What is a good age for a first horse?

[Miss_Millie]

As the title says really. I'm currently horse shopping and am trying to narrow down my specifications a bit. I am not a really experienced/high level rider, so don't want a horse that is going to be really green or spooky. So I'm thinking age 6/7 minimum, but what about maximum? I want this to be a horse I can have for a long time and grow with. Somewhere around 15 for maximum age, no older than that?

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I would think a minimum age of 10 yrs, so that you get a horse that knows its job up to any age where the horse is still healthy.

 

[Miss_Millie]

I would think a minimum age of 10 yrs, so that you get a horse that knows its job up to any age where the horse is still healthy.

Thank you, that's really helpful

 

[Cortez]

Everything depends on the horse of course - there are a lot of extremely poorly trained and badly behaved 10 year olds! However if you are looking in the right places, a good age range for a first horse is 12 - 18 years, sound in body and in mind please!

 

[L&M]

I would also say 10 yrs +, a 6/7 yr old can still be quite green so not ideal for a first horse, whereas a 10 yr old is more likley to have 'been there, done that'.

An older horse could also be very useful as first horse, and as long as there are no health issues, I would not discount anything up to around 14 yrs.

Good luck in your search!

 

[Miss_Millie]

Thank you everyone, this is such helpful information. I don't want to bother viewing horses that are too young so I'll look around 10+ now. Not too old either because it was be sad for my horse to pass away after only a few years of owning it.

 

[Peglo]

My first and second were 12 and 13 and think that’s a good age. My just turned 6 year old has been so fab but doesn’t feel quite as together as the older ones did. (Obviously ?) but I wouldn’t say you should discount all under 10’s as said above, it all depends on the horse.

 

[splashgirl45]

i bought a riding school horse for my sister to learn on, the horse was 13yrs old and 15hands and she did loads of riding club events successfully, my sister gave up and my friend took the horse over and she was ridden regularly until she was 31 and PTS at 35. .... you are looking at something smaller who, in general, keep going happily till older than a large horse. i would look at anything from 10 to 14 or maybe 16 for a first horse for riding club level competitions.

 

[Winters100]

I would not dismiss an older horse if you are not that experienced. It also depends on what you want to do, but if I were you I would be looking for a not too big horse of 12 years +. Good luck!

 

[splashgirl45]

have a look at horsequest ref 264872 12yrs 14.2 could be worth a look

 

[Jaqa]

This is a how long is a piece of string type question. You really need to look at the horse in front of you rather than just age. My current horse is 9 yrs and very green. My previous horse was complicated and sensitive and would not have been beginner suitable even in her 20's. In saying that 6yrs would be a minimum I'd be looking at, as at least at that age they should have been broken in and had at least a year or two under their belt and be able to cope with starting a little jumping in most cases. 8-14yrs would be better probably.

In saying that, you should never discount older horses. A horse in its teens (or even 20's) that is a solid school master can teach you and be the no-fuss confidence booster you need rather than dealing with a horse that's still learning the ropes as you are. Just get a vet check and make sure they're sound for what you need. My mare was still in work in her 20's, and rermained in light work and sound through her late 20's to 30's, so it's not like they all hit 20 and fall apart.

Also look at your expectations. If you want something you want ride every day and take out eventing every weekend, you may want something that isn't in their 20's as that could get rough on their joints.

 

[Miss_Millie]

Thanks for all of the advice everyone. I'm getting mixed messages from people on the yard, some saying I shouldn't go over 10 years old because otherwise they don't have enough mileage left in them, others saying anything under 10 is way too young for a first horse. It is hard to find that sweet spot of the perfect age, and like you say, just because a horse is older it doesn't mean they're not going to be green or quirky, a younger horse could be good as gold.

 

[oldie48]

I've bought several horses for myself and they have been 11-12 years old, all established with good manners. My last horse was 11 and sadly at 13 has sustained what is almost certainly a career ending injury. Fortunately I have the ride on a 21 year old ex eventer, who is well schooled and I am having so much fun, so don't discount older horses if they are sound and up to the job you want. Good luck in your search.

