Is this horse good for beginners?

Question

She's pretty young, I heard you are supposed to go with a been there done that horse, but if you read the advert she sounds pretty awesome for a 5 year old! Here she is:
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/wanneroo/horses-ponies/lovely-quiet-allrounder-with-so-much-potential/1052389514

I am looking for a horse suitable to learn on for a COMPLETE beginner. Tallulah sounds like a lovely girl, even for an Arab. What do you guys think?

Answer 1

Having read the description, no, she is NOT suitable for a beginner rider. Whenever the seller says that the horse needs a rider to continue her education, that means she is not fully trained. As for the 7yo beginner riding her, that would have been done in the safety of a riding arena, possibly on a lead rope or lunge line.



A beginner rider should aim for a well trained beginner's horse, about 13 years old (at this age the horse will have started to mellow and calm down- young horses can be pretty silly), quiet to handle on the ground and in the saddle (not all are), quiet and good to ride in company and alone while in the arena or out on the roads or trails. If the horse has been to pony club and horse shows, even better. The more the horse has done, the better it will be for you.



I myself have an Arabian pony (81% Arabian, the rest is welsh), and I got him when he was a 7month old weanling. Remembering back to when he was broken in, he was super quiet, but there was no way I would have trusted him with someone with little experience- green horses need a rider's full attention, and they are not great horses to learn to ride on. In fact, I still wouldn't trust him with a learning rider- he is the type who will take advantage of the rider's nervousness and try to intimidate the rider into getting off. He certainly has the attitude of the typical Arabian, he can be flighty at times, and he is smart. Too smart.

My first horse was a 12yo black nag gelding (no breed, but he did look a bit like a cross between a thoroughbred and welsh) who was missing half an eye. No one else wanted him due to that eye but he ended up teaching ME how to ride, and he is still the best horse I have ever ridden.



A proper beginner's horse will not do these things, they will tolerate the learning rider yanking accidentally on the reins, and what other mistakes the beginner makes, and there will be plenty. You need a well trained horse who will not take advantage of you when you start to feel off balance, or when you pay more attention to your position (readjusting your seat, the reins in your hands, the stirrups) than you do the horse. You need a horse that you will feel safe on, a horse that will teach you, and no young horse, no matter how quiet the seller says it is, will be able to help you learn to ride properly.



For that money, you could find (and buy) several horses that are more suitable for you to learn on.

You need a horse that can help teach YOU to ride, not a horse that has basic training that needs further training.



Other places to check for suitable horses are the Horsedeal magazines, through your local riding school (they may know of someone nearby who is selling a horse), people also post adverts for horses for sale at saddleries and horse feed stores, so check them out. Also, ask the people who work at the feed stores and saddlery if they know of anyone selling a beginner's horse- these people can be a great source of information about anything horse related.

Good luck with the horse hunting!

Answer 2

Let's see now, they have many good pictures but the ipad "won't let" them upload them? And the one picture they were able to upload is lousy. These things alone make me suspicious, though it could just be me.



Also, no three year old makes a good beginner horse and the statement she's been ridden by beginners and kids probably just means she behaved for the brief amount of time it took to take the picture. She's also not registered, and even though she's up to date on shots, worming etc., nothing is actually said about her soundness. They've also done way too much work with her considering her very young age, and this might have caused her to have soundness issues, which is why her soundness isn't mentioned. From what I see, the only truthful part of the ad is at the end where it's stated she needs someone to continue her education. That part I definitely believe.



All in all, the ad reads like a work of fiction to me. She also has one to many zeroes attached to her price. In my area, such a horse would go for $500, at most. Now, if she were five to ten years older, sound and truly a bombproof horse for beginners and kids, then she might be worth what they're asking.



Having said all this, if she's sound, good tempered and has decent ground manners, she might be okay for an advanced rider working with a trainer to help bring her along. Even so, she won't be worth what they're asking for a very long time.



Personally, I'd keep looking. Best of luck.

Answer 3

I don't think any 3 year old horse should be expected to be a beginner's horse, and it really riles me when sellers call 3 year old's beginners horse. No matter how well trained they are, or well started they just do not have the mileage in them. A 3 year old cannot possibly have been exposed to everything they need to be to be an ideal beginner's pony, and I personally think it's a real shame when people put good time and effort into starting a young horse only to spoil it by exposing said 3 year old to riders who can't allow them to continue to grow in confidence and mature into the ideal pony.



