Purchasing my first hunter/jumper

[NoSuchPerson]

I don’t think anyone can answer that question without knowing how well you ride and how much you really know.

Again, I’m being the big meanie here, but a lot of what you have said here suggests that you don’t have much riding experience at mainstream H/J barns. You have used terms and given descriptions that aren’t in the language I would expect from a person who has had much exposure to a quality H/J program.

There is nothing wrong with that. Lots of people spend most of their riding life just, well, riding, without ever taking a lot of lessons or polishing their equitation. And those folks may develop a great feel for horses and a sticky seat and wonderful balance.

But, learning to jump well, and training a horse to jump well, those things are hard. They require knowledge and skill and supervision. I mean, most any yahoo can jump a log on the trail and jump a few tiny jumps in an arena and if you have good balance and grab mane and don’t hinder your horse, most any horse can safely get themselves over those obstacles. But that’s not what you’re telling us that you want to do.

[Scribbler]

I am an old lady who was a self taught Western rider as a teen, figured out how to teach my horse reining tricks, hopped over logs in English gear, returned to riding in my 40s and have done h/j and dressage lessons, ground work clinics, worked on the ground with unbroken horses, got quite good at clicker training trucks, bought a rig and figured out horse camping etc. In other words, tried out lots of stuff, taught myself lots of stuff, have some horse sense.

And I would say of all the things I’ve done, the one where you really really need to have close intelligent trainer supervision is jumping. Even dressage you can take one lesson a month or go to a clinic and take away a bunch of ideas and play in the sandbox on your own. You might not progress as fast but you won’t die either.

Jumping is super technical compared to anything else. First, you can’t school effectively unless you have poles set up at the right related distances and you need a fair amount of skill to know what those are. Second, you need intelligent eyes on the ground. And you need to learn stride length and distances. It’s not just popping over a single fence and making it higher and higher.

You need to learn all these technical things from an actual person. Your horse can’t teach you.

So I would say h/j is the worst discipline to try to invent all by yourself.

And it is the most dangerous for both horse and rider.

[Bristol_Bay]

A couple of other factors are that you think your budget wouldn’t allow for an older made horse, and that you aren’t in the loop of the local HJ scene.

Just being familiar with the area trainers would help you network to find something like a school horse that maybe needs his own person, and that might be a way to afford a horse to play with on your own.

FWIW, I bought a 7yo OTTB in 2010. His last race was three weeks before I got him. I barely rode him the first few months letting the dressage trainer do her thing with him. But he had (still has ) a wonderful temperament. Never done anything to get me off him, and honestly has cheerfully done dressage, hunters to 2’9”, trail, a cross country clinic, you name it. The point is that if you’re a good judge of temperament, you might be able to find something green to work with. Good luck!

[happyhunter1]

Thanks! I’ll need it. So far I just can’t find the local HJ scene, but I’ll keep looking. The biggest show around removed all of their H/J and jumper classes years ago do to low enrollment.

I may just stay the yahoo that does pole work and little bitty jumps, and that’s okay. I don’t think it changes much about the horse I’m looking for, but maybe I’ll worry less about holding money back for professional training.

[vxf111]

This plan sounds unworkable. Very few people who are adult re riders could succeed in making up a good quality hunter by buying a green OTTB, putting 90 days on it, and then taking it to a saddle seat barn. I think the best bet here is to tell us where you are and how far you can drive from there and see if the collective can crowdsource the hunter/jumper people in your area so you can get in with them.

[dmveventer]

This is helpful! From what you’ve written here I don’t think it’s really accurate to present yourself as having experience with quirky green horses, not in the way that people typically mean when they say that. It sounds like most of your riding experience was as a kid/teen (depending on how old you were when you went to college?) in lesson programs of varying quality. It’s impressive that you were able to get something out of those situations, but it’s not the same thing as putting good consistent training on a young horse on your own. I had also ridden green horses in lessons in good programs as a teen, but I just recently bought my first green horse and I still feel underqualified even with several more years of leasing and lessons under my belt.

