Our three year own-niversary, and the importance of buying the horse you need

March marked just over three years since I brought Belle home! Even three years on I can still remember the horror of the horse shopping experience – it’s potentially the worst part of owning a horse. It’s not like other, nicer kinds of shopping, like buying clothes. Your new top is unlikely to turn out to be some sort of psycho in disguise that tries to kill you as soon as you get it home.

When I went to try Belle for the first time, I was so nervous. I’d seen lots of horses. I’d wasted hours on the phone to sellers who had written adverts for horses that sounded incredible but then when you spoke to them they’d say something like “Oh yeah, there was just this one time when the horse bolted off as soon as I got on and I fell off and died.” I went to see some that I didn’t even bother to get on as they were so far from the “schoolmaster” they were advertised as (there was one seller who, after almost being ditched by said “schoolmaster” at a tiny cross pole, asked me “Are you still interested?” – er, no.) So, why would this one be any different?

But as soon as I sat on Belle, I knew she was the horse for me. I finally had that feeling where I’d just clicked with a horse. I plodded round the school, had a trot and a canter, jumped some jumps and went for a hack down the road. It didn’t look amazing, there was no outline and the jumps were tiny, but I just felt safe and at home on her straight away. I went back to see her the next day, and she was just as good. Decision made. She passed the vetting, and came home with me a few weeks later.

And three years later, I think I’m just about safe to say that by some miracle, Belle has turned out to be exactly the right horse for me. I think that part of the reason why Belle and I have had such a successful partnership so far is because I went out and bought EXACTLY the horse I needed, for where I was at at the time.

So many people (myself included, previously) overestimate their abilities or ambitions when buying their first horse, and it’s a complete recipe for disaster. What’s the point in wanting a horse proven to jump 1.20 when you’re only going to be dabbling in 70cm classes for the foreseeable future? Do you really need something flashy if you’re not fussed about doing any more than prelim dressage? You wouldn’t learn to drive in a sports car, after all.

In my case, my confidence was at absolute rock bottom when I bought Belle. My previous horse, Bud, was an absolutely lovely boy and very flashy but completely the wrong horse for me – and that was before he was diagnosed with kissing spines and spinal ligament damage, and heartbreakingly put to sleep aged 7. I’d bought him as a very, very green 5 year old, thinking I had the experience to bring on such an inexperienced horse. I had the right support network, so perhaps if he’d turned out differently it might have worked out, but I lost all my confidence along the way. He taught me a lot of hard lessons, one of which was that next time round, I needed something that was going to look after me, and just let me enjoy the sport as safely as possible. And that’s Belle all over – she might never go round Badminton, but she’ll do my job all day long.

So if you’re a newbie to horse shopping like I was, my advice is to try and look at yourself critically before you start. I’m not an expert by any means, but I’ve lived through the agony (and the ballache!) of buying the wrong horse. It’s just not worth it. So:

Be honest about your abilities. Just because you’ve been having lessons at a riding school for years and can walk, trot, canter and jump doesn’t necessarily mean you’re an “experienced” rider – that word means something different in the horse world. I remember my non-horsey mum telling a new riding school instructor that I was “experienced” once. She’d been taking me to lessons for over ten years, so I understand why she said it. The new instructor asked me to leg yield the horse I was on, and I was like… sorry, what? Not that “experienced” after all.

Be honest with the seller and ask them if they think the horse would suit you (of course, part of the trick here is figuring out whether they’re being honest with you in return). In my experience, you’re better to lead with something like “I need a horse that will do X, X and X because I am the type of rider that needs X” rather than “I need a 16.1 and a half hh, 7 years and two months old, unicorn” – you have to be prepared to flex on some things! I almost didn’t look at Belle because she was a mare…

Take someone experienced with you, who knows your riding and experience, and can give you an independent view on whether or not this horse is suitable for your ability. Be prepared to at least consider their advice if they don’t think the horse is for you!

And just be aware that the horse you think you want, isn’t always the same as the horse you actually need.

So, a very happy three year own-niversary to my friend Belle, the horse I really needed.