These horses are considered gold by many!
Horseback riding can be a rewarding experience for the whole family. It’s even more fun when everyone can ride together. There’s nothing more enjoyable than a trail ride or horse show with mom, dad, and the kids all involved. It does take a special horse though! This horse has to wear many hats. They have to be gentle enough for young ones, but have enough talent for the adults.
Family Horse Traits
- Safe: First and foremost, this horse has to be safe both on the ground and in the saddle. Nothing spells disaster faster than a spooky horse and child. It just takes one bad fall or injury to crush their confidence. Even adults can have major setbacks with a nervous, jumpy horse that rattles their confidence as a rider. Find a horse that is sane and consistent no matter what the environment.
- Bombproof: Similar to being safe, a bombproof horse is one that isn’t jumpy or spooky. They have been introduced to a wide range of circumstances and show little reaction to unusual events or objects. They may look at a deer on the trail, but they won’t take off and run back home. There’s no “funny” business with this horse!
- Respectful: Tons of natural horsemanship trainers will tell you how important respect is. The horse should see you as their leader. This means that your family horse shouldn’t test the boundaries by pushing, nipping, or running into their child or adult handler. A respectful horse waits for their rider’s cues.
- Willingness: These horses know their job and are happy to please their riders. They won’t bite when you tighten the girth or run from you in the field. Their work ethic is strong! A horse like this can be fun for the more experienced riders, but also won’t take advantage of younger handlers.
- Docile: Horses have all different personalities types. When selecting a family-friendly horse, choose one that is overall quiet and easy going. Some just have no interest in running around or looking for trouble. They’re happy to plod along!
- Forgiving: We all start off as beginners! This horse can’t hold a grudge or react strongly when their inexperienced rider does something wrong like raise their hands and pull back on the reins. It’s our job as riders to be kind to our horse, but in the beginning, there’s bound to be a few mistakes.
- Dependable: It doesn’t matter what day of the week it is… this horse is always the same. You know what to expect with them. What you see is what you get!
- Experienced: These horses have miles. They’ve seen a few things in their day and learned from these experiences. It’s even better if they’ve had professional training! It’s a lot more enjoyable when the horse is responsive to aids. They canter when you ask, they stand still when mounting, they load into the trailer easily- these horses are gold!
- Friendly: You want a horse that enjoys being with their family. One the kids can brush and fuss all over. This horse may be the shoulder you cry on from time to time. They may be your teenagers escape from stress. This horse needs to kind and welcoming.
- Versatile: The thing about families is most members have different interests. The kids want to jump, the dad wants to trail ride, and the mom try dressage. Can this horse be versatile enough to perform in a range of disciplines? You can’t expect them to be an expert in each one, but they should at least try and be capable of lower levels.
Some may say choose this breed or that age, but what it really comes down to is evaluating each horse individually. If you can do a trial, even better! If not, ask lots of questions and spend a good amount of time with the horse. They should have all these traits to some degree. Remember, no horse is perfect.
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