A lesson horse’s physical abilities are a direct indication of how they can be used in riding lessons. The complicated aspect of this piece of criteria is that you need lesson horses of varying physical ability in order to round out your school program.
In other words, all lesson horses are not created equal—nor should they be.
Narrowing Down Physical Characteristics
The goal when choosing lesson horses is to fill your needs at the barn. You might require a slow-moving beginner lesson horse who will take care of the young ones and present a safe, uncomplicated solution to teaching kids. Or perhaps you need a polished schoolmaster who will help your advanced students learn the upper levels of dressage.
Whatever the case, you should know exactly what you’re looking for in terms of physical ability before you set out to look at lesson horses.
My advice is to make a list of the physical attributes in the perfect school horse. Can he jump? Run barrels? Cut a cow? Trot and canter for long periods of time?
You should also consider the size of the horse if it’s relevant to his performance during riding lessons. For example, you don’t want a 13.2-hand pony for an advanced jumping horse.
Evaluating the Horse
When you evaluate potential lesson horses, carry your list with you. Memorize it beforehand and picture the horse in your mind. This is important because it is easy to get swept up in the moment, to forget your criteria because you stumble across a perfect horse for something other than riding lessons.
The most important thing you should remember about evaluating physical ability in lesson horses is that you need to see the horse perform whatever he will do in lessons. If you want him to jump, for example, you should see him jump when you go look at him. Same for running barrels.
Look Beyond the Surface
It is impossible to accurately judge physical ability just by looking at a potential lesson horse. You don’t see what’s beneath and beyond the surface, which is a major handicap.
The only way you can be sure a horse’s physical abilities are up to scratch is through a pre-purchase exam. Tell your veterinarian what you want to use the lesson horse for, and ask for an evaluation based on that criteria.
I’ll get more into the pre-purchase exam in a future article, but suffice to say it’s the most important step in evaluating lesson horses.
In closing, I want to encourage you to go with your instincts when it comes to physical ability. If your gut tells you the horse won’t work out, walk the other way, even if he looks good on paper and seems like a dream come true.
More in the Lesson Horse Evaluation Series:
- Introduction
- Behavioral Suitability
- Student Compatibility
- Equine History
- Vet Check
- Disposition
- Price
About the Author: Laura Jane Thompson is the Editor in Chief of Riding Instructor University and the Feature writer for the horses section at Suite101. Follow her EquiTips on Twitter.
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