Hey, If you're new to mountain biking, I suggest you get a frame that doesn't have rear suspension. The rigid frames are called Hardtails. There are such things as freeride hardtails, I'd suggest a Cowan or Stuff from Kona, P. series from Specialized or STP series from Giant.
Hardtails teach you how to ride the mountain and trails properly, as well as allowing you to jump with more snap, and let you perform urban stunts to impress a soon-to-be-gf
. Just kidding, you don't get serious girlfriends that way (unless someone begs to differ). Anyways, dual suspension doesn't teach that as well, but it gives you the skill of learning to plow over things, which is harder than it looks in many cases, in my opinion.
However, hardtails are the learning bike, and they can be high performance as well, full suspensions aren't necessarily superiour to hardtails, it all depends on usage. If you're learning to freeride, I STRONGLY suggest using a hardtail. You get better parts, for the same price (since dual suspension frames are generally more expensive) and you get a GREAT learners bike, especially at 1700 USD, let alone 1000 USD.
Don't forget to ask for some free stuff, like a helmet or pump...etc.
Have Fun,
Hooligan.