26/10/2026
We get asked a lot about what a suitable horse is to buy, also why certain horses are given to different people and why you don’t always get your favourite. Ive just read this and I’ve copied and pasted it because I think it describes very well the reason we change people around ( to give them experience of different horse / ponies to learn how to deal with different questions the horse might ask ) and why ,what horse shall I buy is by no means an easy question to answer. Pls read it’s a good explanation 😊 🐴🤍 “HOW SAFE IS THIS HORSE?” 🤍🐴
One of the questions I get asked most frequently when selling horses is…
💬 “How safe is he?”
💬 “I’m looking for something really safe.”
💬 “Would you say he’s 100% safe?”
And here’s something I think is really important for every horse buyer to understand…
A horse’s safety is often directly related to the ability, confidence and experience of the person handling or riding it.
A horse that is absolutely golden for one rider might be completely unsuitable for another.
A horse that hacks beautifully on the buckle with a confident, experienced rider might become nervous, unsettled or reactive with someone who is anxious or unsure.
And that doesn’t automatically make it a bad horse or an unsafe horse!
🐴 Horses are living, breathing animals, not machines.
They have instincts, emotions, good days and bad days. They react to their environment, their rider and the situations they’re put in.
I’ve seen horses described as difficult become absolute saints in the right hands, and equally, horses that have been incredibly straightforward develop problems when their confidence or understanding has been compromised.
A horse doesn’t suddenly become unsafe simply because a rider isn’t equipped to deal with it.
This is why I always say that finding the RIGHT match is far more important than finding a horse someone describes as “bombproof”.
Of course, temperament matters enormously. Some horses are naturally quieter, more forgiving and more suitable for less experienced riders.
But even the quietest horse in the world is still a horse, and no horse can ever be guaranteed 100% safe.
🤍 When we sell a horse, we can tell you how that horse behaves with us. How it hacks, schools, jumps, handles traffic, behaves in open spaces and responds to different situations.
What we cannot guarantee is that every horse will behave identically with every rider, in every environment, under every set of circumstances.
And that’s not us avoiding responsibility. That’s simply understanding horses.
✨ The question shouldn’t just be “How safe is this horse?”
It should be…
“Is this horse safe and suitable for ME, my ability, my confidence and what I want to do?”
Because ultimately, the right partnership is what makes all the difference. 🤍🐎
K. Naylor Equestrian
Matching the right horses with the right people.
