Potential first time owner wondering where to start!

ReggiePerrin

ReggiePerrin

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Help!!

I need some famous HHO assistance to help me get my brain ordered!

I'm fairly typical in that I started riding when I was 7 and have loved horses for as long as I can remember. We were never in a position to buy a horse and apart from one blissful year when I had access to a friends pony, have never owned. After about a 15 year break I started riding again a year and a half ago at a local riding centre and for the last couple of months a very kind HHO'er has been educating me/letting me share her lovely horse.

I'm loving it and I just want to do more and more and think I'm running out of reasons not to buy. It's been my dream for so long that I don't think that I can really let myself believe that it will be true and I don't really have an idea on where to start!

So for those of you who bought later in life (I'm 36) where did you start?! What made you take the plunge? What do I need to get organised before I start looking? Any words of wisdom?

Sorry it's so long and chocolate and wine for anybody who's made it this far!
 
The first thing i would do is find someone who knows what they are looking at to come with you to view some horses. This person will be able to advise you on the right type of horse for your ability. Then start looking.... It could take some time.

I would also look at livery yards around you to get an idea of what is on offer at what cost.

Depending on the type of horse you buy will depend what type of livery you need/want. My lively Irish Sports Horse needs daily turnout but must have access to a ménage and a stable overnight. However, if you get a cob type then you might want them to live out all year round.

Good luck, it is so exciting and although a big step worth every second.

PS Make sure you have enough time to look after it or you have enough money to pay someone else to look after it (full livery etc).
 
Congratulations!!! its very exciting! ive had a horse since i was born so can't give any advice re buying later but I would say be honest and realistic about what type of horse you would suit. don't be swayed by something thats not suitable just because it's the first you have seen.
Good Luck and happy horse shopping!!!
 
Sorry should have said - the livery yard that I share at is at the end of my road and I've tried to budget for part livery so that if I can't cope with DIY I've got options.
 
Well first of all find out what your local preferred livery charges and practise putting that away with a small addition as emergency savings. Pick a yard where people can help - thats what I did and I never looked back.
Don't overestimate your own ability or what you need. Having done both myself i can say from a point of experience, though a well bred, competition schooled TB sounds nice, in reality it isnt worth the trouble! I now own a super safe genuine horse who looks after me - you cannot put a price on a good first horse!
 
I suggest starting with thinking about all the horses you have ridden over the years and deciding which type(s) you prefer to ride. Consider the sort of facilities you will have available and what you want to do with the horse, being realistic about the time you will have available.
Then without intending to buy anything at this point, look at online adverts with photos, get to know the things you need to look for in an advert, find out the amount you can expect to payfor the sort of horse you want.
Then when you feel that you know what you are looking for, ring a seller who is not too far away from you and arrange to take some-one very knowledgeable with you to look at the horse.
Good luck!
 
Buy a book called "So you think you want to own a horse?" by Pam Rigby. It's absolutely great for people in your position. I know her well and she knows what she's talking about. She also runs courses in horse ownership, in Cheshire if you are anywhere near there. If you can't find the book on Amazon, and want a copy, check on newbarnlivery.co.uk for information.

Have fun, getting your first horse as an adult is very special, I still remember it 30 years later.
 
First of all good luck with horse ownership!

I think you should have a sit down and think about what your ideal horse would be like and also decide on a budget. Would a calm schoolmaster be more suited that is ready to go out and have fun with or would you be capable and enjoy the challenge of bringing a horse on?

Maybe you want to make a list: eg Gelding/Mare, age, size, breed, save to hack in traffic, good to box, good to shoe etc.

That way you won't forget to ask about things that are essential for you before viewing potential horses. Having said all this, I also think it's good if there is a bit of chemistry and you really like the horse that you are going to buy.

Prepare where you want to keep your new horse and vet yards thoroughly, a "wrong" yard can spoil the enjoyment of your horse. Some of contain a lot of ever so helpful know-alls!
 
I remember the feeling when I bought my first horse at the grand old age of 26. Mainly one of gut wrenching terror at the enormity of having the responsibility of looking after the beast! But that wonderful feeling of walking onto the yard and being a livery is still amazing! Getting a horse that simply doesn't suit you can be a heart breaking experience for all - I would take my time and try and find a horse through word of mouth, an animal that has got a track record in the local area, so you know how it handles and rides. There are no guarantees whatever way you do it, but its a lot less scarier than answering classified ads. The best of luck - I'm about to embark on my second and I am still terrified and yet, oddly compelled.....
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All really helpful and nice calm advice. Half the problem is that I've got a horse owning colleague who keeps winding me up and telling me to start looking now! I've ordered the book so thanks for that cptrayes and I'll keep list making until the new year!
 
