Buy the right horse
|
Soundness and physical health
The horse must be sound and free from major health concerns. There are lots of sound and healthy horses out there – you don’t need to buy a vet bill. No matter what the price of the horse, I strongly recommend you get a pre-purchase examination (a Vet Check) before you commit to buying.
The horse must be sound and free from major health concerns. There are lots of sound and healthy horses out there – you don’t need to buy a vet bill. No matter what the price of the horse, I strongly recommend you get a pre-purchase examination (a Vet Check) before you commit to buying.
Conformation
The horse’s conformation must allow it to be athletic and not foretell potential future soundness problems. Deal killer examples: A mature horse built “downhill” (i.e. its withers are lower than its point of hip), crooked front legs, disproportionately small feet, a horse with a long back and short croup, a pronounced club foot, a disproportionately short and thick neck, are some examples. But again, it depends a lot on the horse’s purpose. The best learners pony known in our district was Chocky with his long back, and short chunky neck but he wonderfully taught so many kids to ride that his conformation didn't matter.
The horse’s conformation must allow it to be athletic and not foretell potential future soundness problems. Deal killer examples: A mature horse built “downhill” (i.e. its withers are lower than its point of hip), crooked front legs, disproportionately small feet, a horse with a long back and short croup, a pronounced club foot, a disproportionately short and thick neck, are some examples. But again, it depends a lot on the horse’s purpose. The best learners pony known in our district was Chocky with his long back, and short chunky neck but he wonderfully taught so many kids to ride that his conformation didn't matter.
Absence of stable vices
You don't want to take on a cribber, weaver, etc. These types of behaviours are often "contagious”, and you don't want your other horses to pick them up. If you rely on grazing on someone else’s property, a crib biter will not be welcome.
You don't want to take on a cribber, weaver, etc. These types of behaviours are often "contagious”, and you don't want your other horses to pick them up. If you rely on grazing on someone else’s property, a crib biter will not be welcome.
The horse's experience
The horse’s performance should match what you are told about its training and experience. What matters to you is how the horse behaves when you ride it, not whether Big Name Trainer once showed the horse successfully. If the horse hasn’t been ridden for a year, you will take that into account, but the horse should give the impression that it knew its job before it had time off.
The horse’s performance should match what you are told about its training and experience. What matters to you is how the horse behaves when you ride it, not whether Big Name Trainer once showed the horse successfully. If the horse hasn’t been ridden for a year, you will take that into account, but the horse should give the impression that it knew its job before it had time off.
Your access to expert help
Provided you have plenty of experience or can pay for experienced help consistently, its better buy a horse with little training than a horse who has had bad training. It's much easier to start afresh than it is to convince the horse that what they have learned (been rewarded for or allowed to get away with) is not acceptable. Having said that, if you haven’t much experience or much time, buy a well-behaved experienced horse only.
Provided you have plenty of experience or can pay for experienced help consistently, its better buy a horse with little training than a horse who has had bad training. It's much easier to start afresh than it is to convince the horse that what they have learned (been rewarded for or allowed to get away with) is not acceptable. Having said that, if you haven’t much experience or much time, buy a well-behaved experienced horse only.
Photos
These need to help you to evaluate the horse's conformation- side photos are needed, taken with the horse's feet reasonably square underneath it, where you can see the whole horse. If you are getting help from someone to choose a horse, ask the seller beforehand to give you photos that might be lacking in their Trade Me, iSpy or Facebook group ad. Don’t rely on a photo to assess a horse’s jumping style. One good picture can always be found and can be quite misleading.
These need to help you to evaluate the horse's conformation- side photos are needed, taken with the horse's feet reasonably square underneath it, where you can see the whole horse. If you are getting help from someone to choose a horse, ask the seller beforehand to give you photos that might be lacking in their Trade Me, iSpy or Facebook group ad. Don’t rely on a photo to assess a horse’s jumping style. One good picture can always be found and can be quite misleading.
Videos
If the horse is supposed to be able to do X, you want to see it doing X in the video. Again, if you are wanting a sports horse, ask for a video so you don’t waste your or the sellers time visiting a horse which doesn’t perform to the standard you are after.
Assume the video is the BEST example of the horse doing whatever it is advertised as being able to do.
If the horse looks even remotely lame or "off" in the video, give that horse a miss. This seems obvious, but there are a LOT of sale videos of lame horses out there, and in all price ranges, too.
For young horses, rough footage of walking, trotting and cantering in a round pen is fine, just make sure you can see their whole body and their legs throughout the video.
If the video is heavily edited, you will be able to tell. You should assume the edited-out portions showed bad behaviour or some other problem.
If the horse is supposed to be able to do X, you want to see it doing X in the video. Again, if you are wanting a sports horse, ask for a video so you don’t waste your or the sellers time visiting a horse which doesn’t perform to the standard you are after.
Assume the video is the BEST example of the horse doing whatever it is advertised as being able to do.
If the horse looks even remotely lame or "off" in the video, give that horse a miss. This seems obvious, but there are a LOT of sale videos of lame horses out there, and in all price ranges, too.
