How Did You Decide For Your First Horse?

My mom picked my first horse for me. I had no say in the matter. I had four horses before I actually got to pick one on my own. My rescued Shire cross mare is the first horse I picked for myself, and I think she picked me, or her seller picked her for me. I was responding to all of the ads on equine now and dreamhorse for horses that I thought might fit the criteria I was looking for. My horse's seller was very prompt in her responses, answered all of my questions and was really friendly and honest. This made it very easy set up a time to meet the horse in person, and how could you say no to this face?

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y52/kiltsrhott/ur...

I'd graduated from college and joined the Air Force. I had an apartment, a brand new car and a good job. It was FINALLY time to buy the horse I had had been dreaming of since I was a little girl! I looked for nearly 6 months, I rode all sorts of horses but none of them were right. Then I saw the ad for an 8 year old Arabian gelding who was professionally trained and 'spirited yet gentle.' Those were the exact words I had always used to describe my dream horse. When I went to see him I literally gasped - he was the most gorgeous horse I'd ever seen. He was THE ONE.

We had 26 WONDERFUL years together. We spend thousands and thousands of hours on the trails and had many great adventures. I rode him until he was 31 and then gave him his well deserved retirement. He was nearly 35 when he finally died. There will never be another like him, he was THE ONE.

I wanted my own horse since I started riding, but we couldn't really afford one. So I rode and showed a few horses from my barn and developed deep bonds with them.

My parents wanted to get me my own horse, and my dad kept telling me that the right horse would come along when the time was right and I had to be patient.

I was probably 11 at this time, and one of the horses I was riding, a spirited Arabian, Mimi, was for sale. I was heartbroken because I was convinced that I could never have her and she would be sold. Her owner, my instructor, would say how happy she was going to make some little girl and I remember wishing I would be that little girl.

Long story short, that next Christmas I learned that Mimi was mine! And she has been ever since. She is still the love of my life some 7 years later and I am so happy I didn't rush into buying a horse just for the sake of having one, because then I wouldn't have Mimi. My da was right, the right horde came along when the time was right and I couldn't be happier. :)

I was at my camp and a friend of my moms was telling her about a horse for sale, she was very mad that I over heard as I had been begging for a horse for many years. We went to see the 3 year old 13.3hh Qh/Arab pony he was all alone, wouldn't lead, wouldn't listen, kicked me 3 times bit me drug me down the road, I knew right then he was a keeper. He is so much alike me, stubborn and does what he wants. I was 14 when I got him, mind you he was not broke. I had no help with training him and I now could not have asked for a better horse, he says good morning everyday when I feed the horses, and I always say good night with a snack for him, I can read him like a book and he knows what I'm thinking all the time, he helped me as much as I helped him. Im nOw going on with my 7th horse I don't have all of them anymore but he was my first and he's not going anywhere

After a bad accident with a dangerous horse that tried to kill both my parents on separate occasions (not joking) I took about a month or so before looking for a new horse. I looked at a ton of horses. I scoured the internet and my local paper for anything that seemed promising. I rode quite a few horses, anything ranging from a gigantic OTTB, to some poor little mix breed that was the ugliest little guy you'd ever see. Each horse just didn't feel right. Even if they were perfectly behaved and nothing but gentle. I just couldn't imagine it as my own.

While flipping through Craigslist (gotta love Craigslist) I saw a small little ad for a quarter horse. Something like, " Quarter horse. Daughter lost interest, horse is alone, need to sell." She was really close by, so why not call? Turns out an old friend of mine from high school had her. I knew the family and it was good to know that if I liked the horse, they would give me a deal. I brought my mom and dad to come see her with me (I was only 19 at the time. 20 now.) My dad immediately liked her because she was fully dark bay with no white markings at all. The poor thing was locked up in a stall, which hadn't ever been mucked out, I dont think. Her tack was dusty and she was uncomfortable on cross ties. I just spent time with her brushing and checking her out. She didn't seem special to me. She didn't stand out in any way, but I decided to go back a few days later to ride.

