AZqualityHorses.com

I get so many people wondering where to start in the horse world that I thought I would write what I think people should look for when purchasing a horse and what to expect when you take it home.   I will try to cover many subjects that I see people needing help with in this section.  If you have a question feel free to email me with it and I will try to post my answer to it in this section.  I am always more than willing to take phone calls to offer as much advice as I can about problems that people encounter with horses. 

The best advice I can offer is that is nearly impossible to under horse yourself but it is extremely easy to over-horse yourself.  I see so many people buy horses that they think they can work with because they rode when they were a kid and now want to get back into it 20 years later.  Horses are a totally different experience when you are grown up and mature.  Your bones aren't as flexible as they used to be and you don't bounce as well.  If you don't want to take some lessons then make sure to buy a horse that has been there and done that.  Buy a horse that is easy for you to ride--goes when you want it to and stops on a dime.  Two red flags that a horse is too much for you is if the owner will only let you ride the horse in a round pen, you have a hard time steering the horse, it is super sensitive to your leg cues, or it feels like it wants to jump out from under you.  Don't be afraid of a horse with a little age.  I have ridden all of my life and have shown Saddlebreds on a national level.  When I want to go on leisurely trail rides I choose the oldest, most gentle horses in my barn.  So many people don't want to buy an older horse because they get scared of health issues.  But I deal in tons of horses and I have to say that I see younger horses get in trouble, get hurt, colic, ect. much more often than the older horses.  The older(15-20+) year old horses have been there and done that and have learned how to keep themselves out of trouble.  Nobody can predict how long a horse will keep going but the nice thing about an older, gentle horse is that they are almost always great for kids when they are done doing the hard work.  Do your homework, try lots of horses to learn what kind of horse you feel comfortable on, and when you find a horse that you click with you will know.  I can always tell when a horse is a good match for a person because they get on and usually sigh with relief.  They usually are grinning ear to ear the entire time they are riding the horse as well.  Don't settle for a horse that is not suitable for your goals.  Don't fall in love with a horse just because it has a cute disposition on the ground.  Many horses are super sweet on the ground but are terrors when being ridden. 

Another note:  Many of these older horses are going to have scars, blemishes, ect. from their many years on this planet.  As long as it is not a life threatening medical condition, don't let minor blemishes, runny eyes, scratches or bite marks,  or horses that need a little hoof care scare you off from a perfectly good horse.  Many horses just need a little TLC and they will be back to looking beautiful in no time.  If you are in doubt, have your vet look at the horse.  I see people pass on awesome horses sometimes just because they can't see through minor things like a scruffy hair coat or long, chipped feet. Minor surface problems are much easier to deal with than things like horses that have been severely abused or horses that have attitude problems.  It is almost always much easier and quicker to clean up a horse with long feet and scruffy hair than it is to change attitude and behavior patterns that are deeply rooted in many of these horses.  Many times the attitudes never change, where it only takes a 2-6 months for hooves to grow back better and coats to get glossy.  There are lots of beautiful, shiny, stunningly beautiful horses out there that you couldn't pay me enough money to ride!

Many people do not know that what you feed your horse can have everything to do with his personality.  A perfect example of feeding a horse alfalfa and pellets is feeding a young child Mountain dew and Candy bars.  The kid is not going to have much of an attetion span and is going to have tons of extra energy.  When you confine a horse to a small 12 by 12 stall or even a 16*16 stall, it is a recipe for disaster.  You will need to lounge that horse for 15-20 minutes just to burn off all of that extra energy.  Horses are grazing animals that are used to lots of movement and free choice feed.  I am a big advocate of lots of high quality  grass or grass/alfalfa mix hay and a small amount of high fat/low protein grain to balance the diet.  If you have a horse that is a difficult keeper, up the hay and the fat content rather than putting them on straight alfalfa or pellets.  The problem with most of the pellets in Arizona is that they are bound with Molasses so they contain a ton of sugar, which just gets a horse hot.  The only situation where I like pellets is on an older horse that can't use hay anymore.  I then soak the pellets and mix them with senior feed for them.  I am very careful on what senior feed I use, however, because many senior feeds have a ton of molasses in them to make them more appetizing for the senior horses.  I really like Rice Bran and Flax as high fat supplements to help horses gain weight. 

PELLETS: YES OR NO?

If you have a performance horse that you are riding hard every day, then by all means feed your horse pellets.   But if you are a trail rider and ride two or three times a week, then your horse should not be eating pellets.  I cannot tell you how many horses I have seen that are normally quiet and gentle come to life and be complete basketcases when fed pellets.   You have to see it to believe it but it is amazing how different some horses act when fed Pellets.   Pellets are high protein and high energy and are bound with mollasses.  They are very efficient for putting weight and energy on a horse because they are high in sugar.  Pellets wet down work really well for old horses that are thin and can't use hay anymore and need to gain weight.  If you do decide to feed pellets, still make sure the horse gets some hay during the day.  I have discussed pellets with many vets and the conclusion I have come to is that most vets see more colic and choke associated with pellets.  So, if you feed them make sure you also add lots of forage

If you are not a cowboy that rode broncs in high school and don't mind if a horse throws out a few bucks here and there, then you should do ground work with your horse.  Take the horse out, saddle him up, and either longe him in both directions, including making him canter both ways for a few minutes, or send him off in the round pen.  You don't have to work him for an hour or until he is in a complete lather, but why not warm him up a little and take a little of that edge off before you get on?  Make him bend his head around both ways and do a lot of backing with him to get him respectful.  Ground work is the best thing you can do to prevent yourself from getting in a wreck.  If you horse is snorty and obnoxious that day, either work him through it or just call it a day with the ground work only.  There is no reason to get on a horse that you don't feel comfortable on.  You will feed your fear to the horse and he will be more likely to misbhave.  If you have extreme fears take some lessons with someone that can help you work through  your fears  in a safe, controlled environment.  And always remember, you have all of the time in the world when working with a horse.  Patience is everything and horses don't think the way we do--they react to their environment.  If you are nervous then they are going to think they should be that way. 

I get so many people looking for a bombproof beginner horse.  Yes, there are lots of extremely gentle, well-broke horses out there, but people need to remember that horses are animals that can think and make decisions on their own.  Just because they are perfect one day doesn't mean that they will be perfect all of the time.  People need to have a basic understanding of how to read a horse and how to do some ground work to warm them up before they get on their back.  If new riders would saddle their horses and then do some ground work with them like lounging or round penning before they got on the horses' back they would eliminate a lot of problems for themselves.  I highly recommend an older horse (15-20+ Years) for your first horse.  Young horses (under 10 years old)with New Riders is a recipe for disaster.  The problem with a young horse with a new rider is that young horses can't possibly have enough training to make up for a new riders mistakes. They un-learn their training too fast and learn how to take advantage of a new riders mistakes.  I tend to be a big fan of lesson horses, horses that have been on a dude string, and ex-ranch horses.  All of these horses have had a lot of experience with novice riders and if they still ride good when you try them out, they are not likely to become bad because of your mistakes.