Should a novice rider buy a green horse?

[itsmyparty]

Novice lady on our yard bought a 5 yr old (having been advised to get one at least 10 years old) and although he is an absolute star, steady-Eddy type she has scared herself stupid and will no longer hack out and barely rides even in the school now. She has totally lost her confidence. The problem was that she hadn't ridden anything other than riding school horses who just "follow my leader" on hacks. Her boy literally goes wherever he fancies and without leadership and guidance from her gets scared when he comes across something new. He doesn't do anything silly but will spook and run on a bit. She doesn't have the experience to know how to deal with it. I'm not saying you are anything like as inexperienced as her but I would steer clear of a youngster.

 

[saskia295]

[ QUOTE ]
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.

[/ QUOTE ]

I absolutely agree. I've seen it time and again... The horse is generally ok at 4 and 5 when it is weak and doesn't really know much, but by 6, they are stronger, fitter and WILL take advantage of your weaknesses... You lose confidence... don't ride it... it gets worse... end result... rider no longer wants to ride and has no confidence and has (largely) learnt nothing. Horse has not had a decent education and has learnt it can get away with anything and is normally pretty wrecked for someone to then start again later on.

I'm not saying this is the case EVERY time, but I've seen it happen enough to know it isn't rare!!

Look for something older that has seen it done it and is wearing that t shirt!

 

[palomino_pony]

Had a 4 year old pony when I was a kid. I'd ridden for a good few years then and ridden buckers etc. He had kind eyes.

It doesn't tell you jack sh*t! (sorry)Turned out to be very green, very nappy and a rearer. I wasn't a good experience. In hindsight we should have stuck with an older pony.


So no...please don't do it. its ok to say you can sit bucks, bolts etc but these souns like they have been one off incidents. If you have to look after the horse day in day out and are constantly ending up on the floor your confidence takes a huge knock and takes years to get back. Been there ...done that....please listen to peoples advice!

 

[BroadfordQueen]

It 100% depends on the horse. I was looking for a confidence giving pony when I lost all my confidence on a nappy (older!) pony when I was 10. The pony I bought was a 14.2hh 4 year old. We called him "steady Eddie". He really was a saint, and although we were both inexperienced he got me to where I am today. We worked together and he built my confidence up. I think he was one in a million though.

 

[Kat]

If you've only been having lessons for a year that is VERY novicey.

Even if it feels like you have learnt a lot, there is still so much to learn.

It is very difficult to learn how to ride a new movement on a horse that doesn't know how to do it. The easiest way to learn is on an experienced horse, and then to teach a youngster when you are already established.

No matter how good the youngster is you are likely to have problems, they often have a horrid bolshy teenage phase at five or six and as a novice you are unlikely to be able to deal with this appropriately and consistently.

With just a years worth of lessons I wouldn't consider buying anything except more lessons to be honest. Maybe look for a share or part loan to increase your experience or get some work at the yard in your spare time. Then look again at buying in a year or so. Try doing some exams too to make sure your knowledge is up to scratch, investigate the stage one exam or horse owners certificate.

I've been riding 20 odd years and I'm debating whether buying a five year old is too much to take on, with help from an instructor.

You will find people who have made it work, but they are exceptions, and they probable had lots of help and a few bruises along the way. Give yourself a chance to enjoy it, gain experience and then buy a schoolmaster.

 

[Hippona]

QR....depends on the combo I suppose...but in general I think it could be a recepie for disaster...

I know of a girl who is on her 3rd horse in a year...she is very novicey but of the sort who will not take advice or instruction....knows it all. Parents buy her young green horses...because they are cheaper than school masters or older experienced horses.

Dreadful shame for the 2 horses she has already ruined....and there was nothing wrong with them, they just needed a firm consistent hand and leadership...which she couldn't give and neither could her parents as they are not horsey.

 

[natalia]

Depends on the horse and your attitude. Don't discount the horse due to age, i've met terrible 15 yr olds! Try it, then decide if you like it if you are prepared for lots of lessons (and i mean more than 1 a week) and also if you are happy for a more experienced rider to stay riding him once or twice a week to keep his schooling up. We have clients on our yard who do this and because they are carefully managed, they have sucessful partnerships with young horses whilst being quite novice themselves.

 

[Bowen4Horses]

sorry, another 'no' here...