I would be willing to bet a beginner would buy this pony, and a couple of months down the line they would be shocked to find the pony's started napping, bucking and chucking their rider off as they learn they don't have to do everything they're told. The pony would them be past on from pillar to post as a spoilt youngster, and the beginner rider would never set foot on a horse again.



An established horse with a few years' experience knows their job, they're confident in their work and I think only when you've put at least a couple of good years' work into a horse can you start to say whether or not they're a good beginner's horse. There's no reason why they have to be ancient and arthritic, I've seen some good 6-7 year olds be really good first horses - they just need those first years of good experience so they know their job inside out.

Answer 4

No, this is not a suitable horse for a beginner rider. A beginner should have a horse that is AT LEAST 13yo, and fully trained who has seen it all- shows, pony club, trail road riding, and riding in a group and alone. THE horse should be extremely quiet and tolerant as beginner riders are not aware of when they are yanking on the reins or sending the horse confusing messages- like kicking to get the horse to go but holding the reins too tight which tells the horse to stop. Some horses (including my own arab) may rear or buck out of frustration.



I have read your other question, and if your friend is having trouble with keeping her feet correctly in the stirrup, she should not be anywhere near a young or green horse for a very long time. The young and green horses are less likely to stand still for your friend to fidget with her stirrups or alter her seat in the saddle- the horse could spook and your friend will fall and could possibly be seriously injured if she lands on her neck or if the horse steps on her.



Also, the ad says that the horse should go to a home where the new owner can continue her training, which means that the horse has basic training and needs an experienced rider to finish her training. The only thing a beginner rider can teach a horse is bad habits!

I would suggest that you be sceptical of what the ads say, people selling their horses will always say the best things they can and never mention the bad faults, like a club foot or other conformation faults, fights with other horses in the paddock, refuses to ride out alone, is prone to laminitis, has arthritis, cushings... No one is going to say bad things about the horse they are trying to sell.



Finally, I don't think this horse is worth $5000.

Answer 5

A beginner horse is exactly like you said they basically are horses that got use to being kicked repeatedly and pulled on their mouths that they don't care that you want an answer the first time around that and their more bombproof then horse. An intermediate horse will get scared once in a while but they are still quite sensitive to the legs and body and have the softest mouths almost as much as the advance and professional horse do and they will have energy that you are looking for as well as they can have very sweet personalities that you would like.

Answer 6

I agree ith many of These People..

NO,

a 3 year old has not shown their worst yet, and they will mature into cheeky bastards. Our 5 year old Warmblood mare was an angel at Age 3... turned into a Little devil once she started to find out how strong she is. Now she is ridden almost entire week, instructor Comes and rides her as well.



My sister has been thrown from her (and she has had almost as many years as I had of riding, she's only 15 tho)) with 10 years of horse experience. and been frustrated with her. Really a 3 year old has so much to learn yet, and if you wanna Progress and become a good beginner buy a horse that has BEEN THERE DONE THAT. Because you would be the one teaching this 3 year old, but as you said you're only beginner. You would want to learn from a horse =)

Answer 7

Far too young and inexperienced for any beginner rider.



This is a recipe for disaster and either you or the horse, if not both, will end up being scared and getting hurt. An inexperienced rider can ruin a young horse without even realising it.



You need an older, well rounded beginner's horse of at least 12 years of age.

Answer 8

No. A three year old lacks the life experience needed to make good decisions to keep a rider safe, and whether they are calm or not, this is still the case. Coupled with a rider who lacks the experience to guide them in making good decisions, it's an accident waiting to happen. In addition, this horse has been apparently used hard and put over jumps already at the age of three. You can expect soundness problems fairly early on as a result. Take a pass on this one.

Answer 9

I wouldn't go any younger then a 10year old for a beginner as a 10year old will have experience but if you think the above horse is alright I would have an experienced horse person go out and look at her if you think she's the right horse for you and get their opinion on her

Answer 10

no i dont think so i think go with a cheap bullet proof horse like a 15 hand stock horse dont pay over $2500 or your wasting money if your a beginner more info would help like your size what riding your going to do if you no how to ride at all u can email me if u like [e-mail]