Should a novice rider buy a green horse?

[HollyB66]

Did any of you buy a young partially schooled horse when you were fairly novice yourself and go on to learn successfully together?

I've been riding for a year and am going to view a horse that is 5 years old. He is good out hacking but still learning in the school. I have always planned to have lessons on my own horse, once I find one, as well as continuing at my riding school on their horses.

Is this a good/bad idea?

Grateful for all views/experiences - you've given me good ideas in the past.

Thanks everyone, Holly B

 

[FeatherPower]

I wouldn't - you could end up scaring yourself and put yourself back to where you were a year ago. Also if you do not have the experience to deal with 'green issues' then you may add problems rather than remove them.

I have gone from a 27 year old to an 8 year old and he is certainly not green but at times I feel like a beginner again!

 

[Thistle]

Absolutely not, one of you needs experience to be able to teach the other.

 

[Eventer96]

Wouldn't be the best idea IMHO I think it would be wise for either yourself or the horse to have experience, this way you won't end up scaring yourself.

 

[Carsmore]

Definately not. a recipe for disaster. sorry

 

[hadfos]

[ QUOTE ]
Absolutely not, one of you needs experience to be able to teach the other.

[/ QUOTE ]
Echo above,a young horse will not help you as they will be looking to you for guidance.
Why not buy something more 10yrs upwards that you can have lessons on,you need to improve and a horse that has been there and done that will be more beneficial than a baby that could knock your confidence unintentionally no end!

 

[Squeak]

I did it!! but I got a lot of help from people on the yard and I dont regret it at all because in the end I had a horse that I had schooled and 'grown up' with, but yes it was hard work and although I don't wish that I had done it differently I do think that it was maybe a little foolhardy.

When you say novicey though, how novicey?

 

[lilym]

It really depends on the individual horse and rider. If it was a novice rider with lots of backup, help on hand and enthusiasim to learn, then it can be a very successful partnership. You can't just say that novice riders shouldn't buy a green horse, I am a novice and could only afford an unbroken horse, but we are getting there!! But his temprement is lovley.....

 

[Persephone]

There is a saying

Green on Green = Black and Blue!

 

[AlexC]

i got holly wen i had been riding a year and she had just turned 5, she is 11 nw and im 16 shes my sis pony nw and has brought her on so much nw chloe is nw 10 and is jumping 3ft on her, and we did great, shes the best pony,and every1 loves her, i think it depends on the horse to be honest, if u got 1 like holly then yes but if its a bif daft warmblood defo not.

 

[HollyB66]

[ QUOTE ]
When you say novicey though, how novicey?

[/ QUOTE ]

Have learnt to walk, trot and canter with the riding school. out on my friend's horse have sat through a few bucks and a 'bolt/gallop' - it was a bit of a laugh (I did ride when I was a kid) but I am not keen to have a horse that habitually bucks or spooks off.

I value all your comments - not looking like such a good idea so far.

Holly B

 

[HollyB66]

Lots of support at the yard and from my horsey friend.

He is an irish sports horse, 15H. Haven't met him yet but he has kind eyes in the photos. The last ISH I met (that was the really thin one) also had kind eyes and he did have a lovely temperament.

Holly B

 

[hadfos]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
When you say novicey though, how novicey?

[/ QUOTE ]

Have learnt to walk, trot and canter with the riding school. out on my friend's horse have sat through a few bucks and a 'bolt/gallop' - it was a bit of a laugh (I did ride when I was a kid) but I am not keen to have a horse that habitually bucks or spooks off.

I value all your comments - not looking like such a good idea so far.

Holly B

[/ QUOTE ]
You need to buy something you can have some fun on

a 5 yr old will take alot of work and will try you at comps etc,if you want to go out and do a bit of all round stuff then buy something older that will look after you and build your confidence

Even at 12/13 you will bth have yrs and yrs of pleasure to look forward to,get your experience then move onto the youngster project

Enjoy getting back into riding and remembering what it all about,the challenges of a baby can come later

 

[Foxford]

My first pony was a rising 5yo mare, and we had a lot of fun together. Probably because I was stupidly confident at the time and had regular lessons. My second horse (after a few loans in between) was a 20 month old gelding. I have now broken him in myself and am absolutely loving it! You can do it, provided you are confident and have plenty of backup and support. You will know when you try him if he's for you or not. Good luck!