... get yourself something that you can have fun on without worrying. something you can get straight from the field, tack up and go for a canter with your friends. or something you can point at a jump, and know they will do their best to get you over in one piece. and something that has been to shows without freaking out.

owning your first horse is sooooo much fun, so make the most of it. later on down the line, find something you can 'bring on'... just ENJOY! cos it's a very expensive hobby if you're not enjoying yourself!

trust me

 

[golddustsara]

A definitive no from me too I'm afraid. I wouldn't class myself as a novice or experienced rider (somewhere in the middle) but didn't consider buying a green horse for my first buy despite loaning and bringing on a native youngster as my loan horse for 2 years. I now have an 18yo warmblood with a pile of BE points and BSJA winnings. Why not consider an older schoolmaster who could teach you? Believe me they can teach you! I thought I was relatively competant but turns out my riding needs lots of improvement after riding my warmblood

Ok so you're not going to get years and years out of a veteran but you could say that about any horse who could get an injury etc.

 

[M_G]

If they have a good support network and dont believe they are better than they are then I dont see why not

 

[BobbyMondeo]

I bought a 5yo and 4yo and i wouldnt call myself a novice when i bought them but i didnt have much experience with bringing on young horses but we have learnt together and its been great fun. I dont see why a novice cant have ayoung horse if they are sensible and the rider is willing to put some hard work in. Everyone has got to start somewhere when i comes to youngsters.

 

[Booboos]

Another definate no from me I am afraid. Although there will always be the exception, the chances of stumbling across that exception are tiny, the chances of having a horrible time in an unsuitable partneship are huge.

The school horses that you will be used to will be by far the calmest horses you are ever likely to come accross and they will be in full time, frequent work. By comparison your horse will get ridden 5-6 times a week if you work really hard at it. You need a horse that has been out there, done everything, has a good temperament and is suited to a less demanding workload. If I were you I would be looking for a horse suitable for a novice (I don't mean to demean your abilities, but I would take the term 'suitable for a novice' to describe the kind of reliable horse you would want) at least 10 years old.

 

[Sessie]

Ok, so i am a novice owner that ended up with a green horse.

I have had him nearly 7 months now. He was rising 7 when i got him. We have had a few ups and downs (me coming off him 5 times so far

). I have a great support network and a good riding instructor which makes the situation manageable.

But nothing is ever straight forward with him. I cant just get him tacked up and take him down the lane as he doesn't have the confidence to hack out alone. I have to judge everything on a day to day basis how he is going to react as he has bolted with me (when we were attempting to hack out alone) and he does spook. He has also obviously always got his own way in the past, so i have that to contend with.

Saying that, the progress we have made i am happy with. He wouldn't go in front when i first had him, he'd spin and i could not get him to move forward sometimes resulting in him running up vertical banks. Now he will go in front most of the way and if he tries to spin i can usually push him on no problems. A lot more things have progressed and he is finding confidence in me and i am learning from knowledgeable people how to push him through his issues.

Would i buy him again if i could go back. Probably not. I am not out doing the things a new rider should be doing. Instead i am learning how to sit to spooks and try and instil confidence in a nervy unsure horse. Saying that i love him to pieces (most days) and wouldn't sell him unless my riding instructor or others thought it wasn't working for his sake.

But it is a big chunk of your life having a horse, take your time and make sure you can pick one you can go out and enjoy having fun with.

 

[Vicki1986]

No.

Seen it end in tears loads of times. Horse usually gets sold after a while when the reality of the situation sets in and buy something more experienced.

 

[bushbaby28]

young horses doesn't HAVE to mean green horse.

we brought our 5 year old cob cross 2 years ago. He had been over from ireland for 3 months and just chucked in a school. My mum was quite novice (but could walk, trot canter and ride in balance) but he was so safe and sensible and willing they've both learnt so much. we had lessons every week and i schooled him for her too but to be perfectly honest he always went better with her and never put a foot wrong!!

2 years on he's still as sane as sensible as ever but is very responsive, forward, polite and well manered. in his last dressage test he got 67%.

Novice riders don't have the hang ups and bad habbits more experienced riders do and are on the whole better owners than people who THINK they are great when they aren't.

 

[chaps89]

My mum bought a just backed 4 year old arab as her first horse, she had been riding on off since her teens (so for over 20 years) but never had her own. Green + green definitely = black & blue for them but 11 years later she's still got her, it worked out ok but I don't think she'd recommend it or do it again!

Personally I think it depends on the horse. I used to ride a 5 year old tb x welsh who was more sensible (even when presented with new/scarey situations he was totally unphased) than my 13 year old welsh. Yes he was 5 and still a baby but he was alot safer/better behaved than my own boy. He was just green in so much as he needed schooling and taking out and about, nothing silly or dangerous.
With good backup from YO/instructor and the right horse, it could work, just be wary and don't over estimate yourself/your abilities. It will most likely be alot of hard work and you may well not be out competing straight away so prepare yourself that if you do go for it, it may not be the easy route and a schoolmaster/been there, done that type may suit you better.

