When Kari canters her horse, she can’t control where he goes and her horse runs right up the butt of other horses in the arena. Nora’s very quiet mare spooked while Nora tried mounting and got away from her, causing chaos among the other riders. Barbara depends heavily on her instructor’s presence in order to ride. All three of these women were first-time horse buyers, and all three of them got quiet, experienced mounts; however, all of these women are still very weak riders and handlers. The frightening fact is that they don’t realize how weak they are or how much risk they are to other riders and horses.

So many books on buying the right first horse talk about the horse and how it should be right for you. But when it comes to discussions of the potential owner and how that owner should be right for a horse, those same books typically do not say much beyond having the time and money sufficient to own a horse.

A potentially new horse owner should be of sufficient riding experience level and have some functional knowledge about horses, illnesses, lameness, diseases and everyday care. Sufficient riding level should be someone who is balanced and strong enough to handle the horse both mounted and from the ground. They should have good feel for what is going on beneath them and beside them.

Before you buy a horse, you should:

• Have strong understanding of the horse’s basic nature and instincts.
• Clearly know and understand your limitations and where you need help.
• Have strong knowledge of safety in handling horses for your sake, your horse’s sake and the sake of other riders.
• Be able to handle the common spook that any horse might give on the ground or when mounted. (That certainly doesn’t mean you could ride bucking broncos with barely a care, but you should be able to handle a horse shying at a shadow or scooting at the sound of a dog bark.)
• Be a balanced rider who can ride all the gaits—walk, trot and canter—without hanging onto the saddle or the horse’s mouth. You should be able to ride these gaits while maintaining regular contact with the horse’s mouth.
• Know how to spot a sick or lame horse.
• Know basic first aid for horses.
• Know enough about conformation to recognize when your horse has a swelling in the wrong place.
• Know the basics of good nutrition and proper conditioning of horses through diet.
• Know how to condition your horse through exercise.
• Be capable of staying out of the way of other riders, especially those who are weaker riders.
• Be able to control your horse or know how to regain your control when all heck breaks lose in the arena.

How do you gain this knowledge and experience? Read everything you can on training horses and keeping horses. Attend seminars on feeding and nutrition (often hosted by feed companies for free). Lease many different types of horses first before owning. Find a very capable horseman from which you might pick his brain for knowledge.

Learn as much as you can BEFORE buying your first horse and you can be assured that the learning process after you buy will be far more enjoyable and safe for both you and your horse.