 

[tristar]

i agree with you here, some younger horses can be saints, you need to ride a selection pick something you really enjoy and feel in control of, one with comfortable paces you can sit in balance with that has been properly broken and trained, and ride it a lot, quietly, so it keeps the habit of working

 

[windand rain]

Don't discount the young either youngsters can be perfect too. My first horse was a 15.1tb 4 year old he was a saint. Have had horses well over 50 years and haven't bought anything older than 2 for 45 of them. However that aside young ones are often more honest and haven't learned the naughty tricks of the trade in some older ones. One piece of advice I hope you follow is to buy something under 16hh with good conformation and excellent temperament they tend to stay sound longer on average

 

[Cob Life]

Don't discount the young either youngsters can be perfect too. My first horse was a 15.1tb 4 year old he was a saint. Have had horses well over 50 years and haven't bought anything older than 2 for 45 of them. However that aside young ones are often more honest and haven't learned the naughty tricks of the trade in some older ones. One piece of advice I hope you follow is to buy something under 16hh with good conformation and excellent temperament they tend to stay sound longer on average

I started riding the horse I ride now when he was 6, and gosh do I wish I’d had him as a 3 year old! by the time he was 6 he had been taught as lot of bad manners and I’m still undoing some of those.

 

[Miss_Millie]

Don't discount the young either youngsters can be perfect too. My first horse was a 15.1tb 4 year old he was a saint. Have had horses well over 50 years and haven't bought anything older than 2 for 45 of them. However that aside young ones are often more honest and haven't learned the naughty tricks of the trade in some older ones. One piece of advice I hope you follow is to buy something under 16hh with good conformation and excellent temperament they tend to stay sound longer on average

Thanks for the advice, I will definitely be looking under 16hh as I'm focusing on native breeds That is an interesting point about older horses having learnt bad habits. As this is going to be my first ever horse and I'm not that experienced yet, I worry that I could be the one to teach it the bad habits! So maybe I should get more of a been there, done it for my first pony, so we're not both too green if that makes sense.

 

[Jaqa]

some saying I shouldn't go over 10 years old because otherwise they don't have enough mileage left in them

Sorry, but if they vet check sound that's rubbish. Well built horses can continue to be ridable well after that. You've got a few people (myself included) saying about how they've had horses that have continued to be ridden successfully into their 20's. But they do need to be sound. If you buy one with poor conformation or a poorly rehabbed injury, particularly if a previous owner has thrashed it around and ridden it early and hard, it might fall apart by the time it hits it's early teens. You just need to look at the horse in front of you rather than a number.

others saying anything under 10 is way too young for a first horse.

You can get young horses that are dead quiet and have decent basics, but the older you go, in general, the more they will have done. That doesn't always hold true however and again you need to look at the horse in front of you. My current horse is 9 and as green as the grass and super sensitive and tricky to boot. I've seen other horses younger than him that have solid basics, have been put through PC and fussed over, and would be pretty safe for a beginner. Again, take into account age, but don't let it be the rule in or out factor. Their personality and training is a much, much higher factor for a beginner than their age. You won't be riding at all if you get a horse that's too green, have a miserable time, fall off and break something. There's a saying "green on green makes black and blue" and it is often the case. You want one half of that equasion to be experienced to give you the best chance of success. "Growing together" is over rated in the romantic ideas department and often ends up with damaged horses and riders. (It can work with the right pair and enough knowlegable people around to help, but I've seen quite a few cases where it has not along with some pretty serious injuries and horses that never ended up being trustworthy for their owner due to lacking basics as well.)

Just a head's up though. Many people don't even start popping their horses over jumps until they're at least 5-6 years, so if you want a horse that's jumped and knows what it's doing, you'd go a couple of years older than that right? Some horses have been jumped earlier than this, but you'd want to know when it matured (some horses take longer to mature than others, with most not being completely mature until about 6, but some slower growing breeds can be more like 8 years) as horses jumped high early before their bones have set may have predispositions to joint issues later in life.

I'm not that experienced yet, I worry that I could be the one to teach it the bad habits!

That's definitely a worry. Even experienced horses can go "bad" if not handled just right. (Another reason why personality is so important.) Good idea to get an instructor on board to help guide you as soon as you get the new horse. Good luck.

 

[Miss_Millie]

Sorry, but if they vet check sound that's rubbish. Well built horses can continue to be ridable well after that. You've got a few people (myself included) saying about how they've had horses that have continued to be ridden successfully into their 20's. But they do need to be sound. If you buy one with poor conformation or a poorly rehabbed injury, particularly if a previous owner has thrashed it around and ridden it early and hard, it might fall apart by the time it hits it's early teens. You just need to look at the horse in front of you rather than a number.



