Horses are horses. They are awesome, gorgeous, and very intelligent. Although, not all are the same. Age plays a big role in a horse's behavior. Like humans, horses grow more mature and wise as they get older, gaining experience throughout their lives. Horses learn how to act around humans and other horses over their lifespan. For example, if you bought a 2 year old Arabian filly, she may act skittish around other individuals because, after all, she has only been alive for two years and hasn't gained enough social experience to act maturely around others. Comparing this to a 20 year old Arabian mare, the older mare has been through more social learning experiences and years of training. Therefore, the older mare acts with more maturity, less skittishness, and more obedience than the filly did.
So, when you are thinking of buying a horse, always first consider how old it is, and how much learning experience it's had. You would definitely want to buy an older horse if you own a stable in which you teach beginners how to ride, since the kids are have less experience with horses, and the older horse has less of a likely hood of spooking or hurting a child while he or she is riding it, because the horse has more social experience and training. If you specialize in the speed racing sports such as jockey races, barrel races, or cross country*, you may want to buy a younger horse that obtains more energy and can perform gaits in a faster manner.
In conclusion, age does play a role in your horse's personality and behavior. Also make sure you find the right horse for your situation. Thank you for checking in this weekend! Hope you join me again next week.
Great read!