February
17
What was your first horse buying experience like? How did you know it was ‘the one’?
I am looking at a horse now and when I saw his photo my first thought was, ‘That’s my horse’. When I first met him the feeling was so strong and he walked over to me and put his head against my stomach and I wrapped my arms around him and just about melted! I am going to put a deposit down on him after I ride him again.
What was your first experience like, how did it work out?
I didn’t get that feeling. Honestly it was nothing remarkable at all. I saw an ad, thought the pony sounded great. She was the complete opposite of what I had always imagined my horse would be. (I always wanted a 15 hand bay gelding and ended up with a 13 hand gray mare) She didn’t come up to me when I met her, she seemed pretty wary of me, actually. I rode her and really liked the way she responded and had fun so I decided she would be my first horse.
I have no regrets. I feel kinda lousy with that story because I’m sure a lot of people are going to say how they instantly clicked with their horses but that’s just not how it was with Aeery. (my horse) She didn’t seem to like me very much and I didn’t get any special bubbly feeling or anything. I love her to death now, though. She’s the sweetest horse I’ve ever met and she’s worth her weight in gold, at least in my eyes she always will be.
First impressions may seem important, but if you want something special sometimes you need to get past them. That’s what I did and I couldn’t be happier.
February 17th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
Well, I’m about to go look at a horse tomorrow.
She’s a paint and she’s 19 years old.
I really hope I get that feeling, like were meant to be.
But I’ve never seen this horse before, not even a picture.
My trainer recommended this horse for me.
And she’s staying at my trainer’s house because she rescued her and she told me she was a very sound and bombproof horse, but she was just a little underweight.
And when my trainer goes in for surgery in a couple days, shes letting me take on full responsibility for this horse.
I’m so nervous but really excited!
And she said if I take care of her like I’m supposed to, then she will let me have her for free, (she was asking $1,500 for her).
Sorry this isn’t the story you wanted, but just thought I’d share it
and that’s awesome that you found your first horse!
Good luck with him and I wish you the best.
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February 17th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
I have been able to get a horse personaly. But i remember when I was little and i went out looking for horses with my mom and older sister. We keep on looking around and finally found the perfect one. I think you found your horse when that happened! Hope everything works out with the horse!
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February 17th, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Im Pretty Sure Your Found Your Horse! Thats Exactly What Happend When I Got My Horse. Now I have Had Him For a Few Years And You Couldn’t Ever Split Us Apart! Hope It’s The Same WIth You!!!
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Me
February 17th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Well i rode him, and he was dang perfect, we just had that connection, like i felt so confident on him and he responded brilliantly to me. He was only up for lease, but we bought him home, and i used to climb on him bareback, no gear, and he’d never had this before and we would just cruise.
Sadly though, he turned out to be a rig and killed our two mares so i lost him ae, parents sent him back
Your story sounds soo awesome and sweet
JELOUS
haha
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February 17th, 2010 at 10:59 pm
When I met my 2 horses, and the one that I am getting. All 3 of them walked up to me and nuzzled my hand. They were so sweet, I knew they were for me. When they got home, they were great. I was so excited. But, we have had our good and bad times like any horse and owner. The experience of having a horse is truly magical and I hope you experience that magic that I do everyday, caring for these amazing creatures.
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February 17th, 2010 at 11:30 pm
a little over a year ago, i started working with a five year old appaloosa gelding, who was green broke. i had been taking riding lessons for a few years, but when i moved, my new instructor taught me natural horsemanship. she told me that she "just happened" to have a green appaloosa for sale, she wanted to get him trained for the summer, so i started working with him while she taught me how to train horses. we actually didn’t click right away. i really liked him, but i wasn’t totally in love with him. after a couple months of working with him, we had some sort of relationship, kinda. i still didn’t know much about natural horsemanship, so i didn’t know what to look for really when i was teaching him stuff. but when my parents told me that they had bought him for me, i was overjoyed. the week after that, i rode him for the first time. i was actually kinda nervous, because he was green and all. and i wasn’t exactly the best rider.
now, we are pretty much inseperable. i love him more than i could ever have imagined i’d love a horse, and he’s so willing to do anything i ask. we go on really fun rides on the gravel roads, and i do groundwork at least 4 times a week with him. i understand him so well now, i know exactly when to back off and when to ask for a little more. recently, he’s been doing amazing rollbacks on the ground when i ask him to change directions when i’m playing with him on the ground. he started off really unmotivated, always asking why he had to do stuff. now, he’s like a super horse!
some advice, you can untrain a horse easier than you can train a horse. some people can even untrain a horse in minutes, i’ve seen it before. so, once you get a horse, develop a longlasting relationship. respect is huge, if your horse doesn’t respect you, his attention will not be on you ever. it will be impossible to teach him anything, or to gain the rest of the relationship, which is trust, confidence, rapport, and willingness. i’m a big natural horsemanship fan, so i recommend looking into some of that, like parelli or clinton anderson. (parelli has a ton on horse and human psychology, and clinton is huge on respect. i prefer parelli, but clinton is awesome too.) use a mix of some of the methods if you choose nh. research a lot of horse psychology. once you understand your horse, you will know what he/she needs. a really good website to go to is the parelli horsenality website, fill in the chart when you know your horse well enough. then it will tell you what your particular horse needs, whether it’s motivation, trust, confidence, or play.
one more thing, remember if you ever have trouble with a horse in the saddle, it can always be related to a problem on the ground unless it is a saddle fitting or health issue. so groundwork is like the foundation of riding. if you keep up on your groundwork, and do it right, you will have close to no problems in the saddle. if you have a problem in the saddle, don’t even try to resolve it in the saddle because that’s when things go wrong.
and also things like tie-downs and martingales, or lead shanks, those only cover up problems. the best way to resolve them is to find out why your horse is doing whatever he’s doing wrong, and resolve it in a way that keeps the horse’s dignity in tact.
hope this helps, and good luck finding a horse! make sure you know what you are buying. sorry for the long answer!