 

[saddlesore]

I have to say no. I've been riding for 23 yrs and had horses for 17years including youngsters but current 5yo has thrown WAY more questions at me than I have answers for and as a result I have been injured and am now struggling with my confidence

I really wouldn't even think about it until you have owned horses for a few years. Get something older

 

[Starbucks]

I think it would depend on horse to an extent but if you are still novicey enough so say you've learned to walk, trot and canter then I think you would be better off with something more experienced.

 

[Fii]

I have to say that having lernt the basics of riding, is a whole different ballgame to owning your own horse , which in itself will be a steep learning curve and possibly very scary ,throwing a young green horse into the mix could be a recipe for trouble. I would look for something older, it can be stressful anough looking after a horse for the first time without adding the stress of a young horse as well. I hope you find something you will enjoy , good luck.

 

[GTs]

I always look for a safe, easy, healthy horse - having ridden since before Christ I have no problem with youngstock and I have ridden some great young horses who I would happily let novices ride - the problem really is a novice doesn't have the experience to bring them a long and then it becomes difficult and often the horse gets ruined.

 

[Patches]

We bought a rising five year old for my then 9 year old daughter. (Unseen too

)

We had lots of ups and downs....she fell of numerous times, refused to get back on for a while etc etc.

However, having now come out of it the other side she is a far better rider and has actually enjoyed the journey. We'll be selling him next year and she's already asked for a youngster again.

I think we might go 12 months older as Oliver was really little more than just backed when we had him, but she's prepared for the work involved.

Lots of lessons, instructor getting on too, worked wonders for Oliver and Hannah.

He's going to be a super pony for his next jockey. Just a shame children have to grow really.

 

[gnubee]

No. There are always going to be people who get lucky with it, but as a general rule, riding isn't an activity you and your horse should be learning together. Even if the horse appears lovely and calm now, that is going to be mainly down to professional and consistnent handling by its current owners. You can't guarantee it will stay that way as a young horse having to cope with novicey mistakes.
In the (pretty likely) situation where the horse realises it can take advantage or loses its confidence, you then end up in a situation where you are paying for lessons on riding school horses to get the riding you want, whilst paying someone else to do 90% of the work on your horse because you lack the experience to sort its problems yourself. Basically you will be doing the majority of your riding in school like now, but with the added expense of paying for a horse.

Even the best riding schools with the most difficult horses leave you short of one really important experience:
the impact all your faults will have long term on a horse only ridden by you.
With an older, experienced horse, where the good habits are well established, regular lessons with a good instructor should help you catch these and fix them. If you have a youngster however, the horse doesn't have the firm grounding in good habits to fall back on.
The only situation where it might be sensible for a novice rider getting a green horse is if there was a pre-existing relationship where they loved the horse and knew it was exactly what they wanted. In that case, if the support was there and they had the funds to send it for professional schooling if necessary, then it might not be a terrible idea.
I can't really imagine why a novice would go out looking for a green horse though.
In your position, I would look for an early teenage horse with no big quirks. Whatever extra you will have to pay for the been there done that horse with capability to perform in your chosen field is almost certainly going to be a saving on training fees in the long run.

 

[MissJael]

My first horse, or pony I should say as he was 13.2hhm had just turned 5 when I got him, and I was 10.
I kept him at home and had no backup as such, I was just very lucky that he was a sensible cob that looked after me superbly until I outgrew him.
I had been riding since I was 4 or 5 though, and I think at that age you are fearless.
Buying a green horse depends on both horse and rider, you can strike it lucky or it could go horribly wrong. If it were me now, I'd be looking for something a bit older with more mileage, one bad experience on a young horse could shatter your confidence and it would be hard to get it back on a green, young horse.