It sounds like you’re in a rough spot with your area though. Have you been on any of the Facebook groups for your region? You may be able to find someone willing to teach you even if they don’t run a big H/J program, or find other riders in a similar situation that you could work with. You could also look into virtual lessons - they won’t be able to set jumps for you but they can at least serve as a sanity check to make sure you’re moving in the right direction. And I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss putting a horse in professional training even for only a few months - it’s better than nothing, and the pro will be able to get a sense for the horse’s aptitude and give you some tips on what does and doesn’t work. You should also let them be the one to discover if the horse likes to buck and run on landing or jumps everything like it’s GP height or has a problem with pink flowers, don’t be the guinea pig yourself.

What is your budget? In your shoes I would probably focus on finding a solid mount and not worry specifically about jumping while shopping. Pretty much any sound horse is going to be able to do the small jumps you’re talking about, you don’t need the athletic potential of an OTTB for that. You could find just as much satisfaction from introducing a Western-trained horse to English riding, without the risk of a completely green horse under you. You don’t really need a packer either, just something sane and forgiving that can handle a few jumps. Something in its teens could be perfect, since you don’t have competitive goals you could still have a long partnership ahead of you. For the price of a green OTTB + training I’d expect you could find a not-fancy all-around type that is solid under saddle even if its in a different discipline. OTTB’s aren’t as cheap as they used to be, especially already restarted ones with ammy-friendly personalities, anything that’s really cheap is probably going to be a lot more horse than you’re bargaining for.

[vxf111]

@happyhunter1

That would be great if they do. I live near the one “major” city in SW VA. If you know it, you know it. Big saddleseat/gaited horse country.

Can you just tell us the city? That would help.

[Tha_Ridge]

I’m gonna guess Roanoke or Lynchburg, both of which almost certainly have some H/J options?

[TBROCKS]

@happyhunter1

I’ve been looking at “restarted” OTTB’s (please don’t come at me for the wording, it just seems to be the common term) and other green horses with ads that say they would be good projects for an adult armature or a junior in a program.

Unfortunately, low budget “project horse” is sometimes sales code for a horse that isn’t currently rideable, let alone suitable for an inexperienced rider. A “project” is an unproven entity, and usually the only ones who become stars have very VERY professional level training.
Whoever said find a HJ trainer and let them assist you in the process was dead on. an hour drive is not unheard of, at all. You need to show that trainer your strengths and weaknesses as a rider, so they can find a good match for you.

[lenapesadie]

@Tha_Ridge

I’m gonna guess Roanoke or Lynchburg, both of which almost certainly have some H/J options?

Oh. Jeez. I was imagining OP lived somewhere in the middle of nowhere not in VA.

[blondewithchrome]

Unless it’s Bristol VA which really is a tough part of the state…I spent some time in Roanoke and if it’s that city, there are a few good HJ barns nearby. But those are still a 2 hour drive from Bristol

[chocolate_chip_in]

I’m guessing Bristol if it’s truly SW VA, since there’s a pretty big gaited community down there too. Roanoke and Lynchburg would both have options, but are 2+ hours away from Bristol.

For the OP, Emory & Henry has an IHSA team. Even if you can’t access their facilities or trainers, they’ve got to have an idea about local options. It can’t hurt to reach out to them.

I also used to go to Pony Club camp near Abingdon. That was (ahem) a while ago and I have no idea if the facility is still open, but if it would be helpful I can text my mom and see if she remembers the name of the barn.

(Also, this is my first post ever, please let me know if I’m doing anything wrong!)

[trubandloki]

@chocolate_chip_in

I also used to go to Pony Club camp near Abingdon. That was (ahem) a while ago and I have no idea if the facility is still open, but if it would be helpful I can text my mom and see if she remembers the name of the barn.

(Also, this is my first post ever, please let me know if I’m doing anything wrong!)

Pony club does seem like a good idea for the OP.

Though I realize pony club does not do Hunters specifically, it might get the OP more training time in jumping and dressage than they seem be thinking are available to them where they are.

Just a rambling thought.
(From someone whose background is in Hunters and is now in Pony Club as an adult.)

