Young or experienced? A mare, gelding or stallion? A calm horse or one with a little more spark? Tall or small? A horse already trained to your desired level, or one you can develop yourself? Once you start searching, you soon realise how much choice there is.
“Which horse is right for me?” is therefore one of the most important questions to ask yourself before browsing adverts.
This article explores what to consider when looking for a suitable horse.
Start with yourself, rather than the horse
When looking for a horse, people often start with age, height, colour, breed and training level. A successful search begins with the rider.
Ask yourself honestly:
- How experienced am I as a rider?
- How confident am I?
- What do I want to do with my horse?
- How often do I want to ride?
- Do I want to compete or mainly ride for pleasure?
- Do I enjoy training a horse?
- How much support and instruction do I have available?
- Which aspects of a horse’s temperament matter to me?
- What type of horse makes me feel comfortable?
Two riders with the same technical ability may need very different horses. One may enjoy a sensitive, responsive horse, while the other gains confidence from a sensible horse that takes things in its stride.
There is no universally perfect horse. What matters is finding one that suits you and your circumstances.
The rider’s experience and the horse’s experience
A common mistake when buying a horse is focusing mainly on potential.
A talented young horse can be appealing, especially when you imagine what it could achieve in the future. Potential alone does not make a horse suitable, however.
A young or green horse still has plenty to learn. That includes everyday situations as well as exercises in the arena: hacking alone, traffic, unfamiliar places, loading into a trailer, competitions and unexpected events.
Guiding a horse through those experiences asks something of the rider.
If you are relatively inexperienced or lack confidence, a horse that has already seen more of the world can be particularly valuable. It can help you build experience and trust.
A young horse or an experienced horse?
Buying a young horse appeals to many riders. You can develop together and train the horse yourself. The trade-off is that a young horse usually requires more time, knowledge and support.
A young horse may suit you if you have experience training horses, reliable guidance and patience with the ups and downs of development. An older or more experienced horse may be a better fit if you want to enjoy riding straight away, start competing or build confidence.
Age is not the whole story. Some six-year-olds have experienced a great deal, while some twelve-year-olds have hardly left their own yard. Look beyond the age on paper and consider what the horse actually knows and has experienced.
What do you want to achieve in the coming years?
If you mainly want relaxed riding and the occasional competition, your needs will differ from those of someone aiming to progress through several levels.
The horse’s training should suit both your current ability and your ambitions.
What temperament suits you?
Temperament is one of the most important aspects of your search and one of the hardest to assess from an advert.
Words such as good, willing, sensitive, hot and forward-going can mean very different things to different people.
A sensitive horse might feel wonderfully light and responsive to an experienced rider, while the same horse may react too strongly for a rider who lacks confidence.
Think in advance about the qualities that matter to you.
Do you want a naturally forward-going horse, or would you prefer a calmer one? How important is it that the horse hacks out alone easily? Does it need to be familiar with children, dogs, traffic or a busy livery yard?
Separate preferences from essentials. A particular colour might be a preference; a reliable temperament might be essential. This distinction makes the search easier.
How important is the horse’s height?
Many riders begin with a very specific height range, such as 1.65 to 1.70 metres.
That is understandable, but try not to be unnecessarily restrictive.
A horse measuring 1.63 metres with an uphill build and a substantial barrel can feel bigger than a narrow horse measuring 1.68 metres. Your leg length, your build and the horse’s conformation also matter.
Alongside the horse’s height, ask whether you are physically well matched and feel comfortable riding it.
A trial ride can reveal that a horse which seemed slightly too small or too large on paper actually suits you very well.
Mare, gelding or stallion?
A horse’s sex is often included in the search criteria from the outset.
Some riders have a clear preference for a mare or a gelding. Practical considerations can justify that choice, but try not to rule out a large group of suitable horses too quickly.
The individual horse’s temperament matters more. A calm mare may be much easier than a spirited gelding, and vice versa.
A stallion generally needs additional consideration regarding housing, handling and management, which makes one less practical for many private riders.
Consider where your horse will live
Not every horse suits every yard.
Will your horse live at a busy livery yard? Will it spend plenty of time outdoors, alone or in a group? Is grazing limited? Will it regularly need to stay in the stable on its own?
The way a horse is used to being kept can affect how readily it adapts to a new situation.
A horse that has always lived outside with other horses may struggle if it suddenly spends long days alone in a stable.
Include the horse’s future living arrangements in your decision.
Look beyond appearance
This can be one of the hardest parts of buying a horse. You see an advert and immediately think: this is the one.
The colour, presence and impressive movement are exactly what you have always dreamed of. It can then be tempting to downplay qualities that are less suitable.
Before you start, create clear search criteria with a few points you are not prepared to compromise on. These could include:
- a reliable temperament;
- suitability for your riding level;
- suitability for your discipline;
- affordability within your budget;
- health and suitability for the intended use.
Colour, breed and a particular appearance come afterwards.
A horse you look forward to seeing every day is ultimately worth more to you than the most beautiful horse on the yard if you cannot relax when riding it.
Be willing to turn down a good horse
A horse does not have to be a bad horse to be unsuitable for you. That distinction matters.
It may move beautifully, be well trained and healthy, and have a lovely temperament, yet still be the wrong match.
Perhaps it reacts more strongly than you enjoy. Perhaps you need to keep encouraging it forward when you would prefer more natural energy. Or perhaps the trial ride simply does not give you a feeling of confidence.
That does not make the horse any less good. It means there is probably a better partnership to be found.
Create a search profile before browsing
Before looking through dozens of adverts, write down a practical search profile.
Include the following:
- Purpose: leisure riding, dressage, jumping, hacking or competitions.
- Age: your preferred age range.
- Height: your preference and an acceptable margin.
- Training: the minimum level you need.
- Temperament: for example sensible, forward-going, sensitive or forgiving.
- Experience: what should the horse already be familiar with?
- Budget: including any veterinary examination and other buying costs.
- Must-haves: qualities that are essential.
- Nice-to-haves: desirable qualities on which you can compromise.
This helps prevent your search from being reshaped by whichever advert you happen to see next.
Help finding the right horse
Buying a horse is a major decision. If you do not buy horses regularly, assessing adverts objectively and identifying horses that genuinely suit your needs can be challenging.
With purchase guidance, you can get support from the start: defining your search criteria, assessing adverts and videos, and considering viewings and trial rides. Advice can also cover negotiations and the pre-purchase veterinary examination.
Are you looking for a horse or pony and could you use some help with your search? Contact RSP Equi Select to find out more about purchase guidance.