Image by Susan DiFelice
BY Eliza Sydnor Dressage
Before you go late night perusing on FB groups and surfing sale websites, get really clear with yourself on what you want/need. Schedule a time (and pay for a lesson) to sit with your trainer and talk about your goals and what to look for that is REALISTIC as well as EXCITING.
Write down “THE DREAM HORSE”
Age, sex, color, breed, height, level of training, show experience, temperament, even markings, etc etc. Then think about what things are NON-negotiable and what things you are flexible on. If some of your non-negotiables are things like sex or color or breed, acknowledge that you are going to miss out on a large portion of the horse population.
Get your trainers help
Will your trainer help you to both look for a horse (time consuming) and go try some? How does payment work – commissions? Flat fee? Talk about it all! If you’ve ridden one horse for a long time, see if there’s a way to ride a few different horses in lessons to feel out sensitivity, movement, etc. and to practice riding strange horses. Do your homework and ask for help when you’ve narrowed it down to a top 5 list, if your trainer is not the one actively looking. Please don’t send your trainer 6 videos a day to “check out.”
