Trained versus Untrained Horses
When looking to buy a horse, one of the first decisions is whether to get one which is untrained, partly trained, or fully trained. Most people, especially if it is there first horse, will be better off getting a horse which is already trained for whatever they intend to use if for. For example, if one intends to use the horse for basic riding it should already be trained for riding, whereas if you are using it for show jumping, it should already be trained in show jumping.
It is of course possible to buy an untrained or partly trained horse. The obvious advantage of this is that it will be less expensive than a trained horse. Also, you can have the horse trained exactly the way you want by your choice of instructor, and have the pleasure of being part of this. However, there are a number of substantial disadvantages, such as:
- Cost of Training. The cost of training depends on individual circumstances and is hard to estimate, but it is under-estimated far more often than over-estimated. Aside from the direct trainer costs, unless the trainer comes to you, there are the additional costs of either stabling the horse with the trainer, or transporting the horse to the trainer for each lesson. Many people find that by the time the horse is fully trained to the level they require, it would have been cheaper to have bought an already trained horse.
- Accidents. Accidents can easily occur during training, even with a good trainer. These may result in vet costs or worse.
- Inadequate Training. Not all trainers are consistently good. In particular, trainers often rush training or use aggressive training techniques, in order to be able to quote an acceptable training fee. At best, this can result in an incompletely trained horse and at worse a mis-trained horse with undesirable behaviors.
- Feel of the Horse. Two horses, with the exact same training, will feel differently to a rider due to the individual characteristics (build, personality, movement) of the horse. With an already trained horse, one can ride it before buying to know exactly how it feels, whereas with an untrained horse one can only guess what it will feel like after training.
- Health Evaluation. Part of the pre-purchase health checks is to ride the horse and to watch it carefully as it is being ridden in each gait. These particular checks cannot be done with an untrained horse.
Consequently, buying an already trained horse can be less risky and less expensive than buying an untrained (or partly trained) horse and then training it up.
Although some people purchase a horse with the idea of training it themselves, this is inadvisable unless one is an experienced trainer (or working closely with one). Novice trainers can easily give the horse bad behaviors or habits, which are expensive and difficult to correct.
Be wary of purchasing an incompletely trained horse on the basis that the seller will complete the training. Far too often in these circumstances the remaining training is rushed and not done to the highest standards. Insist on the horse being trained up first and pay no more than a holding deposit until this is done and you’ve ridden the horse to make sure that you are fully happy with the result.
Doug Stewart is the owner of and a professional horse breeder.
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