Checklist for buying a new horse?

Bosworth

Bosworth

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 February 2006
Messages
5,268
Location
devon
www.ballhillequestrian.co.uk
One of my liveries has had a dreadful 15 months with her new horse leading to him being PTS just before Christmas. She was a novice owner, and did everything wrong. She went and saw him, fell in love. Believed the seller who blatently lied and ended up with a horse with serious behavioural issues, serious damage to both stifles and kissing spines. She never had a vetting and never took anyone experienced with her.


SOOOOOOOoooooooo I am now looking for a new horse for her and was going to produce a check list for her of questions she needs an answer for before even looking ie stable vices, behavioural issues, good to hack, clip, shoe, load ( trailer/lorry) however I am sure somewhere on this forum I have come across someone who had produced a list - can anyone remember it, or does anyone have a list.

I want to be sure she only looks at suitable horses as she knows is a nightmare for falling in love with unsuitable horses from the pictures only. The plan is to narrow down to a short list then I will go and have a look and ride. Then i will give her a shortlist for her to see. That way she will only be looking at suitable horses and no one will have their time wasted.

In case anyone knows of a suitable horse - we are looking for a 15'2 - 16'2 gelding, sane, kind and confidence giving. She is an Ok rider but her last horse destroyed her confidence and she just wants to experience the pleasant side of horse owning.
 
She needs a piece of paper with 3 columns headed with
Must have/do
Can live with
No way Jose :)
Goes without saying that must pass 5 stage vetting.....

and work her way down them with your input.

For me the must have/do includes
Good in traffic
easy to catch
will LO 24/7
gelding
hack in company and alone
A brain

Can live with
Bargy/cheeky on ground
Older is fine
Not competing
Poor traveller
Some vices

No way Jose
Serious bucking/rearing
Bolter


And so on.But it differs for everybody....

Then she can ask the questions when she sees an ad.
A friend of mine was like that, not just horses also cars and dogs! The amount of times I had to drag her away telling the seller that 'we'd be in touch' were legion while I gave her an earbashing about what a bad idea it was:o
 
Sounds like she's had a tough time of it, but it's all too common a story unfortunately.

She needs to narrow down the search a bit using age, gender and maybe type. Then she needs to call and ask every question under the sun:

- Are you the owner? If not who owns this horse and can I speak to them directly as well, why are they not riding the horse?
- Are you riding the horse at the moment, if not why not and can I speak to the rider as well?
- How long have you had the horse? What do you know about its history before you bought it? Why are you looking to sell it? How long has it been for sale, has anyone been to see it?
- What do you do with the horse? Do you have any proof of achievements, e.g. competition reports (might not be relevant here but could ask about farm rides attended, etc)? What did the previous owners do with the horse?
- What kind of rider do you think this horse is suitable for? Does it hack? Alone, in company, in heavy traffic, in open spaces, what kind of bit do you use when hacking? Does it school, what level? Does it jump, how genuine is it?
- What is its temperament like? Is it OK to turn out, with other horses? Does it need riding every day? Ever had any problems catching it, with the farrier, getting its teeth done, injecting it, in the stable? Will it load and box, trailer and horsebox?
- Has it ever bucked, spooked, taken off, reared or napped? What sets it off? Does it have any stable vices, cribbing, wood sucking, weaving?
- Has it ever needed the vet while with you or with the previous owners? Any accidents or illnesses? Any allergies?
- What facilities do you have for me to try this horse? Do you have someone willing to ride the horse before I get on?

Any dodgy answers to any of that and she should ask for more details.

On the day she should see the horse caught, in the stable, walked/trotted in hand, tacked up, ridden by someone else. If all looks good she should get on but only in a secure environment such as a school. If all goes well she should ask to hack it and put a bit of pressure, e.g. walk it past a tractor or take it away from the yard, turn back and go back out again. She should take someone experienced with her and she should always buy subject to vetting.
 
Im looking for similar spec horse to your livery in Devon as well so if i see anything suitable ill pm you, im using the following list of questions as my 1st stage checklist so to speak

  • Could you provide some more pictures / video you have of him/her?
  • How long have you owned him/her and if you don’t mind me asking what are your reasons for sale?
  • Would you say she/ he is suitable as a novice ride?
  • Has he/she had any health issues/injuries or veterinary treatment whilst you have owned him or any you are aware of prior to owning him?
  • Has he/she ever suffered from laminitis, sweet itch or other conditions?
  • How would you describe her/his temperament? and how is he/she to load, catch, shoe, tack up, groom etc
  • How is he/she in traffic ie Bikes, tractors, farm equipment, cars, motorbikes etc
  • How is he/she to hack in company or alone? How does he / she behave in open spaces?
  • Does he/she have any particular behavioural problems or stable vices?
  • Does he/she have any particular limitations or anything he/she doesn’t enjoy?
  • Is he/she shod? and what type of shoes if so? and how often?
  • Are you open to vetting?
  • Is his/her Vaccinations and worming in date?
  • What do you currently use him/her for? and how often is he/she ridden per week? Does he/she hot up if not ridden for a few days?
  • How long is he/she turned out per day? Is he/she kept on his/her own or with others? Is he/she more happy turned out or stabled?
  • What is he/she fed? why? any supplements? why? how much hay/haylage per day?
  • Is tack /rugs included as part of the sale?
    Does he / she have a passport? could you provide me with his / her passport number so i am able to verify via NED?