Well you sound as if you have been sensible and gradually come back to riding before rushing in to buy.

So my advice would be:
a) Do your sums, make sure you have enough for livery, insurance, shoeing, worming and ad hoc vets bills and tack/rug repair. Then add on 10% as it's always more than you first thought!!
b) Find yourself a knowledgable local instructor (RC instructors are a good place to start) who can give you some lessons on your share horse to get a good idea of your capabilities, they can then help advise you on suitabilities of potential purchases.
c) Look to buy a slightly older horse, early teens, that is in a similar routine to what you would keep it in and ridden by someone not too far off your own ability. As a general rule of thumb I would go for a cross bred type.
 
Hi my husband and I have just decided to buy our first horse. He's the same age as you, I'm a little younger.

We've been riding in a riding school for a while and only really decided to buy when a lovely horse turned up at the yard on trial that the YO decided wasn't suitable as a school horse.

He was stunning and hubby rode him while he was on trial. Our instructor told us that YO had decided not to have him and sang his praises saying how much he would suit us.

We spent several days agonising about this gorgeous horse and wondering if we could do it before we decided to take the plunge.

Sadly that didn't work out but we are looking for something to buy with the help of our instructor now, we aren't in a hurry and are prepared to wait for the right horse but it is incredibly nerve wracking!!!

We sat down and worked out the finances first of all, including all of the horses costs as closely as we could, then we worked out whether we could afford that even if hubby's unpredictable earnings were down.

Once we established that we could the question was answered really, we've both been frustrated with just having lessons so we are dead keen.

We have decided that at least for the first six months it will go on part livery at a yard where our instructor works and there is lots of support as I think no matter what you learn from books and practice at on school horses and with shares there are always things you will need help with. I have a terror about coping with feeding and worming as i've never dealt with that before.

Our instructor is helping us look for horses at the moment all by word of mouth but if we haven't found anything by january I think we'll start trawling the adverts.

We're looking for a 16hh -17hh ID or ISH type, originally something 6 or 7ish but our instructor is keen for us to look at a 4 year old at the moment and is confident that we are up to it so we'll see what we end up with!
 
I bought my first horse at 30 after loaning 4 years and riding lessons since I was a kid.
I took my instructor to view horses as I knew little about conformation. I only went to see horses that were 8 years or older, as I don't have the experience for something younger. I talked to the vendors at length over the phone to ensure that the horses I tried were genuinely for sale for a good reason, and avoided dealers. I made sure my budget was realistic, and even then struggled to find a good horse for 3 grand!
Be prepared to have many wasted journeys before you find your 'one'. I saw some terrible creatures that didn't live up to their descriptions at all!
ALWAYS have your horse vetted before you get it home. Read every book you can find, have lessons, surf the net etc.
But when you find 'your' horse you know, because it will feel right (like when you find the house you want to buy).
Be prepared when you get him home that you will need to give him plenty of time to settle in and get used to you. It took my horse and me 4 months to bond properly. And nothing beats regular lessons on your horse.
Good luck, it really is worth it! Just forget ever having neat fingernails or a clean car ever again!
 
How exciting
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Lots of great advice, ditto making sure you have support and a great yard already in place if possible. Buying a horse locally that is recommended by people you trust is ideal. Also invest in lessons on your new horse, it will help you to get to know him better.

I bought my first horse at the age of 31. I had been having lessons for about 18mths and helping a neighbour who was a dealer with all sorts of horses - she made me realise that I could look after my own and was very willing to help me - when I started looking she wouldn't let me near half of the horses I had in mind lol and steered me towards an older pony who looked after me and forgave my mistakes - I still have him now and wouldn't be without him though I have since bought a younger pony so I can start competing etc.

Words of wisdom: be prepared that your life will change beyond all recognition, you will become obsessed with horses, you will live in wellys, you will worry constantly about them, you will love it
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[ QUOTE ]
our instructor is keen for us to look at a 4 year old at the moment and is confident that we are up to it so we'll see what we end up with!

[/ QUOTE ]

Is the instructor likely to make any money out of the sale of this 4 yo? Just wondering as there have been quite a few stories on here about instructors pushing totally unsuitable horses, and a 4 yo could potentially be a lot for you to deal with?
 
Bought my first horse at the very grand age of 52!!! The first year was very hard and the only reason I persisted with her was because I thought she'd end up in a meat market if I didn't. We bought her from what I later discovered were very dodgy dealers who had changed their names several times and who had been involved in several court cases brought by unhappy clients.

But a year later I'm so, so glad that I have my horse. We think she has had some rough times in the past but with the help of a brilliant instructor she is now blooming.She is eager to please, genuine and very loving, nothing like the bucking demon that came to live with us. So whatever you get persevere and give it time...
 
