Hi Everyone
If you have your own horse how much experience did you have before buying your own horse?
If you have your own horse how much experience did you have before buying your own horse?
how much experience do you need to own your own horse?
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Not much!!
And if you think you have experience then they soon bring you back to earth with a thud (normally by depositing you on the ground) very quickly.
I had only been riding for 10 months when I bought my first horse and it only took that long as it took ages to find anything I liked. He was completly unsuitable for my level of riding so sadly I sold him on in March just 8 months later.
I now have a fab little pony, not my ideal but a gem all the same.
And if you think you have experience then they soon bring you back to earth with a thud (normally by depositing you on the ground) very quickly.
I had only been riding for 10 months when I bought my first horse and it only took that long as it took ages to find anything I liked. He was completly unsuitable for my level of riding so sadly I sold him on in March just 8 months later.
I now have a fab little pony, not my ideal but a gem all the same.
I've been riding 7yrs and worked in a RS for 3yrs but still dont have my own due to cost and time.
Really depends on the situation - if you're a complete novice and go and buy a horse then keep it on your own yard with no practical experience - than it's gonna cause problems. Keeping it on a busy yard with loads of help then not a problem
Really depends on the situation - if you're a complete novice and go and buy a horse then keep it on your own yard with no practical experience - than it's gonna cause problems. Keeping it on a busy yard with loads of help then not a problem
I've been riding 5 years and like Teapot do not have the time to have my own, as I work full time whilst studying for my degree. I finish next year, so fingers crossed after that
5 years of weekly riding lessons and 2 stable management qualifications. Also helped having one very horsey mum who'd ridden for many years previously.
I think it depends on where you will keep your horse. If you keep him at a barn where knowlagable people can keep and eye on you two, then you dont NEED that much experience. If you are keeping him on your own you should know wound care, general health stuff, how to spot colic and other common ailments, how to keep track of your horses nutrition, de-worming shoeing and vet scheduals. And you should be a fairly competent rider so that you dont need anyone watching over you. If at a barn where people can help you with all these things you dont need to know all of it before you get a horse (you will learn!) but really its better to know this basic stuff so you can be as involved as possible with your horse.
Loads, both riding, care and stable management. I still didn't have enough experience though!
The more riding, care and management experience you can get in before buying your own the better.
If you can get a share/loan and maybe do the HOC or NVQ then you'll soon find out if you're ready! My friend was adamant that she was going to get her own, it had been her dream for years. She did her NVQ with me, realised how much work and money looking after horses entailed and made the decision to spend her time and money on riding lessons instead. She's happy being a riding school rider now and doesn't think that she'll ever get her own.
The more riding, care and management experience you can get in before buying your own the better.
If you can get a share/loan and maybe do the HOC or NVQ then you'll soon find out if you're ready! My friend was adamant that she was going to get her own, it had been her dream for years. She did her NVQ with me, realised how much work and money looking after horses entailed and made the decision to spend her time and money on riding lessons instead. She's happy being a riding school rider now and doesn't think that she'll ever get her own.
You can get by with just knowing the basics but I would suggest keeping it somewhere where you have a good support network of friends and knowledgeable liveries to watch and learn. Ask questions and don't be afraid of looking ignorant.... better to ask and learn than to go home clueless!!! I do that ALL the time (ask, I mean, not look clueless... although my friends may disagree about that..... 
) Lots of reference books.... read them again and again and OBVIOUSLY NR!!!!! 
) Lots of reference books.... read them again and again and OBVIOUSLY NR!!!!! 
I had a share horse for around 2 years before buying my own.
It's a great way of gaining hands on experience and as the owner is never far away if you need them.
It's also a good way to make horsie friends so that when you do decide to go it alone, you've got a good support network around you.
It's a great way of gaining hands on experience and as the owner is never far away if you need them.
It's also a good way to make horsie friends so that when you do decide to go it alone, you've got a good support network around you.
I've ridden pretty much all my life apart from a break in the college/early working years. I worked in a yard at weekends for years and have a sister who is an AI and a fountain of knowlege. I loaned before buying my own.
For a first horse, I do think it is advisable to be on a yard where there are experienced people around and for the sake of the horse you must be prepared to ask for help. On my yard we all pick each other's brains - just like we do here on NR.
For a first horse, I do think it is advisable to be on a yard where there are experienced people around and for the sake of the horse you must be prepared to ask for help. On my yard we all pick each other's brains - just like we do here on NR.
6 years of "riding lessons" (that don't seem to have taught me anything?) 2 years of ponies on loan and then we looked for 6 months (whilst I was looking after a pony) before buying Daffy.
I also had a year and a half of experience working in a tack shop (taught me almost everything I've needed to know about tack and equipment) and a large library of horsey books, out of which I realise now that only a handful are of any use.
Still, I haven't had experience in some things I've needed it in, and had people to ask, and then I make up for it with experience in other areas to help them.
I also had a year and a half of experience working in a tack shop (taught me almost everything I've needed to know about tack and equipment) and a large library of horsey books, out of which I realise now that only a handful are of any use.
Still, I haven't had experience in some things I've needed it in, and had people to ask, and then I make up for it with experience in other areas to help them.
