Buying A Project Horse?

[eventing_queen]

Hey fellow horse people! A little background about me is that I’m 16 and have been riding for 9 years. 3 of those years were western and the rest was english taking twice a week lessons at my barn. And when I lease a horse (usually 3 months every year), I usually ride 4x a week. I don’t lease to often because its hard to find eveners around me. Anyways, I would classify myself as an intermediate rider. I know quite a few things about horses in general but the world of horses is so big that I find myself learning something new everyday.

I’ve been thinking about buying a horse for about a year now. I am completly aware of the time and money commitment a horse needs and not one of those ignorant people that sell their horse as fast as they buy it. My intital thought was to get an older horse who knew what they were doing. But it’s like I have an itch in my brain and I keep getting sucked into the world of project horses. You guys are probably thinking that project horse + first time owner = complete and utter failure. Or that I want a 5 year old crazy OTTB which I can tell you right now is not the case. I want project horse, but one that’s more mellow, easy to work with, and still an older horse. One thing about me is I love a good challenge and something to keep me busy and thats what a project would do for me. Also, I’m not trying to go to A rated shows or any of that good stuff. It simply doesn’t fit my life style and rather just do the laid back local shows with no pressure. So if this horse doesn’t turn out a 1m+ jumper. Im totally cool with that (It would be nice though lol).

I’m still completely in the “just thinking phase” but I would like your inputs on this. Maybe a list of pros and cons on a project horse vs. an experienced horse. If I did buy a project, I would still have tons of support and help if I ever need it. I know many great trainers that are just one phone call away. Sorry if I wrote a lot! I tried to give as much info as possible Thanks!

[kashmere]

I had a project horse at your age - under the care and supervision of a very experienced coach who helped me learn and develop and make sure my horse was well taken care of. If you have a mentor to help guide you and keep you and your horse safe and on track - there is no reason you couldn’t have a “project” of some kind. The kind of project will depend on your level of riding and what you can actually teach to a horse - which is really where the coach comes in.

For example, a decently broke (knows w/t/c under saddle and has maybe popped over a few jumps), kind, sane, horse who has maybe been sitting for a few years and needs some conditioning and work put into it could be a great project for you - whereas a very young/ green horse, or one who needs some bad training undone may not be a good risk for you to take.

My first project horse was an old broodmare who needed a lot of physical rehab and conditioning. She was hot but not sensible, and had a heart of gold. She was an excellent project for me as a teenager with a coach to guide me. I also had access to schoolmaster horses to learn correct riding on which then translated to how I could help her development.

My current project horse is one that I am very very glad to have many more years of experience under my belt while dealing with. She is also very hot, but has had a lot of poor experiences and bad training. I am confident in guiding her along, but I am nevertheless in a solid consistent program with a trainer.

The other thing to think long and hard about is that you really do not know where a project horse will end up - what they will like/be able to do, and whether they will have talent in that area. My current mare I bought with the thought of doing jumpers and dabbling in eventing. Turns out she really does not enjoy work over fences, and so we are pretty well exclusively doing dressage. I’m okay with that - I knew her “career” would be her choice and not mine. You need to really, truly be ok with either doing something you didn’t necessarily set out to do - or with selling the horse to someone who wants to do that thing.

Truly, if you want to be in a specific discipline or have any kind of timeline - even just “I’d like to do some fun local shows this summer” - then do not buy a project. Buy something that is already doing what you want to do. If you are in it for the experience of getting to know a horse and bringing it along and are able to involve a coach in the purchase and development of the horse - a project may be for you.

[Bellathemustang]

@kashmere said it all perfectly!

I would be cautious of buying a project horse in the hopes of training to use for something specific, like eventing, because you don’t know if the horse will develop into a good horse for that.

When I was looking for my first horse I was all over the map. I ended up with a “project horse” of sorts, in that she is not finished in anything, except trail riding She is 17 yo, sweet as can be, and has a trot you could doze off riding. I knew as soon as I rode her I could ride this horse as-is for the next 10 years and never tire of her. I hope for the same instant connection for you It is a joy to have a horse and get to know them in and out of the saddle.

[KittyinAus]

It would depend on what you mean by ‘project horse’. If you mean a horse with issues, then I would advise against it. If you mean a horse who needs more education and you have lots of excellent help, that could work.

Project horse generally means a horse with issues that have to be worked through. My current horse will chomp you (bite doesn’t fully describe what he does, chomp does) if he feels threatened and if you aren’t watching for signs of him getting ready to do it. I keep a keen awareness of what he is doing and when he starts to get ready to chomp me, I give him a mild verbal reprimand. That works. If I were to use a more physical approach, it wouldn’t work and could escalate things. I could not have coped with this horse as a sixteen year old even though at that age I had already saddle trained two of my own horses.

