Selecting Your Horse

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction
   • Racehorse Industry
   • Non-racing Industry
   • Breeding Industry
   • Pleasure Horses
   • Working Stock
   • Show Horses
   • Sport Horses
   • Horse Breeding Industry
     
     
2. Selecting a Horse
   • Breed
   • Conformation
   • Age and Size
   • Disposition and Vices
   • Fads
   • Pedigree
   • Price
     
     
3. Parts of the Horse

Introduction

Horses should be selected to suit a specific purpose whenever possible. However, as a potentially new horse owner, you may not know whether you are interesting in pleasure riding, driving or competing in some form of activity. In this factsheet, the terms 'ride' or 'rider' are used as generic terms and can encompass all forms of activity whether it is showing on-line, riding or driving.

As a new horse owner, the key to selecting a horse is choosing one that is quiet and well trained so every ride is enjoyable. This allows you to build experience and confidence. The worst situation is an inexperienced rider with an inexperienced horse.

The horse industry can be divided into three main sections, the racing and non-racing industries as well as the breeding industry, which supports and supplies horses to the other two sectors. There are a multitude of subdisciplines and activities that horse owners specialize in within the sectors:

• Racehorse Industry

  • Standardbred horses driven from a sulky, including both pacers and trotters
  • Flat racing under saddle, involving mainly thoroughbred and quarter horses
  • Steeple chase, with obstacles throughout the race course
    

• Non-racing Industry

• English riding events, including dressage, show jumping and three-day events
• Polo
• Western events that offer both game classes, where amateurs and others enjoy trying their skill and their horse's speed against the stopwatch in timed events (e.g., barrel racing, pole bending), and performance classes (e.g., western riding, trail)
• Rodeo events (e.g., roping, cutting)
• Driving - driving one to four horses, or more, for work, competition or pleasure (includes horse pulls)
• Work horses, including agricultural and forestry work

• Breeding Industry

  The Breeding Industry includes horses of all breeds and disciplines, where mares and stallions are kept for reproduction and the transfer of their genetic potential.

Some horses have great versatility and can compete in a number of activities; however, none can do all of the activities required of horses. Within the various disciplines there are some broad terms that the newcomer will encounter.

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Pleasure Horses

Pleasure horses include all breeds and types, kept for the sheer joy of riding and ownership. Pleasure horses are used for trail riding or driving. The activity affords an excellent opportunity for relaxation, wholesome exercise, and companionship with friends, while traveling on scenic nature trails. A pleasure horse, like most other horses, spends most of its time under saddle at a walk. Therefore, it should have a prompt, fast, flatfooted walk that can travel four or five miles an hour. A faster gait is also essential. Most horsemen's introduction to the horse industry was with a pleasure horse.

Working Stock

Working stock horses, equipped with western tack, are raised for use on ranches for gathering cattle and completing the daily ranch duties. Machines and equipment have made inroads on many of the tasks formerly assigned to horses. However, it is hard to imagine complete replacement of horses on ranches and farms where large numbers of cattle are produced. Working stock horses are the backbone of the fast growing sport of rodeo. In addition, much of the growth in numbers of pleasure horses in the suburban and urban areas can be attributed to this type of horse.

Show Horses

Show horses are defined as those kept mainly for competition in shows versus other uses. Horses can be shown at halter, pulling a vehicle, or under saddle. Under saddle, they can be ridden in the English, Western or side-saddle tradition, and can compete in many levels of competition, both in amateur and professional levels, from gymkhanas to the Olympic events. Professional training and expertise in handling and management are often required to get these horses to the winners' circle. However, many amateur show classes are available. Some riders get great satisfaction from exhibiting, whether they win or lose. Those who feel they must win need to prepare themselves to face stiff competition when they decide to enter the horse-showing business.

