Okay all, I am new to this horse thing. I have several family members that have horses. I have a little girl that thinks that horses are the greatest thing in the world. We take her to my uncles place a couple times a week and let her set on his horses. She is only 15 months old but very active and doesn't set still very much, but she will set on a horse for hours. She will giggle and pat, kiss, hug the horse. and then the fight is on when we take her off. My uncle said that If I want to buy a horse he will be more than happy to take care of it and let it stay at his place. He has trained several horses and does his own shoeing and blacksmithing. I know he will take great care of any horse I buy and he has 4 horses of his own so a new one won't be lonly. So my question is this.

Should I buy a colt and let it grow up with my daughter and bond to her and let them get use to each other or should I buy an older mare or gelding? The older horse may be easier to deal with, but like I said my uncle loves to train horses and colts are always cute and fun to watch grow up.

Don't buy a colt, dealing with an untrained horse will discourage her. Buy a 7-12 year old broke, bombproof gelding that will take care of her like a babysitter. Then she can work her way up to younger, more athletic style of horse as her skills increase. For now she needs a gentle hard-sided old gelding, remember she will very likely ride him till his late twenties, so a 9 or ten year old has a lot of riding left in him.

Amen to that. Perhaps even older. We see too many people around here who subscribe to the grow up with the young colt theory. Many of them think they are saving money by buying young stock, but don't realize they are putting the well being of their children at risk. Obviously, disposition is a factor, but there are lots of "babysitter" horses out there that work into their 20 s. Also, don't be too macho to make her wear a helmet.
Grizz

Have you considered a donkey? I'm serious. A good one will watch over a kid and is much less likely to strike out if surprised. A friend gave me two when I was badly hurt. He had gotten them from a kid that dragged them around the yard with a tractor because "they didn't move fast enough." I had all the time in the world waiting to recover from a severe injury so I sat on a five gallon pail and threw sugar cubes at them. A few weeks later they followed me around like dogs and would bray at the top of their lungs when they heard my car coming down the driveway. I can't imagine a better babysitter than those two. One thing donkeys and mules don't take well to is undeserved brutality, they'll never forgive you, ever.


One other suggestion is to steer clear of a pony, many of them are way too smart for their own good!

Thanks guys I have begun looking for an older gelding. I will post pic when I find one.

A loose rule of thumb is the younger the rider, the older the horse should be.

Don't get a young horse for a kid regardless of "training" claimed.

Good luck,
--Mike

Not only is an older horse important, but look for one that is very calm. Foxtrotters, Quarter Horses are usually quiter than say Arab or Saddlebreds.

Being in Missouri you should be able to find a good Foxtrotter gelding. All horses need some exercise and Tuning Up, So buy one you can ride now while your daughter is growing up. Pick a horse that is comfortable to ride with your friends. By that I mean don't buy a Foxtrotter or Tennessee Walker if your firends all ride Quarter horses. That way you can enjoy a saturday ride with them, and you will be more likely to actuaally go use the horse.

I think age of the horse is less important if the parent is also a rider. My trainer's daughter is a petit 7 year old, who rides a 5 year old paint gelding, no problems, no issues, jumps 3 feet with him. Granted the kid's mom trained the horse and she rides daily.

Temperament of the horse is a big thing. Don't buy her a warmblood or a thouroughbred, they are way to high-strung, even in a mix for a child. On the other hand a Fjord, Haflinger, Friesian etc. or what the dutch call Tinkers, are awesome 'kid' horses. In addition, if a parent can spent a little time training and if the horse is longed prior to riding, you don't have to buy an old hack.

A pony, however, is the way to go. I graduated from a Shetland pony at four to a Welsh pony, to a fjord to a Dutch Warmblood at 13. My kids both did well with these combinations as well.

Before investing in a 15-16 hand horse, try looking a pony!

PS Go to Dreamcometruefarm.com Buddy is for sale, he is a small white awesome pony who also jumps 2 foot 3 inches. Look at the pictures under Samantha on Scout her paint. (yes, I am featured in some of the pix as well) :-)

quote:

Married men live longer than single men do,

but married men are a lot more willing to die.

-------------------------



Cat Doctor, it just SEEMS like longer....way, way longer, believe me. [G]

Glad to hear you are looking for an older gelding. Remember to find out who is its ferrier (Shoe-er), and check with him regards any history of foot/leg problems before buying, Nevicular is not something you want to find in your "new" old horse. Would unnecessarily hurt your daughter badly to grow really attached to him just in time to soon watch him suffer, become crippled, then die or have to be put down. (Especially since she wouldn't be able to "see" what was hurting him, and YOU are the one who would have to tell her you were having her horse killed "for his own good"!) No matter how you candy-coat it, she'd eventually figger it out.

I just want to weigh in on this important topic. I spend a lot of time in a barn where kids learn to ride horses, and one of mine is one that they ride. He's a 9 yr. old Tennessee Walker Gelding and they just don't come any gentler. He seems to understand when a very young child is on him and just walks slowly and complies with their weak signals. I've seen him come up to a barn cat and stop and seem to decide to go around it. Granted , this level of kindness is unusual but it most frequently comes from an older broke to death gelding.

In closing, I'll agree that Missouri Fox Trotters, Quarter Horses, and from my experience TWHs are gentle with new riders. The individual needs to be picked by someone with experience though, and even then it's easy to get a pig in a poke.

Last but not least, as was previously mentioned, make sure your daughter wears a helmet ...Tom

As i have made my living for 40yrs either on a horses back or horse related my experience says-whatever horse you get make sure he is BOMBPROOF-meaning nothing inside or outside is going to rattle him-and keep a young rider in a fairly confined space until they have total control-just takes one unexpected thing to see how dangerous that kid gentle inside the barn horse can become.

