If i bought a filly that needed training, would it cost less to buy the training equipment than buying a full grown horse that needs all its tack?

As you’re asking this question, I’m going to guess you’re a novice rider. If that’s the case, than if you bought a green horse, you would have to pay a professional trainer to bring the horse along for at least several months before it would be safe for you to ride. Training fees can be quite steep, and I’ve never seen any that are less than five hundred a month, usually on top of whatever the cost of board.

No matter what, you will need all your own tack and equipment in the end. I recommend first taking riding lessons for a year or two. Also try to volunteer around the stable so you can see what it’s like to work around horses. When you own your own horse, you will eventually have to muck a stall, wrap legs, fill water buckets, and more. Then, when you’ve been riding for some time and you’re comfortable working around horses, I recommend leasing or half-leasing a well-broke horse before you consider buying one of your own. Most people who rush into buying without spending much time learning to ride and learning proper horsemanship find themselves completely overwhelmed by the amount of work and time (not to mention money) it takes to own a horse. Leasing provides you with a good idea of what it’s like to be responsible for your own horse. And if you decide it’s too much, the lease is only temporary so you won’t be stuck with an investment that cost you several thousand dollars. You can give it back to the owner.

Only when you’re financially and mentally capable of caring for a horse should you look into purchasing one of your own. And when that time comes, you can evaluate your skills and your goals to determine how much training your future horse should already have. I highly recommend always bringing a professional with you to look at prospects, as they might spot flaws in the animal’s conformation or behavior that you could miss. Also, vet checking the horse is absolutely mandatory. I’ve seen too many animals purchased supposedly sound only to break down a week or so later.

I am 13 and I have been volunteering at my local stable for a year and I have been going to my friend’s ranch since I was 8. At the stable, I have turned horses in and out, cleaned their water buckets, cleaned the feed rooms, exercised horses, and groomed horses. At my friend’s ranch, I have cleaned stalls, feed and watered her horses, cleaned their water buckets, taken the horses in and out, taken her miniature horses on a trail walk, talked to her Ferrier and vet, ridden her horses, and started training one of her rescue horses who has made a great deal of progress.

I know that owning a horse costs money and is a huge responsibility. My mom has a second job at an after school care place and she said if I help her out after school for two hours I can get half of her pay. By the end of the month, I will have enough money to pay my friend for letting me keep my horse there. I will also have my allowance ($80) and my lunch money that I don’t use ($100). The only reason I wouldn’t keep my horse at my local stable is because I don’t really agree with the way the barn is run… (They take all the fun out of horses). I am looking to adopt a rescue horse (http://www.equineadoption.com/order.htm) and later on show my horse in 4h. My friend’s barn is full at the moment because she only has three stalls. So, my horse could use the lean-to once we build a sliding door on the end of it (pictures below).

I know I will need a lot of equipment like grooming, tack, helmet, boots, first aid kit, food and water buckets, deworming medication, and money for floating&vaccinations and incase of colic or any other medical problems. So far I have a my grooming kit, a saddle and saddle pad, shampoo, a lead rope and lunge line, all of the Parelli training tools apart from the bridle system, halter and hackamore, bareback pad, boots, helmet, and the Parelli DVDs. I need to but yet a winter blanket, fly spray, fly mask, first aid kit, a halter, cross-ties, hackamore, bridle, and deworming medication. Once I get my horse, I am going to get insurance on my horse so if something happens, a percent of the cost will be cut. I am also going to buy a round pen, seeing how my friend has always wanted one and I could use it too.

I will be able to go out to my friend’s ranch every Friday and Saturday and sometimes during the week once summer arrives. On the days I am there I will be cleaning the stalls and training/ riding. I have not taken any riding lessons except for the ones from my friend but I am not that into riding. I rather just have a pasture pal than a show horse. I am planning on going to college though. For college, I am looking at going to the University of Wisconsin which has a stable there for me to keep my horse at. Do you think I am ready for a horse of my own?

