Help with questions prior to viewing a horse please

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myhorsefred

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Hi all,

I am going to view a rather nice sounding horse on monday.

I've made a list of the usual questions to ask before I go, such as:
- is he good to hack alone/company,
- good to lead and catch,
- good to shoe and clip,
- any vices,
- any health issues

these are only a few of my questions, but wonder, what questions would you ask? just in case i've forgotten anything obvious to add to my list.

PS - the horse in question is a riding club type horse, advertised as a confidence giver but not a plod. and i only want to do low level riding club type stuff, hacking etc

thanks very much
 
Sorry to sound so pessimistic and I really wish you good luck.

Really go with an open mind.

Ask them not to catch the horse until you are there ie you want to see it caught(perhaps yo could do this), tacked up(you can do this), feet picked out(usually you know if they are ok with this but if you have any doubt let them do this).

Ask the questions again when you are talking to them and again to reassure you(stories do change).

If you want to see the horse ridden do so, but I would do all the things you want to do ie hack alone and then go back and go out with another. I usually ride back to the stable/yard and ride past the entrance to see if horse will try to go back etc nap.

But ask any vices rearing, bucking, traffic, sick or sorry. Laminitis etc etc Everything, who is the vet, farrier if local, good with jabs in stable blah blah.

Good luck I hope it turns out to be what you want, I have been very lucky once!
 
I would be asking most of the important questions before arranging to view, if the answers are not the ones you want to hear dont go in case you love the horse but it really will not be right for you, once you get there you can then concentrate on looking at it, thinking of more questions trying it yourself, so get the main bulk of questioning out of the way. Most of the ones on your list should be in an ad so just confirm when you phone.

Other things to ask, what bit is it ridden in in all phases, does it get strong jumping.
How is it used to travelling, is it good if going out with another horse, if you need it to, will it be happy when the other one goes off and it gets left.
What is its record like, can you see some dressage sheets, often these will give you a good idea of how it really goes away from home.

The questions are pretty much endless you can never cover everything, make sure you have a good trial, go out on the road, canter in a field, jump some sensible fences with fillers if you can, concentrate on trying the horse and ensuring you are really happy on it, if unsure either walk away or go back for a second viewing, if you can take someone with you that can video you on it that can be a great help.
 
I agree with the suggestions above.

Also, I arrive slightly early. Maybe 20 minutes early, just to see if anything dodgy is going on - eg excessive lunging, horse being dried off from a shower - sweating? Don't go too early or it can look strange. At 20 minutes its enough to just look eager.

Another thing I suggest is to tack up and then ask one of them to ride her first. Gage from everyone's reactions how they feel about riding the horse. If they look apprehensive, be cautious.

Best of luck :D
 
I would never want to go and see a horse the first time and get it in from the field or do this when I am selling, I like to see a well turned out groomed horse in its stable ready to assess, not covered in mud or soaking wet, if I am interested and go back for a second view I might want to see it caught.
Any horse however good may have an off day, especially with strangers arriving, its owner getting stressed about selling, then not want to be caught, it could be a waste of time for everyone.
A horse that is difficult to catch can be a pain but there are many other things to take into account, a good temperament and kind relaxed nature in the stable is just as important an easy to assess on your first visit, I often like to see them get turned out, my horses will let you go up to them immediately, that can be a good guide.
 
Echo making sure that the seller, or someone connected to them, rides the horse first. Remember that a horse that looks a bit tatty can be smartened up when you get it home :)
 
When I ring I don't ask questions at first but rather say 'Tell me about the horse'. I find that allows me to judge the level of competence/experience of the owner, so that I have a pretty good idea of the horse's manners and how it has been treated before I get there. over the years, I've found that owners tend to tell prospective buyers what they think they want to hear. The only way to judge is to look at the horse yourself. That is one reason why I won't travel far to look at a horse.
I like to make sure that if there is more than 1 person involved in selling the horse, I, or my companion, speak to all of them. It can be very interesting to compare the stories later.
 
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Having known the pain and frustration of a bleddy hard to catch pony, I always ask for the horse to be out in the field. It's personal preference I suppose.
 
