And oh boy is my mind whiplashing from excitement to actually be shopping to nervousness over how much horses cost right now. This one is at the top of my budget at the barn I ride at so I know how he’s trained and I rode his mom a few times (before he existed) and she is lovely. But I’m trying to tell myself that I don’t have to feel pressured to buy this horse. I don’t know how you can try horses and not get attached to every one, I don’t think I’ll be able to do any shopping with a clear head. But there really isn’t anything to stop me at this point and that’s kind of scary 
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My best advice to you is, even if you are looking at something on your barn or with your trainer, to take a neutral third party with you. Doesn’t have to be a deeply into it horse person, necessarily. Just someone observant who has your best interests at heart.
My husband has been invaluable in this. He stays quietly in the background being ignored, watching and listening. He sees things i might miss (“take no notice of the man behind the curtain.”) and Isn’t looking at things through excited rose-tinted spectacles. I call him my “voice of reason.”
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That is a good idea, I might see if my sister can come but if not I’ll just treat it as another lesson and try to give it a few days to think about it. It’s tough because it seems like there isn’t much out there in my immediate area, and everything is in an auction two states away. Local horses are either really old or really green and very little in between.
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So my other advice is “there’s always another one.”
Not that I’m always good at taking my own advice…
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Once you get started, you might be surprised how many you get on and think, “nope, definitely NOT this one.” It could be a perfectly lovely horse that ticks all the boxes on paper, but when you sit in the saddle it just doesn’t feel right, for any number of reasons.
I really stressed myself out last time I was shopping and got way too hung up on people judging my riding, rather than focusing on letting myself concentrate on getting a feel for the horse I was trying. When I sat on the mare I now own, it was like Cinderella getting the right slipper on her foot, I knew from the first lap around the arena that I would be happy with my mare.
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If you have a tendency to get attached and make decisions based on emotion, definitely bring someone you can trust to be objective. Trying a horse in barn might be tricky since your trainer presumably knows the horse and the sellers, but it also comes with perks like knowing the horse really well and being able to try more than once or even do a real trial period.
Buying a horse is always kind of a crapshoot. I’ve known people who had amazing trial rides and over time it turned out they weren’t a match. I’ve also known people who bought horses they weren’t sure about and the relationship grew into something great over time. You need to go in with a really clear idea of what you’re shopping for, what criteria are important to you, and what sorts of things you’d be willing to work with. From there it’s a combination of logic and gut feeling and luck.
If you really aren’t sure or find yourself trying to talk yourself into a horse, pass. You can set up another trial, and if the horse sells in the meantime there will be others.
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If you’re used to riding lesson horses, then any non-lesson horses you try are likely to feel nice to you. They’ll likely be more responsive and more naturally forward than lesson horses, who tend to be older and need to protect themselves more than a horse who has only been ridden by experienced riders, and tend to be selected for their ability to put up with a lot of nonsense without reacting.
You can therefore expect to have a few misunderstandings when trying a non-lesson horse if you’re used to having to over accentuate leg aids, etc. Pay attention to how the horse reacts to those misunderstandings. Some horses will negatively react the first time they happen. Others will get increasingly annoyed, and then the rest will remain quite forgiving. At this stage in your riding career, you should look for a forgiving horse over a flashy one.
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This is a red flag. If you “get attached” that easily, please, please, take someone with you who is knowledgeable and not emotionally invested in your horse search and listen to what they tell you. So many first-time buyers fall madly in love with the first horse they look at and end up buying themselves endless trouble and heartache.
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I’m in the “you know it when you see it” camp. You want one that feels “right” and only you know what that is.
That said, I bought my mare without that and, while it’s not been the easiest for us, she has made me into a much better rider than I ever would have been on an easier horse. Almost seven years later, she and I are like an old married couple now. 
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I don’t really think telling the story how I got my newest horse will be smart…. But still as an advice for you I will tell 
…
I had three horses and I love all of them… in fact I only need two horses, but I bought the third one as a foal because my younger horse had some health issues and I thought she might not survive… well that how I ended up with three horses…
A couple of months ago my barn put up a nice young mare for sale and I was wondering why nobody looked at her. So I wondered whether the sales ad might not be attractive and started the internet search for a young chestnut Warmblood mare in close distance to my barn…. I found her and yes the ad was not giving her enough credit but unfortunately I found a young chestnut mare very close to my barn for a very attractive price…. because she was so close I went and tried her…. Big mistake… I did take my trainer, but unfortunately she agreed with me that she was a very nice horse 
…. So now I have 4 horses ….
So if you want to eliminate every risk Don’t look at the horse!!!
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I know looking is dangerous and often leads to buying 
I try not to look unless I have an inkling it would work. I do like this gelding, and he does tick a lot of boxes on paper but we’ll see. My one misgiving is he is on the younger side but we’ll see. If I decide he’s too green I’ll have to pass.
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Good story though!
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If you ride enough of them you will be surprised at how easy it is to get on and almost immediately say " this is definitely not a good match". Hopefully you will hit your match the first time because that happens too. Good luck.
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Well the deal is done 
I went to try mister man and he is lovely and he rides just like his mom. I couldn’t really find any down sides, he is on the younger side but he doesn’t know it. He’s paso fino, and his parents are both on the larger side of the breed so he’s got some filling out to do. I’ll be sure to get pictures when he’s delivered, it’s going to be interesting introducing him to the long ears.
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Well, we do have to have pictures, you know!
I have never in all my years ridden a Paso Fino. It’s on my bucket list.
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You should definitely do it if you get the chance, they’re nice because they have a lot of go but they are pretty sensible. Their corto gait (their trot equivalent) is so smooth and they can really pick up speed if you want, and usually they are game for that.
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Ooooh can’t wait to see pics. I’ve never ridden one, but have always loved their look.
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he looks absolutely delightful! Well done!
I remember being a little girl and it was time to get off the pony and look for a horse. My coach set up a trial with this dark bay mare- checked every box. I got on an hated her- I couldnt put my finger on it. My coach was mad, my parents were mad, but I just. didn’t. like. her.
I waffled on whether I should just buy her to make everyone else happy but I just couldn’t.
The next week we went to see another horse and I swear to you the second I saw him in the paddock I was already in love and riding him felt like I’d ridden him all my life. We had many wonderful years together.
I hope you have as many good years with your new boy! My magical man was 19 when I bought him so im glad yours is a little younger
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Congrats, what a cutie!
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