Could your instructor go with you? She'll be able to size up the horse and she knows your abilities so could give good insight if she thinks it will work or not.

 

[Burnttoast]

I've never seen it end up well - even if things settle down there always seem to be issues that remain that might not have transpired in the first place had the horse been more suitable.

And it's not necessarily to do with age, either the rider or the horse. Someone I know started in her 40s and rode for a couple of years in a RS before she was sold a very unsuitable 8yo who was really quite wilful and ungenuine, although he was very sweet in the stable; she isn't temperamentally suited to him at all as she wants to love him and isn't able to give him firm consistent handling. She then took pity (with a more experienced friend) on a 12yo basket-case who is quite a nice horse now with consistent handling from said friend, but who dumps her on a regular basis and has wrecked her confidence - because he knows she's nervous and is not the kind of horse to help you out (not his fault, I hasten to add - he takes his confidence from his rider to an enormous degree).

It seems to me that it's either a minor disaster or a big one, but I can't see why anyone would want to put themselves in the path of such potential problems when there are nice sane horses that have seen plenty of the world out there already; I've ridden all sorts over the last 30 years but I've never owned my own and even now I would hesitate to take on a green horse without decent back-up.

 

[Snowysadude]

[ QUOTE ]
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.

[/ QUOTE ]

Totally agree also, there is a 5yr old on our yard with a novice owner, and although he is a saint 99.9% of the time for such a young horse he did have a moment the other day and buck his owner off (never bucked/reared or anything before) - she now has a broken pelvis in two places so will be out of riding for a long time..

I strongly advise against buying a young horse as your first horse and as a novice as they have not yet learnt what is and is not acceptable when being ridden, and although may have the perfect tempremant when you get them as they grow up they will start firing a lot of questions mosnt novicesd (and a lot of more advanced riders) just cant answer!

 

[sarahHugo]

Quote :- 'Novice riders don't have the hang ups and bad habbits more experienced riders do and are on the whole better owners than people who THINK they are great when they aren't'

I agree with that totally Draytons Barney

 

[LouBerry]

I think it really does depend on the combination and the learning network you have.

I bought a 6 year old as a novice. I also said the "we'll learn together" line too. And soon learnt my lesson. I threw myself in at the deep end and struggled for the first two years. Luckily i'm a stubborn sod and came out okay (with many falls, bruises etc) but i'd not recommend it to anybody. I learnt the hard way how to do things and handle a youngster, not ideal.
Six years later i bought another 6 year old, this time one who i knew was even tempered and whilst green is so willing to learn and try. But the only reason i did this is because for the last two years i've been riding younger horses, learning about them, their schooling and how to handle them at a proper yard. I'm a bit more experienced and level headed than i was back then.

I've seen too many people buy young horses and overhorse themselves and not give that horse a good start or education and also scare the hell out of themselves.

Although saying that i do believe that you can get good, dependable, young horses. I know a few but then they've all had good starts in life and the people owning them have a very good network of instructors, experienced friends around them.

I just think the problem is people don't always realise how much extra work a young horse is and how much extra work is needed with trust and education.

 

[bex1984]

I really think it depends on the horse. Murphy was 7 when I bought him, so not a youngster, but he had pretty much no schooling (other than stop and go, which didn't always happen either!), and 'didn't do jumping'. It is without doubt doubly hard trying to learn new things together BUT Murphy is, and always has been, exceptionally safe, sane and forgiving, and we have made loads of progress, all be it very slowly!

However, i have seen it end in disaster with less laid back horses

So TBH, unless the horse is so laid back he is virtually horizontal, I would say don't do it. It's not just the riding, it's the day to day handling too. Maybe start with a horse on part-loan too? It's a great way to get started on ownership

 

[Flame_]

QR

Sometimes, yes. IMO type and temperament are more important than age. If a horse has a screw loose at five, chances are it will still be loose at 15. As long as its properly broken and not sharp or sensitive, I think you'll be fine.

 

[Theresa_F]

Not impossible but not recommended.

I bought Chancer as a yearling after having horses for over 30 years since I was a child and I have ridden since a toddler.

He has never been any trouble, lovely gypsy cob temperament and has taught me lots. However, I have had instruction all the way (lessons every week and also helped with his backing and schooling) and had anything I was not 110% confident that I could do with him was first done by the instructors and I then took over.

