Buying your first horse is an exciting adventure! Whether some one is buying the horse for you or you yourself have the money to buy a horse, you ought to carefully consider several factors.

A horse is a big investment of time, money, responsibility and commitment. A horse is not simply a pet you can welcome into your home and abandon when you go on holiday. Some one has to feed and care for your horse every day.

From a very early age I was begging my parents for horse riding lessons and soon there after for my very own horse. Neither of my parents were enthusiastic to pay for a horse. I continued with riding lessons never giving up hope and dreams of one day having my own horse. A number of years passed by and I received a small inheritance that enabled me to fulfill my dream. All I thought of was the big picture, a horse in my back yard, any horse, just get me a horse!

I learned through some tough times that there is far more to owning a horse than first meets the eye. I have listed a number of questions that I have found through the years to aid me in my decisions and thus to not be so hasty and have regrets with my choice of horse.

The first aspect to consider is why are you buying the horse? "I love horses" is a great answer, but it doesn't really help you select a horse. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

What do you want to do with the horse? Do you want to simply spend your days going on trail rides (hacking/outrides)? Are you interested in competing with your horse? If so are you interested in western or English riding, jumping, dressage, eventing or showing? A horse destined for trail riding could cost far less than a horse who has the potential to be a successful competition horse. Do you want to have the horse for several years or just a horse to learn with until you can afford something better?

You also need to consider the age of the horse. Thoroughbred horses are usually under the saddle at age 2 and Warm bloods are started around 3 years. If you buy a young horse it may have only had ground work introduced such as lunging and long-reining, in which case you would need to have someone back the horse. That is to put the saddle and bridle on the horse and work up to riding the horse and teaching it to move forward. Are you experienced enough that you would not need to pay someone to do this, or do you know someone who would help you for free? The answers will make your choice easier.

Your horse guide. Get information on buying, owning and caring for your horse, learn about Buying a Horse.

Paul Hegarty is the owner of learningfromdvds.com. Price compare Educational DVDs, read reviews, download free E-books. Read this month