How many years should a person ride/work with horses before owning a horse?
I know this question really depends on the person, but in general, how long should a person be riding/working with horses before owning a horse. A friend of mine has been riding for 3 years and working at a barn for 3 1/2 years, and she feels she is ready to own a horse. Do you think this is too short of a time?
It depends if the person is boarding or keeping the horse at home.
If you are boarding, I think a year of GOOD lessons (about grooming and care as well as riding) is enough, assuming you do some research before you buy the horse into things you don’t know. If you’re boarding at a place with a knowledgeable barn manager, then what you don’t know they will take care of.
For example, most first time horse owners don’t know anything about farriers- they don’t know how to tell a good trim from a bad one because they never had to worry about that before. That’s ok if you’re boarding though, since you can just ask the barn owner their opinion.
However, if you are going to take the horses to your own home, you really do need to be an expert. This is where a lot of problems arise, since people own a few acres and think it’d be fun to get a horse without taking lessons first. If you are keeping it on your own land, I think you should have around 5 years of lessons first, good lessons with care and such. That doesn’t make you an expert by any means, but after 5 years you should probably know enough to not get hurt on your own.
It’s also a good idea to board before you take your horse to your own house, just so you get a feel of how to take care of a horse.
I feel that ALL horse owners should be taking regular riding lessons. It doesn’t matter if you’re just riding for fun or you want to show, everyone can benefit from lessons. Even olympic riders take lessons… so if they’re not too good for a lesson, nobody is.
A lot of people think once they get their own horse, they can stop taking lessons because they ride by themself all of the time… not true! You really need to keep learning so you don’t inadvertently get a new bad habit which hurts your horse.
No when ever you feel ready to own a horse go for it!
But in general I think you should have at LEAST a year or two experience before owning a horse.
She should be ready to own her own horse. I think though that anybody can benefit from the input of other experienced horse people so she should maintain a connection with others who own, manage, or train horses. I know I was helped tremendously by other horsey friends, books, magazines and the internet. Filter out what doesn’t apply to you or your situation and there is still lots of good information.
I always say for a first timer, lease a horse! Partial or a care lease or the best is a lease to own. either way you get the experience of taking care of them and paying for them without actually owning one. once you lease for a while and know eveyrhting from day to day to when to get a farrier or vet check, when teeth need to be floated etc. and if you dont get it right the actual owner will catch it.
It varies depending on each persons circumstances and how much useful information they have taken in throughout their time spent with horses.
Personally i was around horses since birth as my brother who is 12 years my senior was competing around then. I owned my own horse when i was 17 after 6 years of helping out in the local stables and riding horses for alot longer.
It depends not only on the person but their individual situation as well. I’ve known some people who’ve been around horses for years and still probably shouldn’t own a horse. They lack the basic common sense necessary to care for a horse and/or they don’t have the proper facilities, etc.
In 3 1/2 years of working at a barn, your friend has probably been exposed to a lot in terms of basic, routine horse care. Horse ownership is about more than just riding skills. She’s going to ride whether she owns the horse or not, so the real question here is whether she can provide adequate care for that horse. And again, this definitely depends on the situation. Very few people can provide the best care in every situation; that’s what vets are for. A responsible horse owner knows when to call the vet. I’d be more accepting of a new rider/horseperson buying a horse if they planned on keeping it at a respected boarding facility where there were experienced horsepeople around, a good trainer to oversee the horse, and a good vet/farrier program, rather than an individual buying a horse and sticking it in their pasture without knowing what to look for if there’s a problem, how to treat basic problems, etc.
The horse owner is technically just the person who signed the bill of sale/forked over the money/put their name on the registration papers (depending on the situation). There are people in this world who "own" famous horses that they’ve rarely even seen. If there are other people she can/will utilize to ensure maximum care for the horse, then yes, she’s ready to own the horse. If she’s doing it completely on her own and can’t provide all of the care by herself, then she’s not.
my mom went out and bought a horse one day, so i taught myself everything! (literally, from picking up poo to brushing his coat to gettin on a saddle, lol)
I survived and i ride to live to this day. (:
But i do have to say from experience, for a first time person, lease a horse for a while.
Then for a real first horse, go with an older horse that is easy to take care of. It really is important to know what to do like in case of an emergency, if the horse is sick, his hooves need done, the whole nine yards.
She should be ready. But it depends on your friend herself. If she’s comfortable with horses and feels like she’s experienced enough to take on the responsibility, then she should be ready.
But I believe a person must have at least two years’ experience before leasing a horse, and about 3 to 4 yrs’ experience before owning. So she should be ready.
hope i helped
I don’t think it matters how long they’ve been into horses, I think it matters what type of horse they buy. If a person has been riding for one year and they buy an unbroken horse, that is probably not the best choice and they hare not ready for that particular horse. But if they have been riding for 1 year and buy a 10 year old lesson horse then they may be ready for that horse. it really depends. I rode for 7 years before buying, in the end i got a rescue that I’d been working with for about 9 months before hand.