New Horse. Please help?

[SouthernWhisp]

I agree with harlequinduck. There's a lot you need to consider before you buy a horse. Just some things to think about-
What are you going to do with the horse? For hunter, jumper, dressage- thoroughbreds and wamrbloods are great if you're competing in high level competition and can handle a horse with that much energy and that many needs. Generally they are harder to keep weight on because of high metabolisms and also need to be exercised often otherwise they can become anxious, jittery, and dangerous. If you want to do barrels, poles, flags, reigning, etc. Go with a horse that is stockier all the way around. Quarter horses, paints, appaloosas, and mustangs are great for this because they have thick bones that wont splinter/ break under the pressure that these events provide. A thoroughbred on the other hand can do these but are much more likely to suffer leg injuries plus are not built to make sharp turns because of their long bodies. If you want endurance you've already got the breed. Arabians are top of the breeds for this because of their stamina. For endurance you'll want a slim horse with lots of stamina, a good heart, sound hooves, good conformation, and good lungs. For this I personally use a Tennessee Walking horse and a quarter horse X morgan. The QH X Morgan is a little stocky for it though.
If you're looking for just another horse to take out on trails and play with get one that is calm, doesn't need to be ridden often, and is an easy keeper. Such as quarter horses, Tennessee Walkers, Halflingers, morgans, and appaloosas are great for this. (Sorry if i'm a little biased on breeds, I come from the US and mainly do barrel and gaited horses)...
That's another thing to think about in a trail horse, gaited or not. Gaited are smoother to ride at faster speeds and naturally walk faster. Non gaited you'll have to post every time you go fast but they are great for leisurely walks and enjoying scenery. Gaited horses can include (but not limited to) Saddlebreds, Tennessee Walkers, Paso Finos, Missouri Fox Trotters, Morgans, some mules, Icelandics, Rocky Mountain Horses, and National Show horses. Not gaited are ones you have to post on like paints, QH, thoroughbred, warmblood, etc.
Riding experience is also important. While rescuing a horse can be a great experience some have serious issues that take very experienced riders and have special needs in riding. If you've never trained a horse or have someone who can help you work out the kinks I wouldn't suggest adoption. Most adoption cases involve starvation and abuse. This can make them very possessive, have certain fears (such as one of mine is an adoption but she used to be afraid of men in black cowboy hats. Tan, white, blue were all ok, even it being black on a woman was ok. But get a black hat on a man and she would flip out), and can come with underlying medical problems (which can get expensive). You need to be realistic in your riding experience and look for a horse that has something to teach you without blowing you out of the water. If that makes sense.
Also consider where the horse stands in its current herd. You have two babies and a pony, an aggressive dominant horse can do serious damage to them. I used to have a mare who was fine with geldings but would quite literally fight to the death with other mares, and a gelding that was fine with horses but wouldn't stop harassing my pony and babies (he quite literally almost ran them to death one day... I have since gotten rid of him).
Age and training you also need to consider. Four and under tend to have not completely finished their training and can still be a little skittish. Also new born- 6 years haven't completely stopped growing and fusing their bones yet so you couldn't ride them as hard as you would a normal horse without risking some of their soundness (also depends on breed QH are fully developed by 4-5 because they have stockier bone structure). 7-15 years is generally the prime of most horses lives (though if taken care of very well it can last into the late 20s) 15+ years horses are generally much calmer (especially if their ridden often) and have most the spark and kick out, though not all. My pony is 38 years and he still runs, bucks, and chases our dogs...
As for gender it's really preference. If you like spark with lots of heart but can be moody and temperamental go with a mare. If you want one that's pretty laid back but lazy go with a gelding. Stallions can be sweet but you always have to separate them when a mares in heat and on trail you have to watch out for mares. Plus they tend to be more aggressive, dominant, and difficult to handle because of the testosterone. These are generalizations of course, but they prove true for most.
Also think about your parents. When you leave the home for good/ college who's going to take care of the horses? Are you going to take them with you, let them go into hiatus, or sell them. Older horses can be harder to sell, while younger horses in hiatus can fall out of training, taking the horse with you can be expensive too. I'm going off to college next year but am taking my 3 yr old with me. My friend had wanted to get a horse also, but her parents didn't want to have to take care of it after she was gone. Just a random thing to think about.
Finally never settle. If the horse isn't what you're looking/ equipped to handle don't get it. I've seen to many good people run over by bad horses that they thought they could fix, or good horses turned bad because they rider couldn't handle them. Also some horses can be great but just don't fit your personality. If you do get that type of horse it'll be great at first but in the long run you'll probably be miserable. There's a horse out there for everyone, take your time to find him/her.
Oh if you need buying tips I've got those also, but this post is long enough so I'll leave you with that. Hope this helps- Whisp

