10/03/2026
Something I get asked a lot as a riding instructor is help to find a āfirst horseā for your child. Here is my advise, and it is all from personal experience as someone who owns 18 horses, ponies and donkeysā¦.
1) Do your research on the seller. If the ad seems too good to be true, if the seller only has 23 friends, or theyāre asking you to put ANY money down without seeing the horse first. Itās a SCAM.
2) Rescue/Rehab/Project/Young horses do not make first good horses for first time owners. Usually these horses need an experienced owner to get them to be at their best, and your 9yr old child is not what they need. The price might be low but youāll be paying for it in vet bills or doctor bills š«£
3) If the seller is advertising a ākid safeā horse. There better be riding videos to prove this. I wonāt even waste my time looking at a horse that didnāt have riding videos if they are being sold as broke.
4) Bring someone with you to test ride the horse that is more experienced, and that has SEEN YOUR CHILD RIDE! You want it to be a good fit, bring an expert!
5) The purchase price of the horse needs to be realistic. Good, healthy, SAFE, horses are not cheap. You are buying an animal for your child! These safe horses are worth more than the average Joe horse because you are paying the price to trust an animal to take care of your kid.
6) Medical history is SO important as it can determine what the horse is capable of, and for how long. Vet records or a PPE exam done by a vet is strongly recommended!
7) Finally, itās okay to realize after the purchase you bought the wrong horse. Not every horse and rider make a good pair. Horses are expensive, not just in purchasing but in care. You want the right one! Admitting you bought one that isnāt going to work is OKAY!
I could talk about this in length, but these are the main points I always bring up when someone voices to me they are ready to purchase their first horse for their kiddo. I am always happy to help search, test ride, or talk to a seller if you need me to!
Picture of my first horse and I after our first show season. We might have brought home some ribbons but there was a lot of dumps in the dirt for me as I definitely didnāt take my own advise (I was 14 gimme a break) and talked my daddy into buying me a young project pony that liked to buck š¤Ŗ
