Palomino. I wouldn't recommend one. Palomino's and paints usually fetch prices for looks. This one's my neighbors Dad's old ranch horse. He didn't have time for him anymore and sold him to me for a good price. I've had people offer me over $3,000 for him. He's not worth that, but people pay money for looks. He is a beautiful color for a palomino and he's built like a tank.
He is a beauty! Making me jealous [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
I'll take an ugly one... I"m kidding. I'll be happy w/ the one that works good w/ the family and myself. Not picky....
Boy, he is a beauty. Thanks on the age frame, About how long does a horse approx. live?
I appreciated your advice on the electric fencing... would you offer an opinion on vinyl fencing for horses? We will be building a barn soon, and I was planning on doing at least some of the fencing in white vinyl - the rest of it I'm not sure yet. I wanted to make the most visible parts of it attractive since it borders our yard - the rest of it I just want safe for the horse... and as inexpensive as possible.
A good horse will live about 14 years. Just kidding. I have friends that ride 20+ year olds daily. CowboyDoc (on this forum and TBN) is one of the horse guru's, well respected and a great source for livestock information. You should send him a PM and pick his brain.
You can go with a younger horse, but remember that they're not saddle ridden until they're over 2 years old. A 7 - 8 year old has only been under saddle for 5 - 6 years. The 12 - 13 year olds seem to finally be mature and a little more manageable (IMHO). Another note, don't get hung up on how many hands tall they are. My palomino is about 16 hands and as round as a 55 gallon drum. For me, he's a little tough to get on and a little painful after 5 - 6 hours of riding. I much prefer a smaller horse.
Also, check disposition as well as age...I have a 14 year old that is3 1/2 mentally...Still, it's a lot of fun, and therapy, just "jumping on" after work to get rid of the stress.
And there are quiet ones that get some spice in them when they haven't been ridden for awhile. I have one of those! I feel like I'm competing in the saddle bronc finals when I jump on him after a long hiatus. He settles down after the first few jumps (always seems to be after I've landed my parts on the saddle horn) and he realizes I'm not going anywhere.
I don't mind if a horse rears up (when he gets spooked or is just throwing some vinegar) once in a great while when your in the saddle. I think that's only natural for an animal with an overwhelming "flight" response. But I draw the line at 2 things:
1. Response from being spooked is to run under low limbs.
(That means he's trying to get you off his back, which better be the last thing he's thinking)
2. Tries to kick you when you're standing on the ground. (That's just mean spirited and he's aiming to hurt you for no good reason)
You've given excellent advice Ganzer. The worst thing a rookie can do is buy a young horse. If well taken care of horses can have be actively ridden up into their middle and late 20's. On the rodeo and show circuit there are many 20 year old horses still going at it strong. This weekend we're going to look at an 18 year old that won the NHSRA last year in barrel racing and poles. He's still running 1d times.
Horse size all depends on person size. The bigger you are the bigger horse you should have. Not only from the human standpoint but from the horses as well. I really hate to see a 250 plus pound person on a 14 plus hand 900 lb. horse. Those horses are not going to last into their 20's for sure.
When I was a kid, I had 3 horses, only one at a time. The best one was a little 3 year old sorrel mare named Trixie and most of the time when I went riding, it was with a friend (Ronnie) who was riding a 22 year old gelding named Squirrel. Naturally, we'd periodically have to run a little race and Trixie and I only beat old Squirrel and Ronnie once. I'm not sure whether it was the speed and strength of the horses or their personalities. Old Squirrel was a leader; always wanted to be in front, and Trixie was perfectly content to be a follower.
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