[nb~fan]

i think you should get an american saddlebred thats what i ride,they are some of the best in show,most are calm,they are some of the tallest breeds of horses and they listen ,thats how me and a american saddlebred gelding ex-show horse are<3

[Soccerlvr]

Bump C:

Edited a bit^^"

[bangarain]

Well, I have an AQH and he's really awesome; I'm not sure if they're exactly the kind of horse you're looking for, but mine has an awesome tempermant {Obviously; all horses are different so they're not going to have all of the same characteristics} and my mom used to show him alot, but that was mainly English, so I'm not totally sure about that. "^^

But he's very "sturdy" but he's got alot of speed in him, at least, he's getting older now so we can't ride him as much, and he's pretty much retired and enjoying himself in the pasture. :3
I think my mom used to ride him for fun, not in competition I don't think; with pole bending and barrel racing, and he was awesome at that, too. C:

So I guess it just really depends on the individual horse, but I do think AQH's are really almost perfect, at least for me. ;3

And I absolutely love TB's, but don't know to much about them personally because I've just had experience with Beau {My QH ^^} and shetland ponies. xD

[Soccerlvr]

Thanks Whisp, and Rain ^^"

I'm thinkin either a QH or another Arabian, at the moment. Unless I/someone else thinks of something different. xD

[SouthernWhisp]

Haha, the edit helps a lot...
So for endurance I would probably stay away from a QH, good temperaments but they're built for fast spurts. I have one that I've tried to use for it but she tires quicker than most of the other horses. Works her heart out, but her lungs don't really have the capacity for it. But they're great for gymkhana!
You could try a Tennessee Walking Horse. Most are gaited, and they're pretty sturdy (varies from horse to horse). I use mine for endurance racing, poles, and barrels . She doesn't have as fast a start as QH but she can turn just as well and in a 1/4 of a mile can catch some QHs. She's very responsive, great with turns, and fast when I let her out. They're becoming more and more popular within both sports, and they also growing in popularity among reigners and cutters. Most of them are pretty laid back in personality. I've owned three and trained twenty. They're awesome! Actually the horse in my signature is a Walking Horse. So they can have some spark and kick . They can be any color and black is pretty common (But I think spotted, palomino, and buckskins are the most popular). They average around 15-17 hands. For a good Walker the price is generally $4000-$7000. They look/work great in English and Western events if you ever want to expand and are used widely for western pleasure. They can be very flashy horses with naturally high leg lifts (thanks to their gaits), and often attract lots of attention in a show ring. Oh and endurance, I use mine for this and they're right up there with the Arabians from my area... Well that's my bid for Walkers. Hope it helps

[lil-miss-equestrian]

usually smaller horses are used for gymcanna because thay can turn quicker...if you were looking for a gymcanna horse I would suggestt the morgan, I own one and he is very sweet and athletic, but the breed only ranges from 14.1-15.2 hands.

good luck with your new horse

p.s. he is sweet but he can give me allot of troble when it comes to show season

[Soccerlvr]

Thanks for the new advice 83

Whisp: That sounds pretty good^^ My mom is taking me to a horse-show-type-thing (not really sure what to call it) where we will meet up with one of her good friends and she will take us to see different types of horses like that for sale. I'll definately ask to look at some Walkers while I'm there!

lil-miss-equestrian: thanks, that is helpful^^

[Bricat]

I'd look at horses in your price range of all breeds. Sometimes one certain horse steals your heart, thats how I got 3 cats, 1 guinea pig, 4 chickens and a Bearded Dragon

[Cowgirlte]

I would get a Quarter Horse, they'll do anything you want them to do, if they have the right temperment. I have a
Quarter Horse and I do everything with him, I've barrel raced him and took him on competitive trail rides.