Little girls like horses. Little girls can be very persuasive. Mom and dad buckle and decide to go shopping for a new addition to the family.
Above is the perfect recipe for disaster unless mom and dad do their research before deciding if they are ready to be horse owners.
First off, parents with little or no experience with horses need to consult a trainer/instructor to evaluate their child. Maybe it would be in everybody’s interest if your child started taking lessons at the local barn on approved lesson horses instead of shopping for a horse. It can be just as rewarding and much less hassle for the child to care for a lesson horse at a nearby barn. This is a good way to find out if there is a real interest for the sport or if it is a short-term phase.
If it turns out your child isn’t just going through the I-love-horses phase and you decide to go through with the purchase of a horse, the next question to ask yourself as a future horse owner is where the horse is going to live and who is to take care of it. Horses do not live in backyards with flimsy wire fences, so unless your property is set up for keeping horses you are probably better off boarding at a local barn where experienced caretakers can provide the care a horse needs. This might be harder on the wallet short term but will save you the hassle of never ending fence work and poop scooping.
Just like you shouldn’t buy the first car you test drive you shouldn’t buy the first horse you look at. And never buy based solely on looks. The old nag makes a better first horse for a child than does the flashy young Arabian horse. He might not look as pretty but he’ll make a great babysitter and take good care of your child.
First time horse buyers often make the mistake of thinking their child’s first horse should be a pony. Although there are good calm ponies out there, chances are you will be much better off buying an older, bigger, well trained, experienced horse who has seen and done it all before you put your child on his back.
The most important thing to remember before buying a horse is that the cheapest thing you will ever do when becoming a horse owner is buy the horse. The real expenses come when you add up the bills from the feed store, the vet, the instructor, the horse shoer and any other unsuspected expenses that might occur along the way.
