Buying a horse for the first time!

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Ellietotz

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Hi!
I want to buy a horse for the first time but I'm so nervous about it! Where do I start? Any advice from anyone used to doing this would be much appreciated. I have always loaned but never gone out to try and take home etc!

Thank you
 
The only advice I would say is to go with your gut. I tired many that I wanted but none of them felt right and I couldn't make the decision without consulting with many others. When I found the right one I was able to hop off and agree to purchase her there and then, I didn't need to consult or discuss with anyone else.
 
OK, you'll get lots of advice from others on here, which is good.

My main advice would be to firstly (and especially in your position) to ALWAYS take a knowledgeable friend with you. Don't go alone! This friend needs to have a cool and dispassionate head on, she/he will need to be the voice of reason and know the way you ride. She/he will need to be honest and firm with you if you are tempted to get carried away. I was very lucky indeed to have such a friend on a recent viewing of a horse that I fell in love with, BUT was drastically overpriced - and it failed a vetting to boot! But more of that later......

Secondly, my advice would be to ALWAYS without exception have it vetted. Even if it looks sound, the owner says "oh no its never been sick or sorry", or everyone else says oh yes its jumped sound at so-and-so and hunted twice a week. No matter. Have it vetted by your own vet - or if out of the area he covers then let him nominate another practice to carry out the vetting on his behalf. But never have anything without at least a two-stage vetting. It could save you a lot of money later on, plus a lot of heartache when your lovely horse that you bought for a song, goes lame. Of course a vetting will never cover all exigencies - and things can still go wrong, but I'd still not scrimp on it. The lovely horse that I fell in love with a few weeks ago, actually failed the vetting and the vet's advice as to future possible issues was very helpful, if not what I wanted to hear!!! But basically, you pay a vet to tell you what you don't want to hear, and there's no point in buying an expensive field ornament.

On the subject of vettings, it is the seller's responsibility to find someone to trot the horse for the vet and to make the arrangements for this to be done. On a recent occasion, the owner turned up clad more for the beach than to trot up a horse! i.e. very short shorts, flimsy top with flimsy bra, and totally unsuitable footwear. Luckily someone else who was there stepped into the breach, but owner was as useless as a chocolate teapot! So never assume, always check. Also check that the Yard Owner and anyone else to do with the property is expecting yourself and vet etc to come bowling into the yard as at this same vetting (owners responsibility not buyers this), on this occasion the property owner wasn't aware that visitors were coming into the yard and came out ranting and raving!! Not exactly a good vetting (the horse failed the vetting too........ a good day had by all basically). Incidentally, the vet is there at YOUR instructions, to look purely at the horse in question, not to give anyone else an opinion about that "touch of heat" in the foot or anything else on the yard giving concern! If the vet is in the yard, it is not the chance for anyone else there at the same time to ask for an opinion on their horse - you'd be amazed how cheeky some people can be!

The next piece of VITAL advice which could save your skin - is to NEVER without exception, get on anything you've not seen ridden first. If you get to the yard and they suddenly find that "the person who normally rides it has had to pop out", then walk away, coz ten to the dozen there's no-one in the yard that'll try to ride it!! A friend went to see a pony with her daughter, pony described as an "ideal pony club type, no vices" etc. They asked to see it ridden, pony then tanked off round the arena and dumped its rider spectacularly, and no it had "never done that before"............ oh yeah. The same thing applies to picking up feet, especially hind feet (sorry this is obvious), always ask to see the owner do it first before you do - that may save you a new set of teeth! Always best to be careful.

My practice is to aim to arrive at the yard for 15 minutes before the scheduled time: at a recent viewing I did this, and saw the "ideal family pony" described in the advert, tank through the leccy fencing with the owner in tow!! Owner then (didn't see me watching) tried to tack it up, where it was jumping around like a flea in a fair and generally not happy. Tried to pick up its feet, and it said no. Quickest viewing ever that was.

