Buying Horses - Spotting & avoiding the pitfalls

[minkymoo]

As title suggests really. When looking to buy a horse, what should you look out for as things to avoid? Also, how would you know if they had done something to the horse eg doped it or dehydrated it?

As I start looking for a horse, it is something that I get increasingly worried about!

Thanks!

 

[magicchett]

I would rather rely on word of mouth when getting a horse or from a reputable breeder/trainer, they dont normally sell rubbish when there reputation is at stake!

Only tips I know is pinching the skin to see if it pings back straight away on dehydration!!

My two came from very good breeder and my childhood pony,..so not many risks there!

 

[jesterfaerie]

Minkymoo, I also worry about if a horse I go to see could have been doped or fed bute, or whatever.

 

[Orangehorse]

Have it vetted! A vet will take blood samples, which he will keep, to be tested if you think it necessary.

As for buying a first horse - several books have been written about it!

Buy what you need and can cope with, not what you would like to be able to ride!
You have more protection in law from a dealer, but it is better to buy a horse that you know and can find out something about locally. Avoid driving up and down the countryside, miles away. Just keep asking around. Have a list of "essential" "important"
"would like." The perfect horse does not exist.
Go for something older rather than younger, in which case it is even more important to have it vetted.

 

[NotSoSillyFilly]

I empathise with you as it's a tricky world out there! Been looking for a horse for over 4 mths, trawled the internet every day, travelled hundreds of miles to see horses, etc. and found everything from lame horses to badly looked after ones. Just found a dream of a horse from a professional producer. Not home and dry yet as still to be vetted. (Here's hoping

)
Best thing I found was to get chatting to seller to see how honest they are. See if their stories match up, ask them loads of questions, treat them like a friend and they might let stuff slip (like we found out one had a history of hind leg probs and another was on 'steady up'!).
Although I know my existing horse really well (his limbs are straight and in great nick), I studied friends horses - their conformation, lumps and bumps, the way they move, etc. and eventually you just know what looks right and what doesn't.
Re dehydration, see if the stable has automatic watering or at least a bucket of water there. Yes, pinching the skin is a good test.
Re being doped - hard to tell but flick your fingers close to the eye, see if they react.
When you find 'the one', get a 5 stage vetting from a recommended/good equine vet (you can stop it at any stage if it fails so won't cost you full price)...with blood test to check for doping.
Recommendations from friends are good, as are reputable dealers however we had a bad experience with a well known dealer who tried to sell us horse without passport or any papers. Shouldn't have proceeded but really liked the horse. On day of vetting, dealer did a disappearing act, leaving junior stable boy who couldn't answer any of vets questions...needless to say horse failed vetting on two counts!
Make sure dealer has a good return/exchange policy. Do some research on the internet on the things that concern you. There's loads of info out there. You can do a search on the forum for recommended dealers/producers, which helped us.
Good luck, it's a long old process but worth it!

 

[MagicMelon]

Id try to get video footage to see first, especially if its far away. So you can see it first which means you know exactly what you're going to see. Saves on timewasting for both parties.

Id be wary of any horses who were overly quiet. But Id get a vetting done anyway so you'd soon know if it was doped / dehydrated, also make sure you ride it for the 5 stage vetting so you at least get another try of it! One of mine was terribly quiet when I went to see him and also when I got him home, I honestly thought hed been doped. Turned out he was ridden with worms so I guess he was just extremely depressed! After a month of settling in, he began to come out of his shell. So dont write off all very-quiet horses straight away!