For young horses, rough footage of walking, trotting and cantering in a round pen is fine, just make sure you can see their whole body and their legs throughout the video.
If the video is heavily edited, you will be able to tell. You should assume the edited-out portions showed bad behaviour or some other problem.
Text
If exact height, breeding, age, and colour are very important to you, then ask these questions. Age and height particularly are huge factors in the horse’s value.
If exact height, breeding, age, and colour are very important to you, then ask these questions. Age and height particularly are huge factors in the horse’s value.
Price
Some sellers list their horse for significantly more than they would actually accept for it so don’t be too put off by the listed price. I know a seller who had no bites for their horse at $3000 so relisted it at $15,000 and sold at $11,000!
Also, don’t exclude "POA" ads from your searches, figuring that if you must ask what the price is, you can't afford the horse (which may or may not be true!). With POA ads though, when you ring the seller, it’s a good idea to ask them for a rough idea of price so that it’s the $ that’s important, rather than the perfect home, then neither of you are wasting your time
Some sellers list their horse for significantly more than they would actually accept for it so don’t be too put off by the listed price. I know a seller who had no bites for their horse at $3000 so relisted it at $15,000 and sold at $11,000!
Also, don’t exclude "POA" ads from your searches, figuring that if you must ask what the price is, you can't afford the horse (which may or may not be true!). With POA ads though, when you ring the seller, it’s a good idea to ask them for a rough idea of price so that it’s the $ that’s important, rather than the perfect home, then neither of you are wasting your time
Contact
It’s not a bad idea to email the seller with your basic questions and then if you like the answers, perhaps call with more detailed questions. If the horse is close by (say, within a half hour's drive), I'll probably ask very basic questions via email and then make an appointment to see the horse. If its further away, you will need to phone the seller and you also need to find a local in the area to talk to. You could ask the seller who their coaches are and phone them. Going onto the NZPCA website can help you find the head coach in an area if the horse is known in pony club circles. You can also try the local horsey FaceBook pages and ask people to private message you if they know about the horse you are looking to buy.
Check your junk mail folder and spam filter - often, responses from sellers end up there
It’s not a bad idea to email the seller with your basic questions and then if you like the answers, perhaps call with more detailed questions. If the horse is close by (say, within a half hour's drive), I'll probably ask very basic questions via email and then make an appointment to see the horse. If its further away, you will need to phone the seller and you also need to find a local in the area to talk to. You could ask the seller who their coaches are and phone them. Going onto the NZPCA website can help you find the head coach in an area if the horse is known in pony club circles. You can also try the local horsey FaceBook pages and ask people to private message you if they know about the horse you are looking to buy.
Check your junk mail folder and spam filter - often, responses from sellers end up there
Useful questions to ask a Seller
There are lots of questions you should ask a seller, but you may be uncertain about whether you should. Here’s my assurance that it’s OK and here’s some questions for you to start with, like – a. How long have you had the horse? b. Why are you selling the horse? c. How long has it been on the market? d. What has put people off buying it so far?... |
For more insightful questions you can ask the seller, check out my guide:
10 Mistakes Made By Horse Buyers |
Then there's the 'heart' factor – the secret ingredient to success
I thoroughly recommend you read Vicki Wilson’s blog on this. Remember though, Vicki can train almost any horse. If you are not so experienced, do not think you can do the expert trained assessment that she is capable of when facing a difficult temperament or a horse with “issues”.
I thoroughly recommend you read Vicki Wilson’s blog on this. Remember though, Vicki can train almost any horse. If you are not so experienced, do not think you can do the expert trained assessment that she is capable of when facing a difficult temperament or a horse with “issues”.
Finally, there's the 'bond' with the horse
A timid “switched off’ horse may be a good match for a rider that feels the same way. Their partnership may mean they grow in confidence together. Alternatively, a naturally brave, outgoing horse might be best matched with a rider who has lost confidence and needs to learn to trust again. It is a ‘partnership’ you are looking for here, so try to look deeper than what is on the surface. ‘Gut feeling’ or ‘intuition’ is not immediate, but it will grow with your ‘right brain’ (your sensible and knowledgeable side) to tell you whether you can create a happy horse/rider partnership with that horse. I recommend you trust it.
All in all, do your homework, try the horse in several different situations, take on the advice of coaches and experienced people who know you well, then go with your gut feeling. Put the time in to create your bond with the horse and they will always reward you.
A timid “switched off’ horse may be a good match for a rider that feels the same way. Their partnership may mean they grow in confidence together. Alternatively, a naturally brave, outgoing horse might be best matched with a rider who has lost confidence and needs to learn to trust again. It is a ‘partnership’ you are looking for here, so try to look deeper than what is on the surface. ‘Gut feeling’ or ‘intuition’ is not immediate, but it will grow with your ‘right brain’ (your sensible and knowledgeable side) to tell you whether you can create a happy horse/rider partnership with that horse. I recommend you trust it.
All in all, do your homework, try the horse in several different situations, take on the advice of coaches and experienced people who know you well, then go with your gut feeling. Put the time in to create your bond with the horse and they will always reward you.