First Horse Viewing

[Pie1]

Hi all,

Looking for some advice! I'm now in the very fortunate position to be able to buy my first horse at the grand old age of 39!. I've been riding since I was a young child and have had two riding breaks, having recently got back into it after a 4 year break so my riding is at a fairly decent standard.

I've seen a horse advertised that on paper seems very ideal. However he's 3 hours away from me and therefore I wouldn't be able to take my current trainer/instructor with me. I would be able to share photos and videos etc with her for advice. Question is do you think it would be fine to view alone or at the very least take a non-horsey person with me? Unfortunately I don't have any horsey friends - hoping that will change once I'm on a yard and joining a riding club

TIA

 

[vhf]

Taking a non-horsey friend is far better than going alone. Even if you have to 'buy' a horsey friend for the day, that's better than a non-horsey friend.
Non-horsey friends can at least video you riding, remind you things you wanted to ask, and keep you company on the drive. They can also be useful for things like checking the horse is safe for a non-horsey person to be around, if that's important for you, and might spot something and ask out of complete ignorance that triggers a useful observation. They are also wonderful 'ears' to leave by the owner/owner's children while you're riding to see if they drop any nuggets of information!

Make a proper list of the things you need to check out as it's too far to nip back and if it's a good'un, it will sell quickly.

 

[Pie1]

Thank you. Maybe I could pay a freelance instructor in that area to come view with me. They won't know my riding but at least they will be knowledgeable and hopefully a good sounding board.

 

[Green Bean]

Distance shouldn't be a concern for the right horse. I think as long as you have asked a tranche of questions which have been answered by the seller ahead of your trip (lesson number one, do not believe everything in the advert and ask your instructor if the horse advertised is worth the money being asked) then you are fine to take along a non horsey friend. You need to be careful you don't fall for the trap, being a first horse purchaser, of love at first site. We have all done it, me included, but you need to be as practical as your heart will allow you to be. I would suggest asking for the name and number of the horse's vet practice and don't feel shy to phone them and ask about medical history. Even if it is a dealer, they will still be able to contact the owner to ask for this information. If there are excuses around this, I would be a bit wary. They may rely on a five stage vetting not picking up past issues the horse may have had that are not pronounced now, but may be a concern in the long term. Be clear on what you are wanting the horse for, e.g. if you want to hack alone, try the horse in this situation, do not take sellers word for this. Go back for a second viewing after you have had a chance to absorb the day and get over your excitement. This is very important. With the second viewing, call in the vet for your 5 stage vetting at the same time so are in the position to make your mind up on the spot and make an offer. As vhf has said, good ones get snapped up very quickly!

 

[vhf]

Thank you. Maybe I could pay a freelance instructor in that area to come view with me. They won't know my riding but at least they will be knowledgeable and hopefully a good sounding board.

It's certainly worth thinking about. I'm guessing that you are a long-time lurker and know all the pitfalls to look out for in terms dishonest sales tactics, dealers with not-so-good reputations etc. I find a second pair of horsey eyes is useful to stop the first pair going with their heart not their head! And someone with an eye for lameness (is it stiff? Bridle lame? Poorly ridden? Unschooled? Weird surface? Poor shoes?) is a godsend. Also someone who knows the 'tricks' to look out for is handy, even if you know about them, actually spotting them in action is another thing.

 

[Birker2020]

Hi all,

Looking for some advice! I'm now in the very fortunate position to be able to buy my first horse at the grand old age of 39!. I've been riding since I was a young child and have had two riding breaks, having recently got back into it after a 4 year break so my riding is at a fairly decent standard.

I've seen a horse advertised that on paper seems very ideal. However he's 3 hours away from me and therefore I wouldn't be able to take my current trainer/instructor with me. I would be able to share photos and videos etc with her for advice. Question is do you think it would be fine to view alone or at the very least take a non-horsey person with me? Unfortunately I don't have any horsey friends - hoping that will change once I'm on a yard and joining a riding club

TIA

I'm afraid with the present market you are going to have to make a very quick decision as we did with my horse.
So showing the videos and photos is going to have to be something done when you are there really. I doubt very much it will be available for too long unless it has an obvious flaw. I went and viewed four horses the first we really liked but it ended up being re-advertised for a lot more and then went lame (we suspected it may have been a bit dodgy after I'd viewed it). The second was no good, it had no muscle and was totally shut down, the third was 3" bigger than advertised and had a wind problem and the fourth was my present horse.

We moved very quickly on Lari and put a deposit down on the way home before we'd even reached KFC at the service station

 

[ihatework]

Think if buying horses in the present market as navigating a dodgy second hand car auction. There are a lot of people selling metaphorical rust buckets and the environment is pressurised to buy.

Trust me, as a first time horse buyer you will be a naive novice and need that friendly mechanic available.

Id recommend only buying if you can take an experienced buyer/instructor with you who knows your riding and support/stabling set up.