DO take an experienced/qualified horse person with you. Look into the horse’s eyes while it’s being itself; not when it’s running to the fence or sticks its head out of the stall door for treat.
The “Hello there! I want treat look” can be deceiving as regards what is really going on behind the eyes. Watch the eyes while the horse is being worked; look for kindness and willingness to work. Some horses go along smoothly and willingly only because the rider is savvy and knows how to make them work. A “cold” eye can also be a signal of pain, even though the horse appears to be working comfortably.
DON’T “go for the flash”. First time horse owners should never pick a horse because it’s the prettiest one in the barn or field. You can’t ride colour. It’s often the non-descript horse, somewhat on the homely side, that will be your best friend, protector, best teacher, and forgiver of mistakes.
DON’T rescue a horse. Most often it is not in the best interest of a non-horse person to take on a rescue as a first horse. A magnanimous effort, to be sure, but reasons for avoiding rescues until more horse experience has been garnered are:
Once the horse starts gaining weight and feeling good, its complete personality (good and bad) will be revealed, along with all the bad habits it has learned in self-defence of the abuse/neglect it was previously subjected to. Most often a new horse owner just doesn’t have the horse street smarts to deal with negative issues as they arise.
Many times taking on a rescue involves much more care than just putting weight on the horse. There can be long-term medical issues that soon surface (generally really bad hooves) or, won’t surface right away such as structural injuries that will start building arthritis over time. Some rescuers sadly discover those health issues are too much for their check book and emotions. The horse soon finds itself in need of another caring home and some sadly get sold and find themselves in the same situation they were rescued from.
DO consider where the horse will live. At home or in a boarding situation? The requirements of the owner vary greatly between the two living situations.
When a horse is at home, it needs care 365 days/yr, regardless of planned vacations or un-planned emergencies that take the Owner out of town. Know for sure that you have a back-up horse care giver that is reliable enough to make sure the horse won’t run out of water and hay, if hay needs to be fed.
When boarding, the horse and owner are subject to the rules of the barn owner. The quality of Barn Owners and boarding care vary from “I would live in one of those stalls” to abusive and neglectful. Get references; scrutinize the cleanliness of the facility and feeding regimen. Closely observe the goings-on at the facility to be reasonably sure the horse-social activities fit your idea of a boarding barn.
DON’T over-horse yourself. Many folks envision being much more capable of horse handling than they really are. Another reason to buy a “been there done that” quiet horse that may not be the prettiest but will be the safest and most forgiving.
Judy L. Moore
This is a sample chapter taken from the fantastic horse care ebook: Owning and caring for your horse.
This book is available from Mithra Publishing for just £9.00.