Where do I start?

Many people choose the wrong horse through lack of experience or ignorance and end up with a liability rather than the horse of their dreams.  By following a logical sequence of steps you can minimise the risk of making an incorrect decision, and hopefully find the horse of your dreams (or one very close to it).

A good approach to buying a horse is to make a checklist which includes the points that will be raised in this article.  If you keep the information in a folder it is readily available for other people involved in the process and forms a good record for future use.

Am I ready for a horse?
This is the first question that you must ask yourself.  Have you considered the alternatives to ownership?  It is a good idea to gain as much horse experience as possible before you become a horse owner, then you have a much better chance of doing the right thing.  This experience can be gained in a number of different ways.

Study Courses
Many colleges and training institutes run courses on Horse Studies from Certificate level right through to PhD. Secondary school students are offered Horse Studies as part of their curriculum, in many cases they gain a qualification in addition to their schooling certificate.  Courses are run by qualified staff and include theory and practical lessons.

Riding Schools & Equestrian Centres
There are many accredited riding centres throughout Australia.  These centres offer lessons in both riding and horsemanship.  Some centres also offer trail riding and extended camps.  Contact the Australian Horse Riding Centres for a list of accredited centres.

Pony Clubs & Adult Riding Clubs
Nearly every town has a local riding club.  Some clubs offer activities for non-horse owners.  Rallies are usually held once a month and present a wonderful opportunity to meet horse people and find out more about horses. Contact Pony Club Australia to find out your local club.

Many horse lovers wisely opt to join a riding school, club or equestrian centre before they buy their own horse.  They enjoy satisfying involvement through the interaction with 'like minded' people.  This is an excellent place to start, as you will meet great friends, great horses and the get the opportunity to learn heaps about what it is to be a horse owner!  The experience gained will stand you in excellent stead when it comes to buying a horse of your own.

Volunteering
Organisations such as Riding for the Disabled provide opportunities to gain horse handling experience.  Riding is not usually an option, but you get hands -on experience and can meet other like-minded people.  Competitions also require a large number of volunteers to help with the running of the day.

Leasing
Some riding centres offer the opportunity to lease a horse.  You get all of the benefits & responsibilities of ownership, without the initial outlay.  This is an ideal situation for your first horse, who you may quickly outgrow once you gain experience. It is a good opportunity to see if the cost and time required will fit in with your lifestyle. You can also lease privately, usually via word of mouth and sometimes advertised.  Make sure that you always have a written agreement or a contract to clearly state the responsibilities of the lessor and the lessee.

Sharing
You may know (or be recommended to) someone who has a horse but cannot afford the time or money for sole ownership.  Sharing is an ideal way to gain experience and also split the cost of keeping the horse.  It is a good idea to form a written agreement so that both parties are aware of exactly what is required.  Make sure the time and cost division is clear for both parties.

Work Experience
You may be able to gain additional experience by working with a local trainer or horse owner.  Horses are very labour intensive and most horse people always need an extra pair of hands. You may be able to help out in return for basic instruction and advice.  If you have enough experience you may be able to get a paid position.

The key to all of the opportunities listed above is to absorb as much knowledge as you can, so that you can become a responsible horse owner.

Time & Money
Carefully and honestly appraise your ability to properly care for a horse, taking into account your financial position and time commitments.  What may seem like a fantastic idea and something that you have always wanted to do, may turn into a very unhappy situation that could cause much grief and financial loss.

Sit down with a responsible horse owner and go through all of the areas that you need to account for. Agistment, feeding, shoeing, worming, rugging, tack, membership fees etc. etc.  Make sure that you construct a monthly & yearly budget for all expected outgoings, and then be prepared for additional costs such as unexpected vet bills. Ensure that you can afford these - there is no point getting six months in to the commitment of owning a horse and realising that you cannot afford it.

You horse will need to be checked every day and remember that depending on the grazing available, your horse will also need to be fed every day. (Look out for our Feeding articles coming soon in Horse Health). Do you have the time to do this? If not you will need to find an agistment centre that can offer an extra level of care, this care comes at a price.  Make sure you allow for this.

Once you have satisfied yourself that you are going to be a responsible horse owner, then the hunt begins for that dream horse.  The next article in this series "Buying a Horse" will deal with that. In the coming months we will bring you articles on Responsible Horse Ownership.  Stay tuned to Cyberhorse!
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