[CanteringCarrot]

A “project horse” to me does not mean that something is wrong with the horse, or that the horse has issues. I think it is a rather broad term. It could be a horse with behavioral issues that needs intense retraining, or it could be a nice event prospect (no issues) that you are taking on as a “project” to shape into a finished event horse.

I think that the OP seems to have more of a drive for a horse that needs further training, or one that is being brought back into training that needs the dust brushed off. I think that the OP is young, but does not seem to be open to the guidance of others/have her resources in order.

I had a project horse at that age, and looking back on it, I learned a lot but should have been more supervised at times :winkgrin:

I think finding a horse with solid basics, a good instructor, and being open to learn will help. I would just shop and see what is out there. Do not settle for anything that is not suitable, and don’t rush. You could find an older schoolmaster type and that may be the one, or you could click with one that needs finishing. Maybe have a good trainer that knows you help you shop/network for sale horses.

[mmeqcenter]

Although not recommended in many situations, just wanted to provide that my first horse, when I a 16 year old, was a yearling APHA filly that I broke and trained by myself (aside from one or two lessons I took with her in the 3 or so years I had her). All my horses since have been OTTBs straight off the track, and one not-halter broke mustang pony, again all by myself (with the very occasional lesson, like 1-4/year). Sure, it would have been smarter and I’d have enjoyed having regular instruction with my projects, but I couldn’t afford to own a horse and pay for lessons through H.S. and college (I always paid my own board and other costs). I am using the assistance of a trainer now because I can afford to as an adult, and because I am delving into the new world of dressage (hunters and jumpers, before).

I love projects, and it’s a good thing too because that’s all I can afford.

[findeight]

Think it would serve you well to rethink your opinion that somebody who buys one then sells it quickly (By your definition)) “ignorant”.

Some flip horses by buying projects, putting a few months on them then selling them for a living. That’s not ignorant. Somebody who buys a horse they realize is not going to work for them at all is not ignorant, fact that’s the smartest thing to do for both horse and rider. Some buy one and cannot afford to keep it due to i divorce , job loss, health issues in themselves or close family, they aren’t ignorant either.

Sometimes you can find find great deals looking for projects from those who have to sell recently acquired horses, it’s wrong to go looking thinking your seller is just ignorant. Always remember you can’t judge others based on your circumstances, theirs are different. And one day you might have to suddenly sell,

Anyway, be best for you to look for something that’s basically well started since you are, from what you posted, still learning yourself. With the real green ones, there’s times they need a very experienced rider, like introducing jumps and going cross country, even at the low BN level if you are inexperienced, it’s difficult for you to teach the horse or get them over a rough spot.

Find one that can go all 3 gaits in both directions without spooking out of their skins, trying to ditch you ir showing a tendency to spin and bolt or any such rudeness. That crap is hard to get rid of and it’s scary. But you can take a basically well broke horse with good temperament and teach it to go around outside a ring over very low obstacles and behave well.

Look at the off type, less popular breeds that often work out quite well, like the QHs and Paints and such. And keep your ears open for one of those “ignorant” sellers who is forced to sell a nice horse for whatever they can get. I’ve gotten several nice ones that way for about half what they should have cost… had to dump one myself for about a third of what it was worth.

[Hey_Mickey]

Good advice so far. All horses are projects in a sense. Have a good long talk with your trainer or mentor and have them help you pick out an appropriate horse for your skill level.

If you find the perfect project horse-don’t forget to vet it before buying it.
Also, take into consideration your general timeline- How long until you absolutely have to sell it (you’ll probably be going to college in 2ish years)? What happens if you are unable to sell it by then?
Is there a potential demographic to sell too? (Like if you end up with a pony-is there a market-kids/pony club/4-h to potentially sell said pony too)
What if horse gets hurt? (My project broke his leg in turnout-hes fine now, but that 6 months of stall rest really sucked and now he has a “blemish” that will make him potentially harder to sell down the line)

[bornfreenowexpensive]

You are 16…you don’t know what you don’t know. That is ALL 16 year olds…including myself at that age. First…make a REALISTIC budget for owning a horse. Purchase price and PPE are the least of your expenses but you need to include those into the budget. Then also be clear as to your goals. Me…I was never about the competing…and I’m still not. EVERY horse that I buy or breed is a “project”. You learn that horses are ALWAYS a project. You are always learning how to improve your riding and to improve them as well. They do not become trained and stay that way.

So my advice…figure out your budget and goals…then start looking for the right equine match. Keep your mind open and hopefully you will keep learning and find a fun horse to take you further along!

[Heinz_57]

@bornfreenowexpensive

So my advice…figure out your budget and goals…then start looking for the right equine match. Keep your mind open and hopefully you will keep learning and find a fun horse to take you further along!

