Great Deal Horse

Getting a Great Deal on My Next Horse
By Bonnie Marlewski-Probert

I am often asked this question as I travel around the country, “how do I get a great horse, cheap?” Most people are very surprised when I give them the answer. Below is a letter I received via the Internet asking exactly this question.

“Dear Bonnie,

I've always wanted my own horse but they are really expensive. Is there any possible way I can find a great horse at a lower price? Thank you for taking your time to read my letter. I hope to hear from you soon!

ZeeZee”

The best way to find the least expensive horse is to make sure you are the best rider you can be. This may sound funny, but in point of fact, people who don't have any formal training as a rider, have to spend more money in order to find a horse that they can get along with safely. HOWEVER, really good riders can buy much less expensive horses and finish them out themselves. My suggestion to you is to invest in yourself first by taking riding lessons for at least one year. During that year, volunteer your time at the stable. Clean tack, muck stalls, and offer to ride boarders horses while they are on vacation or out of town. Offer to exercise school horse or sale horses in the barn and volunteer to do anything else you can think of, including feeding, watering, etc.

Since you are probably going to be in the horse world for the rest of your life, it shouldn't seem like a big sacrifice to devote a year to your education. After all, if you devote the first year to making YOU the best rider you can be you will save money on every single horse you buy for the rest of your life. In addition, you will have more fun with all those horses because you will be better prepared to handle whatever may come up.

I would compare this advice to buying a house. For those folks who are handy with a hammer and nails and who enjoy “working with” a house, there are plenty of deals to be had in the real estate market. For those “Bob Vila” types, they can often find fabulous homes for very little money, just because the house is in need of some basic repairs or some talented elbow grease. However, if you have no clue about how to fix up a home, or have no interest in learning how to fix up a home, you will pay the going price.