Need Help buying Horse...

Hello, I am sort of new to this site. Me and my dad are moving to Utah or Colorado (we live in California right now) and he said I could have a horse when we move. He will have a lot of extra money since living in Sou. California is pricier than Utah. I have been riding for four years, almost 5. I know the basics of horses (taking care of horse, stall, and I am and intermediate rider. There are a few things I am questioning. How do I know what saddle and pad to use? How do I know what food to use? How do I know if the horse needs wraps/boots or not? When I ride different horses some need wraps and some don't. I know how to ride, but I have always had someone to tell me what to do. i.e. my instructor would tell me when to pick up the jog, when to do circles, etc. How do I know which bridle to use?

I know so far this post has not belonged in this topic, but now it will.
When I buy a horse, Here are some things I want:

I am 12, and quite tall for my age, so I would not want a pony.
I want a sound horse, but I still want it to be energetic.
The horse needs to be trained, as I know I am not in any position to train.

Please note that I am not planning in showing or jumping the horse. I ride Western, not English. Sorry for taking all of your time up, but I really want to make sure I have this whole thing down. I will probably start out with leasing, but I dont want to be making mistakes. I just want whatever horse I own to be unhappy. Thanks!

Sorry, not unhappy, happy :)

If you are looking for a horse to buy it would be best to go to a local stable to see if any horses are for sale

I agree- checking local barns should help. ;) Looking online too.

Equine.com is a great place to look. I sold both of my horses on there and on average they sell 11,000.00 horses A DAY! You sould like you need a nice, well broke, 7-9 year old Quarter Horse gelding.

hi can any one help me i want to buy my first horse but iv been told that you have to be a serton weight what weight should you be to ride a horse

Can anyone help about the other questions besides buying the horse? These are my main problems. When i move I will probably buy a horse from a local stable.

[quote="tizzberrypie"]Hello, I am sort of new to this site. Me and my dad are moving to Utah or Colorado (we live in California right now) and he said I could have a horse when we move. He will have a lot of extra money since living in Sou. California is pricier than Utah. I have been riding for four years, almost 5. I know the basics of horses (taking care of horse, stall, and I am and intermediate rider. There are a few things I am questioning. How do I know what saddle and pad to use? How do I know what food to use? How do I know if the horse needs wraps/boots or not? When I ride different horses some need wraps and some don't. I know how to ride, but I have always had someone to tell me what to do. i.e. my instructor would tell me when to pick up the jog, when to do circles, etc. How do I know which bridle to use?quote]

I'd definately find out what size tree the horse has been using before when you buy them (the tree is the part of the saddle that goes over the horse's withers....shoulder blades)....with that, then you can determine what size saddle you will need. For the type (Western or English) do whatever you like best...it should not matter to a horse that type of saddle you are using. For the pad...if you use an English saddle...use an English pad (usually thinner) and for a western, use a western pad (usually thick or an indian blanket type material).

See what type of food the horse has been on previously...most horses won't need a certain type of grain or certain cutting of hay

Simply ask the previous owner...it's not going to hurt the horse to put boots/wraps on unless you put them on wrong

Again bridle depends on your likes.

I ride my horse in an english saddle...western bridle...and a western bit. I perfer a western bit and western bridle to an english bit and bridle. For the bridle...it's because my western takes less time to put on than an English one...and my horse responds better to a western bit.

Ask questions when you go to see a horse...make sure the horse is something you'd want and not get bored of..

Also, I highly, highly recommend doing a pre-purchase on the horse you buy...the first horse I did a pre-purchase on...the lady assured me she was sound...but it turned out she wasn't. Without the pre-purchase I wouldn't have known that...and looking back I would have been bored with that mare easily.

Also, don't rush into purchasing a horse...it's the worst mistake you could EVER make.

If you have any more questions you can always drop me a private message.

Thanks SonnyWimps! You were such a good help. I never knew that saddle part.

Think you need to do some research before buying a horse It's a big responsibility and you should be familiar with easy things like saddle parts before actually buying.