~pictures~

Kathy’s Barn

http://s232.photobucket.com/albums/ee172/blackjack3296/?action=view&current=barn.jpg

Kathy’s Barn2

http://s232.photobucket.com/albums/ee172/blackjack3296/?action=view&current=barn2.jpg

The Lean-to

http://s232.photobucket.com/albums/ee172/blackjack3296/?action=view&current=barn3.jpg

Black Jack (the rescue horse that I began to train) and Rocket (another rescue horse that Kathy donated to a family)

http://s232.photobucket.com/albums/ee172/blackjack3296/?action=view&current=100_1144.jpg

Black Jack and I (from two years ago)

Thanks ahead of time:)

Sorry if it was really long…
I have already co-owned a horse with someone and then they had to sell the horse and at the time I was 9 and less experienced so I could not but that horse fully. I was heartbroken and I really don’t want to have to go through that again… and neither do my parents:)
I understand the basic costs of horses and by the time I will be getting mine, I will have $3,000 saved up. My parents said I can get a hrose only if I pay for it myself but I would like to know if I am ready to get one before I jump in way over my head:)

Well you sound really responible and you are right, owning a horse is a lot of money and needs a lot of care. So if you think your ready for the challenge then sit down and talk about how you can come up with the money and where you can keep it. Have fun!!!!

I have a 8 year old saddlebred who is buddy sour. He’s fine when there are other horses, even when he’s in the lead. But when you ask him to stay behind or head away from the herd, then, you have problems. He’s anxious when he’s by himself. My problem is that when you ask him to turn to go where you want him to, if it’s away from the herd, he turns his head and neck sideways and continues in the same direction. I can’t figure out if he’s resisting or if it’s that he’s exclusively trained to neck rein. I ask him to leg-yield and he overreacts and turns instead. So, I back off pressure with the leg, and pull a bit harder on one rein, which he ignores. So I finally jerk the rein, which results in him throwing his nose in the air. If I pull down, he rears. At which point I grab his mane/ the saddlehorn. When he comes down, we sit for a moment and then I ask again with one rein, click to him, and he goes in the direction I’ve been asking him to the whole time. How on earth do I avoid escalating to this point every time. I don’t want to let him get away with doing what he wants to, and I want to back him off the pelham bit he came with because he seems too sensitive for it and jerking/pulling down really upsets him and he chews on it despite his teeth being floated a month ago, but if control is an issue… I can’t tell where training or equipment issues end and where being bad begins.

In my opinion from your description, you have 2 separate issues to address. The first is the response to your cues.

With other horses around, work on that first. Are you using your legs in the right position to have his rib cage curl around them? Can you practice things safely in an arena? Get rid of the bit and bridle and use a lead rope and halter. You can make reins out of the lead if that makes you feel safer. Ask for the lateral yield one way with your legs helping him and turning his nose (direct rein). Wait, wait, wait. As soon as you get the yield (as soon as he sorts it out), release. This release is what helps him learn the right thing. Wait. Repeat a half dozen times. He should be catching on and softening up by now.

Repeat on the other side. One side may be better than the other.

If he steps over with his rear, that’s ok. You may even get him stepping forward following his nose. But his rib cage needs to be bent to make a small circle with bending around your inside leg and using your outside leg farther up to help the outside shoulder move over..

So once that is smooth and consistent, walk him out and keep trying the yields with a halter and your legs.

He should be very consistent and happy with this (he’s figured all of it out and no resistance) before you try it with a bit. That will tell you if the bit works for him if he continues quietly. If not, switch back to a nice training snaffle.

The other issue about being buddy sour I would address AFTER you have the nice yields and control.

Or you can do some of it simultaneously from the ground. Take your horse for a walk on a 12′ lead with halter. A long lead is important for your safety. You can use a lunge line coiled up. Leave the other horses. If he gets anxious, disrespects you, starts circling, you make him work.
Do not lose patience, just keep right on going. Have him do circles around you. Pop him in the butt with your lead end and keep him moving if necessary. Stop. Move forward again. If he comes quietly, fine. If not, more work. It may take you 10 minutes to cover 100′. Don’t worry. Progress comes. When you are a decent distance from the other horses, slack up and let him eat some grass. He may whinny or act like an idiot. You don’t respond except to circle him some more when he tries to drag you home.

About 3X of this over a few days and he will "get" it. Going home means lots of work. Walking out alone with you means a quiet trip and maybe some grass.

This is the old Dorrance/Hunt method of making the wrong thing difficult and the right thing easy.

