Often people ask us what the advantages of raising a foal are over purchasing an adult horse ready to hit the trails. This is a very good question and deserves an intelligent response.
I have had experience with both buying an older horse ready to ride and purchasing a foal. In this breed, people want a horse that is Chocolate w/ white mane and tail, five to seven years of age anyone can ride, trail experienced, 15hh and preferably a gelding.
Reality is this: there are only a little over 15,000 of these horses in the world. Compare that to hundreds of thousands of Quarter horses, Paints, Arabians, Appaloosa's, Morgans ect. Of those 15,000 Mountain horses only a small percentage of them will fit the above description, and the owners of those horses rarely let them go. When they do sell them, you can expect to pay a premium price. You also get any bad habits they may have incurred along the way.
The beauty of raising a foal is you can choose the color, gender and in some cases even choose the parents. You will also save thousands of dollars by purchasing a foal. But that is just the beginning of your good fortune. You are the one that will form your foals habits and personality. Situations that create intimidation from an older unknown horse rarely happen in a foal that has been raised by yourself. By the time you are ready to ride the horse you have raised, you know that horse like the back of your hand. Like your own children, you know all their habits and reactions. This reduces fear and lack of confidence in yourself and your horse. You know your horse is not going to hurt you, because you raised it.
You will have formed a bond with a horse that will last you a lifetime and isn't that why you chose to purchase a Mountain horse in the first place?