Hi,
I guess it all depends on how much experience you have yourself and the type of horse you are thinking of buying.
Are you thinking of buying a green saddle started horse or a comletely raw young one? I wouldn't recommend buying a completely raw horse unless you have some practical experience with doing join up. Would this be your first time starting a horse? If so choose your type of horse wisely. It wouldn't be wise to buy a big hot headed horse for your first time! I have just bought a Brumby - a wild horse here in Australia - he is on the smaller side and they have a very calm, trainable nature so he was a good choice for me. But like any horse you have to be calm, quiet and take things slowly.
If you have the experience necessary, can find a suitable horse and feel you are ready for this step then i say go for it!
Hope this helps :-)
Janelle

Dear Equiabe - there is always a first for everything! Keep on Equus - that is a very good start with any horse! I will ask you - do you think it is a good idea? Give yourself the time to reflect on how you veiw other peoples decisions when it comes to horses and you will have your answer. Warmest Ann

Equiabe
Don't let your ego push you into something that you don't have the skills to do. I am not say that you don't have good skills but training a horse is much different that riding a horse.
If you decide that you can handle the responsibility of working with a young horse follow what Ann has suggested and keep upon Equus and if you run into difficulties there are people to help you. And my favorite advise to anyone working with animals, or for that matter any living thing, is patience and calmness.
Good luck with whatever decision you make.

Cheers

I agree with what's been said here already. What is your experience? Have you practiced Monty's methods before? Monty says to train Join-up on lots of calm, experienced horses before trying it on your own with a young or untrained horse.
Good luck and stay safe!

thanks all for the great advice,
i dont have too much experience so i would be buying a breed that is easily trainable and co operative.
i would be buying a green saddle started horse.
i have a 6month membership to Equus so i will be staying on here for a while at the very least:)
i have practiced montys methods before and they all seemed to work very well:)
thanks again for all your help:)
EquiAbi

EquiAbi, talking from my own exprience if you do not have much previous experience be very careful in getting young horse. Everyone has to learn somewhere but it is very hard work and there has been many occasions when I have questioned my decision to get a youngster. Please dont rush into this like I did, is there a local riding school near you that has youngsters you can work with? Gain some knowledge before you make the leap?

Hi EquiAbi - given you have indicated to us in the past that you are only 13 years old and given that you are currently on a huge learning curve yourself I really cannot recommend your purchase of a young horse to train. There are so many things that can go wrong with a young green horse. My advice would be to wait a few years and spend that time learning everything you can about breaking and training young green horses. Get as much experience as you possibly can with different horses - you may volunteer to help out on a horse stud or with an experienced Monty Roberts type trainer. I am not sure if you currently have your own horse or not but if you do then maximise your training with it and enjoy experimenting with Monty's techniques even if your horse says that is "old Hat". If you do not currently own a horse then for your first horse you do need to purchase an experienced horse and it will help you learn. I have learnt so much from my horse Nicky as her ground manners are exceptional. Good luck with it and if you do choose to buy a green saddle started horse then take your time about finding the right horse for you. Some young horses if kindly treated from birth and if broken via Monty Roberts methods can be very quiet and reliable and hence suitable for you. Try to get to know the horse well and spend time with it prior to the purchase. There are so many pitfalls out there to tumble into when purchasing a horse, especially a young one.

Hi Abi,
Monty says: "a young rider needs an experienced horse, a young horse needs an experienced trainer!" Do you get the picture? You being relatively young can learn so much from a horse that has a lot of experience. Later, when you are an experienced horseperson, a young horse can benefit from all the knowledge and musclememory you'll have gathered in many years of enjoying working with and handling a lot of different horses.
I understand the romantic idea of being the first trainer in your horse's life, keep that feeling as a goal to reach in the future. There are so many older, safe horses around, use the chance to learn your skills from handling them, only to prepare yourself for that precious time somewhere on your path!
Miriam

I agree with all the advice given above.
A few years ago I bought a small baby, totally green, wild and abused. On top of everything else it was a filly!!!
I am, shall we say a wee bit older than you and was raised on a franch, lots of different horses around.
Still this has been the most challenaging thing I have ever attempted and I would not recommend it to anyone. It can be a challenge with an older, trained horse for a young person.
My next purchase will be a older, 15 or so gelding, you can be sure and even then there will be no guarentees.
There is an old saying, green on green makes black and blue.
Be safe,
Ronda

Enjoy riding a nice broke horse, maybe find a lazy one and figure out why it is lazy and re-train it.... I am not going to sugar coat this your statement of "buying a breed that is easily trainable and cooperative" says it all - 13 year old - fantasy. When I was 15 a guy I was riding for built us a squeeze pen so we could saddle and get on the ones who wouldn't stand still - what a nightmare!! I didn't know crap.. turned out some hard mouthed horses, lucky to be alive. Even If I had Monty Roberts Equine University back then, looking back I was just to young at 15. I started riding when I was 4. Ronda love green on green makes black and blue :) how did I never hear that one before?

LonaFende
It is good to have fantasies at 13 or 67. I really don't think it is a fantasy to her, but rather youthful confidence and not enough experience. Glad you are still alive. My guess is you learned an awful lot messing with rank horses. I do like your suggestion of getting a lazy horse and retraining it. Taking on an older horse that has just a few problem, nothing wild, and using your skills to correct that problem would be a very good start for someone that wants to eventually train horses.
My trainer made a suggestion and that was to watch trainers wiring with a horse and observe the body movement and positioning. Don't watch what he is doing but rather how he is doing it. My trainer is a fourth generation Chilan (horse trainer in Peru) and his father never gave him a lesson as such. He only told him to what his movements. His father had so many trick to get horse to what he was asking and he was vert secretive about it. He would not let anyone but his son watch him work. I was fortunate enough that his dad and I got along really well and he finally asked me if I wanted to watch him put a head set on a horse. It is surprising what bailing twine can do! A perfect tie down with not cost. He ask made running martingales with bailing twine. Not elegant but worked really well.
Cheers