Top Mistakes People Make When Buying A Horse

1. Buying Untrained/Undertrained
1. Time is money, this is very true, but you often get what you pay for. If you want a dressage horse, you should buy a horse trained or at least leaning that way, not a cow pony or polo pony. Even more important, however, is making sure that, for the average buyer, you buy a horse with TRAINING! It might seem cheap to get a 3 year old and ‘break’ it to saddle, but that is much easier said than done, and even harder to do well. Do you know where to start? There are all kinds of books, but that’s very different from when a wild-eyed 3 year old takes off across the field leaving you in the dust.
2. Buying A Horse Based on Age
1. Many wonderful older horses get overlooked due to age. A former schoolmaster/lesson horse can be great for an adult beginner or new youth rider that wants a deal. Conversely, a well-trained 4 year old shouldn’t be overlooked if they are a good fit for the potential owner just because they are ‘young.’
3. Buying A Horse for “The Kids”
1. Like any pet, they should never be bought for the kids to ‘love and grow up with.’ May times, childrens’ interests change, and the flavor of the month becomes a very expensive pet that doesn’t DO very much. If that happens to you, are you going to be able to find a new home for the horse?
4. Buying A Horse to Breed/Color/Etc.
1. It’s great to get a perfect personality in the package you want, but to say “I HAVE TO HAVE BREED X” just doesn’t work. You may rush to purchase the breed, but find that the reality doesn’t work for you. Instead, look for personality with breed, color and similar surface traits held in reserve as a ‘bonus.’
5. Buying  “Mismatched” Horse
1. It is so important to get a horse you can ride. If you can’t ride your horse, what good is it? This comes back to the point that you must be honest about your level of riding and how much help you’re going to get. If you’re barely jumping cavelletti, it probably won’t be good for your confidence or your horse if you get an eventer that will jump everything with 2 feet to spare. If you’re looking for a trail horse, the barrel racer might not be the best option. We often inflate what we ‘want’ and confuse it with what we ‘need.’ What we need is a horse that lets us be a “Happy and Confidant” rider (thanks Kim for that phrase). That might mean you have to sell your horse and buy a new one in 3 years, but for those 3 years you had together, you probably had a lot more fun that if you were afraid to ride your horse, right?

Ace's First Show

So... we were going to take him just walk/trot. But those couldn't be judged due to age restrictions, and he was SO good we took him walk/trot/canter and he brought home a 2nd place ribbon in his first class and a 1st place ribbon in his second class! Thanks to Amanda Tilchin for riding him, and thanks to Lizzie Jenkins and Kellie Younger, our Training Committee Co-Chairs for all their hard work!

March = Dental Month

Meg Cook doing a little Dental Work on Ace, and some of the younger barn members (and some of the not-as-young ones) getting in a little learning about teeth floating.