Buying a horse

[Karrizle 2]

Im currently looking at buying a horse and am indecisive so i have no idea witch one i should get, any suggestions would be amazing, honestly i would ride it for pretty much anything and i don't want it to be submissive i want it to give a little challenge when i train it so any help would be great

[Kurai 304]

Then I would suggest a Arabian.
They are quite stunning horses, smart and normally very cheeky. They can be a bit of a handful though, so there is that.

[Karrizle 2]

alright butterfly will definitely get one and when i do ill get pics for the forum :3 and my profile of course cx

[Dattebayo 2,850]

Ask , she owns a few, if I'm remembering correctly

[Minepro 107]

I own two and if there's anything to buying a horse, get one that's calm. Mares that've been mothers are most gentle as I've found out. Another thing to getting one is that you should pick a smart horse as well. Arabians may be smart and stunning, but they're very energetic and do require more work than usual to keep healthy. I'd recommend a quarter horse mare that's had a foal or two, but has said foal weaned and kept away long enough to handle their mother being gone. Quarter horses are easy to take care of, I should know I've had two for almost four years now. Just be sure to let them only graze on grass during summer. And don't treat them rough at all or else they'll either fear the sight of you or run away.

 

 

too long? Just get a quarter horse mare that's had at least one foal so she'll be calm and her heat won't end with her killing you. And don't get very rough on her either or she'll be scared of you.

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

@: Typically, that's probably true about mares, but I know one mother mare in particular who is quite a handful.  She's got a lot of attitude.  My riding instructor always describes her as "trashy."  Cracks me up every time.  My instructor is pretty old, and I think her definition of trashy is not the same as most peoples'.

 

Anway, @Karrizle, I would personally recommend a gelding.  They tend to be the best mannered and easiest to deal with, and the most consistent all year round.  Mares can be moody when they're in season.  And look for a horse that's light and responsive, i.e. it only takes a light touch to get them moving.  Don't settle for a horse that's been conditioned to only walk from a hard kick.  That's not how riding is suppose to be.  It's unfortunate that many horses are conditioned that way.  If you're pretty new to horses and riding, I'd recommend checking out any books or videos by GaWaNi Pony Boy.  Imo, he is by far the best horseman of our time, and the final word on all thing equine.

[Washougal_Otaku 1,020]

I would recommend a shire horse.  They are the largest breed of horse (to my knowledge, the only one that can be over 3,000 lbs.).  This will come in handy when it's time to feast.

 

 

...okay, okay.  I'll be serious here...

 

I've heard that quarter horses are great for first time owners, as well as appaloosas and morgans.

[Minepro 107]

I will never, ever trust you with any horse Otaku.

[Hurricane 159]

I'm gonna suggest an Appendix horse. I know it's a funny name for a horse breed, but it's basically half quarter horse and half thoroughbred. I currently have my eye on one at the moment.

[Fhaolan 4,468]

What's your actual experience level with horses?

[Washougal_Otaku 1,020]

I will never, ever trust you with any horse Otaku.

Good.  Keep them away from me, and I'll be safe.

[Minepro 107]

What's your actual experience level with horses?

who, me? I've owned two quarter mares for almost 4 years now. I've also dealt with the worst of heat periods, the angriest filly that tried to kill me, three major wounds(two to the hooves and one on the chest), and have been kicked three times, bitten too many times to count, and have been struck in the head. All to calm said "mean" filly. She is a mare now calm, healthy, and lives next to my house with her mother. That experienced enough?

[Fhaolan 4,468]

who, me? I've owned two quarter mares for almost 4 years now. I've also dealt with the worst of heat periods, the angriest filly that tried to kill me, three major wounds(two to the hooves and one on the chest), and have been kicked three times, bitten too many times to count, and have been struck in the head. All to calm said "mean" filly. She is a mare now calm, healthy, and lives next to my house with her mother. That experienced enough?

Cool. Just making sure. Most of the experienced horse-people I deal with already have breed preferences (to the point of being militant about it), so I was concerned when it didn't look like you had a preference. I've had several people come up to me cold about buying a horse, and I usually send them to some of the local barns that will sell 'shares' in horses so they can get used to what it takes first.

