I recently had to let go of my beautiful Santana (The buckskin), and so i am looking for a new horse. I am looking to do mainly trail riding, pc and things like clinics or gymkhanas, and the horse must be fine with new places and going out and about, and at least have a basic education. And i was wondering, what do i look for in a horse to see if he/she is like this? For example, ive been let down by alot of people, saying their horse is fine and has done extensive trail riding, campdrafting etc (santana), i lead her out and she goes nuts! People can be so dishonest now a days and i just dont know who to trust! I have found a 4 year old paint for $1, 100 that is supposed to be a trail riding horse, but i sent her a message asking for her contact details so i can discuss over the phone, and they keep sending me more info about him. anyway, back to the question! what do i look for in a quality horse with potential to do or has done these things? and does the price generally reflect the horse depending on the situation?
Thanks
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The price is sometimes a fair indication but not always. Perhaps the best thing to do is try to arrange a trial period if you can or a free lease situation initially. Given the dryer summer there are a number of owners in my area wanting to lease there horses so this maybe be possible in Perth as well.
in perth is has started raining over the past week which is amazing! but i have considered trials and stuff but most people just want to sell them straight up! also what do i look for to see if they have a decent education and potential?
I think the question I'd ask is.... Will this horse communicate with me and trust me, no matter what it's past if the communication is there it will work!
This is what I do when I assess a new horse to see if it will work with me and it helps see if they are spooky too :D
Look to the horse to find out if he/ she communicates with you. When you meet them don't touch them, raise your body erect as if you're a horse that's seen something, head high, eye brows raised and alert looking directly at the horses eyes, not too close as you don't want to send them away. The horse if he/she's in tune with it's own language should recognise you've just said hello and you're interested to know more....
You should get both ears locked onto you and they should stand fairly alert back at you.
next look to the ground and go towards them with you shoulder slightly turned away with your hand out like a muzzle and offer it to them, but only go 80/90% of the way. you want to be submissive at this stage so they feel safe. if they do not lean forwards to touch your hand, glance up to their eyes then quickly back down with a nod of your head pointing to your hand. if they still don't react, reach forward for a stroke between the eyes. it would be at this point you'll know if they're spooky as you've just been submissive and stayed out of their space to now invading their space as they didn't respond.
If they do react and touch your hand, brilliant they are confident and most probably been treated well, lean forwards without moving your feet and share breath with them.
next ask for the lead rope and ask the horse to turn around you, so you stand still to the side and look to it's back legs and start to tut then hold your hand out towards its bottom , if it doesn't start to move gently encourage them to turn their head so they get the idea you want them to go around you. Two things I look for with this move, one are they spooky turning and two are the legs at the back crossing over evenly. Spooky turning = inexperienced. Legs not crossing evenly = possible back, pelvis or hip injury or just not trained for side way movements so might need some work.
if they've responded well to the above, stand in front of the horse and bend over from the hip, stretch your back out a bit, then gently tug on the lead rope and ask them to join you with their head down next to you. Only do this though if they've not spooked!!! a few gentle tugs if they're listening will bring their head down to yours, share some breath then stand back up slowly and reward.
It's all about communication and the horse will tell you more than the owner. :D
Mel x
little note on the hand acting like a muzzle, ensure your palm is facing down and relaxed. if turned upwards they might think you are offering something.