“Ten Strategies to Choose the Right Horse”
(Listeners’ Choice)
By Popular Demand we have re-published this episode. Each weekend we are choosing the most listened to and commented on episodes for you to enjoy.
This interview was previously published in 2019 Sandi Simons 2 (474)
About Sandi – If you would like to know more about Sandi then listen to her previous chat
First Chat (228) Sandi Simons
About This Episode
“Ten Strategies to Choose the Right Horse”
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“Ten Strategies to Choose the Right Horse”
Buying a new horse!!! When you are getting back into saddle and need a horse that will help your confidence. What a drama that can be, it can take a lot of time, energy, and finances, not to mention frustration, excitement and enjoyment and unfortunately disappointments… There are a few major requirements that need to be met, unfortunately we sometimes have to sacrifice things that we want for things that we need, only to find that they were not a sacrifice but a bonus down the track.
The following are a few things to list when looking for the right horse:
1. Understand your needs and wants
2. Temperament is far more important than age, that’s the rule for the horse, not us. – We need to forgive some age as we are looking for the right temperament, as this is the main ingredient that will give us confidence. Having a horse that is easy to be around and does not serve us up any major problems allows us the freedom to enjoy and learn every time we are with them. How do you look for a good temperament is a good question.
There are a few tests that you can apply when looking at the horse, they are:
• Have the owner ride the horse first, never get on a horse you do not know without seeing him being ridden first
• Take the horse away from his surroundings
• Disturb him whilst he is tied up (Throw things loudly around him, shake stuff etc)
• Ride him in a group of horses
• Put him on and off the float numerous times yourself
• Hose him down yourself • Have someone ride around you whilst you are riding
• Catch him yourself
• Feed him whilst with other horses (Making sure he keeps his manners)
• Turn on the clippers near him
• Bridle and saddle him yourself • Go back numerous times, maybe once unannounced (bearing in mind that drugs are an issue, no not you, the horse)
• Ask around and see if someone else knows the horse and will give you an honest opinion If the owners have an issue regarding these tests then it’s obvious you need to shop somewhere else..
3. Make sure that the height is what suits
– Make sure that the height is suitable, by this I mean do not undermount yourself or overmount yourself. If you have the middle age spread happening, then obviously a riding pony is out of the question, maybe a QH is more up your ally. If your are a petite type that is not very strong, (Bless you) then a large strapping young warmblood would not be a preferred choice. Also the size of the girth is important, no I’m not talking about yours, I mean the horse, if you have had a few Children then you need to take great care of the Girlie bits and not overstretch them, unless you have a very close relationship with your masseur…. Think about the size that will suit and take into account the training on ground as well as the training on board, that you will need to apply, so having a suitable size is very important.
4. Soundness
– This really is best left to the vet, making sure that the vet you use comes recommended and is not the owners uncle.. You can forgive some ailments if the positives outweigh the negatives. I purchased my own horse that showed changes in his X-ray’s but took the chance and have never regretted it for a minute, even though now he is nearly unrideable. What he has taught me over the past 4 years has been invaluable, and the bond we share is irreplaceable. So chance like this are totally your decision…
5. Experience over the past few years i.e. pony club/adult riding/showing/trail riding
– This will tell you what sort of a horse you are dealing with. If you are interested in doing some dressage then a horse that has done novelties should be avoided, as well as a dressage horse is not overly suited to trail riding as they are not as exposed to the roads and bush as they could be… So ask yourself what it is that you want to do and try and find a horse that has had a few years at it already. Do not think that if you buy a super educated horse that he will teach you all you need to know, as they adjust to your level of riding almost immediately and you both have to improve together, horses do not offer anything for free, they have to be asked, so if you do not know how to ask you will not receive. That does not mean that you are wrecking a good horse, they will be patient and wait for you to catch up
6. Calmness
– This is very important; if the horse has a calm outlook then he will not get to involved in sticky situations, but rather stand and let it happen around them. Calm horses are also very patient, as mine needs to be whilst I am mounting, he is a long way up, not to mention a long way down. He allows me the time to scramble, grab, hoist and grunt in my mount and dismount. This is very important if you are unfit; suffer sore backs, stiff hips, although none of these things hurt once you are on board YEH RIGHT!!!
7. Behavioural Problems
– Make sure that the horse does not have any major ones as you do not need to deal with pulling back, shying, bucking, biting etc, these sorts of issues will strip you of your confidence as quick as drinking a vodka and orange on a hot dusty day. Stay away from these things and let the pro’s handle them, remember your goal, that is a quiet, happy horse that helps to make you feel good.
8. Breed
– Take this into account as the breed of horse can sometimes dictate the nature of the horse (not always but can help with your decision) and that is a major factor in your selection. Do not consider a highly-strung breed if confidence is your biggest issue as they can be too quick, spooky and unnerving to say the least. Choose a breed that meets your requirements but do not hold this as your only option as I have seen some super quiet Arabians that cannot get out of their own way, and have seen some super nervous QH’s that are downright dangerous. So only take the breed as a guide only, not as the only option.
9. Time
– Now if you are a true shopper this will be the hardest to apply.. Never be in a rush and don’t ever think that you are going to look at the horse of your dreams as that usually means you are about to purchase your worst nightmare.
10. Horse Float
– Do not ever take the float, the time it takes to come back and pick up the horse could give you the time to change your mind and not act impulsively…
Time Stamp
0:54 – Background
01:20 – 1. Understand your needs and wants
02:10 – 2. Temperament is far more important than age, that’s the rule for the horse, not us.
05:22 – 3. Make sure that the height is what suits
06:37 – 4. Soundness
08:00 – 5. Experience over the past few years i.e. pony club/adult riding/showing/trail riding
13:05 – 6. Calmness
14:48 – 7. Behavioural Problems
19:40 – 8. Breed
20:55 – 9. Time
22:00 – 10. Horse Float
23:09 – Have a legal contract
24:25 – Contact details see below
Sandi’s Contact Details
Phone: 0419 343 406 or +61 419 343 406
Email: sandi@davidsimons.com.au
Website: http://www.sandisimons.com.au
Music
BenSound.com
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