You need to try the horse for everything you would want to do with it, so if jumping, you need to jump it; if hunting, ask if you can take it out, if solo hacking then it should leave the yard politely and quietly without making a fuss. If there is any issue, you'll probably be told "oh its never done that before".........

Ask around: who else knows this horse? Can anyone verify what is said in the advert? A good seller will be quite open and honest about its antecedents and there will be plenty of people in the horsey community who will be only too willing to vouch for it; I'm always charey of horses that seem to come from nowhere and no-one knows anything about them or their history.

Basically, even if you think you've been around and are quite worldy-wise, be aware, and be savvy. Not all sellers or dealers are dishonest, having said that, and a good dealer (if you can find them) will want to see their client suited and happy with the horse, let's face it, no dealer worth their salt would want someone bad-mouthing them and saying they'd been had.

Best advice I was given from the MFH father of a childhood friend, when horse buying, was to "listen to everything you're told, and then forget it".

A. Accept nothing as gospel

B. Believe no-one

C. Check everything

Good luck!
 
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As above^^^^^^

Also write yourself out a list ( mentally or actually write it, up to you)

Divide the list into three........
Must have
Would really like
Doesn't really bother me


For example my new horse had to............( in the same order as above )
Be sensible to hack alone
Three good paces in the school
Breed, height, colour, sex

Then make sure you stick to that list. I could compromise on some things but not the must have list. That's what was important.

There are some things you can teach a horse and improve, there are others that it really needs to do before you buy.
 
Some excellent advice already given. I would add to have a list of questions to ask and get answered before you go and see the horse. If for example that hacking alone is an absolute necessity then check this before you drive off to look at a horse. I would also ask if the horse has any vices and if you decide to go ahead and buy the horse get it in writing that the horse is vice free.

If possible I would want to see a video of the horse before going to look at one. It is amazing how many 16.2 horses barely touch 15.3!

I find that knowing what you absolutely don't want is also useful.
 
Ask lots and lots of questions but when asking be careful how you word them and don't ask leading questions. For example, don't say ' He's OK to hack alone isn't he?' as all the seller needs to say is 'Yes, he's fine'. Ask 'What's he like hacking alone?' and wait and listen for an answer. The longer the seller hesitates the more likely they are to be not telling the full truth or they are telling you what they think you want to hear. If they pause just keep quiet and wait for them to keep talking.

You'd be amazed what people tell you if just let them talk. I once asked the question 'what's he like to jump?' and the answer I got was 'he gets really excited and strong but they all do that don't they'. Thanks but no thanks!
 
When you find a horse you think you are interested in forget sending emails & texts, telephone the owner & speak to them at length. Prepare a list of questions that you want to know. This telephone call may last for 30 minutes or more but it will be worth it. I will sort out if you want to view or not & it may save you many hours of travel & time going to view a horse which isn't suitable & you can eliminate with a phone call.

People on here have already given you advice about taking someone knowledgeable with you, get the owner to ride the horse first & get any horse vetted so I won't go into that.

Before you do anything decide what you want to do with your horse. What do you want to achieve & what size roughly do you need. Without deciding on this you will waste a lot of time & petrol going to view horses that are fine but not suitable for what you want to achieve. Also consider how you are going to keep the horse. If you are wanting the animal to live out all year then you will need a horse that can cope with that, some won't. Also decide what you will compromise on. The perfect horse is difficult if not impossible to find. Most owners love their horses & almost everything about them but there will invariably be something that ideally they would prefer the horse not to do or would cope with better. You may see the ideal horse but he's 2" taller nor 2" smaller than you were originally looking for..... is it really that important.