If you go to the pony club website you can see if there is a club near you.

https://www.ponyclub.org/FindPonyClub/Map.aspx#:~:text=Find-a-Club%20or%20Center,and%20centers%20in%20your%20area.&text=To%20navigate%2C%20press%20the%20arrow%20keys.&text=Anyone%20interested%20in%20becoming%20a,or%20center%20in%20their%20area.

[ShenanAnna]

I don’t know if any of this is relevant, but I had a nice career as a teen in backyard riding with quite a lot of fairly successful hunter showing, all in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Fast forward to age 25 when I moved to SW Virginia to finish up my degree at Virginia Tech, taking my recently-purchased very inexpensive green little half-Arab. Very different scene horse-wise; I ended up transitioning to trail riding and loooooooooooooved it.

Moral of the story: do what you can with what you’ve got; it’s still horses.

[Sarah616]

As far as finding a trainer In SW VA, check out the SWVHJA website. Swvhja.org
It has a calendar of shows which will give you a place where you can at least reach out to trainers to see if anyone has any suggestions near you. If you are in Lynchburg or Roanoke there are DEFINITELY hunter/jumper options. If you are in Blacksburg, the coaches at Virginia Tech can point you in the right direction of a lesson barn. If you’re truly in Bristol… I don’t have any connections there so no suggestions. But check out that show organization, it has a lot of great resources for that area.

[Paint_Party]

@dmveventer

Pretty much any sound horse is going to be able to do the small jumps you’re talking about, you don’t need the athletic potential of an OTTB for that. You could find just as much satisfaction from introducing a Western-trained horse to English riding, without the risk of a completely green horse under you.

I agree. All sorts of horses can taught to jump a small course of simple jumps. So I’d also encourage the OP to consider other breeds and types. It doesn’t sound like OP is gunning for the AA hunter circuit, so a safe, sane, sound all-around type horse, including one that has been primarily trained western, might be a better option than an OTTB “project” horse.

[Scribbler]

I’m not sure what 6 years in “hunt seat” lessons without moving on to jumping means. I’m assuming this would be flat lessons that would lead eventually to breed show rail classes in QH or other breed shows.

My observations IRL and online of how hunt seat rail classes look in QH or Arab world lead me to believe there isn’t necessarily a lot of overlap between what you’d do there and actual USHJA / USEF hunter or jumper competition. Btw, hunter and jumper at this level are quite different, not sure which OP is interested in.

If you were in a typical h/j barn they’d have you working on jumps or poles fairly soon, sometimes too soon. You wouldn’t go 6 years just riding flat.

I noticed OP says they haven’t ridden for 12 years. That can be a significant gap and it can be hard to learn a skill as an adult that you didn’t try as a child or teen.

[NoSuchPerson]

@happyhunter1

I may just stay the yahoo that does pole work and little bitty jumps, and that’s okay.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I have been that yahoo at several different times in my life when finances and/or geography made it impossible to be anything else.

@ShenanAnna

Moral of the story: do what you can with what you’ve got; it’s still horses.

Exactly. Exploit whatever resources are available to you. I’ve been exclusively a trail rider in two different places where I have lived because that was truly the only option available to me. And I had fun because, yeah, it’s still horses.

And I will add my endorsement of the suggestion made by @dmveventer and @Paint_Party. Buying a safe, sane, not-green all-around type horse, boarding it at your local barn, and growing your skills from there is a workable plan that has a much higher probability of success than the plan you proposed in your original post.

[luvmyhackney]

You can always buy a saddlebred hunter and show breed shows if you wanted.

Otherwise I know there are some hunter jumper and I think eventers in SW VA.

[MHM]

@chocolate_chip_in

For the OP, Emory & Henry has an IHSA team. Even if you can’t access their facilities or trainers, they’ve got to have an idea about local options. It can’t hurt to reach out to them.

(Also, this is my first post ever, please let me know if I’m doing anything wrong!)

While the OP is there, it also never hurts to ask the person in charge of the IHSA team if they have any horses that are getting ready to need a new home. Sometimes those very experienced school masters in the college programs are ready for a lighter workload, so that might be a way for the OP to end up with a perfect horse for her needs.

Some colleges will also lease out those horses for the summer when they don’t need them while all the students are home for a few months.

And welcome to the new posters on the BB!!