Rating our Riding Horses
What kind of a horse makes a good beginner Horse ?...always a good question to ask before you buy!
Everyone has their own idea of what they expect to see in a beginner horse, a kids horse or whatever you want to call it. And since there is probably more than one right answer we'll just explain what we mean at the Humblehorse when we use the terms beginner, novice or intermediate. The context of all our discussion is in regards to Western pleasure riding.
A Beginner Horse
We assume that a beginner horse will be ridden by a beginner rider who is both untrained and inexperienced.
So what kind of horse do we need.. ?
An old lazy horse might be okay, but young or old, the horse needs to be quiet, forgiving and patient so that he can ignore the accidental pokes or pulls from the rider. A friendly horse that loves to be petted is always nice, because it helps people get over their natural fears easier.
The horses we train for therapeutic riding have to be prepared to remain calm regardless of what their riders may unexpectedly do.
However like kids horses they do not need to be highly trained but should clearly understand the basic reining commands like turning and starting and stopping. In theory it wouldn't need to know much about leg and weight aids, because the rider would be all over the place anyway. A new rider needs a chance to make mistakes and time to correct, so it's okay for the horse not to respond to every single command. These horses should also be conditioned to being touched anywhere and not spook easily.
In all cases, especially outside the corral, the horse must be easy to control.
So good conformation is not high on our list when we look for this type of horse. However size is important. We try make sure that our horses are no higher than armpit level of the supervising adult or new rider, but of course there are exceptions.
The Novice Horse
We assume that a beginner horse will be used by a rider who has had some training (lessons) but little experience. The rider can be any age or any size. And because our novice rider has had some training, they will typically know the right commands but have little skill in schooling a reluctant horse. Safety is still the number one priority so developing the skills, balance and confidence to fully control their horse in all circumstances is critical at this stage.
At this point we feel an old lazy horse is not okay. We still need a calm horse that is not easily spooked, but now it should be a little more responsive and better trained. The horse needs to be easy to control and not be intimidating for the rider in any way because the most important skill the Novice rider needs to develop is confidence. A properly trained horse will help the new rider start to develop good riding techniques. The horse does not need to know how to turn on the haunch or do sliding stops but should be able to collect and maintain a steady pace so the novice can start to learn how to post and utilize leg and weight aids.
The horse should be friendly and great attention should be made to matching horse and rider at this point. We feel this is the horse that can make or break a new rider. The experience the rider has with this horse will temper his or her view of horseback riding for the rest their lives. For this reason we usually would not recommend a hot horse for a novice rider.
The Intermediate Horse
We assume that an intermediate horse will ridden by a rider has had training and experience. So at this stage controlling and being able to school the horse is a given, the rider now needs a horse that has attributes to get the job done, whatever it might be. Good conformation may start to become more important than having the horse well mannered. Usually the intermediate rider has a clearer idea of what they will use the horse for. It may be for all around pleasure riding, mountains, gymkhana, reining, endurance, driving or even dressage.
At the mid to upper end of intermediate, things open up a bit and get fuzzy. It becomes a little more difficult and less critical to clearly rate a horse because most riders have the skill to do their own assessment. Taking the horse for a ride tells them all they need to know. Often at this stage many intermediate riders are developing the skills to school their own horses so some may be looking for a green horse that they can train a certain way.
Typically these horses are trained to a higher level and are very responsive and sensitive to all weight and leg aids because they are eager to move out quickly. The horse should still be cooperative but may not always be totally collected, so to be in complete control of the horse and school him when necessary would require the skills of an intermediate rider. And usually the intermediate rider himself is the best person to assess their ability to control the horse.