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María Alejandra Ramelli

is chosen. The common saying “Young rider, old horse” makes a lot of sense
here (Meadows, no year of publication). Don’t buy a foal saying that both of
you will learn at the same time. Owning a foal may seem like the cutest thing
on earth, but they can be a headache for inexperienced riders. Horses learn
really fast, and if you give them the chance to take advange of your mistakes,
they will. So, if you want to learn and gain experience, then you should choose
a highly-experienced horse (Meadows, no year of publication). An experienced
horse doesn’t always mean an “old horse”. Some grandpas are great teachers
that enjoy helping you while others are grumps. Keep in mind that there are
exceptions to every rule. All horses are different. On the other hand, a highly-
experienced horse can be boring for an experienced rider who wants to provide
some training to the horse, or even raise him on their own. Always consider
your riding experience and level when choosing your perfect horse. Also think
about where you want to go with your horse. Do you want to raise your horse
from scratch? Do you want to improve your riding? Do you want to achieve a
better score on dressage shows? Do you want to compete in a higher category?
Do you want to compete internationally?

Male or Mare?

Choosing your discipline is not everything. You should also ask yourself: Do
I want a Stallion? A mare? A gelding? So, here’s a bit of advice: Forget about
stallions if you don’t have experience handling horses. Owning a stallion as
a first horse and having him in an equestrian center can be tiresome for both
of you. Stallions have strong personalities, are difficult to handle, and even
though they may be well-trained, they can become very temperamental when
around mares in heat (Cloud, no year of publication). Taking them out to graze
when other horses are around can be a total nightmare. Barn managers gene-
rally won’t allow stallions to be free in a paddock if other horses are in close
proximity. Stallions usually belong to very experienced riders, but if one day
you really want to own one, make sure you have the level and experience so
you can offer your stallion a beautiful life. Mares are usually less temperamen-
tal than stallions, but they can be moody during their heat cycle (Blocksdorf,
2018). They are just like women. They can be happy today, but tomorrow they
are irritated and no one but them understands why. That’s why some dres-
sage riders prefer males over mares. However, owning a mare allows you to
breed her. So, if some day your mare unfortunately has an injury and cannot
be ridden she can be a mom. On the other hand, geldings don’t have a heat
cycle, so their mood is pretty much the same every day (Blocksdorf, 2018). Your
horse’s sex does not determine how good your horse is, or how high he can

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