HGG Community Forums

I would do a local search of horses for lease? Possibly call some of the barns in your area.

I found one of my horses on a Facebook provincial sales page, and am going to look at another in a couple weeks from the same page. Try searching "(your state/province) horses for sale". Lots of people post horses for lease on the pages I'm a member of.
Try asking your HJ friends anyways! In my area at least, lots of horses get started in both before taking off with one discipline. And unless you're competing, I don't mind riding an English-moving horse in a western saddle! I much prefer the forward gaits.

When I was horse shopping last summer here is what I was looking for.

-Is the horse the right size for what I want? I was shopping specifically for a horse for my father in law at the time so I was looking for something taller and heavier boned. Maybe you are short and want a smaller horse?
-How is the horse's conformation? Since you are leasing for a summer you can probably get away with a horse with some flaws, but in general nobody wants to be riding the ugliest horse on the block.
-What experience does the horse have? Since it sounds like you will be riding alone and trail riding mostly, a horse with some trail experience will be better than one who has only been in an arena.

Once I picked out a horse to look at I did the following at the appt. to see the horse:
Ask if you can groom and tack the horse yourself for the trial ride. Does he pick up his feet easily for picking and shoeing? Does he bridle and saddle easily and stand calmly? When you ask him to move out of your space does he move or push back? Does he trailer and lead well? I hate dealing with horses that don't have good ground manners in general. During a ride does he stand still to get on and off? Do I like his gaits? Does he seem obedient enough for my riding level? A horse that doesn't seem super flighty or spooky is great.

Lastly some people might be willing to let you take the horse on a trial trail ride for a day before you commmit. Do it if you can. Try to hit all the major obstacles you normally see on your ride: Water, logs, etc.

If you're happy with how the horse behaves then go for it!

Thank you very much! I really appreciate your help, guys.