You can get young horses that are dead quiet and have decent basics, but the older you go, in general, the more they will have done. That doesn't always hold true however and again you need to look at the horse in front of you. My current horse is 9 and as green as the grass and super sensitive and tricky to boot. I've seen other horses younger than him that have solid basics, have been put through PC and fussed over, and would be pretty safe for a beginner. Again, take into account age, but don't let it be the rule in or out factor. Their personality and training is a much, much higher factor for a beginner than their age. You won't be riding at all if you get a horse that's too green, have a miserable time, fall off and break something. There's a saying "green on green makes black and blue" and it is often the case. You want one half of that equasion to be experienced to give you the best chance of success. "Growing together" is over rated in the romantic ideas department and often ends up with damaged horses and riders. (It can work with the right pair and enough knowlegable people around to help, but I've seen quite a few cases where it has not along with some pretty serious injuries and horses that never ended up being trustworthy for their owner due to lacking basics as well.)

Just a head's up though. Many people don't even start popping their horses over jumps until they're at least 5-6 years, so if you want a horse that's jumped and knows what it's doing, you'd go a couple of years older than that right? Some horses have been jumped earlier than this, but you'd want to know when it matured (some horses take longer to mature than others, with most not being completely mature until about 6, but some slower growing breeds can be more like 8 years) as horses jumped high early before their bones have set may have predispositions to joint issues later in life.



That's definitely a worry. Even experienced horses can go "bad" if not handled just right. (Another reason why personality is so important.) Good idea to get an instructor on board to help guide you as soon as you get the new horse. Good luck.

Thanks so much for the in-depth response, I truly appreciate it. I will be having lessons with an instructor once a week and lots of knowledgable people around me on the yard if I get stuck with anything

 

[Winters100]

Thanks for all of the advice everyone. I'm getting mixed messages from people on the yard, some saying I shouldn't go over 10 years old because otherwise they don't have enough mileage left in them, others saying anything under 10 is way too young for a first horse. It is hard to find that sweet spot of the perfect age, and like you say, just because a horse is older it doesn't mean they're not going to be green or quirky, a younger horse could be good as gold.

Hi, I am just wondering, given that people who know you are concerned about a horse having enough mileage left, what is it that you want the horse to do? Also what size are you looking for? Keep in mind that an older 14.2 is quite different to an older 18 h.

I bought my schoolmistress when she was about 14 to 16, true age is unknown as the passport says younger, but even the seller told me that he did not believe it to be correct. She is now 18 - 20, and has been much less trouble health wise than either of my younger horses. But of course it is luck of the draw, and I am careful to keep her fit and pay close attention to how she is feeling. I have to say that I do not regret for a second buying an older horse, as at the time I needed to re-build confidence. She has done that job 100%, has never once spooked the whole time I have owned her, forward going and responsive but safe, and although she still has plenty of 'go' in her, if she wanted to retire tomorrow she would owe me nothing. Truthfully in terms of fun she has been the best horse I have ever owned, as we never have 'off' days, she is always exactly the same.

 

[Xmas lucky]

I disagree when people say a horse can be ridden into their late 20s 17 - 23 is a common age for a horse to be retired. I have seen people riding very lame old horse . I say it actually depends on the horse some young horse are very good first horses.

 

[SO1]

I think you also need to think about sellability. As this is your first horse you may decide after experiencing horse ownership you don't enjoy it as much as you thought. Owning a horse may not be as wonderful as you think. Also being new to buying a horse there is more of a risk of buying something unsuitable.

I would say 13 would be maximum age for purchase for first horse as should you not get on with it or decide horse ownership is not for you after trying it it will be easier to sell on than a horse in their late teens.

I have a 19 year old native pony who I have had since 5 and he has spent the best part of the last 2 years, with a gap of 9 months in between injuries, on box rest with controlled walking due to soft tissue injuries which has not been fun at all. Luckily I am on part livery which takes the pressure off except financially and he is very easy with his in hand walking. But he is now getting expensive with his care at over £200 a week he has to be walked 3 times a day to reduce the colic risk and with working and not living really near by I can only go once a day after work and not every day as I sometimes have to work late, decisions around his care are stressful.

I am not someone who will keep on going with box rest indefinitely as I want him to have decent life and for me that includes group turnout. Up till 17 he was in very good health and hopefully he will recover from this injury. He is a lovely boy and I will do my best for him but I certainly won't get another horse.

 

[windand rain]

I disagree when people say a horse can be ridden into their late 20s 17 - 23 is a common age for a horse to be retired. I have seen people riding very lame old horse . I say it actually depends on the horse some young horse are very good first horses.

