my first horse

Question
im thinking of getting my first horse.i have been riding for the past three years and i think its time to stop going to the stables and get one of my own.have u got any tips on what breed and hight i should get or any thing eles you want to add?? (im 5.2ft) thanks bye x

Answer
Helen,

If you are relatively inexperienced, which after only 3 yrs. of riding and that's your only real experience it's pretty limited then I would suggest strongly getting a horse at least 10-12 yrs. old or older.  Don't turn away from a 15-16 or older horse.  You don't know enough to train a horse so you want one that is fully trained that can teach you.  An older horse is better for this.  A disaster in the making is a green horse and green rider.  

I don't know what kind of discipline you are interested in pursuing with your horse.  If you have nothing particular in mind then just look for a good, all around horse.  If you are interested in a particular kind of riding, ie. jumping, dressage, etc. then you need to look for a horse trained in that sport.  

I would definately look for a smallish horse if you are but 5'2".  A large pony would work too.  Don't go for anything over about 15 hands, 13-14.2 would probably fit you best.  Try to take any horse you are considering on trial for at least a month to see if your personalities mesh. This is a lifelong investment you're considering.  At least that's how I look at it.  Any horse I get is mine forever.  If I do have to part with the horse it's done very carefully to make sure that the horse is not going to be handed around after that.  I've got several horses that I couldn't find "forever" homes for so they are still here with me.  

As far as breed, you don't ride the papers you ride the horse so unless you have a need for a particular breed a cross-bred would suite just as well as a breed horse.  There are a number of breeds that run on the small side - Morgans, Arabs, Icelandics, Welsh are all generally (there are exceptions) in the appropriate size for you.  You can find smaller horses in a lot of other breeds too but they are not as common.  Examples are Thoroughbreds, Quarterhorses, Paints, Tennessee Walkers, Standardbreds all of which generally run 15+ hands.  

A lot depends upon what you want to do with your horse.  

If I can be of further assistance let me know.  Good luck.

Lyn