It’s a new year! You have been waiting, saving, yearning, plotting, and dreaming of buying a horse or finding a new horse and 2006 is going to be the year it happens. So what is next? How do you determine where to look for your perfect horse? What questions should you ask yourself before setting off on the journey of horse ownership? What qualities are you looking for in a horse, and what are your qualities as a good steward?
Over the next few months with Northwest Horse Source, we will be examining the questions and considerations you need to ask and answer before purchasing your dream horse. First we will help you to evaluate your own qualifications for being a horse owner, to help you to find just the right fit with the perfect horse. Next we’ll examine in-depth the commitment you are making to the horse for safety concerns, financial considerations, and the amount of time you will have to dedicate to developing a relationship. Finally, we will give you some very specific tips about “How” to evaluate the horse, before purchase, to assess if it truly is the “Right Fit” for you.
If it were a perfect world, two things would be prerequisites to horse-ownership: First, the human would have to pass a test regarding their mental, emotional, physical, and maybe even spiritual fitness. Second, the test would be administered by the horses and they would be the ones to grant a license for horse ownership! Similar to marriage counseling before you get a marriage license, there would be key questions that need to be asked and answered in order for both parties to make a commitment.
These would be some of the questions the horses would ask in order for the human to receive his “Horse Ownership License”:
• What are your motives and reasons for wanting a horse? Just answering “I love ‘em” or “They are so pretty” or “My little girl talks of nothing but horses” is not reason enough to own a horse. Certainly these are positive attributes, but they tend towards answering only the emotional part of horse ownership. Here are four questions that you need to answer, or if purchasing a horse for your child, answered by the two of you, to evaluate if you are ready for horse ownership:
• Mentally: Am I willing to commit time to study how the horse thinks, reacts, feels, and moves in his environment, and educate myself to become a good leader for my horse?
• Emotionally: What do I hope to gain emotionally with this experience, and what I will need to give back to the horse? Am I willing to exhibit patience, forgiveness, grace, kindness, and care?
• Physically: Am I physically capable of providing for my horse in terms of time, space, safety, fun, and finances? Am I physically fit to accomplish the ground work and riding exercises?
• Spiritually: Am I prepared to connect with my horse on a spiritual level that sets up a relationship built on respect and trust that ultimately makes me a better human being?
• What is the goal I will fulfill by having a horse? For example: Do you want to go on trail rides every weekend, spending time with good friends or family, in a beautiful environment or are you looking to compete in equestrian events? Whatever your aim, look for the type of horse that will help the two of you perform as a team.
• What is my level of competence? Would purchasing a school master assist you in developing a deeper understanding with fewer frustrations? Physically are you prepared to bring along a young horse, with few experiences? In general, green horses with green riders do not make for a good match. An older horse, that has “been there and done that” can increase your fun and safety factor by a thousand percent! Ask yourself… how much is my safety, or the safety of my child worth?
As we continue in this series, we will examine a number of these considerations in much greater depth. My goal is certainly not to discourage you in becoming a horse owner. However, I am here to act as the horse’s advocate. Take the time to see if you pass the test for your “Horse Owner License”. I don’t want to see you in Horse Divorce Court!
Copyright © 2008 The NW Horse Source, LLC
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