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Welcome to Horse Expert So, You Want To Buy A Horse - What Do You Need To Know? Before you go to the great expense of buying a horse, you need to evaluate how good a rider you are, and just how much do you really know about horses and horse care. Make no mistake, you need to really be honest with yourself as this is a huge commitment. Ask yourself what size and age of horse would work best for you as well. Okay you have just fallen in love with a flashy looking equine and now what? What do you want to achieve and is THIS the horse for you? Are you going to be hunting, driving, barrel racing, trail riding or jumping? Are you going to ride at all? You can get horses just to drive. 
If you don't have horse experience then do not buy a young horse and try to train it. Two newbies who don't know much do not make a good mixture. Wait until you have more experience or pay the price for your mistakes - such as injuries to you and your horse because you did not know what you were doing. Take an experienced friend with you to check out horses. Better they help you assess the horse so you don't wind up over horsed (buying a horse that is way too much for you to handle). Your experienced friend can also ride the horse for you to assess if it would work for you. If the current owner is riding the horse, and they insist you don't need to try the horse - run, don't walk as far away as you can, and keep looking. What To Watch For Buying A Horse At Auction Buying a horse at an auction is a crap shoot at best, as usually there are reasons why the horse is there in the first place - reasons you might not want to find out if you take the horse home. Generally, unless you happen to be a horse trainer or Vet, you won't have the chance to do a pre-purchase exam. In that case, all you can do is try to pick up red flags from the horses you are considering. Yes, they can be really subtle and may also be masked thanks to drugs or even the fact the horse was rested prior to you looking at it (which would not show some forms of lameness). Start your inspection from nose to tail for any swelling or warm spots. Run your hand down all the legs (if the horse will let you and if not - red flag) and compare appearance and the feel of the left and the right. You might find a bowed tendon or a fluid filled knee - an indication of arthritis. Try flexing the joints if you can. If there is arthritis they won't flex too well Now take a good look at general body condition (good, fair or poor), hair coat (sleek and shiny or dull), foot quality (well trimmed or chipped and cracked), muscle development (well formed or wasted) and attitude (bright and curious, dull and depressed or scared). Many of these things will give you an idea of how well the horse has been cared for and you need to pay close attention to them. They are things that will also tell you how much training the horse has and the amount of exercise it has had. Watch the horse move - walk, trot and canter. Does he move well or are his ears pinned and tail on a switch? Does the head bob up and down (lameness)? What about his breathing? Does he roar or whistle or wheeze? Make sure you see the horse ridden under saddle to get an idea of his attitude and whether or not he and you will get along. You need to take your riding experience into consideration for this decision. And try not to over-estimate your skills or you will get a horse not suited to your level of expertise.  |
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