What is the best kind of horse for basic riding? I would like to do this more with my leisure time and was wondering. I have only been on horses a couple of times.

The best kind of horse for someone who wants to ride every now and then and just leisurely would be a been there done that type of horse. You can look at old schooling lesson horses or old trail horses. Something that is very calm, laid back, and doesn't require turn out.

I am going to be looking soon for a good horse to ride, also. Just the other day, I found out about a local place that has some trail horses. We might just go take a look I have a friend who is a trainer and she said she'd help me weed them out. She said that in her experience, some trail horses are great for people to get and leisure ride. However, she said that other trail horses have developed really bad habits and are ornery after being ridden by so many inexperienced people.

So, I would definitely suggest taking someone along with you who knows horses.

Make sure you have an experienced horse person to go with you to look and try out the horse. I would definately look for and older or more seasoned horse. The one bad thing about horses that are used on the trails is they become very herd bound and don't like going out on their own. Also, once you have narrowed it down to one that you like, call a vet (& not the horse owners vet if possible) and get some type of Pre-purchase/lameness exam done prior to you paying for the horse. This way the vet can go over the horse from nose to tail. They can check for old surgery scars and check the teeth and age of the horse, plus they can pull blood and hold it just in case you get the horse home and it either becomes lame, sick, or crazy on you, they can then send the blood in and have it tested to make sure the horse was not on any type of drugs. These exams run around a hundred dollars and up depending on what and all you want done. But it is well worth your money. I have gone out on several calls to owners who have bought their first horse and then have a vet out and as we are checking the horse over we notice something wrong, other than what they called us out for and most of the time we pick up a lameness or find out the horse is older than what they were told, or we find an old surgery scar of some kind. We have seen it all. You want to be able to enjoy your first horse and not having to worry about additional vet bills. Just some food for thought.

I really wouldn't advise a public trail or riding stable horse. If you've ever been around one of those places (I used to work at one for all of a couple of days *shudders*), you learn that the majority of those horses have tons of vices and really aren't a good choice - what little actual training they've been given has been eradicated by inexperienced riders drumming their heels into the horse's sides, whipping them with the reins and playing cowboy. Their mouths are generally hard from people yanking on the bit, and they are usually either herd-bound or barn-sour. They really aren't recommended unless you have the desire to take a horse right back to the beginning, start from scratch, and teach him all over again.

For the best riding horses, I would suggest contacting the local 4-H cooperative extension office, if you have one in your area, or ask around with local breeders and see what they have available.

I *just* got off the phone with the trainer friend of mine. I was telling her about wanting to go to the riding stables. But, she just told me that the more she thought about it, the more she would dissuade me from getting a trail horse. She has had bad experiences with trail horses who have been 'ruined' by inexperienced riders.

I never thought about contacting 4-H cooperative extension. Very good idea! I am still quite a ways from being ready to get our horse. But, I want to get everything ready beforehand.