How to Choose Your Next Equine Partner

Have you ever heard the phrase 'that's too much horse'? Probably if you haven't said it yourself a time or two. 
But you need the next step up in your equine partner. Or you think you do. Now most people want a horse that has more spirit, more of a challenge, more pep, more spunk. Or they think they do. 
What most people really need is to learn how to grow with the partner they already have. But that is for another article and another time. So for the sake of this case a rider is looking for a new mount. How dose one go about finding a horse that is more challenging but too much?

Here are some tips that could help out and some are things you should always do anyways when thinking about buying a new horse.

1. ALWAYS TEST RIDE! If the seller won't allow test rides is not worth buying off of. Even if you need a riding instructor there with you if you are not sure of how to judge for yourself how the horse is responding to you.

2. How does the horse respond to you on the ground? 
Ground manners are a prelude to how a horse will respond to your authority as their leader in the saddle. 
If the horse does not respect your authority and leadership on the ground you will find issues in the saddle this does not mean you can't work through this in the saddle but it gives you a heads up before you mount. 
A quick few things to do on the ground. 
How does the horse respond to you approaching them? 
Can you use poll pressure to ask them to lower their head? 
How does the horse lead and stop? Where does the horse fallow and stop in relation to you? Do they crowd or try to bite or push you? Do they paw at you? 
And can you mount quietly? Will the horse stand still with in reason many horses take a half a step to balance a riders mounting weight but they should not walk off with out your cue to move out verbal or physical.

3. How does the horse respond to direct pressure? (direct rein, direct heel or spur pressure leg pressure ect.) You should always ask or cue with the lightest pressure growing as needed until the horse responds and gets an immediate release. But a decently trained horse should not need much pressure. If the trainer rides with a heavier hand or more leg pressure the horse may not respond to a lighter pressure. At the same time you should always air on the lighter side of cues with someone else horse until you can gauge how much pressure they respond to as a courtesy no one wants their horse handled ruffly. The way you ride, pressure, riding style ( mostly rein, rein and leg, seat leg and rein, mostly posture, leg, seat and light rein ect...) should fit reasonably well with your new horse is the horse doesn't respond well to you then they may not be the best option for you.

3a. How does the horse respond to indirect pressure? (neck reining, seat pressure and posture, leg rolls and thigh cues ect) The pressure should be as light as needed if quite a bit of pressure is needed for the horse to respond in two or more indirect pressure cues the horse may not be very far in their training and you should look at if this is something you are okay with for a new mount based on your goals with this new partner.

4. Can you move all zones? 
Head, neck and shoulder, ribs and flank, quarters being able to disengage the quarters is an important tool if dealing with a break away and being able flex the head and neck is important to prevent and stop bucking. The shoulder, rib and flank flexion shows how well developed the horse is in their training and executing balanced turns and gaits. A well trained or even a horse with a lot of riding hours should have sufficient muscle and flexion in these middle zones.

5. Responsive Equally. 
How quickly dose the horse respond to a cue or command given but more importantly how much pressure is really needed before the horse fallows through and gets a release? This needs to be equal on both sides of the scale the horse should only need a light cue to gait but also an equally light cue to slow and stop. An unbalance on either side of this scale can indicate the horse needs more time developing an understanding of what those cues mean. And if that cue they are needing a a lot of pressure for is to slow or stop you need to make sure you as a rider can execute a stop in more than one way i.e. a rein less stop, a single rein stop and disengaging the hind quarters and a slow to stop seat command.

If you do not think you can tell of yourself or want a second opinion on a new horse have a friend or trainer/instructor with you to also ride the horse and see what they think as well of how the horse would work with you. The big thing is you need to feel something, a connection a real desire to have a partnership with the horse, a horse who likes to be with you and you want to be with them. Your legendary bond begins with hope, a dream and love for your horse.