Yes I was wondering about the age thing too. It's such a dilemna as your heart tells you that you want something youngish so that you can have years of enjoyment but the head tells me that I need something that at least knows all the basics of his job. I'm a competant rider and am not nervous about sitting on forward going idiots but I'd be the first to admit that I'm a novice when it comes to schooling a horse to bring it on.
 
Take your time choosing your horse, any doubts then walk away. Make sure you try it out as many times as you can.

I have had my first horse for 7 months now. He is only 7 and it's turning out to be quite hard work as i honestly picked a horse that i probably shouldn't have done. I do love him loads and love horse ownership, wouldn't be without one. But there are some days i wake up and wonder if it's really working, it can be quite depressing. Then other days things are going great. That's the difficulty with a young horse.

If i could go back, i would get a 10yrs+ forgiving, safe, sensible horse...
 
Oi, you're not buying one yet! I want to keep you for the winter!

I agree though that you need to take a knowledgable person (preferbably instructor) with you when looking, and me of course, I love horsey shopping!
 
If you can comfortably afford it, go for it!

I was exactly the same as you and came back into riding after about 15 years. I brought 2 TB's and it was the worse decision I made!

3 years later I now have a 14.2 pony who is amazing....I realised that it's not my ability but my nerve that had limitations, and now we're jumping and hoping to go hunting in the new year!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I suggest starting with thinking about all the horses you have ridden over the years and deciding which type(s) you prefer to ride. Consider the sort of facilities you will have available and what you want to do with the horse, being realistic about the time you will have available.
Then without intending to buy anything at this point, look at online adverts with photos, get to know the things you need to look for in an advert, find out the amount you can expect to payfor the sort of horse you want.
Then when you feel that you know what you are looking for, ring a seller who is not too far away from you and arrange to take some-one very knowledgeable with you to look at the horse.
Good luck!

[/ QUOTE ]

There's a lot of very sensible advice on this thread, but I'm picking out this response because we've just bought a pony for my daughter and this is almost exactly what we did!

We actually printed off adverts for about 4 months, as we intended to buy during the winter, daughter sorted them to 'favourites' order then we asked her (very good) instructor to pick the best in her opinion, I vetted them for price and suitability and set a 2 hour drive away as our first area to look in, as we were taking instructor with us. I rang about 7 or 8 but ruled some out on responses to my questions. We actually only viewed 2 and bought the second which is, if I'm honest, exactly the one I'd have bought for me when I was a teenager - 6 year old characterful New Forest, who is a bit of an allrounder. Only got him at the weekend, but he's been perfectly lovely, despite all the rain!
 
Do what I did...
Not sat on a horse for twenty years (actually, technically I'd never sat on anything over 12.2), had two lessons, bought a 16.2 five year old mare that turned out to be a bit loopy
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Five years on and she's a keeper - I've learnt more than I could imagine and have been hunting, HT, sj and dressage! (And, obviously, fallen off on numerous occasions) I've now also got a yearling to match.
If I was to do it all again, I'd double my budget and buy something point and shoot - and that'd win me a rosette at dressage with very little rider effort
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There has been some really excellent advice on this thread and I'm sure you will find a great horse. However, having seen many dealers in operation please please do not listen when they say they have a 4/5 year old who will be suitable, they sell people what they have available not necessary the most suitable horse. Young horses no matter how good for their age always find life a big learning curve for the first few years and require knowledge and experience to understand what they need. An older campaigner has 'been there, done it and bought the t-shirt' and will settle to most situations and even if you do make the odd mistake won't change personality overnight.
We send our children to school to be taught by a professional so why should horses be any different!
Sorry for long slightly ranting post but I have had to pick up the pieces so many times for people who have been sold a young horse and arrive with their confidence shattered and believing it is all their fault!
Good luck with the search and have fun being a horse owner!
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
our instructor is keen for us to look at a 4 year old at the moment and is confident that we are up to it so we'll see what we end up with!

[/ QUOTE ]

Is the instructor likely to make any money out of the sale of this 4 yo? Just wondering as there have been quite a few stories on here about instructors pushing totally unsuitable horses, and a 4 yo could potentially be a lot for you to deal with?

[/ QUOTE ]

No she won't, she does some freelancing at the yard it is at which is why she has ridden it but she doesn't have an interest in the sale.

It is from a very reputable and long established dealer. Our current YO has several horses a year from them and we know lots of people who have had horses from them over the years and still have them - no horror stories at all.

Our instructor knows our riding as she teaches us every week. We both compete regularly and have previously shared (one of my shares was an ex-racehorse in her first non-racing home) we want something that we can get our teeth into and bring on a bit. A four year old wouldn't be our ideal but if it is one with its head screwed on and a reasonable nature I wouldn't discount it.
 
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