If the first horse you see appears to be your ideal horse then go for it. Don't think you have to see loads before you make a decision, if you see the right one go for it before someone else does. :)

Anyway, once you've been through the minefield that is looking to buy a horse & you have him home enjoy!!! Good Luck in your search. :)
 
Spend time reading ads on as many sites as you can, so that you get a feel for what they are saying, before you start narrowing your search to what you are looking for. Ask an experienced friend to look at ads of horses you think maybe suitable, they will be more detached and able to spot the things that have been missed out, you can be pretty sure that if the ad doesn't say 'good with farrier", it isn't!. Take your time to find horses which match your must have criteria, so that you don't waste your time viewing horses which turn out to be not what you are looking for.
I have almost always bought the first or 2nd horse I have viewed because I have narrow search criteria (except for the notable exception when we travelled miles looking at misdescribed horses, then found the perfect one within hacking distance of home- but that was in pre-internet days:D).
 
When you bring the horse in from the field make sure you put the horse near food and water. This is a good technique to deprive them from food and water to make the quieter.

If the horse does something your not happy with and you hear the words "its never done that before" run away - it will have done it before.

Ask if they have insurance for you to ride the horse if your going out on the road? Its a good idea to have some insurance of your own actually.

Video the horse being ridden, does it look happy?

Never fall for the "someone is coming this afternoon I can secure with a deposit". Good for them let them have the horse.

When you get a vetting done make sure YOU are there to ask questions. The vet should not be one the seller uses or recommends, ask on here if you are unsure and want a good horse vet and make sure they are registered and not a fake vet.

If you go to a dealer check on the dodgy dealer facebook pages and post about the horse you are interested in on there. It is surprising what information you find out.

Always save the original advert - if it is good to clip ask them to get the clippers out to see, if it is good to load you want it loaded, etc. ask if the horse has any vices.

If it is from a private home they will be interested in your set up and will probably want to visit before you purchase, if they aren't interested its probably a dealer or someone who wants rid of the horse quickly.
 
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Mongoose11 said:
The only advice I would say is to go with your gut. I tired many that I wanted but none of them felt right and I couldn't make the decision without consulting with many others. When I found the right one I was able to hop off and agree to purchase her there and then, I didn't need to consult or discuss with anyone else.
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If you have a specific type you have in mind, i.e. a dressage horse or a showjumper make some signs. That's what I did, made some posters up basically saying 'wanted' and the type of horse I was looking for. Then I posted them on people's windscreens at the riding club when there was a jumping show on and that's how I came by Billy my lovely boy who I had for almost three years before fate took him off me.
 
Thank you so much for everyone's advice!

Now here comes the tricky bit.... I have found one I like. Actually, it turns out that someone I knew owned him for years and I always had my eye on him! She works at a sports yard and after training all the bigger sport horses there, she wanted to move on from her 15hh Welsh which is understandable. He went to a dealer in the end because he is bargy in the stable and it was difficult to sell him for this reason. This wouldn't be a problem as I would prefer for him to be out all year. I have spoken to her and she's given me loads of honest information on him, all sounds good, just needs a few manners on ground so he isn't pushy, this isn't a major issue, I can get round this. He hacks alone fine, I have seen tonnes of videos and I knew she always hacked him. He's a fantastic jumper as used to see her uploading videos all the time too. He's a good height, I won't be looking to go to bigger horses as I just want to hack and have fun in the school. The new owners say they are selling him because the daughter isn't actually that interested. They have sent me lots of videos of him being ridden etc so that's all fine from that perspective before actually going to see in person.

The hardest part, what about my loan horse? I love him so much, he is my best friend and I have been with him for 2 years now. All we do is hack out for hours on the forest, jumping logs etc but schooling isn't his thing, he shuts off. I have another post about getting him more forward in the school so that's another story. He is 16 and this other gelding is 7. A year younger than I would have liked but that's fine and he's ticked all the other boxes.

