I am thinking of buying a horse for the first time and have been educating myself, taking advice from horse owners and with hands on experience myself for the last 6 months. I have noticed the horse owner advice varies and understandably, the right breed depends on the horse owners expectations from owning a horse, While I look at having a horse as a long term commitment and have no formal horse training, dealing and caring for horses have always been very natural to me. Ideally, I am looking for a good horse, that is not high maintenance that can be a part of my family. My daughter is very much into horses and has had western training. I do not looking for a jumper or a barrel racer but a nice horse that can be trotted and cantered, taken on a trail and be a nice addition to our family. I think a quarter horse is probably a good breed though have had a lot of fun with Arabians. I just think the high spirit of Arabians is too much for my very light daughter! I appreciate getting your thoughts and advice.
Thank you:-)
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The study of breeds and dispositions is a fascinating one! And, as you say, individual as people too.
You might like to learn more from Monty's DVD: A Perfect Match, how to buy a horse. I learned a lot.
First of all, congratulations on your decision to bring a horse into your family! Its really good that you are thinking this through properly. I, recently had my dream come true and now have a beautiful black Dales gelding, he is a great horse for all the family and as I have 3 young children, I too thought hard about which breed, and knew Dales were very placid and had good natures. Also, as a young teenager, I fell in love with a black Fell called Mary and that is what originally set me off on the path of a Dales, as they are very similar, but Dales are slightly bigger! So, if you have a love for Arabians and have had a lot of great memories with them in the past, maybe you could compromise like me and look out for an Arab cross, wtih something a little more easy for your daughter to handle, but you would also have the delightful Arabian spirit in there too! (Just not in such a high dosage as a full Arabian)! Good luck with your search for your dream horse! Rachael
I agree with Local, I was given the Monty Roberts DVD: A Perfect Match as a gift and I love it. It made me think things through before rushing into a purchase. I Still haven't found the right match yet, so I am leasing a qurter horse. I love him, he is vey sensible, but that's him. Not all quarter horses are sensible. Good luck, keep us posted.
Andrea
Thank you everyone for your comments. I will certainly watch Monty's DVD as a starting point.
Thanks for asking this question! And for everyone providing answers. I'm in a similar stage right now. I ride Arabs quite often and love them. However, people always tell me to ride as many breeds as I can before I adopt my horse. I am interested in other breeds, so I'm excited to begin searching. I didn't know about Monty's DVD--so I will purchase that too before I buy!
i would go with quarter horses as well. they are for sure all-around horses i dont know what you would be doing but if you are into rodeo these horses are perfect for it. and for ealight i have had experiences with arabians as well as american saddlebreds and both are beautiful breeds and unique in their own way. i would give anything to have either a friesian or an andalusian for my next horse
Monty Roberts sells perfectly trained horses, look at the link below.
http://www.examiner.com/x-17117-Philadelphia-Horse-Training-Examiner~y2009m8d13-Horses-for-sale-that-are-horses-of-perfection
Yes Monty's horses must be awesome but the price range is rather steep. Of course, you get what you pay for BUT that is simply out of my budget. Thanks for the recommendation though.