How to Begin the Quest for the Perfect Horse

April 26, 2017

Hello fellow equestrians! Today I am going to teach you how to find the perfect horse! Just follow the steps below to start the hunt.

Step 1: Land
This step is fairly simple. Just be sure that you have enough room for your horse to roam around contentedly without feeling squeezed in a tiny space. Depending on where you live, laws may vary about legal acreage for owning our four-legged friends. Horses need large fields to graze in and somewhere to take shelter in bad weather (preferably a nice warm stall).

Step 2: Riding Style
If you don't plan to ride your horse, skip this step. The riding style of your horse is extremely important. One major problem that happens quite often is riders buying a horse trained for one riding style, but then the rider switches their own riding style and BOOM. Their horse is now officially useless and they have no choice but to sell their horse or spend a ton of money to retrain it. This problem can be easily averted. Just try out many riding styles, choose the one that speaks to you the loudest (practically yelling at you), and buy a horse that knows how to ride in that particular way.

Step 3: Care
Make sure that you know at least 2 veterinarians and a farrier before you buy a horse. They need to know where it will live in case of an emergency. It is also important to do proper research before making a final decision. You will need to know common horse illnesses and be able to identify them as soon as the horse shows odd behavior, then you will need to contact your chosen veterinarian ASAP. You will need to have lots of horse care tools and medication ready before buying.

Step 4: Tack and Clothing

Tack and clothing can get pretty expensive, but its worth it in the end. For basic tack you will need to get a saddle, a saddle pad, a girth, bell boots, leg wraps, and a bridle. As far as extra tack goes, it depends on your riding style. For basic clothing for the rider, you will need a helmet, specialized riding gloves, breeches, and tall boots and/or paddock boots and half chaps. Just like tack, extra clothes depend on if your riding style requires it.

Step 5: Riding School
If you don't want someone to teach you to ride, you can skip this step. Surfing the internet, reading magazines and newspapers, reading books, or calling around on the phone might point you toward nearby riding schools. Depending on where you live, there could be many or few places to learn how to ride near you. If you are going to take lessons, make sure that you are respectful to your teacher and horse and pay attention! Just remember, your teacher is trying to benefit you!

*Photo by Cavalier Equestrian Inc. To view this image on the web, use the following link.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjWrZ3I7cXTAhWrz4MKHZgCBm0QjhwIBQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcavalier.on.ca%2F&psig=AFQjCNGLLnSwQkJ2M8cWCsx_SCdn4J68DQ&ust=1493424378829216