should i get a horse that isn't saddle broke?

Reliable and qualified trainers are very expensive, plus you could be waiting a long time before you can get any real use out of the horse, especially if you want him well trained to jump.

The money you'd be paying a trainer to help you five days a week could go into buying a horse that's already well trained on the flat and over jumps. Yes, it might cost more than $2,000 for this horse, but you'd be saving a lot of money for trainer's fees. I would get a horse that's already trained and pay a trainer, riding instructor, or other knowledgeable person to help you with him once in a while.

Having said all this, if you do buy this horse and have someone train him, check around carefully for the average fee in your area, and only hire one with spotless references.

Best of luck.

If you feel like you're not ready to take on an unbroke horse of your own, then you're probably not. It sounds like you are a fairly confident rider and are probably ready for your first horse, but an unbroke horse would be a poor choice for you.

If your parents are willing to pay for training, how about you make a deal with them? Instead of buying a horse for $2000 now, ask them to just set aside the money they would be putting into board and training each month. It should only take a few months to save up enough money, on top of your current $2000 budget to get a nice, English horse that is already broke to ride.

Another solution is to redierect your searches away from warmbloods of any kind. Look for unregistered draft crosses and warmblood-type grade horses. The right draft cross can often perform and look the part of a low-end warmblood. Many American warmbloods are just registered and relabeled draft crosses. The label "American Warmblood" just adds to the price tag but doesn't mean much. You can also look for English-type Quarter Horses, Paints, and Appaloosas, or shop around for thoroughbreds. There are many low-priced OTTB's out there that have been retrained for pleasure, or thoroughbreds that have never been raced. They can make wonderful jumpers!

My own horse is an unregistered Shire/TB cross. I bought her for $2000. She was green but at least started under saddle. She's well-built, 17 hands, and free jumps 5'. If you have some patience and expand your search, you should be able to find what you're looking for for a relatively low price.

If you fell confident enough that you have the will and patience to work with an unbroke horse then i would say go for it. But if you are doubting yourself, then i would say no. Depending on how well mannered the horse is and how level headed it is will depend on how easy it will be to break it. Some horses will be the most level headed horses and give the biggest fight when it comes to breaking. If i were you in your situation i would go with a green broke horse. something for you to mess around with and get more experience under your belt before attempting to break one. Im not sure where your located but i would NEVER spend 2k on an unbroke horse. As one of the other answers said. its show season and horses are conditioned and being shown. They are going to be asking a lot of money for them right now. I would wait until winter when they drop down because of finances with feeding through the winter. you can snag up a really nice horse at this time. Also if you get a new horse in winter, more than likely you won't be riding as much as you would in the summer and you will have the time to bond with the horse and get to know each other. (: Good Luck with your decision and be careful!

Keep looking. You are about to come into "sale season" because horse shows are winding down for the year and horse-owning high-school graduates are beginning to leave for college -- meaning, your timing is perfect. Look at horses in the $3,000 range that have maybe been for sale for a little while, and make an offer.

I would NOT get an unbroken horse as your first horse even if you have been riding for several years and come from a horsey family. You WILL make mistakes with your first horse (everybody does), and you want one who's forgiving, fun to ride, and a confidence-builder.

You might also need to be willing to travel a bit further to look at potential horses if there's nothing suitable inyour immediate area. I found that three hours by car, give or take, is a manageable distance; you're not SO far away that it's impractical to see the horse more than once or spend all day hauling an unfamiliar horse back to your place.

Then there are auctions. I'm sure you don't need me to list the risks associated with auctions; never the less, you can find really good horses very cheaply. Given that your parents are knowledgeable about horses (and presumably, at their age, have the common sense and instinct to tell them when something isn't right), you might consider at least going to one to see what's available. Take your instructor with you too (actually, you should do that anyway.) But you have to be REALLY hard-nosed about it: DON'T give in to the heart-break case and spend good money on a hopeless situation (and trust me, they abound at auctions.) And if you buy one who turns out not to be suitable (i.e. dangerous) you have to be willing to take him right back to the next such sale and to lose money on him.

Finally, you might consider a rescue. The "Adoption" fee is often considerably less than what you're prepared to spend, the horses generally have been thoroughly vetted, and the rescue usually makes sure that you and he are suited for each other. Plus you're doing a good deed. The down-side is that "adoption" often means you agree to certain conditions (such as allowing the agency to inspect your property and even visit from time to time) and you are often prohibited from selling the horse. However, if you and the horse prove not to be such a good fit after all, the agency usually will take him back.

Get on Facebook and look around for local Groups that are made by Local people in your area to sell horses. That's where I got my first horse earlier this year. She was $2500 BUT she is a beginner safe 3 year old that is fluent in Western and English so it was well worth it.

Although she was above your price range, I've seen plenty of horses with your needs for sale, and majority broke. Just take your time to find one, or get one that speaks to you. My girl wasn't the best pick, there were five other bombproof horses for less than $1500 for sale, but she spoke to me and we are a perfect match. Actually you could even put ISO and your needs and might find one faster. The horse market on these sites are five times higher in the summer, btw. Plus it is real local people.

So my advice? Find groups on Facebook made for horses (or farm equipment, pets, etc.) and search for your dream.

You seem mature enough, but the ultimate question is do you have the means to break the horse? some horses take time, and if it's your horse you should be helping in the process of breaking in your horse.

No, do not buy an unbroke horse.