Posts Tagged ‘cold climate’

Having a horse is fun, but a major responsibility, so be thorough on your research of barns to board it at. It pays to choose a place that is close to where you live, has facilities that are well maintained and most importantly, gives its horses proper care and nutrition. Each barn has its own atmosphere, is it one you can live with? If you want to participate in horse shows, it may be a good idea to choose a barn that frequents the kinds of shows you want to be in. If you live in a cold climate, make sure the barn has a large indoor arena for winter riding.

Do you ride English or Western? If English is your thing, then make sure your barn has jumps available, and/or a dressage ring. I ride English, and my barn had a top show trainer in it, so if I needed to prepare for a show, he was there to critique my riding during lessons. I liked boarding my horse at a place with a competent, experienced trainer, one that took the time to explain the exercises and gave me quality instruction. Since I spent most of my money at this sport, I wanted to make sure I was doing everything right.

If you ride Western, make sure there are trails to ride on nearby your barn. And again, find a barn that has a trainer suited to your style of riding in order to get the proper instruction. Once you find a barn you like, whatever style you ride, spend time taking lessons there before buying a horse, just to get a feel of the place. If you haven’t found a horse yet, trainers can assist you in looking. Ask around, and tell them how much you are looking to spend on your first horse. Another great way to find a horse is during the summer, many young horse owners are getting ready to go off to college and need to sell their animal fast. This is a good bargaining time, if the seller is motivated, you may talk the price down on his horse. Have them throw in the tack (saddle, bridle, etc) too, as part of the bargain. When I sold my horse to go to college, I gladly gave the buyers (a well maintained show barn) all my tack since I knew he was going to be in good hands. It pays to ask about the tack, to save on money, since having a horse is very expensive any way you look at it.

Make sure the horse is healthy before committing to buying it. This is incredibly important. Make sure to have a vet look it over, and tell you what condition he is in. Are his legs sound? Has he ever been lame? Has he had all his shots, and is he disease-free? Also, make sure there are no growths on his ears. A friend of mine bought an expensive show horse, only to find out he had skin cancer on one of his ears. One of his ears had to be partially removed, it was really sad. Make sure the animal is completely sound and has a personality you can live with.

One way to try out horse ownership is to lease a horse from its owner. Most barns have horses that are up for lease, you can even get a half or quarter lease sometimes. Then, you help with the bills of the horse, but are not fully responsible for it. You work out with the owner, and anyone who may be sharing the lease with you, what days you will ride. That is a great solution if you have limited time, because owning a horse, even when boarded at a show stable, is still very time consuming. You must groom, saddle, ride, unsaddle, wash then clean its feet every time you ride. And, I used to let my horse out into the paddocks and wait for him to have fun kicking up his heels every day, instead of paying extra to have the trainer do it for me. I spent at least four hours every afternoon at my stable since he was my full responsibility, I owned him so his well-being was totally up to me alone. The barn workers fed the horses, mucked stalls and kept the grounds up. I kept the horse clean, healthy and happy, as well as my tack spotlessly maintained.

Keep in mind, horses have other bills that must be paid, such as vet bills (worming, shots, etc) and farrier (horseshoes, hoof trimming, etc). These must be done on a regular schedule and not ignored. Taking good care of your horse’s feet is of major importance so never skimp on cleaning or trimming them. Also, buy shampoo and other grooming products online to save money. If you don’t have a locker in your barn, get a caddy to hold your grooming supplies, and keep it in the back of your car. Leaving it out in the open at the barn invites trouble, in the form of others “borrowing” things and forgetting to put them back, so it’s best to have a locking trunk or keep the caddy in the back of your car.

If you plan to show your horse, ask your barn how much they charge to use their horse trailer. Most barns will haul the horse for you, for the asking, as long as they have enough trailer space for all the horses going to the show. Showing is addictive. Start at a small, local show and see how you like it. Then, if you do well and enjoy yourself, work your way up to bigger shows. Going to a horse show is a enjoyable family event. Many people bring picnics to watch the show as their children ride. If you win a prize, it’s a bonus, but do it for the sheer pleasure of it all. If you show, make sure to wear the appropriate clothing and boots. Advance preparation of both the rider and horse is the key to a successful day of horse showing.

Once you and your horse are settled in and know each other, you will make a good team and build on your experiences together. Bring him treats, talk to him and give kind approval so he learns to trust you. My horse used to whinny whenever he saw me walking towards him. We were buddies and I used to make him carrot cake every New Year’s Day (he was a Thoroughbred and all registered Thoroughbreds share the birthday of January first, whether they were born on that day or not). He plowed through that cake in minutes flat and looked for more. We were a great team and I’ll never forget him. These little things make the relationship you have with your horse all the more special. Owning a horse is a special privelege so enjoy each and every day with him. Grow together, learn new things, and both your lives will be enriched and happy. I highly recommend it.

Author: Carolyn McFann
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Buying your first horse is exciting and can be very rewarding. When buying your first horse there are a number of things you need to consider. Owning a horse is a huge responsibility but the rewards are worth it; they are amazing animals and their love is never ending.

