purchasing a horse at various ages

[brooklyn_21]

at what age should i purchase a horse? during which stage of it's life? foal, yearling, colt/filly, mare/stallion/gelding...or does it depend on the purpose?

[rhapsody]

Hi!!

I was just reading on a previous thread that you have not ridden yet and want to ride western. If the horse is for you then you should look at several of things. Age is not the only factor. Stay away from stallions…they just are not practical for beginners, the same goes for colts and fillies unless you are prepared to be patient for them to grow for a few years and then spend money on them being trained.

Mares and geldings are what you should be looking at. If the horse is for you then get someone with experience (maybe the instructor at your riding school) to look for a horse for you. They will probably know of a few good, sound horses for sale that would be suitable for you and what you want to do.

The other question to ask is how long do you plan to keep the horse? Is it going to be a horse you learn on and then sell later to get a more experienced horse or are you looking for a lifelong friend? In both cases you wouldn’t want to be buying a horse over 18 – 25 years old (even if they do have good years in them left) as it will just be too hard to sell later on and if you plan to keep him then you have got upkeep of an aged/retired horse.

From personal opinion I would look for a horse around 10. They should have some training in the field you want, been around the block a few times and have some experience, and still have a good 10 -15 years in them if they are looked after properly and have no prior medical conditions (arthritis etc)
Oh and don’t forget ……get a full vet check, the last thing you need is to buy a horse that has physical or medical problems covered up that are going to be expensive to fix when you discover them…you don’t want to buy another person’s problems!! :cool:

[horsegirl413]

dont go with a horse too young my friend has a paint that is one year old she really cant do much with it. if your looking dfor a horse that you can ride and everything. than you should gou aroung 7-10 year old horses.

and as for your age i think whenever you feel ready:D