She was a doll for tacking up. Didn't move, took the bit well. That was a positive. But then when I mounted her to ride, she seemed shifty. She didn't want to get close to the gate once we were in her pasture. I figured she was just testing me, so I walked her by it a few times. One time I got her too close and she bucked me off! Luckily there was lots of snow on the ground and all I suffered was a pant load of snow. It took me a few minutes to get her calmed down so I could get back on. She was the only horse to buck me off, but somehow that made her a little more appealing.

The owner then decided to tell me she hadn't been ridden in 2 years. Great. I couldn't believe that she did as well as she had for that amount of time off. I went for it. Her, plus all her tack, brushes, blanket, and feed was $750. What a bargain. I've had her for a year now and she is the most quiet gentle little mare you'll ever see. Her personality completely shone through once she was being taken care of and out of a stall.

I didn't think so at the time, but we were meant to be together. It took a while for me to say I loved my mare, because she was just flat in personality. Now that I can read her subtle body language, she is a talkative little thing.

Im not going to tell you about the first horse i bought.. She was a lesson horse i fell in love with.. but the horse i have now, I believe that she picked me.. My trainer/barn owner wanted a horse that she could take to races. She loved race horses, and has quite a few ottbs but wanted her own horse to race. She bought a 7 year old tb who had lived her entire life at the track. A beautiful, dark bay mare named Roxie. I went about riding my little morgan and never had a second thought about the racehorse. She had nothing to do with me.

My trainer moved to another barn, closer to my home, so we continued to board with her at the new place. me and my best friend were working for her, guiding trail rides and exercising horses. Roxie was 8 and no longer racing. My trainer had broken her in to be a riding horse. One day she came in and said she wanted me to ride her because she was just sitting around and not being used. This was the first green horse id ever ridden, and it was so different from the trail horses i was used to riding. I never thought id ever do anything with this horse, i didn't even know which one was her when i went to catch her for the first time! Although our first ride was hard, i liked Roxie and continued to ride her all summer. Right before winter she got injured, and then sadly, my own horse passed away. I spent so much of my time just visiting Roxie. I rode a bit, but not often. When spring got closer, and Roxie seemed to be getting better, i tried to work with her. She was crazy! i had never seen her act that way before. One day she even kicked me. Got be right in the leg and i had a huge bruise. I didn't give up though, and eventually she started to calm down. The first time i rode her, i just walked around the paddock. Then a while later, my friend lunged me on her at the walk and a bit at the trot. Even though i liked Roxie, she was still hard to handle. Sometimes i was even afraid of her. My dad knew i liked the horse, and without even asking me, he bought her! I was upset, and afraid but also happy to have a horse again. I just didn't think Roxie and I would ever be a great team, i didn't think i was a good enough rider to handle her as my own horse. I have owned Roxie for over a year now, and she is the most amazing thing. We are an amazing team and i trust her like no other. We can do anything, and she is my forever horse. She is THE ONE and i love her more than anything. If my dad hadn't of gotten her behind my back, i don't think i ever would of had the courage to buy her. I could never picture myself having any other horse. she is 10 years old now

Well, it was a mutual proicess. The first time I heard her name I was convinced I didnt want her. But after the test ride I knew she was perfect. Ive had her for about five years now, but since she was kicked and has a bone chip I can only walk trot her. We spent several years learning how to jump and had to come over several behavioral obstacles. This year when I learned I could no longer show her we (my mom and I) began looking for another. We eventually settled on an adorable 5 year old western pleasure horse that I clicked with immediatley. To be honest it depends on which direction you want to go in with your horse, some are better at some things than others.

I was 12 (16 now) and we had a family horse (a young brumby) and we moved to a new agistment property and one of the other horses at the property was a 7 year old 16hh ex-racehorse, and she was literally skin and bones, the owners kept a rug on her but you could still plainly see her rib and hip bones. I felt really sorry for her and would give her some feed and an apple or carrot every afternoon when i saw her. After a couple of days she would be waiting at the fence every day for me to get there after school, and i would give her her treat and pat her for awhile. After 2 or 3 months, mum and dad said i could go and make an offer on her to her owners, and i went and offered $800 and they accepted. She is now in excellent condition and is shiny and gorgeous, and we have been to heaps on gymkhanas and trail rides together, and i am going to put her in foal sometime in the next year while i am in senior years at high school :)