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February 17th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
well my mom told me that this person (the owner of the hair shop she used to go to) is going to put her daughter’s pony up on the market. and so well i had a bad experience with half-leasing. i mean i FELL IN LOVE with the horse and of course they took him back after like 3 months in… and so my mom was willing to buy a horse. my trainer and i looked at a few horses but the first 3 didnt seem to fit. eventually my mom talked my trainer (she didn’t want to do it because she didn’t get commission) into going to see her friend’s horse. and so we went to see the horse and like I KNEW she was the one. She was like the perfect horse i’d ever dreamed of!!! even my trainer fell head over heals for her! I kept asking my mom do you think we’re going to get snickers?. it was kinda funny because the day that i was going to the barn when i was going to ride snickers (my mom had already bought her and she was waiting for me at the farm) my mom asked me who do you think i was going to ride? and so i was like i don’t know but do you think i’m ever going get snickers? and speaking of which i already had her…. i literally fell in love with her and still LOVE HER TO DEATH!!! i’ve owned her for 2 years as of march 15th. she has many health problems but she IS THE SWEETEST AND BEST PONY I COULD EVER ASK FOR! she is my dream horse! (seriously) i would not ask for another horse no matter how long i live!
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2 years of owning my baby girl!!!!
February 18th, 2010 at 12:06 am
when i first saw her, she seemed really lovable and sweet. then i rode her a couple times and then leased her for 1 month as a trial run and did a show on her also. we just clicked together pretty well, so my mom bought her for me! seems to me like the horse you are talking about picked you out! that’s the absolute best way to buy a horse!
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February 18th, 2010 at 12:33 am
I didn’t get that feeling. Honestly it was nothing remarkable at all. I saw an ad, thought the pony sounded great. She was the complete opposite of what I had always imagined my horse would be. (I always wanted a 15 hand bay gelding and ended up with a 13 hand gray mare) She didn’t come up to me when I met her, she seemed pretty wary of me, actually. I rode her and really liked the way she responded and had fun so I decided she would be my first horse.
I have no regrets. I feel kinda lousy with that story because I’m sure a lot of people are going to say how they instantly clicked with their horses but that’s just not how it was with Aeery. (my horse) She didn’t seem to like me very much and I didn’t get any special bubbly feeling or anything. I love her to death now, though. She’s the sweetest horse I’ve ever met and she’s worth her weight in gold, at least in my eyes she always will be.
First impressions may seem important, but if you want something special sometimes you need to get past them. That’s what I did and I couldn’t be happier.
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February 18th, 2010 at 12:38 am
He was the very first horse i looked at. And the very first horse i ever owned. I went to his barn, and they lunged him and i lead him around (he wasn’t saddle broke yet). I remember not really feeling a "connection", but EVERYONE loved him and wanted me to get him. So i did. As soon as he got to my barn and stepped out of the trailer, i was so proud. Soooo proud of my new beatiful boy.
After having him for a couple years, i know for sure that he’s my perfect horse. He’s my best friend, and i couldn’t ask for anything more. He has his flaws, but it doesn’t matter to me. He has excellent comformation, he’s a beatiful dark palomino, and an amazing barrel racer. I love my little boy
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February 18th, 2010 at 1:28 am
The first horse I bought was an Appaloosa. I had stopped at a farm one day while out looking at horses. Pulled in the driveway and asked if they had anything for sale. They showed us a few horses but they were a little more then I wanted to spend. So they bring in this appaloosa. Your typical app with hardly any mane or tail. As he was standing on the cross ties the owners little boy comes in pushing one of them toy lawnmowers that make the popping sound. Pushed it right around the horse and he just stood there. SOLD!!!!
13 years later I still have him and now my youngest boy rides him. Best darn horse I ever spent money on.
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February 18th, 2010 at 2:17 am
Well I decided a year ago I wanted a young foal about 6 – 10 months, colt, bay or chestnut, no facial markings, to make about 15.2hh – 16.2hh and fine type.
I went up to see a young 9 month old colt to make 15.2hh TB. I saw him and he had every detail that I had said right down to the markings. He was unhandled so he wouldn’t come near me but I just said "he’s the one like because he’s exactly what I wanted and exactly what I had pictured in my head."
But a year down the line he’s even better, he’s filled out a lot more, he’s now 2, I can do anything with him, he’s standing at 15.1hh so I think he’ll make more like 16hh – 16.2hh which is better for me, he’s so cheeky and so mischevious. He has the most beautiful nature in the world and I’ve never looked back. I love him so much and I couldn’t have asked for a better horse! =]
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February 18th, 2010 at 2:34 am
My first expierience was not the best one actually. When I was 9 years old i went to look at my first pony, a 14.2 arab welsh(Danny pictured as profile) I thought he was the most adorable thing ever and it was love at first sight. I rode him after that and he spooked at a bird. Well…then i just popped off:P i landed on my butt and sat there. Danny turned around and came right back to me..poking me in the head as if he was like "What the heck are you doing down there?!". We bought him a month later:). Years later, hes still my baby boy(after many more falls) and loving life with me and my TB:)(oh..i have a thing for falling off horses i buy the first time i ride them. the same thing happened with my TB:P)
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12+ years of riding and training