Hey all - buying a horse

[toby jo]

15. Exciting time of life - fulfilling that dream

I have 4 horses and have worked them my whole life. Had to wait til I was 40 to own my first one. Ouch.

Some good advice posted here. I'd try leasing one first. That way you can ride it and be around other horse people to get a feel for what is involved. You can also lease to own, which is how I got my first mare.

Go for a middle-aged, well-broke horse. A gelding would probably be better, but mares can be sweet, too. By middle aged I mean about 6-10 years old. Too old and they get arthritis and you can't ride. Go to the local tack store, you'll find boarding / training facilities full of people with advice, and hopefully something you can lease to get started.

Quarter horses are a good all around breed, and a lot of people are getting into walkers these days, Tennessee Walkers.

Good fencing is a must. My drafts will walk right over fencing that holds the thoroughbreds if there is enough snow! Who would have thought gentle, peaceful drafts would turn into my hard keepers? So I've had to install high fencing with boards across the top. 106 acres - alot of fence. Don't care for electric here, if something falls on it it's off.

Good clean hay is about all they need, but some folks supplement with grain. It depends on how much work they do. A racing thoroughbred will take a good 7 scoops of grain/day. Ugh. Gets costly. Mine get about 1/2 scoop when worked, or when it gets real cold. Mostly they're on hay, close to what nature designed and intended. Good luck & go for it.