Realistically it will be cheaper for you to get an older horse that you can get out and have fun with quickly and continue with lessons on your horse and not a riding school horse. The alternative is buy a young green one that will need to be schooled for you and also for you to have lessons on, and you will still need lessons on an experience horse for jumping etc. The youngster will probably deck you a few times and there is the potential for it to go very wrong.

Finally if you get the wrong 5 year old, it will be a disaster, Chancer is a saint, he could be ridden by a confident novice and could give basic lessons, but he is still learning and on occasion needs the rider to give him confidence. My other 5 year old, Fleur when her blood was up was enough to scare the pants off even professional riders and would have probably injured a novice rider, even though she was a lovely temperament, just a very difficult and quirky sportshorse to get on.

Think carefully and either wait longer and improve your riding and your stable skills or get something that you can have fun on and learn with that will more easily tolerate your mistakes (which you will make, we all did and still do). Good luck.

 

[wench]

I bought my (first) horse, four years ago. He was an 8 yo 16.3 tb, and I had only ridden riding school nags.

However, he is increadibly laid back, and it also helped that it was in the middle of winter, and he was a bit thin, hadn't done much work, so was very quiet. He is also kept at a riding school so got work on working livery.

I think I got lucky!

 

[bushbaby28]

i suppose ultimately it depends on what the person wants to do. If they just want to hack and have a general play in the school, a lot of sane, sensible, level headed 5 year olds can do that and may have been there and done it already.

however, if you want to go on to jump or do few dressage comps you need to know how the movements feel and how to do that on a schoolmaster first.

 

[BeckyD]

It can be difficult. I'm not desperately experienced and bought a 4-y-o, which could have gone desperately wrong. I was lucky that I found a fairly easy horse to have, and that I'm not scared of him when he does throw his toys out of the pram. But I have to say that having done it once, I'm wary of doing it again as I don't think I'd be lucky enough to find such an easy horse again. And, even though he's "easy" I have still made lots of mistakes with him because I just didn't know any better (i.e. allowing inconsistency in the contact when I shouldn't have let him get away with it).

 

[rustyrider]

i brought Rusty 18months ago when he was 5 years old and very green. he was my first horse. i had lots of help from my YO who helped me to figure out the right rate of progress for him, schooled him for me and taught us together. it's been a slow process, and frustrating at times, but i wouldn't swap him for the world. i guess, like with any horse, we have built up an amazing bond and i know exactly what he's going to do 2sec before he does it

he is on field rest at the moment after a trailer accident and i am riding other horses for the first time in 18months. i was amazed at how much i had learnt from him! thankfully he's on the mend because i'm missing him hugely

i think you will be fine so long as you pick the right horse (something steady and sensible), get plenty of support (my YO was amazing), and are patient (it took me ages to build up the right muscles to get the lazy monkey moving!!! and it takes a while for us to learn new things together).

 

[alsxx]

I think it depends on the definition of novice, and also on the individual horse, as well as the support available.

I only ever had youngsters as a child. When I was very young my first pony was a little section A mare, followed by an unbroken section A gelding - he was sent away to be broken but I went over and backed him - the next pony I had was the same...all before the age of 9 years old. Of course I had my mum who was experienced, but I think it actually did me the world of good, I can honestly say I am happy to get on and ride anything now, and to be fair throughout the years I have had some real sh*ts!!

 

[Mahoganybay]

I too would say no, having had a schoolmistress for the last 8 years of her life (she was pts 2 years ago in May age 30) i made the mistake of buying a 'green' 5 year old.

We are still having 'issues' but getting there 2 years later and i have come off more times than i care to mention, along with numerous confidence issues.

I dont regret buying my youngster, but if i could go back in time, i would not have bought her really and opted for another school mistress/master.

 

[Whizzon]

sorry no - difficulties nearly always arise with youngsters and if care isnt taken they end up labled as problem horses... often in a downward spiral to destruction , horse sales or the like...

A french survery showed that 66.7% of all horses going for slaughter are under the age of 7 years old and are there for behavioural problems.

obviously down to our handling and riding - get a schoolmaster and have fun!!! - you will still learn loads in relative safety.

NB on a personal basis a recent remedial horse was presented to me by green owner, a mother and daughter - the horse(5yrs old) bolted, when I asked how many times this had happened I was told 45 times...the horse hasnt got a chance with them! and they havent got the ability to turn things around...very, very sad he is now labeled as dangerous and a problem and rightly so he is offering very dangerous learned behaviour. But it didnt start out like this...

I am not saying anyone here is like this but it highlights how easy it is to get in a pickle with a youngster when you are inexperianced!