I think the part about goals is worth emphasizing again. OP needs to think about what her riding goals are.

As someone who has spent the last decade or so buying nothing but project horses, I can tell you my riding skills developed MUCH faster when I was a lesson kid riding and leasing experienced horses. If I had bought an experienced horse first, I’d probably be a few levels above where I’m at now. Not to say that projects didn’t give me new skills - training skills have value, but because I’ve spent all my time teaching horses up to my level, my own progress kind of stagnated at some point.

[beowulf]

count me in as another that had a project horse, at an age much younger than you - my first OTTB was when I was 12 and I was no riding-prodigy child – I’m still wondering if my parent’s secret plan was to get rid of me or not :lol:

One thing that I learned the hard way, that is really important to impart on younger or greener people, is that when you buy a project you will find that no matter your quality of instruction, you will spend more time improving the horse than improving you. This can either be a good thing, or a bad thing: for instance, you may learn something invaluable like patience, discipline in yourself, tactful riding – these training skills are invaluable… but at the same time, you could use those limited hours you have in the saddle (and believe me, we never get as much riding time as we want) practicing on a schooled horse and working on your independent seat and aids, your timing – these skills have to be whittled day by day, ride by ride – being able to convert “project” into “professionally trained” means nothing if your goals are competing and you aren’t competitive because you’ve let your position slide in favor of “fixing” the horse.

Like Heinz 57, I can tell you with certainty that as a teenager my riding plateaued with my Training horse that I produced myself - we hit a wall I was not able to overcome until much later, when I was riding a retired GP dressage horse regularly. In those few riding that GP horse (who was not easy!) months my riding capabilities skyrocketed – there’s a real reason people go for horses with a little more knowledge under their belt. I was able to take that knowledge I learned from the GP horse, the effective, perfect and exacting timing – and finally broke that hurdle with my Training horse. FYI if you are wondering, it was shoulder in and half-pass - I was not being effective enough in my riding to correctly teach him what I was asking for. He would do it but it was crooked and incorrect, and I lacked the tools to fix it until later.

Looking back I’d probably not have spent so much time on projects, saved my money a little longer, and bought something that was a little further along so I could obtain my riding & competition goals; which I still have not fully completed.

It’s possible also to become a good and tactful rider by riding a horse that isn’t a project; if your instructor or coach has an older competition horse, it’s really invaluable to ride them – they can teach you so much, and often they are quirky enough where you will learn a thing or two about quiet and effective riding.

So, make sure you know what your goals are – truly are – before you make any commitment.

[eventing_queen]

Thank you guys for all your great comments and tips! Really appreciate that and all your help. It really made me think of which path I want to go down. I decided that I would be looking for more of an experienced horse rather than a project. If the perfect opportunity presents itself to buy a project horse, than I’m still open to that but as of now I’m focused on getting me an older trained horse since I’m still young and have plenty to learn still. I thought about it tons and rather wait till I have a bit more knowledge than possibly teach the wrong thing to a horse. At the end of the day, it’s about what’s best for the horse!

[findeight]

Very smart of you and good to know you are very realistic for such a young person. That will take you far.

Also think you are one of the few young people who realize we are not dissing you and your experience level but cautioning you based on mistakes we made that held us back when other choices would have let us be better riders in the long run. Good horses make good riders, ride the good ones even if they belong to others instead of a project you do own that’s not so good you don’t have the full skill set for.

[BAY_WITH_CHROME]

@eventing_queen

Thank you guys for all your great comments and tips! Really appreciate that and all your help. It really made me think of which path I want to go down. I decided that I would be looking for more of an experienced horse rather than a project. If the perfect opportunity presents itself to buy a project horse, than I’m still open to that but as of now I’m focused on getting me an older trained horse since I’m still young and have plenty to learn still. I thought about it tons and rather wait till I have a bit more knowledge than possibly teach the wrong thing to a horse. At the end of the day, it’s about what’s best for the horse!

You sound like a very remarkable and mature person. I know people twice your age that can’t look at hard facts and come to a mature conclusion. Best of luck in all your endeavors and welcome to the COTH community. Hope you stick around.

[judybigredpony]

Good for you…and if you look around and ask you might find a nice affordable school master to lease instead of buying andtake advantage of an older experienced horses education…Good Luck let us know what you end up with…

[ladyj79]

Other than my family’s first horse, and my very nice show hunter of one glorious year, every single horse I’ve ever owned has been a project.

I’m not advocating for or against, because you will learn something from every horse.

It all depends on your own priorities.

At 16, though, I tend to side with those who say explore leasing rather than purchasing, because you potentially have a lot of changes coming in the next couple of years and having a horse to consider, even a sales horse, doesn’t make things any easier.