I find this insulting my 25 rising 26 year old pony has not been off work since an injury at 6 years old she is fit and loves hacking out so some horses, but particularly ponies, can live and work well into theit 20's however I find that many are injured and finished by 15 if they get passed 15 fit and well they then seem to go on for quite a while. I guess I would prefer a 16 year old to a 13 year old in many cases. Conformation is key so regardless of age get a pony with good conformation over anything else

 

[SO1]

I agree with the retirement age, whilst there are plenty of veteran horses in work, they may require more maintenance to remain in work.

Cushings can be an issue in particular in older ponies with 19 being the average age of onset and whilst this can be managed with medication that medication comes at a cost.

Older horses can require careful management to keep them sound and for a first time horse owner with no experience of dealing with any medical issues it might be more stressful than for a more experienced owner.

Whilst I have owned my pony now for 14 years I have no experience of the management of older equines so I am finding it difficult now he has some age related issues.

I disagree when people say a horse can be ridden into their late 20s 17 - 23 is a common age for a horse to be retired. I have seen people riding very lame old horse . I say it actually depends on the horse some young horse are very good first horses.

 

[windand rain]

My pony han't needed a vet except for vaccinations for 20 years she is on no drugs but a bit of turmeraid and boswellia as a precaution against arthritis affecting her work so I still think you are wrong about a retirement age. If you listened to my farrier he refers to the old girl as the "golden child" as she owes us nothing and gets everything she would be seriously unhappy not to go for a good gallop in the stubble or on the beach. She even still recovers from injury quickly as recently was a bit sore after a kick but is now working again

 

[Xmas lucky]

I find this insulting my 25 rising 26 year old pony has not been off work since an injury at 6 years old she is fit and loves hacking out so some horses, but particularly ponies, can live and work well into theit 20's however I find that many are injured and finished by 15 if they get passed 15 fit and well they then seem to go on for quite a while. I guess I would prefer a 16 year old to a 13 year old in many cases. Conformation is key so regardless of age get a pony with good conformation over anything else

Didn’t mean to offend you I just get frustrated when you see people riding older horse that are very lame . That clearly isn’t able to be ridden to the point the horse would lying down in the arena because the horse is so tired.

 

[SO1]

There are always going to be exceptions, in the same way as in people you get some very fit 90 years old zooming around but the majority of very elderly have health problems.

It is great that your pony is so fit and healthy and low maintenance at that age but we need to be realistic and realise that many will not be as healthy and low maintenance as your pony at that age, it is giving a potential first time horse owner unrealistic expectations.

Older equines often benefit by having lots of turnout and a lot of livery yards do not seem set up for this. If you have your own land and can manage a horse as you please then yes I think an older equine is fair risk but if you are reliant on being on livery there is more of a risk.

My pony han't needed a vet except for vaccinations for 20 years she is on no drugs but a bit of turmeraid and boswellia as a precaution against arthritis affecting her work so I still think you are wrong about a retirement age. If you listened to my farrier he refers to the old girl as the "golden child" as she owes us nothing and gets everything she would be seriously unhappy not to go for a good gallop in the stubble or on the beach. She even still recovers from injury quickly as recently was a bit sore after a kick but is now working again

 

[Cortez]

I find this insulting my 25 rising 26 year old pony has not been off work since an injury at 6 years old she is fit and loves hacking out so some horses, but particularly ponies, can live and work well into theit 20's however I find that many are injured and finished by 15 if they get passed 15 fit and well they then seem to go on for quite a while. I guess I would prefer a 16 year old to a 13 year old in many cases. Conformation is key so regardless of age get a pony with good conformation over anything else

No need to be insulted, you are just very lucky to have an exceptional horse. Having owned a lot (more than 100) of horses over more than 45 years, and horses that were not pets (as in they had to work for a living), I have found that the average retirement age for mine is 18 - 19. Some have worked into their early 20's, one or two have not made it past 7 - 8. I don't like to ask my horses to work past their late teens and prefer to give them at least a couple of years off out in the fields. I will deal with the typical ailments of old age such as arthritis, cushings, tooth loss, etc. but I won't go as far as to use regular bute, injections into joints, etc. that a lot of people seem to resort to in order to keep basically crocked old horses going.

 

[teddypops]

I disagree when people say a horse can be ridden into their late 20s 17 - 23 is a common age for a horse to be retired. I have seen people riding very lame old horse . I say it actually depends on the horse some young horse are very good first horses.

But they can…..

 

[teddypops]

Didn’t mean to offend you I just get frustrated when you see people riding older horse that are very lame . That clearly isn’t able to be ridden to the point the horse would lying down in the arena because the horse is so tired.

That goes for any age of horse though. They can all go lame.