I'm considering buying my first horse this year and am after some advice.
I'm 18 and at university. I would have between £80 - £100 per week to spend on the horse. I'd want the horse on part livery. Does this sound doable?
During the shorter university holidays (e.g. xmas, easter) i'd think on keeping the horse at the stables and paying for full livery. During the longer holidays, e.g. summer, i'd transport the horse to my home town.
I've seen a horse i like the look of: http://www.adtrader.co.uk/pets-and-animals/horse-sales/bay-middleweight-153_647225.html, I've spoken to the owner who can't cope (more than one horse for sale) and that's why he's selling. Apparently the horse is snaffle mouthed, 10 years old, has hunted and been out doing dressage.
The horse wouldn't come with tack but a few rugs. I've never had to buy tack for a horse and i really need advice on this - what size saddle/bridle would i need?
Again, i'm not sure whether i would have the horse long term or to sell on. I know the horse could be sold for about £2500 in the summer when the market picks up.
I have part loaned in the past so would say i'm fairly experienced with horse care but never had the full responsibility of one.
Any advice & help appreciated.
If i'm honest, i'd highly consider full loan with possible view to buy too if that's any easier.
I used to part loan, i think you're talking about part livery.
The stables i'm looking at with part livery is almost like full livery but i have to muck out twice a week which i am more than happy to do.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
You seem to have worked out the details and your budget (although, as I’m sure you’re aware, when it comes to horses things often end up costing more than you’ve anticipated.) My only concern would be time. How much time could you really devote to your horse if you are a full-time student? What I would suggest is that you try to negotiate a loan — say for 3 or 6 months — with the option of purchasing him outright at the end of the term. That way, you’re less likely to get stuck in a difficult situation if you find yourself overwhelmed by time and/or financial constraints.
As for tack — most horses take a "horse-sized" bridle. If this horse has a smallish or delicate head (and I was not able to view the photo, sorry) you might prefer to use a cob-sized bridle. You should be able to find yourself a good quality second-hand saddle online. Go to a tack shop and try sitting in some of their saddles so that you know what size and style to look for. Then, as other respondents have suggested, ask the current owner what he has been using (wide tree, medium tree, etc.)
By the way Haleigh B, one does NOT need to be rich to own a horse! I’ve had most of my horses on a shoestring budget, and one can find very good second-hand tack for less than $400. Depending on one’s boarding arrangement, it may not even be necessary to spend several hours each day at the stable. What IS required is a commitment to a "horsey" way of life, which frequently means making choices about what to do without in order to pursue this lifestyle.
part loan means they only do part of the work for you, you still have to go to the stables every day. and about saddles & bridles, you have to go to a saddler with your horse, and he will measure your horses head and back.
Congrats to the new life of owning your own horse, we all have start somewhere. As for the tack, it would be best to ask the previous owner about that now one on the internet could possible fit your horse with tack. If you are thinking of boarding during the winter that would be a great place to get advice and help with this horse. It will not take long and you will catch on. If the horse has lived outside in the last place the rugs will not be necessary, you do not want to ruin his natural blanket that was custom made for him. Good luck with it
LETS SEE….U HAVE TO BE KINDA RICH TO HAVE A HORSE…I HAVE TWO AND THE R NOT CHEAP!! I JUST GOT ANOTHER ONE THIS CHRISTMAS!!! IN ALL YOU WILL SPEND OVER 4,000 DOLLORS! saddles cost 400! and yea every month u gotta spend more then 100 dollors on their feed! good luck! and clean their stalls EVERY WEEEK!! i love horses im going to be a horse jumper, alot of heard labor! u just cant like a horse for the looks! u have to be like the indians/treat horses like they ARE your family. you have to spend 3 hours a day with a horse. before you buy the horse check its teeth, touch around its belly/u will be testing if it bucks by petting its belly. look at the bottom of its hooves, and make a sudden movement to see if the horse has been abused or hit before. good luck!
If i was u i would think about it a while because a horse is a lot of work. I own 19 horse my self it’s a lot of work. Then on top of that u need to pick out what kind of horse u want and what u want it for. because u have so many different breeds to pick from. u need to think about how much u will be able to work him and how much u can miss with them. some breed of horse u have to work with. the website i used is equinenow.com. U can look at horse for sale in your state that u live in.
Well, if you have time for the part livery that is fine, but another way to keep costs down is to own the horse and put it on working livery which is where student riding instructors will use the horse for a given amount each day. That way the horse gets schooled and exercised at least once a day and the fees are reduced. They would also take on some of the stable duties. A reasonably fit horse can easily work for more than one hour a day so you would still be able to ride.