Any one have experience with those mustangs from the BLM?
Looking into the adoption programs, but wish I could find some one who has done it first hand..

MK

I can't say I have first hand info, although my parents had a couple around for a while years ago. I sure wouldn't want to adopt one and fight a 3-4 year old that hadn't been handled when I could buy a colt someone had raised around the house for $500 that had papers as well. Here's a horse someone can buy.

Excuse me but let's be realistic shall we! Now you have a year and half child who likes horses. I liked jet airplanes when I was 3, so I was told, don't really remember OK.

I would hold off on getting any type animal for around your place, until the child or yours reaches an age at which it can distinguish between a horse and a cow simply put.

Riding lessons can be given but not until the child is at least in the 1st or 2nd grade. Then the child too will have a brain, that is developed enough as to what you tell it about the animal.

Their are many things a person, let alone a child must learn about being around a horse, pony, donkey etc. Many older children can and do get injured around such animals. My brother in law at 9 years old was kicked in the stomach by a mare who came into season. He spent several weeks in the hospital.

I myself have had a shoulder broke, collar bone broke, left arm broke, 3 cracked ribs, broken toes, biten and kicked half dozen times during my elementary years and teenage years. These were from being kicked, stepped on, pushed against while in a stall, horse rareing up falling over backwards etc. There is a lot to know about handling horses period. You will never learn it all in a two year school either.

My advice is to get the child a well trained Welsh Pony, they are much better than those Sheltlands and won't get stubborn on you standing around in the pasture. A child falling from a 14.2 or 15 hand horse has a long way to drop before hitting the ground, could make a difference on a broken bone or two. As the child gets 3 or 4 years of riding under their belt, they will then be ready for the horse etc.

I would get a Gelding not a mare and positively NOT a young colt (young male) that will have to much energy for you to handle as it gets older too. The age should be as mentioned in other posts, a good 8 to 10 years old with proof of having a very good handle on the pony. Never buy a young horse no matter if it is FREE for your child.......that is asking for an accident down the road quick.

I expected after reading

quote:

I myself have had a shoulder broke, collar bone broke, left arm broke, 3 cracked ribs, broken toes, biten and kicked half dozen times during my elementary years and teenage years. These were from being kicked, stepped on, pushed against while in a stall, horse rareing up falling over backwards etc.

. I thought Thank A Vet For Freedom was going to tell us not to buy a two yr old a horse but he surprised me. I don't disagree with most of it except the pony part. Most ponies are nothing but trouble able to figure out how to outsmart a kid pretty fast. If I was going to get a little kid a horse I'd get one TWENTY years old with a proven track record. I'd sure get an old donkey first though.

Hey Dad--get the Brown one.

Nelsonted1, I doubt you have ever been near a "Welsh Pony" more like those troublsome "Shetlands" I mentioned in my post.
We raised pony's back in the late 40's and 50's before the market went under and I can tell you that I have ridden more than my share of pony's and horses over the years.

There is one heck of a difference between the two breeds, like comparing a running Thoroughbred to a Stock Cow horse and trying to make the Thoroughbred turn on a dime.....that will never happen.

I agree, that what ever is gotten for a young child to ride, it should be free of all ills. An aged specieman in most cases. You want something that you must beat with a bat to get out of a walk for a very very young rider.

Now just so you understand, I broke pony's as a youngster, learned more about riding rank animals than most bronk busters in the days of the old west. I rode everyday before school and after school. I ate, slept and drank working with horses and pony's. Many were not polite about trying to toss my buttocks across the breaking pen.

I was ropping goats at 10 years old and small calves at 12. I also had my share of steer rides out the shoot at the same tender age. My hero was Jim Shoulders, I still have the hat he signed on the bottom brim.

I was riding broncs at 15 and getting paid good money for a kid back then. I spent most of my summers with horses and pony's....You ride em and haldle them long enough, I guarantee you will get a broken bone or three. You spend 30 odd years around those animals, you will learn one way or another what works and what doesn't work. PS the gold buckle I won in 1964 I still have and that horse I won it on back then cost me twice what a new car was priced, $7,000.

Depending on the mustang,many are great horses. The other thing you'll find with BLM mustangs,is some are kept by the honor farms longer then others and are trained better then others.

I've hunted off of several mustangs and I believe they make a hell of a hunting/mountain horse. I've had instances where they were the only horses,that hadn't fallen during hard mountain trips. Another time,I was riding an area with a shitload of rattlesankes around and nearly rode over a rattler. I was with two other hunters and they both had a rodeo going on. The mustang I was on immediately located the snake and went around it. I'm sure it was the thousandth time it had seen one.

Buying a little girl or boy a colt to "grow up with" is a wreck waiting to happen..They don't enjoy being run over or kicked...

Get your kid an old rope horse thats been put out to pasture, something about 15 to 18 years old and kid gentle..Let her enjoy him and learn to ride and have fun with her horse..

My daughters first horse was 31 years old, and old buck even let the cat climb up on him..He was good to her and as a result today she is a team roper, calf roper, won State in roping in high school, won college in roping and has a room full of trophy saddles she has won in Idaho,and Nevada, it all started with old Buck. He taught her everything including how to deal with his death and if you own animals that is something you must come to terms with.

The same course has applied to both my boys and one of my grandsons and a granddaughter who are following in their mothers footsteps..BTW I still team rope and at 72 years young team roping with your grandkids is something really special.

Good luck and remember horses keep kids off the street and away from drugs.