Horse Shopping

 

 

Photo by Rick Hustead
 

“You're not perfect, sport, and let me save you the suspense: this girl you've met, she's not perfect either. But the question is whether or not you're perfect for each other.” –Good Will Hunting

I love that quote. Ben Affleck may have been giving romantic advice to Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting, but the insight is also appropriate when you’re looking for an equine partner. Now that I have started “shopping” for a new horse, I must ask myself/address some very important questions about my goals and ideas about my future, “perfect” equine partner.

·         What kind of riding do I want to do? I train in dressage, a riding discipline which I would like to continue to do. Therefore, the horses I look at will be schooling in this discipline and working at a slightly higher level than I am at.

·         How much more “experienced” should the horse be? Despite daydreaming about riding my horse in a single-tempi canter down the centerline, doing this is a long, long way off. I am about to compete for the first time, and I will be riding training-level dressage tests, at that. My trainer suggests that I look for a horse that is schooled to Level 2, so I can work on my riding skills without having to teach the horse movements that I don’t know how to do. However, the horse should not have so much more training/experience that he is likely to get bored working on material he has already mastered

·         What kind of riding ability do I need to have in order ride a horse that is working/training at a higher level than I am currently training? I am currently taking two lessons each week, plus riding on my own to practice the instructions that my trainer gives me. I must also be patient, relaxed, and confident enough in my riding skill to go beyond my comfort zone. For example, I am not used to riding a “forward” mount—Geeves was very arthritic at the end of his life—so I must get used to this kind of action. I must improve my strength and balance in order to be able ride this kind of action.

·         What kind of ability/talent should the horse have? This will come down to the horse’s conformation and its work ethic/attitude. I am looking for a “forward” moving horse, with plenty of flexibility, impulsion, and action and strength in the hindquarters. I am looking for a horse that has the physical and mental ability to advance in its dressage training, as well.

·       Which breed of horse should I be looking at? I know that Warmbloods make good mounts in dressage competition. However, I love Thoroughbreds, and my last horse was a Thoroughbred. Is this still a good choice for me? The Thoroughbred is very sensitive and can be a lot of horse to handle. Also, like Warmbloods, many TB horses are large, standing an average of 16-plus hands. I am very petite, and I agree with my trainers that a large pony or small horse is a better match for me in terms of size and ease/accuracy of applying riding aids. To some extent, the horse’s breed will be less important than his personality/attitude, patience, conformation, and ability to achieve my riding goals.

·         Most important of all…. One day, I would love to ride single-tempi changes and to experience the piaffe or passage. But, I would also like to gallop on a beach or ride a mountain trail. I am looking for an equine “partner,” a buddy, that I can have for many, many years. I want a horse that I like, trust, and respect; and who likes, trusts, and respects me. I had that once. I know I will have it again.

     Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy®, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.