Be specific about health issues eg ask what hooves are like, went to see pony recently which had a massive sandcrack. Owner said their farrier believed it not a problem, so didn't mention it. Took a picture to show my farrier, who replied with 2 words - pole and barge! Also what its like with shoes, how long btw shoeing / prone to loosing them etc. Remember the old saying no foot no horse.
 
Ask to see the passport - check injections are up to date.

Ask what the horse has done lately and how novice the riders were.

Ideally take an instructor or experienced person with you for another impartial opinion.

Ask what they're fed on at the moment and mid-winter - hopefully will give you an idea of whether they're good doers or will need weight keeping on, and perhaps if they're lazy/fizzy..
 
When looking for my recent horse I asked the owners what they thought the horses bad points were. The owners certainly weren't expecting this and it put them on the spot a bit. Some said it didn't have any, which I can't believe. If they told me bad points I knew it must be a pretty honest seller.
 
Went to see lots of horses before finding my boy and was told so many lies by sellers! Lots of good points by others few things I'd ask

-whether ever raced
-how long had, ever been sent away for training
-ever ridden by a pro => why?
-good with mares/geldings etc
-what been doing recently
-current feed
- how long they've owned
-always in the same tack

lots of things like that, good luck and deffinatly ask to see the passport.
 
One big thing to remember is that a horse is a long term purchase (usually) and whatever the purchase price, its still not cheap to keep, so I always advise a 2nd viewing.

1st viewing I prefer to see horse presented for sale - clean, in a stable & ready to be pulled out for inspection.

'if' all goes well, my 2nd viewing consists of getting it in from field & brushing off, picking out feet, getting on yourself straight away & going over a few things you asked about the previous time. Maybe also taking horse to different facility (depending on what you want horse for/costs of horse) to test out.
This is the time to lunge if you havent already (useful to see it, as its often something people forget & you can see true soundness as well as if the horse can actually lunge:)
Test the gallop out in open field (useful for hackers, RC types to eventers)
See if another horse can be brought out to hack out with - does the one you want behave in front or behind & on own at all paces?

Most of the questions to ask, are mentioned in others posts above :)
I like a horse with character - so I do ask if there is anything that annoys/amuses the current owner ;-)

Good luck! :)
 
Haven't read all the replies but here was my check list for buying for my daughter in no particular order.....
Tie Up,
Box, Lorry/trailer
Clip, Head/body
Shoe, what kind
Catch
Wash, hose/bucket
Alone, field, stable, hack, box
Company, field, stable, hack, box
Traffic proof
Spooks
Naps
Bucks
Rears
Spins
Kicks
Vices, stable or field
Fence respect
Allergies
Health history, vet check, medication requirements
Teeth, dentist check
Vaccs
Schooling, what level, issues
Jumping, what level, issues
Behaviour at shows/will it drink
What's its done, who with at what level
Private or dealer, what warranty, return options, trial options
Insurance exclusions
Tack choice, what reasons
Tack purchase options
Rugs and rugging needs
Stabled or field kept, what bedding
Feed/hay/regime/requirements
Novice or experienced ride/handler
Passport/ matches
Age
Competition record
Does it 'do' dogs etc.
Temperament

Good Luck!
 
A few extras based on current horse and other bad viewings:

Does it have any aversions or dislikes such as rain (current one almost unrideable on roads in wet weather!) or road signs or wheelie bins which is more normal..

observe them pick its feet up and actually have a look at them underneath

Chat about what it is like to ride before you get on/while they ride for you i.e. strong or not, how responsive - I saw a horse ridden nicely by a groom but he must have had very strong arms as I had to hold it back with all my might after it cantered round the school with me a couple of times with them shouting 'PULL, PULL!' at me! If I can see a little looseness in the reins at any point I am reassured as I like to be light on the hands!

owners often hold the horse while you mount, of course this is polite but I would like to see them mount without anyone holding at some point.

What is the horse like with other horses? For me this is kind of crucial as I have a field between two neighbours so I would like to be able to ride the horse in the field sometimes without it being wound up if the other horses run along the fence as mine gets which resulted in injury today (not such an issue for those on a yard but I would be concerned at a show), also had a share horse that would go berserk if she saw another horse out hacking and try to canter towards it wherever you were! Things like this you may just pick up on anyway but look out for them!
 
