Think "sane" and "sound," "sane and sound." There are few things sadder to watch than a new horse owner who evolves from excitement to despair because the horse turns out to be too hard to handle or just plain lame.

The best horse to buy is one that you've gotten to know either riding in lessons or it might be a horse you have leased to ride. Many schooling barns sell horses so if there's one you've been riding that you like, ask if a purchase is possible.

Click here to jump to a page about Barn Queen's book Taking Up Riding as an Adult, which has lots of helpful advice for anyone thinking about buying a horse.

BUY FROM A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL

If buying a horse you already know is not possible, look for a horse being sold by a private individual who has owned the horse a long time, preferably for several years. If at all possible, it will be a seller known via word-of-mouth to be an honest person. There are lots of reasons that private individuals sell horses. They may have encountered financial difficulties and can't afford to keep the horse, may have developed an illness that prevents them from riding or perhaps the horse was ridden by a child who has lost interest in riding or is going off to college.


BUY FROM A SELLER WHO CARES ABOUT THE HORSE

Sellers who want the horse to have a permanent, good home will want to make sure the horse and new owner are well-suited to each other. They will ask questions such as where you plan to keep the horse and will want to make sure the horse is suited for your riding ability. They will tell you about the horse's weaknesses as well as strengths. They will be happy to let you ride the horse numerous times to make sure you like the horse. They may even ask for a contract that includes a "right of first refusal" if you ever want to sell the horse, which helps ensure the horse never ends up in a bad place. These are all good things.


AVOID PROFESSIONAL HORSE DEALERS AND AUCTIONS

Unless they have a reputation for carefully matching horse to rider, beware of those who make a living selling horses. They often turn horses over as quickly as possible. Even if they mean to be honest sellers, they can not have had a chance to get to know the horse and cannot possibly match horses they hardly know to you.

Never, ever buy your first horse at an auction. There are many nice horses sold there, but it's also akin to the dog pound for equines; it's where a lot of horses with problems end up.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT OFF-THE-TRACK RACE HORSES

We frequently encounter novice riders or middle-aged individuals returning to riding who seek out off-the-track racehorses, which are without a doubt beautiful creatures to behold.

However, most off-the-track racehorses are not suitable for first-time horse owners or for anyone returning to riding after a long hiatus. Of the several off-the-track horses currently in our barn, only a small minority of them have turned out to be well-behaved and easy-to-handle.

Virtually all the others are "neurotic," even though they've been off the track for years. One goes absolutely nuts and works himself up into a lather if the horse across the aisle is taken out and he isn't. Two of them can't go into the general turnout field with the big herd without getting hurt and have to have semi-private turnout. Another has a serious "stereotypy," which in simple terms is a repetitive bad behavior: he weaves back and forth when in his stall, poking his head in and out repetitively. I call him "Jack-in-the-box."

In our experience, many of these off-the-track horses can be "hot" under saddle, are generally high strung, and only more experienced riders can ride them well.

Off-the-track Thoroughbreds can make wonderful show or pleasure horses when in the right hands. By the "right hands," I mean more experienced horsemen and horsewomen.

There are exceptions to every rule, but generally, new horse owners and individuals returning to riding should seek out Quarter Horses or one of the other breeds that generally are known to have calmer temperaments.