The Starter Horse

The Starter Horse
By Gaye DeRusso
 
If I could get anyone to listen to me when they are just getting back into horses or they are a beginner, I would recommend that everyone get a starter horse. A starter horse is a kind, calm, older, experienced horse that is very forgiving of all your mistakes. They have arthritis so less likely to buck or rear or even to spook. They don't get mad when you pull too much or give the wrong cues or lose your balance and if you don't know what to do, they take care of you. These horses are older about 18 years and up, even a 25-year-old can be a great starter horse. 
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By getting a starter horse, you get to learn. And if you make mistakes, it is usually not a big deal, because the starter horse knows what it needs to do, even if you don't. But most people do not want a starter horse. When they come to look at my horses, I usually have an older one for sale and when I see how they move and what they know or they tell me they haven't ridden for years, that’s the horse I tell them should buy. They kindly thank me and say no thanks, I do not want one that is old. Every time someone comes who cannot ride this is the horse I recommend and over and over they pass on him or her. Because it’s not their dream horse. 

The whole point of a starter horse is to get started. To get started and to learn how to be a good horseman and how to be a good rider. Because both those things take  some years to get accomplished and it’s much easier to do those things on an easy horse. Having a horse that does not know what to do and a rider who does not know what to do, can be a dangerous match. They can't save you when you need help, and you can't save them, when they need help, cause neither one knows what to do yet. So, it’s best to have an experienced calm well-mannered older horse with an inexperienced rider and have an experienced rider with the inexperienced horse, those are matches that do well. 

The starter horse is the smartest way to go and once you are better and have great horsemanship and riding skills, then buy the dream horse that you want. You will have so many more choices if you actually learn how to ride well first, then being a beginner or timid or inexperienced rider looking for that dream horse. 

When I tell people this, they tell me that they will then be stuck with the older horse, paying for its care and its board. And I think yes you should because it saved you so much money and kept you from becoming fearful and having accidents, you should pay for it.  It will still be cheaper than doing it their way and getting hurt or losing confidence or not wanting to ever get on a horse again. 
Retirement care is not as much as regular board since you only need pasture, or a paddock and you do not need an arena since you are  not riding them anymore. But you could use them as a guest  horse or a lesson horse or therapy horse if they are still able to do some work or they could be someone else’s starter horse. 

When I worked at a lesson stable, none of the students knew how old our horses were. Most were pretty old. Because the older ones usually are more forgiving. But we had one that was pretty darn old, probably close to 30, none of us knew because he had been around so long. We could put anyone on him and just leave them to practice. We knew they would be safe even if they had no idea what to do. His name was Louie, and he would never go faster than a slow trot because he wasn't able to anymore. He taught so many adults and children how to ride and no one ever fell off. 
Louie did camps and shows, but all at a walk or slow trot. And he took great care of everyone. Even though he was old, he was very happy to keep working and be useful. Louie was the best starter horse. 

Starter horses are also cheaper and although they made need some maintenance to keep them serviceably sound, it is still cheaper than a hospital bill or you having to miss work because you got injured. 

So, although you are looking for your dream horse, if you do not ride well, or are getting back into horses or you do not have much experience, or have poor balance, or make poor decisions, then you would be much better off with a starter horse. And in time you might find that starter horse is your dream horse, you just were just looking at horses the wrong way.