One of the most exciting things for a student is the purchase of their first horse. It's a big step! This is something I don't recommend to anyone who hasn't taken at least weekly lessons and preferably leased a horse and ridden 3X/week for at least a year. I made a handy list of some things to discuss with both the student and the students family. This list is geared towards students under the age of 18, but it easily could be adjusted for an adult.
List of things that student needs to learn how to do before buying horse: (Pony club has a much better and more complete list)
Trailering: Are you planning on purchasing a trailer? If not, do you have someone you can borrow one from? You will need to at least have emergency access to a trailer in situations when training/barn manager is not available. Farrier:
Vet care: Farm calls in this area are extremely expensive and hard to get in Arkansas (see trailering above).
Training: If your horse develops a behavioral problem are you willing to invest in extra training for in the form of lessons or clinics? Are you willing to have someone put training rides on the horse or send the horse off to an outside trainer? What happens when student goes off to college, becomes ill, or has to move? If student is under the age of 18 does he/she want to take a horse to college? If horse is left behind, who will pay board? If you have to sell the horse, are you willing to “take a loss” on initial purchase price? If not, are you willing to make investments into the horses training/show record to increase its value? Are you willing to lease the horse out of farm? If so, what happens if leaser stops leasing the horse or it has an injury? Budgeting: What are you willing to spend on the following?
Write down goals:
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Christy ZweigAdventures eventing as a semi-pro in the mid-south. Archives
April 2024
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