Going to view some horses at a dealers. Any tips?

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Jules_F

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Hi everyone,

Tomorrow my husband and I are going to view some horses at a dealers yard. My husband is a vet so he can check them over a bit and look for any obvious health problems, but I was wondering if anyone had any tips of things to look out for?
I have heard so many horse shopping horror stories recently that I am a bit wary. This is not my first horse, I have had several over the years, but most have come through friends/family/riding club.

So any tips or advise regarding dealers or general horse shopping welcome.

Thanks!
 
Ask lots of questions - he isn't obliged to volunteer information but to answer honestly if you ask. Is he safe in ALL traffic, is he easy to catch, shoe, clip, load etc. Does he weave/windsuck/crib - think of all the negatives you can and ask the question to get an answer. If you then get him home and find the answer wasn't truthful, he will have been guilty of misrepresenting. Look out for the "as far as I am aware" answers too. Good luck and enjoy shopping!
 
Gosh OP! Wishin' I had an OH or hubbie who was a vet........ that is just SO handy :)

My main tip would be to ALWAYS without fail insist of seeing anything you are interested in ridden first. If they won't get up on it, you don't!! Also see how the horse reacts to being handled, feet picked up, tack put on etc etc. I would be very chary of anything that's already tacked up to be ridden when you arrive.

Also I'd be inclined to arrive say half an hour early and have a look at the place from a distance if you can (tip from an old MFH my family used to know). Sum it up. What is your gut feeling about the place? How do the horses look? Are the fields overgrazed? Do the horses look wormy? How are the staff? Do they look like they know their job and enjoy it? Are the stables clean, tidy & mucked out? Does the place have a general air of being run-down??? Does the proprietor/staff know anything about the history/previous owners of the horses in the yard? I'd also be inclined to ask around riding clubs/hunt/pony clubs/horsey friends etc in your area as if they've got a reputation as fishy as a dead mackerel then someone in the area is bound to know. Conversely, if they have a good fair reputation with satisfied customers then you'd like to know that too! If you arrive early, IF it is a bit of a dodgy place then you may well see horses you're interested in being lunged to get the fizz out of them.

I would also take a friend with you, someone who knows your riding ability and the sort of horse you like, and who you trust to be able to stand back and give an independent and considered opinion.

Good luck!
 
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I'd not believe anything they tell you that you can't prove (got caught that way!). So go with what you can prove, passport, try out etc. Do with the horse everything you would want to do with it, so catch it, tack it up, pick out its feet, turn it out then catch it again etc. I always think when buying a horse we don't pay enough attention to what they're like on the ground. You'll probably spend far more time on the ground than riding it after all.

And, anything you do want to do with it, try it out. Hacking in traffic, on its own, with other horses, jumping, schooling, anything you actually want to do, make sure it does. Don't rely on answers to questions (again, I was caught that way).

Oh, and finally, don't buy "his" tack. In my case what actually turned up with the horse was any old tat they happened to have lying round the tack room. The saddle had a broken tree!

All the best. I hope you find a nice horse.
 
Don't tell them your OH is a vet!
Keep an eye open - look if the water bucket in the stable is dry.
Ask specific questions - things like - does he need a extra holder for the farrier? what is he like to clip? A don't know may be honest and is fine, a shuffle isn't. A slammed gate is always good if safe to do so and do have a carrier bag in your pocket. Amazing how many quiet & easy horses react beyond normal at such things.
 
I agree with all the comments above, but would like to also add that many horses end up at a dealers yard because they are either broken (OCD, Suspensory ligaments, SI injuries etc) or dangerous to ride.
Someone I used to know from an old yard, gave a dangerous horse to a dealer for free, the horse should have either been retired or shot, but it ended up at a dealers yard to be sold on.
Personally I'm very wary of dealers, but that's not to say there aren't any good ones out there. You just have to find them!
 
I agree - don't tell them OH is a vet, (not until you have fully sussed them out anyway!) so that you can ask innocent questions and check the answers. There are some very good and honest dealers, but there are also some who will rip you off as soon as look at you! (same with private sellers too, I have been well and truly ripped off by both in the past!)

