Buying a horse

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Anastacia

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Hello,

I am new to the horse world but have recently been helping someone with their horse. He is looking to sell his horse to me privately but before I buy I want to make sure I do this properly.

Are there certain things I should ask for before making an offer i.e. passport etc. because he has told me that the horse is from Belgium? I don't know if that makes any difference but would be grateful for any advice.

Thanks
 
Are you sure this horse is suitable to your needs? It is all too easy to buy the first horse that comes along.Make sure you have the horse vetted regardless of who is selling it.A genuine owner will not mind this.If there is any resistance to this then the owner is hiding something from you and said horse probably has something wrong with it. I don't know how much experience you have with horses but at the moment there are alot of good cheap horses out there and it is very much a buyers market and horses are hard to sell.The horse should still have a passport especially if it has come from abroad. Make sure the passport is the right one for the horse as you'd be surprised at how many horses come from Europe with the wrong one.Also make sure you try the horse in every situation that you would want to be doing with the horse and if it makes you nervous in any way when you try it,walk away, as it is most likely not the right horse for you.
 
Please go and see many horses and ride them, my daughter has learnt the hard way after wanting the first one she rode. Two years in june and we are still working on him now.
 
An imported DutchBelgian WB - hmmm make sure you ride the horse in all sorts of situations to make sure that the match is going to be a good one.

It will have a passport - shouldn't have entered the UK without one.

I don't have horses vetted but if I was interested in an imported Dutch or Belgian WB, I would!
 
[ QUOTE ]
An imported Dutch WB - hmmm make sure you ride the horse in all sorts of situations to make sure that the match is going to be a good one.

It will have a passport - shouldn't have entered the UK without one.

I don't have horses vetted but if I was interested in an imported Dutch WB, I would!

[/ QUOTE ]

I might be stupid, but isn't it Belgian?
 
You say that you have been helping out, will you be on a yard with lots of experienced help if this is your first horse? How experienced are you at riding, as I wouldn't say a warmblood is going to be the best first horse.

Sorry, maybe I didn't read the OP correctly.
 
Belgian WB, Dutch WB, much of a much in my opinion; but in answer to your question, no you are not stupid, I mistyped and made the mistake.
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I have edited it now.
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Hiya, when I say i've been helpin out, I have been doin the usual i.e. mucking out, grooming etc. and have been on quite a few hacks alone and with others. I am not a jumper or anything like that I just want to hack out really. The people on the yard are very friendly and very experienced and are always there to help so there is no worry there. I really have thought about this a lot and know he is right for me, i just really need to know things I should ask for from the buyer before I go ahead. Thank you for responding to me so quick x
 
Check the passport, and get the horse vetted. Ensure the age on the passport matches (vet will draw your attention to this if there is a problem), often they are brought over in a large group so passports can get mixed up.

I am currently loaning a belgian WB and he is the best horse I have ever been around for being laid back and non-spooky - I rode him on lesson on bonfire night and he didn't even blink!! So it is more about the individual character than the breed, but you do need something laid back as your first horse.

HOWEVER ensure that the "good" attitude is not just because your friend is an experienced rider and is schooling him, perhaps ask if you can try it where you alone ride for a few weeks. Not all horses will stay respectful when ridden by a novice full time and you do not want a shock change of character. I would also encourage you to have lessons on the horse first and see what an instructor makes of your pairing (non biased advice). It would be best to set up lessons in any case to keep things going well; after all you do want to preserve your investment, horses can loose significant value if more inexperienced riders allow problems to arise and continue without getting help.
 
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