Firstly choosing a horse for your needs is the most important thing to do. If you want a horse to just quietly hack out on the weekend then you would look for a horse that has a kind and quiet temperament and is what we call ‘bomb proof’ it should be educated in all areas. It is also an advantage if he is a ‘good doer’. This means that your horse will be little or no maintainance with his feed. Types of horse that are generally most suited to this are stock horses, quarter horses or most types of ponies. If you were looking at competing and you are able to ride most days then you would look for something that specializes in the area you want to go into like show jumping for example. We are seeing more and more Warmbloods emerge from our own breeding stock but also imported stallions and mares. In Europe warmbloods are used mainly in show jumping and dressage but now they are breaking into eventing. Temperament is a major factor in buying a horse, you have to look at ground manners, and it’s temperament when being riden. It’s trainability is a huge part of temperament.

Main Factors to look for when selecting the horse to view:

Your ability – make an accurate assessment of how well you ride, always try and be honest as this will allow you to get the perfect horse for you!

Facilities that are available to you – Climate and weather can affect your choice in breeds. If you only have fields available to you and you live in a cold climate then you will have to buy a breed that can survive through winter in a field. You may have to supplement his feed. If you have stables available then you have more choice.

Age – this will depend on your experience level, and what you want the horse for.

Height – a horse that is to short or to big for you can make riding much harder. Make sure you feel comfortable on the horse.

Breed – can be discipline specific. An example would be, if you wanted to go into show jumping – then a warmblood with a good form over a fence would be more appropriate than a thoroughbred that was bred to race.

Education – What has he done? What results has he received? Who has been riding him.? If he’s riden by a really experienced rider, or a beginner. For beginners a school master would be an appropriate kind of horse. This means that the horse has been correctly trained and educated. However, when looking for a school master be careful as the term is sometimes used very lightly and the ‘school master’ may not have a kind temperament.

Price – Price of course can be a limiting factor. Don’t be put off by a cheaper horse, no one else needs to know how much he was and if you’ve chosen well he will be a good horse anyway.

Things to do when you think you have the right one:

First before anything else when you go and see him, take a professional or experienced rider with you that knows your strengths and weaknesses. This will allow you to have some feedback on how you will go with him. Whether or not he will be tricky or be able to teach you anything. It will also give you an idea on his temperament, if the horse is willing to to behave for his rider. Some horses aren’t easy for beginners and an experienced rider will be able to help you assess whether or not the horse is suitable for you.

Always get on yourself if you feel safe. You may go and see a horse that your experienced rider suggests that you shouldn’t get on. Don’t worry if this happens, trust their advice. If you are not confident then don’t ride. Ask yourself why you are not confident. If it’s because the horse has been naughty for your experienced rider then it may do it to you as well which may knock your confidence. If you are just a little worried about a new horse give it a try in a small arena if it is available. Trust your own instinct. It would be good to have riden a number of different horses before you go to buy one so you already have a nice skill base and confidence to ride new horses.

Never buy the first horse the first time you see him. You can still come back and buy the first one you saw, but never ever buy on first sight. Always go at least twice to see the horse. The first time will be arranged but try to make the second one a ‘last minute’ decision. Call the owner when your half an hour away and say ‘we were just in the neighborhood and we’d thought we would just go and see the horse’. Even if you don’t ride him the second time, look at the horse, try to assess for yourself what the horse is like. Does he have the same temperament as the first time you saw him? That’s the point to see the horse in it’s own area with other horses and people. If you give them days to prepare the horse they can work him hard so he’s not to jumpy or even dope him to ensure he will be quiet. Your not trying to be cheeky or tricky you have to make sure that the horse is right for you!

If you’ve tried him once, and an experienced rider has confirmed he will be suitable, get him VETTED. Beginners always make the mistake of getting to excited and buying on the first look. This can end up being a nightmare. If you do not get him checked by a vet, any problems that he has had or still has, can not be detected. Remember that some horse people will try to sell you a dud horse. If you get him vetted the vet will tell you if there is anything that you should be aware of, or worried about. It is then your decision whether or not to buy. Get an independent vet, and do not let the seller arrange this. Unless it is a big name rider, although just to be safe I would still arrange it yourself. It’s a little more work but if you’ve arranged it then you can feel more relaxed that the vet won’t be getting a commission from the seller. I have heard many stories about people (even experienced horse people) buying a horse without being vetted and it having chronic lameness 2 days after it gets home. This is a disaster if you don’t get it vetted you can’t do anything about it without going to court and fighting to prove that the seller knew about it before they sold the horse to you.

Questions to ask:

1. How long have you had him (then who had him before you). Get his history.

2. Is he quiet to shoe, float, worm and clip? If he’s not ask if there is any reason that they feel he’s not OK with it?

3. Has he had any major injuries? Has he ever had colic or an operation for colic? Has he ever had laminitis, been lame or had any navicular damage? (At this point if he has had any major things happen to his feet you might want to just turn around and leave him there)

4. Why are you selling him? They could just have outgrown the pony, or be going to uni or not be interested in horses any more but if you think it might be because of any reason they aren’t telling you then ask more questions and try to find out why they aren’t telling you the truth.

My advice is if in doubt ASK someone. Ask a third party who isn’t getting paid by either party and only has your best interests at heart. Listen to your instincts, if you know it’s right and all the other information you have been gathering is saying the horse is right for you then go for it but on the other hand, if you have any doubts, then don’t buy. Or look into it more. If it’s something medical that is minor, then you might be able manage it. Research what it is, talk to experts including vets if you can.

If you do each step calmly and don’t rush into anything you will have found a wonderful pony or horse and will end up having a fabulous time bonding with your new best friend.

Author: Christine Turley
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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