A good dealer should let you try the horse for as long or as many times as you like. Any attempt to restrict your access to this should be a warning sign. Having got this wrong myself in the past, I would now always pick up all 4 feet of the horse, not necessarily to inspect the foot (I wouldn't know what i was looking at!) but to check that it will freely give its feet and also that it doesn't have any movement impairment when doing it.

Beware if they say 'oh he's never done that before' - it MIGHT be true but it normally isn't! Also the 'oh well he's in an arena / on grass / not used to you yet' to explain away bad behaviour.

Make sure you understand precisely what is offered in terms of exchange / return if you don't find the horse suitable and get this in writing.

Finally Google is your friend! Google the dealership name, the phone number, the name of the proprietor, (sometimes really rubbish dealers change the name of their business over and over but usually - not always - keep their own name) and see what comes up - go at least 3 pages back from the first page, as people will try and force the bad comments further back by plastering the first 3 pages with PR of their own.

Good luck and have fun! :)
 
Thank you everyone.
Lots of great advice.
I will try to keep it all in mind and go in with my eyes open and ask lots of direct questions. The dealer in question claims to offer a seven day money back guarantee if for any reason you get the horse home and it is not right. I will make a point of checking this as if he does this it will give me more confidence that he is not covering things up, you can discover a lot about a horse in seven days. I have asked around about him and not heard anything bad, so fingers crossed it will be a good experience and we might even find one we like :)
 
If you are going to see a particular horse, dont let the dealer sideline you into looking at only another one -probably something they would like to sell, but not what you yourself were looking for or were attracted by. That is my only experience of a dealer - being pushed (encouraged) to try a young show-jumper when I didnt want such a young horse and dont jump.
 
All very sensible. Is your OH a large or small animal vet? If the latter, put his nose in a textbook the night before and remind him that horses tend to be larger than the average hamster :)
 
I think you might get an independent vet to vet the horse if you decide to buy as if there did turn out to be a problem that could be important.

Recently bought a very dodgy look in horse from a known dodgy dealer. I knew the horse before it fell into those hands or I wouldn't have touched it with a ten foot pole. ;)

Good luck!
 
Write a list of all the questions you want to ask before you go. It's so easy to get carried away and forget to ask something while you're there.
Good luck!
 
Tell them hubby is a vet but you would probably get an independent vetting.
Look round the yard to see if they have something else.
 
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Hi
I think most things have been covered already but I also always ask if the horse has been ridden or lunged on the day I see it and I always have a much more experienced rider with me to try it out too who will put a bit of pressure on the horse to see how it reacts. I nearly bought a mare that seemed quite chilled until it was asked a few questions then it was very obvious that it had a lot of attitude! Be aware if it's a warm day most horses will be much more laid back than in cooler weather when the grass is good. I hope you find something nice. Frankly I'd always prefer to buy from a good dealer than a private home as at least you have some come back if it goes pear shaped!
 
Be aware that a lot of dealers do not actually know many details about the horse as often many have not been there that long! Ask to tack up the horse yourself and do everything you would want to do at home. Don't be surprised if the horse is nothing like it appeared in the advert as they often tend to be more green than expected. Remember to ask the dealer if there are any other horses that might fit your requirements. And don't discount horses without seeing them under saddle!
Good luck and have FUN!!
 
There are some good dealers out there, but I had a couple of experiences of going to see horses the dealers had only had in for a couple of weeks and could tell me little about. Be wary of any comments about what he's "probably" done or "they all" do before coming to the dealer.
 
All good advice. My tip would be not to turn up in a fancy car. A dealer I knew would bump the price up if she thought the buyers had money because they arrived in a new, top of the range, Range Rover!
 
Hello,
Thank you everyone for your excellent advice. We went today...and came away having agreed to buy not one but two horses! The dealer has agreed to a seven day period in which we can return either for a full refund and also that we can exchange for another horse on his yard if things don't work out. We watched both be ridden and then rode them along the road past a fair bit of traffic and had a play in an open field. We also tacked up both and handled them as much as possible. The second pony was not planned, he is a little 5 year old appaloosa cross who is is good in traffic and to hack out but has never been properly schooled, he is pretty green but he was so exceptionally friendly and was so sweet with our four year old that we all rather fell in love with him.
They will be arriving next week. Expect pictures :)
 
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