As for the tack, the head collar and bridle would more likely be cob size. But as for the saddle, that is an individual thing and you would need to go to a saddler, pick out several saddles within your price range (they do often have second hand saddles too) and arrange for the horse to be seen so that they will try on several saddles, you would ride around in sitting trot without stirrups and the saddler will watch the way the horse moves and the way you ride – all important pointers when fitting saddles – and they might find a near fit which could be made a perfect fit by adjusting the stuffing inside the saddle, either removing some, adding some or just moving it about.
If you do buy a second hand saddle, check at stress points, ie girth straps, stirrup bars etc for wear and tear and necessary repairs to make it safe.
I don’t know about the currancy exchange rates or a couple of the terms you used, but I’m gonna say for the sake of this argument that a dollar equals a pound, by livery you mean stable, and by snaffle mouthed you mean that he rides in a snaffle bit.
I don’t know about your horse economy, but ours is really down. In normal times I’d say that $900 something was low for what they are advertising. They also give very little info. Now, with people giving horses away, I don’t know. Still, they don’t give pictures, age, etc… I’d be wary of this article for that reason.
Just narrow your search down to horses that match the specifics you’re looking for; such as, height, training, what disciplines they know, how it does with maintenance such as grooming or bathing, etc… You don’t have to focus on age so much as you do these things, but a safe range is 10 years and up. Usually, even poorly trained horses have enough experience to not spook easily by then, but it’s no guarantee. I’ve ridden horses on their first ride ever that never spook or act up, because they’ve had the proper training and handling and i’ve ridden 16 year olds that jump at their own shadow. You should just narrow down your choices and then ask for more info on these horses. Ask for pics and videos if you can get them.
Once you narrow it down, you need to make visits to see the horse and try it out. I’ve had people try to take me right inside and show me papers, and bloodlines, and negotiate a price, but I just politely ask to see the horse. It doesn’t matter what any of those things say if the horse is poor. I first look at how easy the horse is to catch and handle. If it’s head shy or if it seeks people out. I rub it down to see if it has any no no spots and if it lets me pick up it’s feet and handle it how I want.
I also look at conformation. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does have to be pretty good. I then try it out by riding it where I can. If I have the choice, I’ll ride it in an arena to get the feel of it and then take it out and see how it handles obstacles. If nothing has dissuaded me, I’ll go inside for the rest. Bloodlines are unimportant unless you plan to breed. Then they only say whether or not a horse is likely to pass on it’s traits and are still no guarantee. They are really only important to show buyers what kind of stock your horse comes from, because then you can charge more since it’s proven that the traits pass on fairly reliably.
If you plan to discuss price, you should have done some research and found out how much horses like this are worth. That way you know if you are getting cheated or not. They aren’t walmart though, so just because you found a similar horse very cheap doesn’t mean they are ripping you off with this one. You have to find a general price range and negotiate within it.
The most important thing you can do is get a vet check if you’ve decided you want the horse. This should give you a good idea of whether the horse has any hidden problems.
If I can get it, and not all people will do it, I’ll put a down payment on the horse if the vet check checks out and bring the horse home for a while to try it out. I’ll do anything I can think of with it to see how it reacts. I usually do it from the ground first. I’m not looking for perfection, but whether the horse does what was claimed and to what degree. Also, during this period, any drugs that were giving to the horse to mask behavior or pain will wear off. There are unscrupulous dealers out there. Asking around to see what people have to say is a good way to find out how they are as well.
Besides all that, the most important rule to buying a horse is to be able to walk away. Some people get their heart set on getting a horse and become attached for no good reason. This makes them more comitted and the seller can use this against you. You’ll also end up with a bad horse. I hear about a lot of people getting rescue horses or something of that nature. That’s great, but usually the people aren’t equipped to deal with a problem horse or they are doing something stupid like getting a young horse for their first horse so that they can learn together. Green and green don’t mix. Some people also choose color over everything else. It may take a lot longer, but I look first for attitude, then conformation, then color. I like to get all three, but they have to been in that order of importance.
As far as tack goes, it depends. I don’t know what you ride, but I ride western. I’ll try to give advice that applies all around. Most saddles fit most horses. You’ll just need to make considerations if your horse has a unique conformation such as high withers or anything that could differentiate from the normal fit. Even then, they have pads that will compensate. I’d mostly recommend finding a quality saddle manufacturor and get one of their saddles. Not neccessarily from them, but one of their saddles. Do research on materials. Just find a qual