ReadytoBuy

Well, you've read every book ever published about horse care, you've taken riding lessons, you've been trail riding on friends' horses, you've mucked stalls, you've groomed, you've cleaned tack, you've spent every spare minute of the last 3 months day dreaming about owning your very own horse, you've spent more night hours than you care to admit searching every equine website you can find on the internet, looking for the right horse, AND you just received your tax refund in the mail! But, are you ready to buy a horse? If you've never owned a horse before, the answer is not as simple as having the cash in your pocket. There are a lot of important decisions to consider before you even start looking at horses for sale.

At Home? Maybe you are fortunate enough to already live on a large farm with planted pastures fenced for horses and a nice big barn. If that is the case, you still need to walk the pastures and make sure they don't have anything hazardous, like loose boards or nails sticking out, debris in the fields, poisonous plants or trees, or holes. Likewise, go over the stalls with a fine tooth comb for loose boards, nails or anything protruding which could cause an injury to your horse. If you don't find it first, don't worry, your horse will! Hopefully, if they were designed for horses, they will already be safe, but if they were designed for cows or other livestock, they made need remodeling before you bring home your horse. If you are lucky enough to be building a brand new facility, hire a consultant or ask a friend who is an expert in horses before you build. Visit as many other nearby barns as you can and ask the owners what they like about their barn, and more importantly, ask them what they would do different if they had to build again. Different people like different styles of barns, from easy care run in sheds to modest one story barns, to huge 2 story barns with live in quarters. Each has their reasoning for building what they did. Don't just build the cheapest barn you can get away with. Find out what barn features are worth spending the extra money, such as wash stalls, automatic waterers or fly spray system, types of flooring (dirt, concrete, mats), stall sizes, siding, roof style, etc. Once it's done, you will have to live with it for a long time! You'll want it done right the first time! Also, a pick up truck is very necessary! You'll need it to spend your weekends hauling hay, bedding, and feed home from the local farm suppliers. If you plan to keep your horses at home, plan to also get a pick up truck.

At a Boarding Stable? While most people's daydreams about horses involve waking up in the morning and looking at their horses through the window, home keeping is just not practical for everyone. Even if you have the acreage and the means to build your own barn, there are other things to consider, specifically: are you ready to make a daily commitment to your new horse? The easy answer is yes, but you have to additionally think about being out in the bad weather as well as the good, holidays, whether you are sick or healthy, whether you are in town or out of town, the horse has to be fed and watered at least twice per day. If you like to travel, you'll have to make arrangements for someone else to feed your horse, and if your work requires you to put in long hours, you will still have "horse work" to do before bed, no matter what time of night you get home. So there are a lot of pluses about boarding your horse in exchange for one monthly fee:

The downside to boarding is that you can't get up in the morning and look out the window to see your horse. You will have to drive to your horse, which can put additional mileage on your vehicle, depending upon how close the facility is. Also, you will have to choose the facility wisely with respect to their horse knowledge (do they know what to do in an emergency?), the maintenance of the facility (is it well kept, or badly in need of repair?), and the atmosphere (are all the boarders happy, friendly people or are the boarders tense competitive jerks you'd rather not associate with?). It may take several visits and interviews with current boarders to decide if a facility is right for you.

This answer is a lot easier said than done. As a first time horse owner, try to have realistic expectations. Do you work full time? Do you work days or night shifts? Do you have other commitments, such as family or other activities that you are committed too? Have a good honest look at your current schedule and then decide how your horse is going to fit into your life. If you currently are catch riding friend's horses once a month or so on trail rides, don't expect to go out and buy a show horse that you plan to show at 2 day events every weekend. That would be too big of a change in your current lifestyle. On the other hand, if your teenager lives at the neighbors barn and rides 3 or 4 horses per day and already is showing for them every weekend, then it might be realistic to plan to for her to get her own horse to exercise and show. What you plan to do with the horse is a very big factor in how you are going to keep him (at home v. boarding) as well as what kind of horse you are going to buy. If you want a horse for a companion, with no intentions of riding him (or her), then home keeping would probably be ideal. Where as, if you enjoy going to shows every weekend, but do not have the time during the week to keep your horse groomed and fit, then boarding at a training facility would be the best way to keep your horse. In both situations, the owners will be able to enjoy their new friend to their fullest capability. So, think carefully about your lifestyle now, and ask yourself honestly, "what do you plan to do with the horse?"