This is the list I made before I went to my viewings, and asked the owners over the phone, and made a decision based on the answers they gave as to wether to view it or not. Obviously other questions where asked when we got the viewing :D

1. What breed is it?
2. Sex?
3. Height?
4. Age?
5. Does it have a passport?
6. When was it last wormed?
7. When was it last vaccinated? And for what? Tetanus/ flu?
8. What is it like to;
• Bath
• Clip
• Shoe
• Groom
• Catch
• Tie to a trailer/ yard
• Box
9. Does it have any lumps, bumps, scars, sarcoids etc?
10. Known allergies?
11. How long have you had it?
12. Where did you buy it from?
13. What have you done with it? Competitions?
14. Do you know what it did with its previous owner?
15. Has it had any experience with;
• Tractors/ bikes/ cars/ traffic
• Children
• Dogs/ other animals
• Charity Rides
• XC schooling/ competing
• Dressage
• Jumping/ Competing
• Beach rides
• Hacking- alone and in company
• Competing- How does it act at competitions?
16. What is its current routine? Does it live out/ in, what bedding is it on? fed (if so what?), hayed, how often ridden?
17. Who rides it now?
18. What bit is it ridden in?
19. Does it lunge?
20. What’s it like in the field with other horses?
21. Any vices?
22. What sort of temperament does it have?
23. Has it ever bolted, reared, bucked, kicked out?
24. Does it spook at anything particular? If so what does it do?
25. Any bouts of lameness?
26. Has it had colic?
27. Has it had laminitis?
28. Has it had suffered from sweet itch?
29. Any previous illnesses? Anything that insurance companies would need to know about?
30. Why are you selling it?
31. How much? Is it open to offers?
32. Can I have a vetting?
33. Tack included in the price?
34. Open to trials?
 
elsiecat said:
arrive slightly early. Maybe 20 minutes early, just to see if anything dodgy is going on - eg excessive lunging, horse being dried off from a shower - sweating? Don't go too early or it can look strange. At 20 minutes its enough to just look eager.

Another thing I suggest is to tack up and then ask one of them to ride her first. Gage from everyone's reactions how they feel about riding the horse. If they look apprehensive, be cautious.

Best of luck :D
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Ditto this; is what I'd do. I always like to know what I'm seeing, from scratch.

Also........ sorry to be obvious here, but take someone with you, i.e. friend or instructor, or similar. Two heads really ARE better than one and its so easy to see something you (think) you like and get carried away, whereas a knowledgeable friend/instructor will see the thing objectively and will also know you and your riding ability/what you intend to do with it.

Personally I always like to see the horse handled well first, i.e picking out hind feet (DON'T do it yourself, watch someone else!!! - sorry, again being obvious).

Also beware if they say they "sorry but we haven't got anyone to ride it today"....... if that happens then walk away, don't ever be tempted to hop up yourself. Yes OK so it just MAY be true, they've got no-one to ride it, but best to be safe not sorry. A friend went to see a "children's riding pony" which they were hedging about someone getting up to ride it to show it off first, then eventually they DID find someone who got up on it and it basically shot off across the field and bucked for England! The person riding it was injured. My friend's comment was "that could have been my daughter". So be careful!

Also...... if your intending to compete, ask what its like to clip coz you might want to do this. Also ask about Sweet Itch - if its had it, should be easy to spot at this time of year (tho' not necessarily, coz mine's got it but I've managed it so you wouldn't notice it).

Also ask what its like to shoe (you could ask around, who's the farrier etc/be nosey!!).

If its in a yard, and there's people around, and you arrive early'ish - then you could also be mega-nosey and ask anyone hanging around the yard what its like to ride/manage/field etc. Sorry its the devious way my mind works. :)
 
From my own experience - when you go to view ask how long / if it has been on walker / lunged / already ridden today.

Check out its demeanor on the yard when there are other horses in and also without - I know someone with a horse that won't tie up or stand on its own and funnily enough every time they viewed it there was another horse in.

A good instructor once told me the only definite no-no's she had would be a horse that suffers from chronic tying up and and headshaking.
 
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