Horse Shopping 101

As spring approaches, I am getting an increasing number of inquiries from people looking for a new horse. So it is with no small amount of forethought that this week’s episode of Horse Master features a young woman looking to find her dream horse. She also happens to be a riding instructor and in that role she finds herself looking at horses for others as well—either a horse for a client or a school horse for the program where she is employed and the episode is about the horse buying process.

I love shopping for horses—one significant reason behind the sale horse side of my business. I don’t really make much money at it; I just love the hunt for a good horse and I love finding the perfect owner for that horse as well. In this case, the buyer is looking for an all-around horse that she can do just about anything on—trail, arena, pleasure—but she also has a hankering for cowhorse events. Whatever your desires, it is first and foremost important that you decide what your goals are because it is critical that the horse matches those goals, particularly when it comes to cowhorse disciplines. Not just any horse is suited for that.

Next, it is important that you spend some time thinking about how much money you can spend and that you have an appreciation for how much horse that will buy you (consider looking at a few horses above your limit so you have a realistic frame of reference). You should stretch your limits here as much as possible, keeping in mind the old axiom—the purchase price is the cheapest amount of money you will spend on your horse. You can always BUY training cheaper than you can put it on a horse, so don’t get sucked into the mistake so many people make in buying a young, green horse. His board, health maintenance, farrier, etc., will far exceed the purchase price in a short time so spend as much as you can up front to get the best trained horse you can (but only if the horse is worth it).

I wish I had a dollar for all the people I have met that made the mistake of buying a young, green horse. I’d be retired by now. Some survive this mistake and eventually end up with a decent horse; some don’t. You know the saying: green plus green equals black and blue. But even if you are not a novice rider and you have the capability to train a horse, do you really want to spend your precious time at that? Do you really want months and even years to elapse before you can attain your goals? Or do you want to begin enjoying your horse tomorrow at a level that you’ve dreamed of? I wonder how many of you have bought a green horse and regretted it and how many of you have had success with that youngster?

Currently we are in a buyer’s market, thanks to the recession and the glut of unwanted horses. While the economy has not greatly affected the high-end horse market, it has impacted the mid and low range horse market. The horse you would have paid $10,000 for a few years ago, you may now get for $7500—so it’s a great time to parlay your money into more horse, no matter what price range you are in.

In the end, you should spend your money on training and temperament. Conformation follows closely as a must-have because it has a bearing on performance, soundness and longevity. For my sales program, I rarely look at a horse under 10 years old to buy. I try to find those “cream puff” horses that are safe, solid and fun to own and ride. To have the experience, training and seasoning they need to be a solid, “bomb proof” kind of horse, they need some age on them. No matter how well trained that 4 y/o is, he cannot have the life-experience he needs to be a sure bet. It’s amazing how quickly training can be un-done in a young horse, or any horse for that matter. I get emails on a daily basis from someone who bought a horse that seemed very well trained when they looked at it (or they took the word of the seller that he was well trained) and a month later the horse has major problems. Have you had this experience? I cannot always fault the seller because any horse can become untrained quickly with mishandling—here’s where temperament comes in.

Depending on your goals and pursuits, breeding (pedigree and type) can also be a big factor. If your ultimate goal includes endurance racing in the Tevis Cup, you’d be well advised to stay away from draft horses. The more specific and more demanding your riding goals, the more important breeding and training is. The frustration of an unsuitable horse and/or a poorly trained horse trying to do something he’s not ready for or capable of is real for both horse and rider. We do horses a huge disservice trying to make them into something they are incapable of or asking more of them than their training allows.

If you are currently in the market for a new equine partner, where are you looking? Where have you found the greatest success? Word of mouth? Classified ads? Internet? Trainers? Has it been frustrating and impossible or easy and successful? How many near-perfect horses flunked the pre-purchase vet exam before you found the right horse? Was the horse you bought everything you thought he’d be or did you find holes in him after you got to know him? It is certainly not an exact science and to some extent, being in the right place at the right time is priceless, when it comes to finding the perfect horse. The best horses don’t stay on the market for long. But the more you know, the easier the buying process is to navigate.

If you’re in the market for a new horse this spring—good luck! I’ll be publishing a Buyer’s Guide on my website soon to go along with this week’s episode of Horse Master and I hope there is some info in there that will help you. BTW—if what you are looking for is a very broke gaited horse for trail or arena—I may have a great deal for you in my little spotted saddle horse. He’s a perfect horse for someone and I cannot wait to find his perfect human.

There's even more advice on my new Buyer's Guide PDF>>

Enjoy the ride!

Julie

Lateral Flexion: Too Much of a Good Thing

…Can be a bad thing. Take for instance garlic. It is my favorite ingredient—I am likely to order an entrée at a restaurant based solely on this one ingredient. I put it in almost everything I cook. But I have learned, through bad experiences, that there is such a thing as too much garlic (much to my husband’s dismay). And this is true of horse training techniques as well. Have you ever seen a rider that went over-board, doing the same thing over and over with questionable results?

