So I really want a few horses when I get my house. My other half (roommate/bestie) want's mares. She is a first time horse owner as am I (I know gelding are best but she is dead set on mares) Do you have any good breeds? the horses will be for riding around our property. we are both fairly talll (I'm 5'9 she is 6'0-6'1) And I belive hieght has something to do with how tall you need a horse.. So tall gentle breeds for first timers any suggstions?

Quarter Horses are always a safe bet. Quarter horses vary quite a bit in height. I'd look for something over 15 hands. If it's just for riding around property an older pair is likely best. Horses are a huge commitment though so make sure you are giving them the care and attention they need.

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Geldings vs Mares is kind of a tie. I own more mares then geldings. It kind of just depends on the horse. I wouldn't be dead set on one horse over the other just because of gender. An honest horse is an honest horse whether mare stallion or gelding.

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Do educate yourself beforehand though. Volunteer at a barn. Get lessons and such. Again, horses are not a small or short lived commitment. They are expensive as hell. I've seen what happens when someone thinks they know it and jump into it without a trainer, not a good situation for anyone involved

Draft crosses are my personal favorite for temperament, build, being easy keepers, and having less health issues and injuries than QHs in my experience. They're also way less hot and neurotic than many of the modern lined QHs. It's hard to find them but they're fantastic if you can get your hands on one. I have three Clydesdale x AQHA crosses and one Clydesdale x Thoroughbred

Please work with a trainer first, or find a mentor to help you, especially when horse shopping. Buying the wrong horse can be dangerous, and the questions you're asking are indicating that you're not ready to do this without guidance. I'm not saying don't get a horse at all- but please have somebody in real life that can educate you and be there for your specific situation. An online forum can only do so much for you.

Was about to say this. Volunteering at a barn is also a great way to help you learn about how to properly care for a horse, as well as taking riding lessons to make sure both you and the horse are safe while bombing around. Of course, having horses is super fun but is expensive as heck and also super time-consuming.

Also agree with this. If you are new to having horses, I would absolutely not recommend purchasing any right now or caring for them at your house. They are WAY harder and expensive than you would think. They find anything to hurt themselves on, and in reality, you don't get to ride much when they are at home because there are always chores that need to be done. I don't know where you live, but where I am(Ohio) I currently pay $9 per bale just to have quality hay. We buy around 300 bales every year for two horses which comes out to around $2,700 a year, but then you have to add in grain, supplements, water bills, electricity, vet bills, farrier work, tack, and much more. Grain is about $26 a bag, we don't feed very much but go through around a bag and a half every two months. So add in all of those expenses and you come out to around $10,000-$20,000 every year(sometimes more) on just two horses. Now there are ways to cut costs, but the goal is to keep your horses as healthy and cared for as can be. Now if you lease the price would be way less and you don't have to worry about nutrition, vet, sometimes tack, and putting in the time to fully care for them. I'm not trying to discourage you from pursuing horses, I would just suggest that you lease first or work with a trainer before jumping into buying horses. Horses are also extremely dangerous animals at times and are always looking for a way to one up you. They will find any weakness and will take it and run. So many people end up buying horses and selling them within less than a year because there horses learned to take advantage of them and started to hurt and scare them. You and your friend should not have to go through that, it's scary and not worth your time. Wish you the best on your journey into the horse world <3

My word of advice, there are shady people in this world who will absolutely fuck you over by selling you a doped up, crazy crippled horse as "beginner safe". Please please please work with a trainer

I don't know where you live, but where I am(Ohio) I currently pay $9 per bale just to have quality hay.

Yeah I'm also in cali and its awful 😭😭

Its like 26 right now but It was higher a few months ago

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But like the others said, definitely volunteer, take lessons or be a working student and work with a trainer first

I was where you were like 3 years ago and I got a horse sort of by accident?

And it worked out amazing but it definitely could have gone VERY wrong and I wouldn't recommend it

Working with a good trainer is so so valuable and they'll help you so much with learning to ride, horsemanship, and they'll be able to help you when horse shopping :)

Theres a lot of shitty people selling horses who will take advantage of inexperienced people

Also I wouldn't worry too much about mare vs gelding, or horse height (to a degree)

A shorter but strong horse with good comfo will be able to have a heavier rider than a taller horse with not great confo, less muscling, etc

My first steps in your position would be, like Puck said, to work with a trainer, and like Lucky Duck said, volunteer!

I've seen first hand what happens when people jump right in without a trainer first, and they ended putting the horses in a really bad situation.

I also agree with Lucky, don't worry too much about the genders until you get to buying the horse with more experience under your belt. Then you can be a bit pickier. I wish you the best of luck on your journey though!