DO YOU THINK AN IRISH SPORTS HORSE IS A GOOD CHOICE FOR A FIRST HORSE?

R

Rebecca M

New member
My daughter has been riding for 2 years and has taken stable management course and attended pony club for a few months now. I would class her as an intermediate rider and she has had a horse on loan for the past 2 years. Its now time to get her her own horse and we are thinking of an Irish Sports Horse.
What do you think?
 
have you one in mind. go and try it out. if it isn't her first horse she might be ok. it all depends on the horse. i would be careful, you have now covered most questions on what experience she has but you don't say how old she is.
 
DEFINITELY NOT!!!!!! A quarter horse would be a much much much better horse for an immature rider like her!!!! my gosh!! AN IRISH SPORTS HORSE!!!! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!!!
 
o.k i would say NO! An Irish sports horse is to hot blooded 4 someone who has only been riding for 2years now if she has been riding for 6 1/2 years like me then i would say yes but an Irish sports horse is mainly used for......SPORTING! i would go with a calmer breed 4 ur daughter like maybe an Appaloosa or maybe a POA (pony of the Americans) calmer breeds but not an Irish sports horse
 
Well they can get quite rowdy but maybe. You would have to search hard to find the perfect one thats calm. I have had many and almost all of them no matter how much training have that wild side.
 
The first answer on this question is very correct, an Irish Sports horse can mean quite a lot of things!

For a first horse, I'd go for something that doesn't have top of the range breeding, as these tend to be fiery. Also, for someone who has been riding for only this short length of time, experience is important. It must also have an excellent temperament.

Remember these horses can also be quite large, so make sure your daughter is big enough for one, if not I strongly suggest a large connemara pony, as these make excellent allrounders, and are generally exceptionally quiet.
 
In my opinion, it would be difficult to find an ISH that would be suitable.

We can't automatically assume that every sporting horse is high-strung, but there is a reason why most people do. They are bred for exactly what their name entails : sporting. They are bred for strength, speed, and stamina. Not all intermediate riders are capable of handling these horses.

You may be lucky enough to find an ISH that you can trust with your daughter, but I would recommend a breed that is somewhat more gentle-natured for a first horse.
 
I would recommend a pure Connemara Pony, Instead of an Irish Sport Horse. They can be as big as 15 hh (not really a pony at all!) and they are very versatile and have a great temperament. I'd look into buying one of them.
 
Some of the answers last time you asked the same question were quite good.

Irish Sports Horse covers a big variety of horses form cobs, Near RIDs to near TBs. For a first horse you need one with a bit of experience and a temperament and demeanor that allows for mistakes.

I wouldn't be too specific about any breed if I was searching - Have heights & ability in mind and don't be in a rush.
 
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