It gets worse... right now, I don't pay ANYTHING for my loan. I am extremely lucky. I pick up bags of feed and spoil him loads just to show appreciation and help any way that I can. I have always offered to help contribute but the owner says not to be silly, I don't need to pay anything, just poo pick on my days. That's another thing, I don't have specific days, I can go there every single day if I wanted, ride when I want, do what I want, I can ride her other horses if I want to.
The only thing is, I want something I can play with in the school and hack out and I always have this feeling deep down that he isn't actually mine and never will be. Also bringing my own to her field is not an option either sadly, otherwise that would be perfect. Right now though, I'm in the position where I have a lot of spare income and I feel that I should buy a horse for the first time and make my dream come true while I can.

What shall I do now??
 
Megmoo said:
What shall I do now??
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I don't want to pee on your chips and I know you're excited about the thought of a new horse so sorry for what I'm about to say but, honestly? Slow down a bit. It all seems very rushed to me. Only yesterday were you posting about being upset at missing out on having a mare on loan, even though she sounded pretty unsuitable for you and had already damaged your confidence once. Are you sure all this isn't a reaction to 'losing' that mare? Meanwhile your loan gelding sounds like a sweetie and costs you nothing. Be careful you don't ruin what you have.

Given the excellent deal you've got with your loan and the fact that you're struggling to influence the way your current horse goes in the school I think I'd be spending my money on getting some lessons to help me get him going well rather than buying something else at the moment. One of mine finds the school quite boring and is far livelier out hacking but he knows that the sooner he does what I want the sooner he gets to stop so is responsive and obedient in there. It took a bit of effort and I had a lot of help with him but it is doable.

Even if he turns out to not be what you want in the end, the lessons will help you work out what sort of horse you DO want. If you build a good relationship with an instructor now they will also be able to advise you and come with you to viewings further down the line.

I really don't want to sound too negative. I'm just trying to be objective and maybe play devil's advocate to make you think about it properly because it all seems like a bit of a whirlwind from your post about the mare to this one, all in one day! If you've considered all that already and still want to get your own, you've already had some excellent advice from the posters above. Good luck.
 
Thank you for your reply. Completely understand where you are coming from, I have been looking at buying a horse for years and this isn't a post to say I'm actively looking as I'm just curious to know where to start as I have never done it before. The mare I've lost hasn't made any difference to me wanting my own but showed me that I want to do more than just hacking. Hence the post for making my loan more forward in the school. This post isn't here to say I'm going to buy, I just want advice on what to do when it does come round to it.
I have looked into lessons as well and I am going to start my little project with my current boy.

All my posts aren't linked. To be honest, it's nice to just see opinions from other horsey people as my partner doesn't like horses and isn't interested in talking about any of this!
 
Megmoo said:
Thank you for your reply. Completely understand where you are coming from, I have been looking at buying a horse for years and this isn't a post to say I'm actively looking as I'm just curious to know where to start as I have never done it before. The mare I've lost hasn't made any difference to me wanting my own but showed me that I want to do more than just hacking. Hence the post for making my loan more forward in the school. This post isn't here to say I'm going to buy, I just want advice on what to do when it does come round to it.
I have looked into lessons as well and I am going to start my little project with my current boy.

All my posts aren't linked. To be honest, it's nice to just see opinions from other horsey people as my partner doesn't like horses and isn't interested in talking about any of this!
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In that case, good luck - with both the project with your boy and the potential new horse.

With my boy my instructor had a mantra, which now I stick to at all times. "click, kick, kick, stick". I make a clicking noise and if he doesn't respond he gets a squeeze with my leg (the first "kick" as squeeze doesn't rhyme!), if no reaction he got a second, stronger one and then finally a flick with the whip. After a few goes of this he got the message and we rarely get beyond the squeeze now.
 
I will try that! What if he doesn't respond to the stick? If he has his mind set that he doesn't want to do anything, the stick hasn't worked very well or at all!
 
Ehmmm..... sounds like you need to make some decisions OP and decide what it is you REALLY want, i.e. a horse of your own alongside all the responsibilities and expense that this will involve -v- a loan situation where you have a horse which you obviously love to bits, even though you might not be as challenged as you could be.