My family always had horses but they were never mine. I was always looking. One day when I was ten or eleven I saw a 4 year old Arabian gelding who was the most beautiful blood bay with four socks and a blaze. I had looked at a thousand horses but there was something about him. I emailed him to my mom and to my surprise she said we could go see him. She said she saw that it factor to. He was wonderful everyone said we were crazy cause he was so young but when we got there the woman had a three year old riding him he was wonderful. When we had him vet checked they said one hoof was thin and could cause lameness problems down the road I was devastated . Well we ended up getting him anyways after talking to the owner for a few more weeks. He was the most wonderful man I could have asked for even typing about him is making me cry. He did evening with me and could jump three feet he did bareback and western pleasure he did it all with the kindest most trust worthy attitude when I turned 18 I was working and my mom called me to tell me something was wrong with him by the time I got out there they said it was to late he had colic and we hadn't found him soon enough. We had to put him down and bury my wonderful man at the age of 12 he was the best horse I've ever owned to this day and I'll never stop missing him. He was supposed to be the horse my kids learned to ride on and we were going get old together and that didn't happen. Love them while you have them.

Well, I had been riding Saddleseat for six months when my trainer told me she got a new horse in. I asked about him and she said "Oh he's gorgeous! A dapple gray!" By then I was excited. I went to look at him and oh my god... A skinny, scratched up and scarred fleabitten gray arabian gelding. He looked like he had been abused, which he hadn't been just let out in a field with a bunch of geldings that hated him. ^^ But I loved him. I rode him for five more months and we just clicked. As I got more experienced he got harder, throwing in fake spooks and small bolts. Got quite annoying when I was on the trail and he bolted off towards the barn. Anyways, on my birthday I walked into the barn for my lesson and my trainer said I was riding him. I looked at him and he had a red ribbon around his neck and a hot pink poster that said "Congratulations! Sir Prize is yours!" I was crying and thanking everyone. Had the best ride ever that day. I still have him now, two years later, along with my sweet morgan Atticus. :) Makes me smile to this day.

I believe she picked me more than I did her. So I have been riding my whole life but started lessons 3 yrs ago, took an 8 month break due to an accident, then was back in lessons for 9-10 months before I started looking for a horse. I looked literally every day online for HOURS. Inquired about countless horses. Went and saw 5 different horses before I found mine. I would try and settle, thinking "Oh it could be the one" but something always got in the way. Like the price was RAISED or it was sold before I got to see it again. Just things that reminded me in a not so subtle way that there was another horse out there waiting for me. Fate was steering me towards the one I was meant to have. Well one day I was on my way to check out another horse but as soon as I pulled out of my driveway, the guy cancelled! Yet I had a strange urge to see ANY horse that day. So I got on my phone, went on equinenow, and found an ad I had seen yesterday. It was simple and she sounded sweet. I got there (it was a consignment barn) and she was stuck in a tiny, muddy stall with empty food bins. Her ribs were showing, poor conformation, her hooves had rings, and her eyes were dull. I went in with a strong mentality I would not like this horse. But once I got her out of the stall and started grooming her, I really liked her. Then the consigner told me she was green undersaddle (I was looking for a beginner safe horse!) but I rode her any way. And she was a dream! Smoothest gaits ever! I remember thinking to myself "she's fun to ride, but not the one" then a soon as those thoughts were in my head I shot them down, no...she IS the one! So I had my trainer come with me to see her and she liked her! But she hadn't acted nervous around me so I was surprised when my trainer told me that based on her actions towards my trainer she must've been abused. Which the vet also confirmed. But she was perfect with me! But my trainer told me because of her conformation, she could go lame if I were to jump her higher than a cross rail. I was not going to get her until one day the consigner called my mom and said that we'd have to hurry up and vet her if we wanted her because there was another lady coming that week with a trailer and the full asking price! We vetted and bought her the at 9 am (other person was going to come at 12pm! LOL). We got her for $500 less than the asking price! I knew we had done the right thing. I love her so much and I don't even care anymore that she can't jump (:

I've owned her for a week now!