09/14/2026
For the love of God, please... buy the horse you need NOW, not the one you will want in 5 years!
What does that mean?
I get messages from people looking for a specific type of horse, and it's normally the same horse, and it's normally the same rider. At this point I could probably just copy and paste my replies to each person.
First, they want bombproof and steady. Great! Typically this is because they are less seasoned riders, and there is nothing wrong with shopping for your first horse. After all, we all have to start somewhere!
Then the next request comes in: they want to learn to canter on the horse. Ok, well, personally, if you haven't learned how to canter I wouldn't recommend buying a horse just yet, but that is my own personal belief. So, steady, and a good teacher. Got it. *cue Rocky*
But wait, there's more! They want the horse to have upper level potential.
*cue screeching brakes*
Say what?
They repeat : Upper. Level. Potential.
I don't think people realize what that means. Can an upper level horse be a good teacher? Yes, most certainly. But typically not to a dead beginner. Can you guess why?
Let's break it down, shall we?
When you are learning to drive, you get a car that goes forward, backward, park, and typically and auto, yes? Why? Because old reliable over there isn't going to stall out or lurch forward and run you into a tree because you didn't release the clutch at the right time like a stick shift formula one race car might. (If you don't know what a stick shift car is, please use google. I'm too tired to explain this...)
So why would ANYONE think that a responsive horse with the same number of buttons is a great idea to teach a dead beginner on? Because of prestige. "My horse can do this this and that..." But do you know how to do this this and that? And what happens if you ask for a trot and you tilted your pelvis the wrong way while your legs swung during the squeeze that was too hard and now your horse is doing tempes, and you don't even know how to canter? So you panic and grab the reins, but your legs are latched onto his sides like a cat grabbing the arm of the person trying to bathe him, and now you're doing a pirouette at mach 1435845 like you're doing reigning exercises.
Out of the 13 horses on my property, only one is technically beginner safe AND upper level potential. But even he isn't dead beginner safe. His favorite game is "what if" and likes to see "what if I drop my shoulder and scoot here because they are losing their balance". But a horse that will teach you how to canter? We have Rocky, who isn't going to ever jump, ever going to win any speed classes, or get a very good score in dressage. But you know what he will do? Slow down when you panic, drop the reins and scream woah as you start to lose your balance and slide out of the saddle. He'll go in the general direction of where you ask while you learn how to steer, and then go exactly where you ask once you've figured it out. He also is really good about staying underneath his rider when they lose their balance (unlike sir Bopsie who purposely adds a little bump to that descend).
The request for the upper level potential mount is then usually followed up with young, no maintenance, pretty! ('Cuz beauty obviously is important to safety) and a very low budget, which then causes my brain to melt. At this point, I have to ask where their trainer is and who is selling them on this pipe dream, or did their trainer just roll their eyes and say "have at it" in hopes that someone else can break their client's heart.
A horse that will teach a person safely is most likely not going to be young. It'll most likely be an older, more tolerant horse that understands his job, and has seen things. Horrible things. Like when he was younger and he didn't pick his legs up over a log on the trail. And has learned things. Wonderful things. Like how to pick his legs up over a log on the trail, while also balancing a rider on his back that is sloshing around up there like a half melted slurpee in a plastic cup held by a jogger.
Equate it to this: do you want Mrs. Doubtfire taking your kids to band practice 15 miles down the main highway, or do you want Susie Q who just got her license and can't stay off her phone for more than 5 minutes? Mrs. Doubtfire will be slower, more methodical with her thinking. She may have a sore back here and there. She may not stay in your employ until your kids turn 18. She may need headache medication here and there. And she may cost you more, but you know what she can do? Handle almost any situation, and she's worth every penny. She will keep your kids from setting the house on fire, running into the street after a soccer ball, and probably get them to their practices on time and safely.
Can you honestly say that about Susie Q? Susie has no track record.
Am I saying you can never get the upper level potential horse?
No.
But what I am saying is let's all be more realistic in what we need now, and for the next year. You can always buy another horse when you are ready, because let's face it : There is a never ending demand for steady eddies and a never ending supply of less-steady eddies.
But for the love of Pete, please stop asking if he is suitable for your kid just now doing long stirrup and still falling backwards over a 2' crossrail. Ask about Rocky (except not Rocky, as Rocky refuses to jump...), who will help your kid develop her lower leg strength and timing so her transitions are smoother, her communication is better, and her strength is more easily controlled so that she can safely, and in time, work up to a horse like Pete.
Let's start thinking clearly and start setting ourselves up for success, instead of setting the hospitals up with retirement funds.
Just my two cents, take it how you will.
Picture of my steady eddie, Beats. Will he ever be upper level? No. But he taught me how to walk and ride again after I shattered my back, and he is exactly what I needed at that time.
He will also NEVER leave my farm.