Once you have that yield soft in a controlled environment, you can mount up and try this same thing saddled. If he acts up near the barn, do circles, figure 8s, some patterns. Ride out a few feet farther.

It will not take long until he goes out alone with you easily.

The lead horse in a herd decides when and how the herd moves. When you take over that position, he sees that you can control his feet and where he goes, and it easily transfers to your work in the saddle.

At any time that he gets sticky on the trail alone again, go back to the work in that area, then ride out farther quietly, allow a drink, grazing if possible, or a quiet dismount and rest.

If at any time, he gets so animated while you are mounted that you fear for your safety, carry a lead and halter, dismount, and go right back to the lessons from the ground. Don’t get dumped trying to prove a point.

I grew up riding and showing English, but always leasing someone else’s horse. I got out of horses while I went to school and traveled, but now I’m back home and last spring I bought myself a yearling (my first horse!). It was my intention to send him away to have him trained. But recently I have been thinking that I want to do it myself. I have all the equipment for lungeing and ground driving, but it would be my first time Training A Horse. If it can be done, why can’t I do it? So I have been collecting as much info as I can online, videos on youtube, library books…I am going to start him this spring.
Does anyone have any advice for me (to add to my growing cache of training opinions)…any tips or tricks for ground driving or lungeing? Any links to your favorite trainer’s sites….any particular book or DVD that you swear by?
My horse has excellent basic ground manners, and he is as laid back as they come. He’s small too…QH. I am fairly laid back as well, I have what you would call a "quiet hand", I don’t use a chain over the nose on my horse (I hate that lungeing video on youtube where the girl keeps cracking the chain over her horse’s face….not my kind of training), I don’t yell at him…when he does something wrong, I basically make it harder for him to do that particular action than to do what I am asking…when he does what I am asking, I release. I have considered clicker training as well. Any opinions on clicker training?
Haha sorry for the long question! Hope to get some insightful answers to help me out!
Cheers
Oh yeah, I forgot I wanted this question answered too….one trainer’s opinion is to start ground driving with a halter. She says when they are wearing a bit, they are dealing with new changes in their balance and it’s too much all at once. I was thinking that is good advice. What do you think?
Thanks for the comments so far…I just wanted toadd in that I am not planning to back him until he is 3 years old. He is maturing very well…I was just hoping to do some light ground driving and VERY light lungeing over the summer.

I would be weary of too much lunging or working too hard in deep footing. Young horses have very delicate joints and ligaments in thier legs while they grow. It is absolutely essential for a sound life that they are treated as such when they are trained. If I were you and I had this horse, I would spend a lot of time with desensitization, ground manners and yeilding to pressure (be it a halter or bridle, a touch at the girth or you invading his space) in hand. I would seriously consider putting off the majority of "training" i.e. lunging, riding, etc. until he is 3-3 1/2 years old. I think you can train him to respond to a bit and to work in a frame by long lining him for short periods of time, at the walk and easy trot before then, but lunging and riding is too much stress on a young horses legs, in my opinion. I would also get a trainer that you trust to be on call if you need assistance when it finally comes time to get down to it and back him.

So, long and short of it, I would work a lot with in hand manners, and get him in a bridle (and a light english saddle or bareback pad to get him used to it), working in a frame and using his body properly at a walk and trot, yeilding to any pressures you throw at him and just get him really solid and trustworthy (which in its self is a huge task and plenty to keep you busy while he grows). I would avoid backing him (you already said you would, but I thought I would say it explicitly and not just imply it) and working him at a canter or faster and lunging until he is older.

Best of luck to you! It is very rewarding to train your own horse. Keep that trainers number handy- horses are never predictable!

What equipment do i need to have a horse and what do I need to ride a horse and what do i need to train my horse for agility??

What You Need To Wear:
breeches or jodhpurs
helmet
paddock or tall boots
half chaps
good socks
gloves (optional)

What you need to ride:
saddle
saddle pad
girth
bridle

Grooming:
curry comb
shedding blade
brush (thick bristles)
brush (soft bristles)
hoof pick
mane and tail comb
shampoo and conditioner (for horses)

Other Accessories:
Halter
Lead rope
blanket
fly spray
De-wormers

http://www.horse.com

go to this website and you’ll find everything you need for a good priec. Or go to your local saddlery/tack shop.