Perfect case in point is the horse on this week’s episode of Horse Master. It features a horse that is agitated, frustrated and anxious when being ridden and once I got on her, I realized right away that she had been over-flexed laterally to the point where she thought flinging her nose to my knee was that answer to every question I asked. You could not make any correction with a rein without her turning her head to the side and flexing her neck.

This is not the first time I’ve seen this phenomenon—I see it all the time at clinics and have had several horse in training that were confused by this and similar NH techniques. Lateral flexing has been so over-emphasized by some trainers that many horses do it automatically—without thought or sometimes without even a cue. I can always tell when I get on a horse if this is a problem when the horse starts flexing from side to side and I haven’t even picked up the reins yet. If every time you sit on a horse you ask him to flex laterally, it becomes an automatic response associated with you getting on—not a thinking response to your aids. Have you ever seen this?

The problem with the horse on this week’s episode of Horse Master -was that you basically could not steer her and could not go straight because any time you picked up a rein she’d turn in a tiny circle. Anyone who has trained young horses knows that one of the most difficult things to teach them is to go straight. Controlling the horse’s speed was next to impossible as well for the same reason. It didn’t take too long for me to straighten the horse out (pun intended) and eliminate the mare’s confusion but it actually was one of the main sources of the rider’s (and horse’s) frustration.

Lateral flexion is good and, in fact I am an advocate of it both person, in clinics and demos, and on my video “Bit Basics”. Lateral flexion teaches the horse to give softly to the side with a touch of one rein and is the precursor to vertical flexion, when the horse brings his nose in and down in response to pressure from two reins (as needed for collection and “framing” a horse). But too much of a good thing is a bad thing and, as with many things in horse training, you can over train and end up with a horse that is “over-faced” or over-reactive or anxious.

Actually, the horse featured in this week’s episode of Horse Master responded really well once the rider understood the problem and changed her riding (and after we switched her to a more appropriate bit—Myler of course!). Believe it or not, we are all horse trainers—every time you ride a horse you are either training it or untraining it. Hopefully the former but sometimes you need to think through what you are doing!

Enjoy the ride,

Julie

2010: The Five Pound Challenge Continues-- & Other Resolutions

We’re more than a week into the new year and so far, I am not doing too well on my resolutions—of which I made several.

Actually, the five pound challenge is not really new, but an ongoing challenge. Last summer a group of friends and I made a commitment and contest to lose five pounds in a month. I always figure when you make goals or resolutions, they need to be attainable, so we’ve stuck with the five-pounds-at-a-time theory. We all lost the first five and then made a commitment for another five. I was just a pound or two short of the second goal when Hunter had his motorcycle accident. Little did I know when I started the challenge that I would have the stress of my life to help me out. I am the opposite of a stress eater—I can’t eat at all when I am stressed. So I managed to lose the second five pounds easily, until Hunter came home from the hospital and I was cooking 6 high-fat, high-calorie meals a day for him and I gained it back.

Between that and the holidays, I’ve managed to keep the first five pounds off and have now renewed my vow to get that second five pounds gone again. I have a feeling this will be a constant battle, hence, my second resolution.

I resolve to work out more, with a focus on exercising my upper body. After a couple years of running three miles a day, my legs are in great shape (a major benefit for skiing) but my upper body looks more closely resembles the Pillsbury dough boy. Since it’s been too cold to run outside and the treadmill has become painfully boring, I have been working out daily to a dancer’s video that includes an upper body workout using a resistance band. I really like dancing so this video workout is a lot of fun and I am already seeing the results.

My third resolution has nothing to do with fitness and weight. I resolve to quit multi-tasking. That sounds like it should be a simple resolution to keep, but it’s not. I have found that multi-tasking is not always a useful activity. For instance, I am frequently guilty of talking on the phone and checking my email at the same time. But I find that neither is done well and eventually I wind up realizing I have no idea what the person on the phone just said to me when he/she is obviously waiting for a response. Another bad example of multi-tasking, which I can honestly admit I have never been guilty of but have seen it a lot (and is a major pet-peeve of mine) is a riding instructor talking on the phone while they are giving a riding lesson. Although there may be some appropriate times for multi-tasking, that’s a really bad example. Have you ever found yourself multitasking inappropriately?

One of my husband’s least favorite forms of multi-tasking is when a person sends text messages while conversing with someone else or when they listen to an ipod while in the company of someone else. Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should.

Now that I have focused my attention on multi-tasking, I realize how often I do it—in fact I am doing it right now while I write this blog and stop to put a load of laundry in the dryer. So my true resolution this year is to be more aware of when I am multi-tasking, when it is beneficial and when it is not really the best use of my time. I find that by limiting my multi-tasking compulsions, I actually get more things done better.

So I welcome this new year and new decade and I resolve to lose a few pounds, get my upper body in better shape and have a more singular focus in life. What’s your new year have in store for you?

Enjoy the ride,

Julie