Best questions to ask when making an enquiry about a horse!

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Brimful of Asha

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Hello all!

I was just interested in what questions you like to ask when contacting a owner about a horse for sale/ loan or some of the strangest you've been asked :p
 
How long have you owned.
Why selling.
What are the horses bad points.
Has the horse been seen by the vet for anything other than routine stuff?
Does the horse suffer from allergies, sweet itch, sarcoid
Any behaviour issues/vices both stable and ridden?
 
Two things that are make or break for me whan considering a new horse...

- will it hack out alone/travel alone etc ie not display separation anxiety

- will it load

Having had a horse that suffered from severe separation anxiety, I couldn't cope with another!
 
ihatework said:
How long have you owned.
Why selling.
What are the horses bad points.
Has the horse been seen by the vet for anything other than routine stuff?
Does the horse suffer from allergies, sweet itch, sarcoid
Any behaviour issues/vices both stable and ridden?
Click to expand...

These plus I always ask is it good to hack, alone or in company and is it genuinely good in traffic.
Other questions will be based on the job the horse is going to be expected to do so relevant to that.

One of the most commonly asked is "how high can he jump" this is so often asked and is so pointless, they rarely ask how high is he comfortable competing at just how high can they jump, my response is nearly always that I have no idea as I have never found their limit as they have never been pushed.
I have had many strange questions asked, sometimes I will give equally strange answers if I know the person is not going to be suitable for the horse, I try to be tactful but sometimes it is hard!!!
 
Once asked by a prospective loanee's mother when looking at a friend's horse that she was putting out on loan - ' why doesn't the horse have curtains at the window so the other horse can't see in?? She meant the 'window' with bars between the stables. The poor loanee audibly groaned and ushered her mother out to the car to wait for her. It certainly broke the ice and the horse ended up with her for three years and was treated like royalty - and yes there were no curtains :)
 
What has the horse done in terms of competing/hunting/beach rides etc. Not what they have "all" done, but what this specific horse has done.

What injuries/illnesses has the horse had.

How does it behave with the vet/farrier.

Is it spooky.

How is it when at a show.

How is it to handle on the ground.

What feed is it on.

How is it when stabled.

What bit do you ride it in for all disciplines.

Is it rugged when turned out.
 
What can you tell me about the horse that you haven't put in the ad?
I always ask open-ended questions to start with, I only enquire about horses whose ads meet my non-negotiable criteria. I find that if you give the owner the chance to talk at length about the horse you find out an awful lot more than if you fire questions at them - you might pick up some inconsistencies, too. You also soon find out how experienced/knowledgeable the owner is, which gives you a clue about how mannerly the horse is likely to be.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
What can you tell me about the horse that you haven't put in the ad?
I always ask open-ended questions to start with, I only enquire about horses whose ads meet my non-negotiable criteria. I find that if you give the owner the chance to talk at length about the horse you find out an awful lot more than if you fire questions at them - you might pick up some inconsistencies, too. You also soon find out how experienced/knowledgeable the owner is, which gives you a clue about how mannerly the horse is likely to be.
Click to expand...

This is very true. Listening to the owner talk away, gives you an awful lot more information. Be aware of the owner who tells you the horse is well schooled and easy but has a 'bad back' so can't ride it for you. Always check when booking a viewing that someone will be available to ride it first.
If the horse is going to motorbike around the school before jumping the fence, it's only amusing if you aren't sitting in the saddle.
 
"Is this a convenient time to talk?"

"What sort of home would you like your horse to go to?"

Might sound daft, but the answers can tell me a lot about how the horse has been treated and what has been expected of him/her.
I can then ask the usual list, especially the one about catching easily!
 
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