Horses can be dangerous animals and inexperience is almost a sure way to get hurt.
An instructor can help you become a better rider and horse person, and can also assist in the purchase of a new horse. Further, an instructor can give you some idea of the costs involved in tack and apparel designed specifically for the discipline you are interested in pursuing, as well as what it will cost to compete at horse shows in your area.
Lesson prices vary by instructor, and most have different fees for private lessons and group lessons. These range from $25 to $75 per hour for a private and $15 to $60 for a group lesson. Finding the best, affordable instructor available will take some effort and you may have to try several before you find one that fits your personality, skill level, and budget.
6. Insurance
While most horse owners who ride for pleasure or low-level competition do not need specialty equine insurance, there are several types of insurance coverage available for particular situations. For example, when the purchase price of a horse is sizeable and the money to replace him hard to come by, equine mortality and medical/surgical coverage can be obtained (see p. 45).
Premiums for these policies vary according to breed, age, and use of horse, and are not usually cost-prohibitive. The mortality/theft coverage premium for most pleasure horses is approximately 3 to 3.5 percent of the purchase price, and the estimated average for medical/surgical coverage (less than $10,000 annual limit) is around $250. So, a four-year-old, registered Thoroughbred mare purchased for $15,000 and used for novice-level eventing would cost $775 per year to fully insure ($15,000 x 3.5 percent = $525. Adding on a medical/surgical premium of $250 = $775).
Another thing to consider is that most property and casualty insurer’s homeowner policies do not cover equine-related exposures (i.e., liability and defense costs for property damage and bodily injury caused by your animal). Therefore, it is prudent to purchase a personal horse owner’s liability policy. These can cost from $225 to $500 per year (most will cover one to three horses without additional premium), with an aggregate coverage limit ranging from $1.5 to $3 million. (See chapter 2 for an in-depth discussion of your different insurance options.)
so you know…
♦ For clarification, the term instructor refers to someone who teaches riding lessons and focuses on the rider’s skills.
♦ A trainer is someone who primarily works with the horse or both horse and rider. Often, where one term is used in this book, the other may be substituted.
7. Emergencies
“Just because you can afford the maintenance on a horse, doesn’t mean that you can afford one,” says Denise A. Gorondy, DVM. Dr. Gorondy has a veterinary practice with Virginia Equine Clinic in Manakin, Virginia. “What happens to new horse owners is an extensive injury involving $2,000 to $3,000 and this is a wake-up call for them.”
An injury can happen to any horse. A common example: a horse steps on a nail and punctures the navicular bursa♦. This requires surgery, long-term antibiotics, sterile bandaging, and special shoeing while the horse recovers. Or, a horse walks into a branch under the tree in his pasture and suffers a puncture wound to the eye—with a secondary fungal infection. According to Dr. Gorondy, the oral anti-fungal medications cost over $100 per day and are prescribed for a long period of time.
Clearly, you need to set up an emergency fund in the event of your horse suffering a serious injury or getting colic♦. The purchase of medical/surgical coverage can relieve some of the financial worry (see p. 45), but “older” horses (normally described as over the age of fifteen) are not insurable, and many beginning riders start out with older—wiser—horses. Regardless of your horse’s age, I recommend putting aside $150 per month in a savings account, or keeping a credit card with a zero balance, to use in the event of a horse emergency.
so you know…
♦ The navicular bursa is a fluid-filled sac that acts as a cushion between the deep flexor tendon and the navicular bone in the horse’s hoof.
♦ Colic is abdominal pain or digestive disorder in the horse; it has many causes and is considered very serious.
PURCHASING A HORSE
When you are purchasing your first horse, you need someone with experience to guide you and be the voice of reason. Enlist an instructor or trainer you trust to evaluate a horse before—and after—purchase. While you may be lucky enough to have a knowledgeable friend who will help you horse-hunt for free, most instructors expect to be compensated for their time and travel. You can expect to pay from $15 to $50 an hour for their efforts.
Define Your Riding Goals
In addition to finding a good trainer to help you evaluate a prospective horse, it is important to clarify your personal riding goals. Thom Trout, head trainer and director of the Riding Academy at the Essex Equestrian Center in West Orange, New Jersey (the largest equestrian center on the East Coast), oversees twelve instructors and more than 100 horses. He specializes in finding the right horse for junior, amateur, and professional riders. Mr. Trout says, when looking for a horse to buy “…many people have a marvelous grasp of the insignificant. They focus on one or two things that are really unimportant in the scheme of things instead of looking at their overall goals and objectives in their riding.”
Do you intend to compete at a certain level? Do you want an experienced horse that has already proven himself in the ring? Do you want a mount that challenges you? Or, do you want a super quiet horse that will accept your current level of riding skill? These are important questions to answer before starting your search.
Evaluating a Prospect
Another key element to making a sound purchase decision is asking the seller questions to see if a prospective horse will indeed be right for you. A horse can be a perfect physical specimen, but his personality could be incompatible with your own and render him less than a joy to work with and ride. Questions should include:
How long have you owned the horse?
What is your reason for selling?
What is the horse’s training and ability? What is the horse currently used for?
Does the horse bite, kick, crib, or weave? Does he chew wood?
How does the horse behave while riding in a group of horses or in the show ring?
When were the horse’s last shots, worming, and farrier visit?
How