Sport Horses

The term 'sport horse' has been applied most recently to horses that are produced in anticipation that they will be used in the Olympic events of dressage, stadium jumping and three-day events. The term is also used interchangeably with the term 'warmblood.' However, there are many hot blooded breeds, including thoroughbred and Arabians, that are also classified as sport horses. Therefore, the terminology becomes unclear at times.

Horse Breeding Industry

Horse breeding as a business is highly specialized and requires considerable capital investment. Only about 70% of mares bred produce a live foal. This low production rate in comparison to other livestock species, along with a long generation interval (period from birth to puberty), makes a horse-breeding enterprise an expensive and long-term commitment. The experience of awaiting the birth of a foal and watching its growth and development to maturity is indeed a good one, but not usually financially rewarding. Only superior animals with proven records of achievement, and free from genetic defects, should be mated. This applies to both mares and stallions.

In many breeding establishments, mares are not used for riding. However, there usually is no good reason that they cannot perform normal work in early pregnancy, and light work until about a month before foaling.

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Selecting a Horse

After deciding the intended use(s) for your horse, consider the following aspects before making your selection:

Breed

There are twenty or more different purebred breeds of horses to choose from in North America. They differ in size, shape, color, disposition, conformation, ability and adaptability. Some are 'specialists,' excelling in a narrow field; others are 'generalists,' adapted to many tasks without being superior in specialized fields. None will be excellent in all uses to which horses are subjected.

If one wants a parade horse, he may select for color and style; but these would contribute little to a working stock horse. Selection for speed would dictate certain breeds. Selection for gaits would eliminate others.

Although there are exceptions to almost any statement, it is seldom practical to select an individual to perform a duty not characteristic of its breed. Quarter horses in general have an inherited 'cow sense' but it doesn't mean that thoroughbreds can't work cattle. One would do well to view a large number of horses performing the task well, and select accordingly from that breed.

With an aging human population and many baby boomers taking up or returning to horse riding, there is an increased interest in an easy ride. Gaited horses may be preferred in these situations. Crossbred horses sometimes combine the fast, easy walk of one breed and the flexibility of another. These make good horses for sustained traveling, such as trail riding.

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Conformation

Conformation refers to physical shape and balance of component parts. 'Good' conformation increases the probability that a horse can perform the functions characteristic of its breed for an extended period of time without becoming unsound. It is not a guarantee that it will. 'Faulty' conformation may impair some activities, and may predispose to unsoundness.

Although horses vary in size by breeds from 200 to 2,000 pounds, some characteristics of good conformation are common to all of them. However, there are breed differences. Each breed association will have breed standards that you should be aware of when choosing a specific breed. The characteristics that make a good riding horse differ from those that make a good driving horse or draft horse. For the novice, it is best to consult a knowledgeable horseperson to obtain advice on conformation.

Once a horse has been selected as a possible purchase, one should ensure that the horse is free from blemishes, which may interfere with its future uses. It is often wise to have an independent trained person evaluate your prospective purchase. Veterinarians will provide a valuable service by performing a pre-purchase examination. A pre-purchase examination consists of a complete examination of all body systems, and may include laboratory tests, radiographs of the legs and feet and endoscopic examination of the lungs. The extent of the examination depends on the value of the horse, and the degree that the prospective owner wishes to ensure that there are no surprises that may hinder a horse's future athletic ability. This is not a pass or fail examination. The veterinarian provides a list of the horse's strengths or weaknesses, by which the owner can make a decision.

The pre-purchase examination will include a soundness examination of legs and feet at the walk and trot. Lameness in a front limb is indicated by a nod of the head when weight is placed on the sound limb. The croup drops when weight is shifted from a lame hind limb to a sound one. Pain in a front limb will be noticeable in a standing position by 'pointing,' i.e., resting one front foot ahead of the other. Veterinarians will often use a hoof tester to localize pain in the feet. Some of the more common lesions are illustrated in Figure 2.