If you've answered question #2, then you've got a good start for answering this question, because certain kinds of horses are better suited to certain kinds of activities and lifestyles. Don't just go out there and buy the prettiest horse you can afford. Like people, looks are only skin deep on horses, and you'll need to consider nearly every other quality the horse has, before considering his (or her) looks! Including:

a. Age of the horse. As far as first horses go, the best age to consider will be the older horse (12 years and up) who's been there and done that. First time horse owners are not experienced enough to handle and train a young horse. You'll need the horse that can train you! No offense is meant by this! But if you talk to enough people (including me) you'll find the best first horse experiences were had with the older horse. That is what you want in a first horse, a great experience. There will be plenty of time for challenges later on.

b. Temperament of the horse. It should go without saying that your first horse needs to have a very gentle and very forgiving temperament. You are going to make mistakes in handling and riding your first horse and you need a horse with lots of patience who will be a pleasure to work with, not the one who explodes if his dinner is 5 minutes late! Different breeds tend to be known for their different temperaments. Do your research! Even within breeds, you need to consider the temperament of the individual horse. Don't go out and purchase a nervous, hot, temperamental horse and expect him to magically transform into a gentle bombproof trail horse. It ain't gonna happen!

c. The Size of the horse. Bigger is not always better! Depending upon what you wish to do with your new horse, you'll want to look at prospective purchases with a size range in mind. If you are purchasing a horse for riding, you'll need one who can comfortably carry your weight, but not one so big that you look ridiculous and need a step ladder to get on! Generally speaking, when buying a first horse, you don't want to be "over-horsed". 15 Hands is a good average horse height. If you are an average person, you'll want to look at average sized horses. If you are a petite person, a smaller horse or even a large pony would be suitable. If you are a larger person, then you will want to look at larger horses, but with respect to weight and bone size more so than height. There are light boned 16 hand horses who need light riders, as there are heavy draft crosses who are under 16 hands that can carry any person (and sometimes 2 people!). The height also matters if you plan to trail ride, because you need a horse that you can mount from the ground. If you plan to ride only in an arena, then you might be able to consider taller horses, as you can keep a mounting block nearby. If you do not plan to ride your new horse, then size may not be as important, but generally speaking, shorter horses are easier to manage for shorter people, and taller horses are generally preferred by taller people, but don't let this stop you from considering a pony or even a miniature horse if you are looking for a companion, or a driving horse, for example. Smaller horses eat a lot less too!

e. The horse's current occupation. It should go without saying, that if you are interested in an endurance horse, you should be looking at competitive endurance horses for sale. If you are looking for your child's first show mount, you should be looking at horses being shown by children for sale. Don't expect to be able to re-train a show horse for a trail mount, or to go out and win shows with the horse whose only ever done trail riding. For your first horse you want the horse that is already successful and happy doing the activities that you intend to do with him.

a. Feed. Guess what? Your new friend "eats like a horse"! The saying wasn't unfounded! During summer if you've got nice pastures, your feed bill will be minimal if you choose an easy keeper (a horse that stays fat without grain). But during winter or drought, you better be prepared to buy hay and grain. Feed bills can run anywhere from $50 per month to $200 per month (Included in most board bills.) for one horse depending upon the availability of hay, the brand of feed you choose and how much feed it takes to keep your horse in good flesh. Some horses, called hard keepers, can require 5 times more feed than the average horse in order to maintain their weight in the winter. Blanketing hard keepers can help, but then expect to ad another $200 for the blanket.

c. Vaccinations and worming. Horses require vaccinations 2 times per year. As a first time horse owner, expect to pay your veterinarian $200 per year, just for vaccinations and coggins test (Skip vaccinations and plan to pay $100's extra per year for sick horse hospitalization, antibiotics, etc.) You can worm your horse yourself, but at the direction of your veterinarian. Horses require worming every 2-3 months. Expect to pay $50-75 per year to worm your horse depending upon what brands of wormer you purchase. (Skip worming and plan to ad $100's to your monthly feed budget! Not to mention risk having your horse colic, which would require $10,000 surgery and/or a horse burial fees.)

d. Hoof Trimmings. Horses need their hooves trimmed on average every 8 weeks. Expect to pay $20-30 per trimming for a total of up to $180 per year, depending upon your farrier's fees. If you choose to shoe your horse, prices go from $30-$100 depending upon your farrier's fees, how many shoes and what kind of shoes you use. This could quickly add up to $600 per year. (Skip hoof trimmings and expect to soon be buying feed for a lame horse that you can no longer ride!)

g Trailer. If you are planning to take your new horse to shows, competitions or trail rides, you will need a horse trailer. They come in all different sizes and shapes and colors ranging from $2500 for a used 2 horse bumper pull trailer to $50,000 (and higher) for a new 4 horse goose neck with living quarters. Don't forget to add the price of the hitch $400! If you are lucky to have a friend with only one horse and a 2 horse trailer, you might be able to put off buying your own trailer for a little while. Or if you board, you may be able to pay someone else to haul your horse to the events.