopped, but words can easily mislead too. Just exploring the most efficient way to sell a horse!
 
Id use 'novice' as its defined in the dictionary, regardless of what everybody else uses it for, so a novice rider would be a beginner or somebody new to riding. so a horse which wasnt a novice ride, in my eyes wouldnt be suitable for a beginner rider or somebody new to riding.

anything with behavioral problems, would be labeled as needing an experienced or advanced or depending on the issues, a confident rider.


Novice: A person new to a field or activity; a beginner.
Confident: Bold, self assured, having or marked by confidence
Experienced: Skilled or knowledgeable as the result of active participation
Advanced: Highly developed
 
Well I do like a detailed advert myself and the bare minimum as you describe there Dry Rot would not really draw me in unless I was looking for a very specific type and the ad fitted. Then again pictures and video can make a world of difference... sometimes in a negative way!

I see not novice ride as basically avoiding the fresh out of a riding school type, as in walk trot and canter on a sensible horse. Such a person might find it scary for a horse to get excited about a long stretch of grass they'd normally canter on, and not be able to deal with napping, bucking or anything like that, just because they probably won't have had to deal with it before. Some are suitable for a 'confident novice' which is quite a useful term I think.

Different kettle of fish for a comp horse I think, depends on the level of the horse and if if goes mental at the sight of a pole it'd be fairly self explanatory why they don't want to sell to novices!
 
To me I'm not a 'novice' as such but more an 'experienced novice.'
I would describe my horse as 'not for novice' but with the meaning of not for someone fresh out of riding school. She needs someone that can sit and be patient etc. Whilst she is a dream 99% of the time she can be a cow and when she is a cow, she goes for it.
I do put new riders on her, but I'm always there to supervise. I wouldn't ever let a novice rider ride her away from me.
 
It wouldn't put me off if I liked the horse. I'd just ring and ask what do you mean not suitable for a novice because, novice means different things to different people. :)
 
Not novice ride... i.e. if you're getting to get on and just sit like a sack of potatoes, don't expect to stay there :D

I'd expect something with a few quirks, be that green, spooky, very forward, naps, tanks, bucks, slams brakes and drops shoulder, etc. If it were any more severe than that (rearing, bolting, broncing, or anything dangerous), I would expect that to be pointed out, not generalised into "not novice ride".
 
ShadowFlame said:
I'd expect something with a few quirks, be that green, spooky, very forward, naps, tanks, bucks, slams brakes and drops shoulder, etc. If it were any more severe than that (rearing, bolting, broncing, or anything dangerous), I would expect that to be pointed out, not generalised into "not novice ride".
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If I was to advertise my horse for sale or loan, I would quite likely describe her as "not a novice ride" because as stated above she is spooky, very forward and excitable and sometimes bucks (mostly from excitement).

Although all horses are by nature unpredictable, she is more likely than some to put in the unexpected which could unseat a more novice rider.
 
My boy is advertised as 'not a novice ride' as i dont want people coming who have no idea of how to ride a young horse. my pony can buck quite often and be fresh when you first get on. Even though i have put it in the ad, i still have people messaging asking if he would be suitable for a first pony! So yeah, doesnt mean he is a loon but means you need to be able to ride confidently to get the best from him. unless someone wants him for a happy hacker, the he is a novice ride...
 
What shadow flame said.

I wouldn't class myself as a novice really, having owned and ridden for a long time,... however, I don't want any of the above behaviours from a horse, and so wouldn't look at "not novice ride" types. I clearly want an easy/boring life!! ;)
 
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