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Home Home and Family Pets Deciding on Age of a New Horse
Deciding on Age of a New Horse PDF Print E-mail
Written by Duber Stewart   
When buying a horse, it is important to select a suitable age. A horse which is too young can lack maturity and training, as well as being unnecessarily expensive. A horse which is too old will not provide you with the years of future riding that you would like. To help you choose a suitable age, the advantages and disadvantages are discussed below.
by DuberStewart


When buying a horse, it is important to select a suitable age. A horse which is too young can lack maturity and training, as well as being unnecessarily expensive. A horse which is too old will not provide you with the years of future riding that you would like. To help you choose a suitable age, the advantages and disadvantages are discussed below.

4-Year Old Horse. This is a popular age, as horses usually start training at age 3, to be ready for basic riding by age 4. Consequently, you can start riding and enjoying it immediately. It is also young enough that you can do advanced training if you wish. The disadvantage is that it will tend to be somewhat more expensive to buy than a younger untrained horse.

5 to 7 Years Old. A trained horse of this age has all the advantages of a 4-year old. However, it will be more emotionally mature and calmer, and may be trained to a higher level as well. All of these factors make it easier to manage and more reliable than a younger horse, so it is more suitable for new riders and for children. However, as a horse gets older it becomes more difficult and consequently more expensive to train so one should ensure that the horse is fully trained before the end of this period.

After 7 years. Horses become calmer and more reliable as they become older, so horses in this category are often the best choice for inexperienced riders. They also are generally less expensive than younger horses. Provided that the horse has been well treated and is not too old, it can have many years of riding left in it.

3-Year Old. A three year old horse (depending on breed) is ready to start its training and you can enjoy this experience. However, it is usually less expensive to buy a trained 4 year old that is ready to ride than to buy a 3 year old and pay for a year's stabling and training.

Under three years. With this age group one can enjoy watching the foal grow up, which is a great pleasure. They are also less expensive than a comparable older horse, although one needs to consider the stabling and training costs that one will have to pay prior to the horse being ready to ride. Horses at this age are more of a gamble as their appearance and performance as adulthood can be difficult to predict.

The above observations are of a general nature. The rate at which horses mature and the age at which they should be trained depends partly on breed. If you are intending to use the horse for show or competition, associated age restrictions will also be a consideration.

About the Author:

This article is by Duber Stewart, who writes for websites such as Horses for Sale.

Kindly provided by 4Girls.dk You are welcome to use this article on your own website, if you include this link.
 
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