Hope this helps, good luck i cant seem to find much about at the mo so i have started looking further afield!!

K x
 
thanks very much, thats the sort of thing. I will be goign to see it and will drag her away from anything even vaguely unsuitable but I haven;t got the time to spend my next 3 months looming at every cute animal in a 200 mile radius so I need to narrow it down as soon as possible.

Like the grid idea - I have managed to narrow down her ideas slightly and have established her budget but a grid of yes, maybe, definitely no way for things she wants would be great. Will email that across she can start that now :)
 
Just be careful because whatever questions she asks and whatever people say back they could be lying and some people are brilliant at it.
I would want to see proof. If it's done dressage I want to see the sheets. I would want to see family pictures of the horse, pictures of the owner riding it at a show ect. Everyone I know who has horses has lots of pictures of them, in the field, in the school ect and I would want to see these as proof of the time they have had with the horse ect.
A video of the horse. I've seen videos of horses on dealers websites/ads where you can see that the horse is clearly not right, stiff behind, reluctant to accept a contact that sort of thing.
I think if someone is genuine about selling a horse they will have these things for you to see :)
 
Firewall I agree. And I want to speak to their vet to ensure the vet history is correct, if they won't let me speak to their existing vet then there is again clearly a problem. I am going to be a very demanding buyer - but if they are a genuine seller there shouldn;t be an issue.
 
Forget the list of questions to ask - you must never believe anything a seller says - sorry all sellers out there but this should be taken as fact.

Instead ensure horse is 5 stage vetted also try to take the horse out of the yard onto a road or ask for it to be taken to another livery yard to be tried.

If you can - take it out on a hack - go in front, behind, side by side.
 
Although the checklist is important and useful during the initial stages, it can hold little value if the owner lies. I'm glad that you will be viewing horses with her as it's all too easy to fall in love at first sight. It's mainly the reason I have never been to a horse sale :(

Sorry to hear about her experiences with her previous horse, I hope she'll have many happy years with the new one :)
 
I totally agree - the check list is only for the initial stages, to help her focus and weed out totally unsuitable horses. If she askes - is it happy jumping 2ft 6 and the seller says - oh yes I jump Foxhunter on it - then I know it is totally unsiuitable as she only wants something as a riding club level. Huge potential is not wanted here as it generally comes with talent, and sharpness - again not wanted! Yes she needs something she can progress with but it is the existing horse we are buying - not the horse it could become. She wants to enjoy herself now and does not want to make a horse - she is not experienced enough to do that.
 
Might be worth considering a dealer with a good reputation. I think you have a bit more comeback if things go wrong, and a good dealer will care about their reputation and want to do right by the people they sell to.
 
Bosworth said:
Okehampton
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I was given the details of a lady locally to me yesterday i live in Ipplepen, Devon who has closed te NVQ side of her riding school and is only concentrating on the kids side so doesnt need her bigger horses 15 +, i haven't contacted her yet as she is getting ready for a show but have dropped her an email and awaiting her to contact me once she is less stressed!! If she has anything ill pm you the details unless its too far.
 
Whilst I agree that asking questions can sometimes be pointless as anybody could potentially lie- there might be some value in getting 'written' answers to questions. For example, she could phone and make initial enquiries and then ask if she could email with any further questions. An honest seller shouldnt have a problem with this and there is something about committing things to record which might make them inclined to be honest and will make it easier for you to 'read between the lines' and have time to reflect on the answers as it were. Good luck to your friend, I am in Devon too so I will keep an ear out.
 
Bosworth said:
thanks very much, thats the sort of thing. I will be goign to see it and will drag her away from anything even vaguely unsuitable but I haven;t got the time to spend my next 3 months looming at every cute animal in a 200 mile radius so I need to narrow it down as soon as possible.

Like the grid idea - I have managed to narrow down her ideas slightly and have established her budget but a grid of yes, maybe, definitely no way for things she wants would be great. Will email that across she can start that now :)
Click to expand...

I found that it concentrated the mind, so to speak so that I actually knew what I wanted before I even looked at an ad let alone spoke to a seller....
 
Bosworth said:
kerry, that would be great. We are looking basically Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. Not travelling miles for what she wants.
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No worries, exactly the same as me although i am struggling think i might be looking too hard!!

Ive been emailing as my first port of call, then phoneing if i like the look of it and asking similar questions apologising if i am repeating myself but im looking to confirm what has already been emailed if you know what i mean!! Im a terrible sceptic and im not even a member of the horsey fraternity yet!! Im then visiting with OH who has a horsey background and is very direct with horses if i like im then going back for a 2nd visit with my instructor and horsey friend who will ride and if say so i will then ride. Anything i buy will be subject to 5* vetting with me and a friend present from a vet we know. Im hoping i am taking every step sensibly to ensure i get the correct horse for me and the horsey, i feel sorry for your livery it must be soul destroying!!

K x
 
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