Deciding on Age of a New Horse
Many people buy a horse which is too young for their requirements, and consequently pay more than they should, as well as getting a horse which lacks the required maturity and training. Less often, the opposite mistake is made, of buying a horse which is too old to provide the desired years of future riding. This article considers these issues in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of various horse ages.
Four Year Old. This is one of the most popular ages, since horses typically complete their basic training by age four and are immediately ready for riding. In addition, if you decide you want to train the horse to an advanced level, it is still young enough. Although a trained horse will be more expensive than a younger untrained one, this is offset by saving on the costs of training and associated stabling during this period.
5 to 7 years. At this age, one can get a well-trained horse rather than one which has only basic training. It will also be somewhat more mature and calmer, making it easier to manage or more reliable. Such a horse is generally more suitable for children and new riders. However, one needs to make sure the horse is trained as much as you require before the end of this period, as horses become more difficult and
After 7 years. Horses become calmer and more reliable as they become older, so horses in this category are often the best choice for inexperienced riders. They also are generally less expensive than younger horses. Provided that the horse has been well treated and is not too old, it can have many years of riding left in it.
3 year old. This is the age (depending on breed) when riding training usually starts. Consequently, you can enjoy the experience of training your horse rather than buying an already trained horse. However, if your main purpose is riding, you will likely prefer to purchase an older trained horse, saving yourself time and training fees.
Under 3 years. The main benefit of horses under 3 years of age is that you can have the pleasure of watching them grow up. Although such young horses are cheaper to buy, in the end it is usually less expensive to buy a trained horse than it is to buy a foal and pay for the years of stabling and then training required before it is ready to ride. Furthermore, with an older trained horse one can be more certain of the horse’s physical and mental characteristics than with a foal.
The preceding is a general summary and not applicable in all circumstances. For example, if you will be using the horse for racing or other competitions, the associated age restrictions need to be taken into account. Furthermore, breeds and individual horses age at different rates, as well as owners having different policies as to when and to what extent horses are trained prior to sale.
Duber Stewart writes for the Horses for Sale website, using his experiences in owning and breeding horses.
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