 

If you're looking for an actual challenge, you should do what I do. Instead of picking out a specific breed, go to a meat auction and evaluate the prospects. Most of the horses will have been dumped into the auction by rich twits who bought a 'pony' for their 8-year-old daughter with no knowledge of what they were doing. The horse will be seriously out of condition due to being a pasture pet, and possibly half wild because said daughter ignored the poor thing after a few months of being forced to brush it once every couple of days. And most of the bidders will be dog food manufacturers who have a upper limit based on weight of the animal. We've picked up several excellent horses of a variety of breeds this way for anywhere from $500-$2,000 dollars. And once we've done a bit of training and conditioning, we've been offered anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 for them, so they were obviously recoverable.

[Minepro 107]

.............

That's actually truly sad now that I've heard what they do with 'ponies' just about brought me to tears.*wells up*

anyway, the only reason I don't have a breed preference is because I really know that buying a horse never depended on breed, or conditioning, or even intelligence. Personality is my only preference. I just prefer a horse that's calm at least some of the time and will be able to accept me as a friend no matter how long it takes. I'd also like the horse to be able to be kind to others of their kind. That's all I'd look for in an equine companion. I don't even care if the horse is untrained. You just have to be gentle otherwise, they won't listen. I've experienced that firsthand with my mare Macy. Had to give her a shot during her third wound recovery and every time I was rough, she'd pull away. That's also how I got kicked in the bicep just after she cut herself.

[Fhaolan 4,468]

Oh yeah, if you can steel your heart, avoid former racehorses. The problems they have take special knowledge and skills to deal with. Physical *and* mental problems that have been driven into them so hard... you have to *really* know what you're doing to rehabilitate a former racehorse.

[Minepro 107]

That sounds too much like what my ex-uncle Joe did to his paint ex-mare Dixie. He drove stuff so far into her that she thinks she needs to do race training every day or else Joe will beat her with a riding crop. When she left, she became scared that the next owner would do the same. She was conditioned worse by my neighbors and now she's either dead from having too many bad owners or run away and became feral.

If I see her again, I'll take her to my house and give her a loving home with Zoey and Macy too.

[Treble Bolt 1,122]

I can't say I love horses, but I do enjoy them and am adept at care for them. Personally though, I would never own one of my own because I consider them the most expensive pet one could ever have (unless you are/were Amish).  I took care of six ponies back in High School. They weren't the nicest things, but I got the meanest and grumpiest one onto my side by spoiling him the most All I can say is that you should pick a breed that not only fits your preferences and your lifestyle, but also can get along with the other horses you have.  It's all about balance, and patience.  Can't really give a definitive recommendation because of that what I just mentioned, but at least keep it in mind

[Minepro 107]

That sounds like what I believe in raising a horse. I even used the same tactics in Raising Macy from a yearling.

[Washougal_Otaku 1,020]

Most of the horses will have been dumped into the auction by rich twits who bought a 'pony' for their 8-year-old daughter with no knowledge of what they were doing. The horse will be seriously out of condition due to being a pasture pet, and possibly half wild because said daughter ignored the poor thing after a few months of being forced to brush it once every couple of days. And most of the bidders will be dog food manufacturers who have a upper limit based on weight of the animal.

...seriously?  ...as much as I fear real-life horses and ponies, that's kind of sick.  Now I'm kind of glad that I don't own a dog.

[ZiggWheelsManning 7,358]

I have no experience with horses, so it's not something I want to purchase  

[EpicEnergy 22,074]

If I was going to buy a horse, I would first go to a ranch or a farm that does horse riding lessons. It would be beneficial because 1) you learn how to ride a horse, 2) you get to see how different kinds of horses behave, and 3) you learn how to take care of horses.

[Gone Airbourne 21,969]

On 2023-04-22 at 10:02 PM, ZiggWheelsManning said:

I have no experience with horses, so it's not something I want to purchase  

I wonder.... could it fly?!

Edited April 25, 2023 by SolaceFall

[Iforgotmybrain 3,505]

I don’t personally have experience with horses. But I was very close friends once with someone who had experience with them (wish I was still close with them but that’s another story). And man they’re a whole ass commitment. An expensive one too. Definitely not something you just jump into.

[Clawdeen 12,109]

I have cousins who have horses and they are expensive af. 

[ZiggWheelsManning 7,358]

It's the responsibilities I worry about over the horse than buying it.