buying a horse

Question
How can I tell, If this 22yr QH mare is going to be a good fit for myself and my family. She has not been saddled for sometime. She is in a pasture with one other horse And she seems to be the dominant one. She comes up to the fence while I am standing there and allows me to touch her. Before going into her territory, is there anything I should be immediately aware of.

Answer
Hi Robert!

If I were choosing a horse for you and your family as a group of green riders, and green owners, it would be one that was VERY well schooled from someone that rides with real quality.  I would watch the horse being handled from the ground and watch for any disrespect from both the horse and handler.  What the owner offers the horse and in turn what the horse has learned will have a huge impact on the fun and success that you and your family will have with her.

Do NOT buy a horse without having the current owner show you the horse and what they both know.  It is NOT the horse's fault if she is not well schooled and educated.  Do NOT accept any excuses on the part of the owner.  It is what it is.  A well schooled horse can step out of the pasture after a LONG lay-off and STILL have all of the skills of good behavior and education.  Granted, upper level maneuvers and skills will need good conditioning and physical strength to accomplish, however this is not the type of horse you are looking at.  

Your future equine partner should be able to accept, with grace and respect, people in her pasture touching her and offering to get to know her.  If you walk out in the pasture and she approaches you in an aggressive and dominant manner...RUN to your car and SPEED away!!!  This is NOT the horse for you!!!  Any horse that offers aggression first, has not had the best life and education.  It is heart breaking the things people do to horses, however, attempting to rescue a horse for first time owners or for green owners to attempt to fix aggressive, dominate behavior is too much to take on.  

Robert, this is what I want you to look for:  An OWNER that is well educated and of real quality.  Someone that is willing to show you a horse that has real skill.  An owner that will allow you to come several times to get to know the horse and will take the time to show YOU how to handle the horse and what the horse can do.  You should be able to lead with quality, touch, with respect, any part of the horse without fear of being kicked or bitten, pick up all four feet softly, clip, bathe, load in a trailer, accomplish vet work, shoeing, saddle, bridle (again with quality), ride at all three gates, lead up to the fence to mount, back softly, use from the ground and ride with a flag/tarp/slicker.  THIS is the horse I would recommend for you and your family.

Anything less than this, and YOU will have to really step up and get some great help in educating a horse that will offer you and your family a great, safe experience.  A horse is not a motorcycle, car, or a bike.  It is a thinking, feeling, very intelligent individual that is a HORSE not a dog/cat or a bunny.  Horses are horses.  They are very honest and have very specific behaviors as prey and flight animals that in order to have a wonderful partnership and relationship with them you have to understand.  Horses are very forgiving and clear.  They are herd animals that are looking for a leader they can trust.  This is what the HUMAN must offer to the horse for things to work well.  

Good horses that have real skill are expensive.  Most people buy a horse that is cheap.  They are cheap for a reason.  Right now the market is very soft, so even some very skilled horses are more affordable.  If you buy a horse that is less skilled, get help.  Becoming a great hand with a horse is an oral tradition passed from master to student.  Look for people that have ridden and learned from Tom Dorrence, Ray Hunt, Buck Brannaman, Bryan Neubert, Ricky Quinn.  I'm going to give you some DVD's to watch that will show you what really great horsemanship looks like, as well as some reading to do that will really help you and your family understand what the horse is all about.  Well educated is after all, well armed!  Also, look into attending a clinic with Buck Brannaman and Ricky Quinn.  They travel the country helping people with their horses.  It is not a big show or production.  These are humble, quiet men that are masters of what they do.  You may as well learn from the best, and not waste time and money on the second rate that can get your hurt.  If you educate yourself well, you are less likely to be taken advantage of and I'm sorry to say there are many unscrupulous people in the horse industry.

Here is a partial list of resources, be checking my website, I am working on a resource page that I will have finished soon...I hope!

"Ground Work" DVD by Buck Brannaman
"Ground Work" book by Buck Brannaman
"Back to the Beginning" DVD by Ray Hunt
"True Horsemanship through Feel"  Book by Bill Dorrence
"Turning Loose" DVD by Ray Hunt
Eclectic Horseman Magazine

You can go to my website where I have links to Buck's site on my favorites page.  You can google Eclectic Horseman, this is a top shelf publication and will offer tons of help to you and your family.  I subscribe to EC and I highly recommend this as your best, current horse publication.  I publish Ricky's clinic schedule and more dates are in the works for him.  Buck and Ray have their '08 schedules on their websites and I have links to them from my site.  

I hope this helps.  Good choices now will really help you in the future.  "There is nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse"!  I'm not sure who's quote this is...but it is very true!  I would not want to raise daughters without the help of a good horse!  

Let me know how things are going and if I can offer any additional help!  I'm so excited for your and your family!  Horses are wonderful!

Smiles!  Denise