10 Things to do BEFORE you go horse shopping
Part 2
4. Decide on what breed of horse you most want.
Once you’ve decided on the type of riding you’re interested in and the type of personality you want your horse to have, the breed choice will become easier. Some breeds are associated with certain types of riding. For instance, a Thoroughbred or Warmblood breed are usually thought of for the Hunter/Jumper circuit or dressage. In the past, the Quarter Horse, Appaloosas and Paints were thought of for Western riding. Today, these breeds can sucessfully compete at all levels with the more traditional hunter type horse.If you want a very smooth ride, look at the gaited breeds such as Missouri Foxtrotters, Tenessee Walkers or Paso Finos.
5. Decide on how big a horse you need.
If you’re looking for a horse for a child, buy a pony that your child can groom and handle now. A too big horse is intimidating for a young child to deal with.If you’re looking for one for yourself, consider the type of riding you want to do. Western styles of riding do not require a large horse and most of the stock type horses can carry a large adult even if the horse is 15 hands or smaller. A larger horse in a western class has an automatic disadvantage because he will have to work so much harder to shorten his stride. A big horse who is actually going slow is still going to pass the smaller horses and appear to be too fast.
If you want to show in hunter/jumper classes on the 'A Circuit', a 16+ hand horse is necessary to be competitive. However, if your plans are to learn to jump and go to smaller local shows, you’ll save money by buying a smaller horse.
Typically, people tend to think you need a big warmblood to be competitive in dressage. That isn't always true unless you want to show at the top FEI levels. These horses are expensive and hard to ride for a novice or youth. A smaller horse of any breed with good correct gaits can be quite competitive.
6. Decide on the gender of the horse.
A gelding or a mare should be your only consideration.A stallion is difficult to handle and can be downright dangerous even if you are a very experienced rider. He isn’t suitable unless you’re in the breeding business.
Geldings make great riding horses and companions. Preferably he was gelded before his second birthday so that he never learned stallion behavior.
Mares sometimes get a bad rap for being difficult everytime she comes into heat. Perhaps some are, but there are many wonderful mares with very stable personalities. One of my very favorite horses of all times was a mare.
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