The 15hh Welshie sounds lovely: but please don't underestimate the fact that he is a bit "pushy" on the ground - if he didn't sell when he went to a dealers then there'd be a good reason for that, and perhaps others saw what was actually there and said no thanks. Yes ground-manners are sortable, given time, commitment, and firm but fair handling, also possibly professional help - but do you really want to start off having to sort an issue out? Yes he might live out all year, but what happens when you need to handle him on the ground, or the farrier or vet needs to? This horse could easily pull you through gateways, through stable doors, and be an absolute nightmare to shoe and deal with. Sorry but to me that would flag up considerable warning bells in what might otherwise be a very nice horse. I've worked hard on all my horses and expect them to have impeccable manners on the ground (and they all have, they're polite to a fault), and also in ridden work. The two go side by side IME.

Think OP you need to sit down and consider what it is you REALLY do want right now. Frankly I don't think you do know...........
 
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I would also recommend some restraint here. Sounds like you have an excellent deal with your loan horse.

I'm sorry but I sincerely doubt you will be able to resolve this horse being bargey in the stable if it hasn't already been sorted. You say that you would want to keep him out full time but what would happen if he required box rest for whatever reason.

Take a deep breath, write down what you really, really would want from your own horse and see if your loan horse or this horse ticks all the boxes.
 
eggs said:
I would also recommend some restraint here. Sounds like you have an excellent deal with your loan horse.

I'm sorry but I sincerely doubt you will be able to resolve this horse being bargey in the stable if it hasn't already been sorted. You say that you would want to keep him out full time but what would happen if he required box rest for whatever reason.

Take a deep breath, write down what you really, really would want from your own horse and see if your loan horse or this horse ticks all the boxes.
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This. The only words I would change are in the last sentence . . . "write down what you really, really want from your own horse and see if your loan horse or this horse . . . or another horse entirely . . . ticks all the boxes."

These are not the only two horses in the wide world. You seem to be lurching from one possibility to another because a) you don't know what you really want; and b) you are desperate to fill a horsey-sized hole in your life. Take a step back. Breathe. Have a good, long think about what will fit your horsey requirements (be ruthless) and then fix your parameters, come up with a plan and stick to it.

There is no such thing as the perfect horse for you - but there is also no reason to run after every possibility.

P
 
Rnsure that the videos that you have been sent or are viewing on the net are current. When I was looking for a horse I saw plenty of videos but they weren't current & when I spoke to the sellers they admitted that they were old & eventually admitted that the horse had an issue, lameness, suspensory injury etc etc. Just be careful, whatever a seller says take with a pinch of salt. Still have a knowledgeable person with you. Know;ling someone who is selling a horse sometimes is the worst situation because you let your guard down.
 
My most important bit of advice apart from the vetting, temperament side of things, DO NOT let excitement get in the way of what you are really lookin for, I have done this and it's not nice having to sell a horse you've had for a few months and tried everything to get on with it. You may wait a bit longer but in the end it's better than 'wasting' a few weeks or months on a horse that isn't exactly what you are looking for just because you were to exited. Good luck and enjoy your new horse when you get one :)
 
You seem to have a great deal with your loan horse who ticks nearly all your boxes and costs you virtually nothing. My advice would be to work out what owing a horse would cost you per month and put this into a separate horse account. Then spend part of it on lessons and save the rest for buying a horse and paying for the big expenses when you have your own.

The lessons will probably enable you to get your loan horse working in the school but if you don't and you decide you would rather buy they will stI'll be valuable. I would find a good freelance instructor and aim to have a lesson a week (this will cost you less than the keep of a horse so you will have plenty left to save) if you can I would find a good riding school with quality schoolmasters and alternate lessons on your loan horse with schoolmaster lessons. You will learn so much that will help you get the best out of your loan horse and any future horse.

Mention your area and I am sure people will recommend instructors and riding schools.

Stick with your loan horse until it stops working out for you. You could so easily spend a lot of money and end up in a worse situation than you are now in.
 
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