General Horse Content - Selecting The Right Horse

Many first-time horse buyers do not put a lot of consideration into which horse breed may be most compatible with their desires, but this lack of forethought can be a significant error. Some of us place more thought into a car purchase than we do a horse! But to continue this analogy, when purchasing a car it's true that any functional car could get you from point A to point B, but beyond the basic need (riding) are there other factors you would normally consider? Are you looking for a fancy car? A car with a lot of passenger room? A pickup truck that can transport items?

Just as any car can drive you from place to place, any healthy and sound horse can provide you a horseback ride, so it is important to push that goal out of your mind and take a deeper look at your needs or preferences. Each horse breed has individual characteristics that set it apart from others. Here are some examples that illustrate various secondary needs you might desire beyond companionship and horseback riding:

Are you looking for a horse with a visual beauty that is rivalled by few?.? If so, the Arabian may be the horse breed for you.
Perhaps you are looking for a horse that can handle the most rugged of trails with ease. Or how about a horse that can handle intensive western-oriented events like barrel racing? If either of these goals meshes with yours, the Quarter Horse just might be the best horse for you.
Are you interested in jumping with your horse, whether for pleasure or at show? A Thoroughbred would be a strong horse breed to consider.
If you can dream it, chances are it is out there… but you will need to do some research to find that perfect and sometimes elusive horse breed.

There are multiple sources at your disposal to aid your research into the best horse breed for your needs. I generally suggest starting with a good book that covers a very wide spectrum of horse breeds and talks about the special attributes and qualities of each. In fact I found a book that I believe is almost perfect for those considering a first horse (though this book can be handy for even a current horse owner).

You can also find enlightening articles about various horse breeds within a horse magazine, particularly ones that offer horse profiles such as Horse Illustrated Magazine.

And of course there is the most obvious source – the very same source you are using now. The Internet! Although not as convenient as a horse reference book, with some persistence you can find some sites that offer good, solid content about any horse breed that interests you. In fact I generally recommend you use a horse book to isolate strong possibilities and then switch to the Internet and do searches on the specific breeds you pre-selected. By doing this you will not only learn about the breed's "claim to fame" in the reference book, you will also find many farm or breeder websites that offer a variety of pictures and/or further information.