On the other hand, I bought a young mare when I was in my early forties and was (I hope) a better rider than when I was 17. But every spook made me tense with worry for my personal safety and in time, the spooks grew more frequent and more violent. I donated her to a collegiate riding program, where she is one of the favorites.
If you are really committed to the idea of owning a young horse, I think there are two situations, which MAY work for you. The first is that you buy a REALLY NICE young horse (in which case you have spent almost as much money as if you had bought a NICE older horse) and find a professional that is interested in training it for him/her to show. This is a suitable situation for the professional person who only wants to ride a couple of times a week (Have you ever heard of LEASING?) but wants to ride at ________ Level (fill in the level you want to ride at). This way you can own a REALLY NICE horse, at ________ Level, that is being shown successfully. All you have to do is provide the carrots and pay the bills.
The other way is to plan on spending the money you saved from not buying a trained horse, on training and lessons. Plan on boarding at a barn where a trainer is in residence, which will cost you at least $100/month extra and hearing this phrase a lot "Why don't you get off for a moment and I'll see what's going on?" Even this plan does not guarantee success as evidenced by the phrase "Who is going to want to buy this puke?"
I'll admit that I am spoiled. After the young mare, I bought a nine-year-old gelding that was showing Training Level. Four years later, we are doing Third Level work and he is "a Blast". I know that you don't find horses like this in every backyard but please, take the time to look. It will be worth it if you find a horse that you can enjoy for years to come. You may find a middle-aged horse that doesn't have a lot of training, or an older horse that has some soundness management issues (in which case, you are the April and the horse is the October in this romance), or a horse that isn't successful in another discipline but may be great for dressage.
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