Buying a Horse

Things to Consider:

Price - How much money do you want to spend on buying a horse? If you are around my age, your parents will more than likely be buying the horse for you. You do not need to go over the top in price when buying a horse – what really matters is quality.
The price of a horse can be determined on a lot of factors. The breed (a Thoroughbred will cost way more than a Welsh Cob), the size (smaller is normally cheaper), the conformation (if it looks perfect, it costs money!), the age (horses under 4 and horses over 16 are cheaper), the horse’s temperament (this actually depends on what the owner or buyer thinks of the horse’s manners), the horse’s performance and capabilities (a Grand Prix level horse will cost a lot more than a Welsh Mountain Pony), and the level to which the horse has been trained (a horse that you could ride straight to the Olympics is going to cost more than an average hacker).

Area of Riding - It would be senseless to buy a Pony of the Americas if you are a twenty-year-old Show-Jumper that is ready to go to the World Championships, just as it is silly to buy a Thoroughbred racehorse if you are a ten-year-old child who does Gymkhanas! Your area of riding is a very important factor in the buying of a horse. Here’s a list to give you some tips on buying a horse:

Show-Jumping (adults and teenagers) – the Irish Draught, the Thoroughbred, the Anglo-Arab, the Danish Warmblood, the Selle Français, the Trakehner, the Hanoverian, the Holstein, the Oldenburg, the Westphalian, the Hungarian Half-Bred, the Dutch Warmblood, the Swedish Warmblood, the Hunter and the Australian Stock Horse.

Show-Jumping (children) – the Exmoor, the Welsh Mountain Pony, the Connemara and the Welsh Cob (small horses from breeds above should also be fine).

Dressage (adults and teenagers) – the Arabian, the Andalusian, the Thoroughbred, the Anglo-Arab, the Danish Warmblood, the Hanoverian, the Holstein, the Oldenburg, the Westphalian, the Swedish Warmblood, the Hack and the Appaloosa.

Dressage (children) – the Welsh Mountain Pony, the Welsh Cob, the Connemara, the Riding Pony and the Hack (small horses from breeds above should also be fine).

Cross-Country (adults and teenagers) – the Thoroughbred, the Anglo-Arab, the Danish Warmblood, the Selle Français, the Trakehner, the Hanoverian, the Hungarian Half-Bred, the Swedish Warmblood, the Appaloosa and the Hunter.

Cross-Country (children) – the Welsh Cob and the Connemara (small horses from breeds above should also be fine).

Three-Day-Eventing (adults and teenagers) - the Irish Draught, the Thoroughbred, the Anglo-Arab, the Danish Warmblood, the Selle Français, the Trakehner, the Hanoverian, the Holstein, the Oldenburg, the Westphalian, the Hungarian Half-Bred, the Dutch Warmblood, the Swedish Warmblood and the Australian Stock Horse.

Three-Day-Eventing (children) – the Welsh Cob and the Connemara (small horses from breeds above should also be fine).

Endurance (adults and teenagers) – the Arabian, the Appaloosa, the Barb, the Tersk, the Akhal-Teke, the Mustang and the Australian Stock Horse.

Endurance (children) – the Connemara and the Pony of the Americas (small horses from breeds above should also be fine).

All Western Riding (adults and teenagers) – the Morgan, the Quarter Horse, the Saddlebred, the Missouri Fox Trotter, the Tennessee Walking Horse, the Mustang, the Peruvian Paso, the Palomino, the Appaloosa and the Paint Horse.

All Western Riding (children) – the Pony of the Americas (small horses from breeds above should also be fine).

Suitability - You will want to buy a horse that is right for you, not only in area of riding, but in temperament as well. If you are a beginner or nervous rider, a calm, gentle, slightly older horse would be best for you. If you are a rider of intermediate level, something slightly more spirited and younger would be good. And, finally, if you are a bold, experienced rider, you can buy a more highly-strung, fast, young horse.

Looks and Facts - Though it is said, “A good horse is never a bad color.” if you have your heart set on one particular coat, there is no reason trying to buy a horse with that coat. But don’t only buy a horse because of its color – if you do, you are looking for trouble.
Gender is also rather important when buying a horse. Mares tend to be much grumpier and temperamental than geldings. Geldings are widely considered best because they are generally calm, obedient and gentle. Stallions are mostly highly-strung, difficult to control and need experienced riders.
Size is another important factor. If you are really short or a child, you might be better off with a pony or small horse. If you are at an average height, there are thousands of horses you could get. However, if you are tall, get a horse with legs as long as yours!

Time for Your Horse - The amount of time you have available to look after and ride your horse is a massively important factor when buying a horse. There would be no point in owning a Westphalian Show-Jumper who’s ready to go flying to the World Champs if you only ride twice a week. A horse like that needs to be ridden every single day, otherwise it will become unhappy and start getting into trouble. If you only ride one to three times per week than you’d be best off with an older, quieter hacker.
But, if you are a top-level Dressage rider who owns a sixteen-year-old Cob with a leg that goes lame if you ride it more than three times per week, you need to get a horse more suited to you. If you have the time to ride every single day, then you can afford to buy a highly-strung or very fit horse because you will have the time to exercise it properly. So, first assess yourself before you buy a horse!