 

[indiat]

If you have only been riding for a year, then buy a horse that has been there done that and got the tshirt - as some else pointed out, owning your own horse is a huge learning curve and you want some thing that will just roll its eyes and be paitient while you fumble about in the beginning, rather than a insecure baby that will go to pieces. It will ruin both of you. My first horse was 15 when I got her and she has been a great teacher. At 23, she is now teaching my young children - she's calm enough to put a toddler on, and beleive you me, a horse like that is worth its weight in gold. That's why they come with a bigger price tag than a baby but how big a price do you put on your confidence and personal safety. Plus, you want to be having fun right? A five year old is going to be a lot of hard work that I don't think a rider of only one year is going to handle very well.

 

[JenTaz]

this is the way ive always done things my first pony when i was five was just broken and ever since its been like that when i bought taz i had had a break from riding and people thought i was nuts buying a 4 yr old who hardly done anything if its any help to you i bought my wee sister a pony a few months ago 4 year old welsh pony as green as grass and my wee sister was four at the time

go for it

 

[Hovis_and_SidsMum]

I did it.
I would not say i haven't had days when i have regretted it like hell but i wouldn't change Hovis for the world.
Was it a smart move? Probably not. If I were to be able to go back and do anything different would I? No.
The flip to that is if I'm honest do i think i would be further on now if I'd had an older horse - yes.

 

[pixyandsweep]

It depends, you can't put age on everything... For example there are a few 4 year olds who are absolute saints and I'd rather own that than a 10 year old who is still as green or has a temperment which is much to be desired.

I bought my chap as a 2 year old at the time, I wouldnt say I was a novice but I now own a 17.3hh 4 year old who is such a star. It's us who has to lead the nappy 19year old out of the yard and past any scarey monsters living in hedges, haha

You can't base it all on age, it means little in my opinion....

 

[Ranyhyn]

I did. Bought a stunning tb 5yo.

Sold him 2 months later as I had totally overfaced myself and made over a 2k loss.

Now I have a very sturdy, soild 13yo who could jump the arse end off the flashy baby tb and through it all he keeps me safe and I learn from him!

Bliss.

So no, I wouldn't bother, too much scope for failiure.

 

[Berkeley]

I had a 10 year break from riding and then bought an ex-racer; I fell in love with the moment I saw her and I still have her now 3 years on. Problem is she really knocked my confidence because she was so green and I was rubbish at riding. I found it very difficult to learn and develop on her. I just didn't have the knowledge to bring her on nor did she have the inclination at 18 years old! I think if you can help it buy something that isn't so temperamental - if you are buying a youngster you have the added problem of them being completely unpredictable. Saying that, I have recently retired my ex-racer and bought an unbacked youngster - I never learn!

 

[spike123]

a rider who has only been riding for a year will definitely not be capable of bringing on a 5yr old without proper help which will come at a price.If you want a horse that you can go out and have fun with then buy something older.As said Green and green = black and blue.Also remember a quiet 5yr old is often a nightmare 6yr old especially so in the slower to mature breeds and cobs.

 

[Aoibhin]

my novice husband has learnt to ride on a rather hot headded opinionated welsh cob, full up 15.3 aged 4 & a half.
not hugly through choice, i was pregnant & owner is disabled & unable to ride anymore, we had some hairy moments dont get me wrong but the bond between them now is fantastic (fly hawks from him,full medieval armour on him, fight off him) this winter we are hoping to start shooting off him & tentpegging/quintain games.
as long as you have lots of good experienced support, lots of confidence in yourself & are willing to accept setbacks, it can be done without harming you or the horse.
the learning curve

see

and now (im the ground lady, just in case Ra paniced)

not bad for a just turned 5yo youngster really, unfazed by the crowds clapping, camera flashes or the pa system (not so sure about the flamingos though)

 

[The_snoopster]

I am an experienced rider but have always suffered with a confidence issue, it,s very easy to lose your confidence but so hard to get it back.
If this horse is going to be your first then a green baby is not the best choice for you, go out and find yourself a confidence giver who is good to do in everyway.
You then will learn so much more and have fun which your first horse which is what you want, then you will have the tools to then go for a more challenging horse. Good luck with your decision.