It's like having a baby, you cannot learn the REAL things about owning a horse or having a baby until one lads in your lap.
Read all you like, listen to other folks experiences and you can be 99% sure that the horse or baby you get does something that nobody around you has ever heard of and it's not in any book!
If you have a wide range of friends with horsey knowledge around you, who are willing to ride shotgun on your for a year or so you will be in as good a position as any to have a horse.
If you are totally alone with nobody to phone up and ask or come and look at your dilemma then maybe you are not in the right place to have a horse.
All I can say is you can own horses for years and they'll still come up with something new and different. So do you hold off because you don't think you know enough? who can say. But the more you learn the more you realise you just don't know and onle lifetime isn't enough time to know it all!
Read all you like, listen to other folks experiences and you can be 99% sure that the horse or baby you get does something that nobody around you has ever heard of and it's not in any book!
If you have a wide range of friends with horsey knowledge around you, who are willing to ride shotgun on your for a year or so you will be in as good a position as any to have a horse.
If you are totally alone with nobody to phone up and ask or come and look at your dilemma then maybe you are not in the right place to have a horse.
All I can say is you can own horses for years and they'll still come up with something new and different. So do you hold off because you don't think you know enough? who can say. But the more you learn the more you realise you just don't know and onle lifetime isn't enough time to know it all!
I think the "how much experience do you need" question is really a "how long is a piece of string" type question. It depends on so many factors - including the personality of the person. A more confident, relaxed "have a go" type rider will probably manage better sooner than a nervous "someone tell me what to do" type.
There are places where you can put the horse at full livery and they will do absolutely everything - even to the point that you can say when you want to ride, and they will groom and tack up the horse for you - so in such a case the ownership is really just a matter of who pays the bills.
I think for anyone considering first ownership the crucial thing is to find the right level help from your instructor/livery yard, to find the right horse that will help you build your experience and confidence, and to make sure you can afford it all. One of the biggest mistakes is to buy your first horse and then find you can't afford any more lessons. An even bigger one is for a beginner/novice rider to buy a young or even unstarted horse without the money for lessons or training on the premis that they will "learn from eachother". (Sadly this happens all too often, and rarely ends happily.
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Unless you are already a very experienced rider who just doesn't happen to have had their name on the papers before, but has many years experience of shares, working on a yard etc. etc. you will almost certainly need some professional help and support at the beginning - so make sure you build that into the budget.
If you balance these factors well, ownership can be as soon or late as you want it to be!
There are places where you can put the horse at full livery and they will do absolutely everything - even to the point that you can say when you want to ride, and they will groom and tack up the horse for you - so in such a case the ownership is really just a matter of who pays the bills.
I think for anyone considering first ownership the crucial thing is to find the right level help from your instructor/livery yard, to find the right horse that will help you build your experience and confidence, and to make sure you can afford it all. One of the biggest mistakes is to buy your first horse and then find you can't afford any more lessons. An even bigger one is for a beginner/novice rider to buy a young or even unstarted horse without the money for lessons or training on the premis that they will "learn from eachother". (Sadly this happens all too often, and rarely ends happily.
) Unless you are already a very experienced rider who just doesn't happen to have had their name on the papers before, but has many years experience of shares, working on a yard etc. etc. you will almost certainly need some professional help and support at the beginning - so make sure you build that into the budget.
If you balance these factors well, ownership can be as soon or late as you want it to be!
take a risk
i bought my 17hand plus mare about 10 months after coming back to riding after 25 yr gap - shes fab & we've had such a good time together - erveryone said i didn't kno enuff to buy or own a horse - but went wiv my gut feeling and she has worked out as well as many far more experienced peoples' horse choices - i do keep her at livery& work there at week ends to help cover costs[on top of full time teaching job] its a bit like having a baby - if u wait til the right time it might never happen for you and being brutally honest you can always sell/loan on a horse and u cant do that with a baby
i bought my 17hand plus mare about 10 months after coming back to riding after 25 yr gap - shes fab & we've had such a good time together - erveryone said i didn't kno enuff to buy or own a horse - but went wiv my gut feeling and she has worked out as well as many far more experienced peoples' horse choices - i do keep her at livery& work there at week ends to help cover costs[on top of full time teaching job] its a bit like having a baby - if u wait til the right time it might never happen for you and being brutally honest you can always sell/loan on a horse and u cant do that with a baby
Probably not that much - but I was lucky enough to be on a super yard for teaching and learning things - even tho it had its drawbacks (as I later discovered) the owner was fab at teaching you horsey stuff. I had 3 lessons a week and made it my business to be around and learn as much as possible. I absorbed every horse book and article I could lay hands on too - and of course, the great NR helped me enormously!!! Luckily when our two arrived we had lots and lots of hands on help. I think we'd have muddled through ok without help - but it was nice to have re-assurance. Oh, and having a friendly approachable vet helps tons too!
If you have enough money, you can follow your dreams. I know someone, a non rider, who bought a horse from the Netherlands over the Internet. Put it on full livery near a good RI who also rode the horse. The owner did eventually learn to ride but for the most part that horse remained her gigantic pet, led out to graze in hand.
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