When purchasing a new horse, or thinking of getting back into riding, it is important to be brutally honest with yourself and everyone else about your riding skills.  In this section of our site, we will explain the skills and experience of each level of rider, as well as the suitable horse ages and personalities for that rider.  It is our experience that too many inexperienced riders are buying or being wrongfully sold young, inexperienced or dangerous horses.  This is just criminal to us and it does the horse and rider no good.  Many people are hurt, killed or at the least completely turned off by horses because of this "horse trading" mentality.   Nothing here is meant to be hurtful or accusatory, but honest and helpful.  Riding horses is not a passive sport, rider participation and knowledge is required to be safe and harmonious with the horse.




Beginner:

Skills:
A beginning rider has little or no riding/horse care experience.  Someone with less than a year of continuous and regular riding or someone who rode horses as a teen or young adult and is now 30/40/50 years old, is a beginner again.   A beginner may be able to tack up and mount a horse, but it might not be properly or safely done.  Beginners may have ridden at a dude ranch or been on trail rides.  Beginners may know squeeze/kick means go, pull back means stop and may know how to properly or improperly neck rein the horse.  Beginner riders have little or no knowlege of proper seat, rein cues and leg cues.  Most beginners can not distinguish proper horse movement or tell when their horse is making proper moves according to the cues they are giving.  Riding a horse is thought to be "I point, you go"  "I pull, you stop".  Most beginners run the risk of becoming their horses "best friend" or thier horses "mother" and not their horses LEADER.  Many beginners do not realize the repercussions of this behavior.  They have not learned the importace of thier leadership role.  This is OK, being a beginner is FUN and exciting. 
You have your whole riding career ahead of you, and nothing could be more positive.

Best Horse for the Beginner:
If you are a beginner and you would like to purchase a horse, you MUST be very careful and VERY picky!  A beginner rider will make many mistakes and missteps in their quest to become an experienced rider.  You must purchase a horse that has years of experience and a forgiving attitude (for all your mistakes).  This type of horse will ignore or forgive your improper cues and almost knows what you are TRYING to ask of him/her.  This type of horse is worth their weight in gold and will generally not be the $100.00, 5 year old, ex-racehorse at the sale barn.  Please, go to a reputable breeder or dealer when purchasing your first horse.  If you have a trainer or EXPERIENCED riding friend, take them along to preview the horse.  Ride the horse only after you have seen the current owner ride and only in a small, safe pen.  If you don't feel safe, GO HOME.  Generally you need to look for this:

  • 10 years and older (age does wonders for a horses mentality and suitability)
  • Ridden regularly and recently (no, off for a year broodmares, please)
  • Stands quietly to be groomed, tacked and mounted.  Look for horses with really lazy eyes or tripping/groggy behavior.  They may have been drugged for sale.  YES, this does happen!
  • Sound (you need to have the horse vet checked, yes it costs, but it can save you money and heartache!)
  • Experienced (If you are buying the horse for trail, it needs to be experienced in trail, you will not have the skills to train the horse yourself, even with that great new video you bought!)
  • Color is not important here!  I know you want the flashy, blue-eyed paint, but be practical, this horse is your teacher, not your boyfriend/girlfriend!  Many a sorrel mare is passed up for the flashy paint that breaks your pelvis the following day.  This mistake is costly and potentially deadly...... buy the sweet sorrel, she will take good care of you and become more beautiful to you every day you come home safe from the trail.




Intermediate:

Skills: 
An intermediate rider has been riding consistently for a while (1-3 x per week for 1-3 years) and is comfortable with their horse and may have even begun to ride other horses during this time.  An intermediate rider is generally comfortable in the saddle at all gaits, but may still prefer the slower gaits.  This rider is really starting to become confident with leg cues and rein cues and can generally tell when the horse is responding correctly.  An intermediate rider is becoming confident in (patiently) reprimanding their horses missteps and handles emergencies much more calmly.  This rider still sometimes gets off balance or out of seat, but can regain composure much quicker than before.  An intermediate rider is becoming more able to focus on proper cues and what is going on around them than a beginner.  An intermediate rider may begin to think about competing with his/her horse.  An intermediate rider is really beginning to grasp onto the idea that they are the LEADER in the relationship with their horse and is beginning to see the results of that theory in improved response and relationship with their horse.
Best Horse For and Intermediate Rider:
An Intermediate rider may be looking to step up to a quicker or more responsive/competitive horse.  Don't get rid of your trusty beginner steed yet!  He/She can still help you when you run into snags with your new horse (and you WILL).  An intermediate rider looking for a step up horse needs to look for this:

  • Younger horses are more suitable for you now, but you still need to look for forgiving/calm mentalities (your not a bronc rider yet!).  A younger horse with no buck and a good foundation can work for you, but you need to be ready to put in the time and effort to make a good connection with that horse.  Make sure the horse you buy has GOOD training and that you know how the horse was trained and what cues he/she responds to.
  • Ridden regularly and often.  If the horse has been off for a few months, that can be ok, but make sure you do all your groundwork with him/her first, before mounting.  Time off can make many horses rusty, excitable and a bit hotter than they will be after some work.  Groundwork keeps you two from getting off to the wrong start.
  • Stands quietly to be groomed, tacked and mounted.  I believe that all level of riders should look for horses that will do this.  This is not a beginner thing, this is a well trained horse thing.  If the horse moves a bit or is more alert than your beginner horse, that is ok, but rearing, pulling back or dancing the cha cha is ridiculous. Look for horses with really lazy eyes or tripping/groggy behavior.  They may have been drugged for sale.  YES, this does happen!
  • Sound (you need to have the horse vet checked, yes it costs, but it can save you money and heartache!)
  • Experienced (If you are buying the horse for ranch sorting competition, it needs to be experienced in ranch sorting, your not a trainer yet!  An experienced horse still has much to teach you.)
  • You will find your color/size options are opened up a lot more here, but be practical.  Buy the horse that has what you need.

Experienced:

Skills: 
An experienced rider generally knows who they are.  They have the years and miles to understand horses and riding.  Experienced riders are quiet, skillful, patient and well versed in cues and riding.  Confident in the saddle and quiet and patient while riding, an experienced rider makes an impression on you when you watch them ride.   They are truly a LEADER in every sense of the word and their horses are confident in them and happy to be with them.