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Now that you’re taking riding lessons, you’re in a better position to decide how much you want to trail ride on your own horse. Lessons will give you insight into this particular horse—his abilities and his habits, both good and bad—and you get the satisfaction of working with him until he understands what you want him to do. As you gain experience, your self-confidence will soar. You’ve probably also discovered how much work horse-owning is, and whether you want to keep him at a stable or at home. But if you find yourself losing enthusiasm for lessons—it’s too hot, or too cold, or you just had your hair done and don’t want to squish it into your sweaty helmet—you’re probably not meant to own a horse. Save yourself a lot of money and heartache and find a hobby you actually enjoy.

The next thing to decide is, what seat do you want? “Seat” has several meanings in the horse world. The one I’m talking about now involves tack as much as riding style. There are four internationally recognized seats: English—subdivided into dressage, hunt seat, and saddle seat. The fourth is Western. All three English saddles have an almost flat pommel and very little cantle. Most people who trail ride prefer to use a Western saddle, developed in this country by American cowboys. Their main features are a prominent horn, useful for wrapping a rope around, and a high cantle, designed to keep a rider firmly in the saddle when he does rope something. A few years ago when I went back to Belize, I had an opportunity to trail ride in the rain forest. The guide asked if I rode English or “American.” I of course wanted to know what he meant by “American.” He meant a Western saddle and a bridle with a curb bit. Will cowboys take over the world? I think they already have, at least as far as horses are concerned.

Let’s say you decide to ride Western. A friend who rides English asks what you like about a Western saddle. You tell her you feel comfortable and safe in a Western saddle—and what does she like about her little leather postage stamp? She says that because it doesn’t hold her in place, she has to do it herself. And here’s the second meaning of “seat”: a rider has a good seat when she is balanced in the saddle at all times, her position upright without being stiff. She won’t fall off even if her horse unexpectedly changes speed or direction. The English/Western debate has been going on for years with no end in sight, so don’t go to war with your English rider friend. You’ll need her the first few times you go trail riding.

The next question you’ll probably ask yourself is whether you want a grade horse or a registered one. Plenty of nice horses, even-tempered and cooperative, are known collectively as “grade horses,” the equine equivalent of mutts. A grade horse won’t be as expensive as a registered horse. A solid-color grade horse will cost less than a grade horse with spots, or that’s a palomino or some other unusual color. On the plus side, if you buy a registered horse, you can usually predict his temperament the same way you can predict the temperament of a registered dog. Like mutts, grade horses are cheap because you’re just buying the individual horse, not his entire pedigree.

No matter what seat or type of horse you ultimately choose, you want a finished (no additional training necessary), trustworthy trail horse with comfortable gaits. A three-year-old may look mature, but he’s still a teenager—and you don’t want one. A finished horse will be sensible, meaning he won’t shy at shadows or unexpected noises, and he’ll listen to you because he’s been taught to obey his rider. It’s never a good idea to buy a young horse so that you and the horse “can learn together.” The seller of such a horse will make this sound like a good idea, but it’s not. Every group of horses has a hierarchy—a pecking order—the same way chickens and school children do. Without his herd, your horse will be looking for some kind of boss. Unless he finds one in you, he’ll fall back on his instincts. You don’t want a green-broke three-year-old to make decisions for you based on his instincts. In other words—as I suggested in an earlier column—you’re much better off buying one about eight years old.

You’re also looking for a sound horse, meaning he has only minor physical problems that won’t be aggravated by riding him a couple of hours three or four times a week, and/or can be controlled by diet and exercise. Today’s horses are healthier than they’ve ever been, and many can safely be ridden through their twenties.

Joan Fry is a lifelong horse lover and the author of “Backyard Horsekeeping: The Only Guide You’ Ever Need” (The Lyons Press, Revised Edition, 2007). She can be reached via email at joan@joanfry.com.

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