Horses for Beginner Level Horseback Riders

Horses for beginning riders are generally older horses with lots of experience around people and a calm temperament.

You should not be afraid to buy an older horse aged from eighteen to the mid twenties if the horse is in good health and doesn’t have a history of medical problems.

It is very important that a new rider, whether it is an adult or child, have a good first experience with horses where they are not frightened and the horse is manageable. A person new to horses will probably not know what kind of riding they will want to be doing three or four years from the time they start. In most cases a person will know what sort of riding they like best after several years and will purchase a new horse suitable for those changed interests at that time.

As a general rule older horses hold their value so long as they remain healthy and useful.

A horse for a beginning rider should not be a deadhead, i.e. they should move forward without a lot of kicking and should move off your leg. They should be willing with a friendly disposition.

It is a common misconception that buying a young, untrained horse for a child will allow them to grow up together. This idea is just plain dumb and a recipe for injuring a child and ruining what otherwise might have been a perfectly good horse. If you wouldn’t put your child or any other person you love into a car or a jet airplane without any instructions don’t put a person who doesn’t know anything about horses with a horse that doesn’t know anything about people.
 

If you have any questions just email me: jimrea@gentlehorses.com