Matching horses and owners

A large part of the problems I see with people not being able to enjoy their horses and the riding experience, is poor matches of horses with people. If you are a new rider, it's not a good idea to get a young, inexperienced horse. You will not have the know how or the confidence to help the horse learn his job and will only confuse him. Then he will get nervous and that's a recipe for disaster. I see so many people who overestimate their ability both to ride and to train horses. Who loses? you both do, but often times it's the horse who gets the short end of the stick and gets blamed for bad behavior when he's only being a horse.
A beginner rider should look for an experienced quiet horse that has been there, done that so you can learn how to ride and care for a horse. You will both enjoy the experience much more. When you get more experience, you can start getting into more horses that need teaching and training.
Another common mistake I see is choosing the wrong breed of horse for the activity you are involved in. for example, as a general rule, quarterhorses and drafts are calmer than say arabians. Gaited horses are smoother than non-gaited. If you like to walk the majority of the ride and do a little trotting but not much more, an arabian may not be a good choice as they are more prone to want to move faster and get impatient if made to walk the whole way.
Conversely, if you like to do lots of trotting and cantering, a draft horse will be worn out after a couple hour ride. So it's impotant to know your riding preference and pick a horse that matches your needs. Once you have some experience, you'll find that with work and patience many horses can do many different tasks and activities, but you need to understand horse behavior and breed tendencies.
Also, don't try to train a horse if you are not absolutely sure you know what you are doing. You will only cause problems that someone else will have to fix. Many people think they can train horses and many are very good. However, there are many who consider themselves trainers who leave much to be desired. I train my own horses, for trails, lessons, trailering, and most basic things. However, I would not try to train my horse for dressage or show as I have no experience in either and would only ruin my horses chances of reaching his full potential. I would look for a reputable trainer for something like that. You must know your limitations. I also conceed that my girlfriend is a much better trainer than I, but I can out ride her! ha ha, just kidding honey.
Anyway, picking the right horse is very important for both owner and horse. There is always someone with experience who will help you. Horse people are a great group as a whole.

Buying First Horse

Buying your first horse is always exciting. The anticipation of things to come and having your own horse to ride is a big thrill. However, it's important to remember there are many things to think about and look for when buying a horse. Many people buy with their eyes and on impulse rather than thinking it thru and evaluating the animal for important characteristics. Here are a few basic things to keep in mind. First, if it is your first horse and you are fairly new to horses, an older more experienced horse is usually a better fit than a young one. An older horse will be calmer and have experience with a wide variety of things such as cars, tractors, snowmobiles, ect. than a young horse. An older horse will help you gain confidence and learn to ride better and you will enjoy it more if you can relax and enjoy the ride, than if you have to worry about what the horse may do next.
There are many different breeds of horses and many have traits specific to their breed. Do some research and decide what traits are important to you. If you are a large person, you should look for a large horse. You don't want to get a horse that will be too small to carry your weight on long rides. Check conformation of the horse. This means how the horse is balanced in relation to their body length and neck. The slope of the shoulder, the height of the withers and croup. I will explain all those parts in my next post, and check legs for straightness and sound joints.
You should try lifting all four hooves and hold them as you will need to inspect your horses hooves every time you ride. A horse should let you lift and hold all four legs without pulling away or stepping.This is especially important for beginners. Rub their face and round their ears to see if they are what is called "head shy." You don't want a horse you will have trouble getting a bridle on and off.
There are many more things to consider and it's a good idea to try to find an experienced person to help you and go with you to look at horses when you decide to get your first one. We horse people are always ready to help a "newbie" learn the ropes.

Welcome all

Hello everyone, welcome to my blog. I will be writing about horse related issues that concern us all as horse lovers and owners. From tack and farrier concerns, to riding and nutrition. I teach riding at the facility that I board my horses at as well as train horses for others and also work with "problem horses." (which, by the way, often is a people problem) If you love horses, you'll love this blog so check in tomorrow for my first blog"Buying a new horse".