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Age and Size

Children should learn from a dependable horse. This usually means a reliable older horse rather than one in training less than a year. Well-trained horses five years and older make good mounts for beginners. Much older horses are very satisfactory if they are sound. One common mistake is to buy a young horse, unbroken or 'green-broken,' or a nervous horse that the child cannot handle safely.

Remember that a scared horse and a scared child make poor companions.

Size of horse and rider should receive consideration. Small children find all horses difficult to saddle and mount. Often ponies can be a handful for children due to their independent nature. Small horses should not be asked to carry heavy riders and equipment. Twenty percent of its body weight is a substantial load for a horse to carry on long rides.

The one mistake that is commonly made is for a prospective buyer to dismiss the older horse as being too old. Many of these old-timers, 15 to 30 years of age, are ideal first horses for the novice, despite some unsoundness. The key is knowing the amount of work required of the horse and its level of soundness.

Disposition and Vices

Some horses, like some people, have nervous dispositions. They should be handled by experienced riders. Some breeds are referred to as hot breeds (thoroughbreds, Arabians), others are referred to as cold breeds (draft breeds, including Percheron, Clydesdale, Belgian), while others are now called warmbloods (Hanoverian). Regardless of the breed, there are individual differences within breeds that can be hot in temperament. The docile horse is the ideal mount for a novice rider. Certain uses to which horses are subjected encourage nervousness. Timed events make most horses excitable and some become hard to control. A standardbred horse in harness and standing beside the track can have a heart rate of 120 beats per minute (normal resting heart rate = 40 - 60 bpm), just from anticipation of racing.

Some riders prefer their horses quieter than others. They often ask for advice on nutrition and the feeding of diets that are not hot. This is based on the fact that heavy grain feeding may increase the spirit of some horses. Frequency of riding tends to gentle most horses. Underfeeding is not an option for dealing with the spirited horse.

Horses can develop unacceptable behaviour or vices that might make them dangerous and they should be avoided. Major among these are kicking, running away and rearing up.

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Fads

Fads come and go in most industries including the horse industry. Often a fad allows many individual horses to command large prices, when in reality their usefulness is seriously limited by faulty conformation or poor training. These fads may include a specific colour, a rare breed or genetic pool within a breed (Egyptian Arabians), or type of hair coat (Palominos, Paints). Many of these animals may be used for breeding without any evaluation of their breeding value based on measurable genetic traits, such as speed or performance.

Buyers will sometimes decide on the color of horse they want to buy, purchase the animal, then find it is neither the right individual nor the right breed to meet their objectives. Good conformation is available in all colors and should be insisted upon. A good horse never has a bad colour.

Pedigree

Generally speaking, pedigree selection receives more emphasis in race and show horses than others. A distant ancestor on a pedigree has a very low probability of contributing anything to an individual. Emphasis should be placed on the performance of close relatives (sire, grandsire, dam and grandam). Selection based on pedigree is extremely important when all other selection tools are also considered, including conformation and the effects of training and feeding.

If a stallion consistently sires good horses, his services are worth more than those of a stallion that sires an occasional top horse and many 'ordinary' ones. Remember that mares are a large part of the equation as well. Only mares with proven abilities in their respective discipline should be used for breeding. In addition, the temperament of the mare contributes a lot to the final temperament of the foal.

Price

Last but not least is price. The original price of a horse is usually the least cost when compared to training and feeding costs over a few years. It is often difficult to find well-trained, economically-priced horses. In the long run, a cheaply priced, untrained horse may not be economical.

Prices on 'average' horses vary greatly by season, but the good ones are always in demand. More selection of horses for sale is found in the fall or early winter. This is because of winter feed cost, labour for care, and a subsiding of 'horse fever' after the summer show season ends.

If use of the horse is established, if fads and biases are not present, and if one is willing to shop around, a satisfactory mount can be found that will please the most discriminating buyer.

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Parts of the Horse in English, French, German, and Spanish (PDF - 317 kb)

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