Test riding horses in the morning- any tips for a first owner?

V

vikalina83

Member
Joined
10 November 2010
Messages
18
Visit site
Going to test ride a few ploddy cob types tomorrow... any tips on what to do/say/ask etc??
I am not expecting to find my perfect partner on the first viewing (have been chanting "DO NOT FALL IN LOVE" for a few days!) but any advice would be much appreciated!:)
 
Best thing is to take a friend/instructor with you; two heads are definately better than one and your friend/instructor will have a very good idea of your riding ability and will be there to be the cool calm & collected head!!

Personally, I'd get to the place about 20 mins or so early if you can; and have a look around you. If you see a horse being lunged or whatever, take note of its appearance - it just might be the horse you're going to try!!! Also, I personally would ask to see the horse brought in from the field, from scratch, and groomed. If they don't pick its feet out, then ask yourself why!! And particularly watch how it reacts to its hind feet being picked out (get them to do it, not you!).

Then watch how it reacts when tacked up; any pulling faces or obvious pain issues should alert you to something not right. Does it pull a nasty face when the girth is tightened?? If so, why.

Always always always watch someone else ride it first, don't ever get on a strange horse cold. Watch how it moves, does it have good level paces - is there any dishing or irregularity in its paces? What about transitions; does it go from walk through to canter without fussing, headshaking, or whatever? And are the downward transitions smooth and flowing? OK so a lot of this will be the way its ridden and "shown off", but you need to be using your eyes and ears all the time. A good all-round cob should be able to nicely do a little display i.e. circle the school on each rein then say a 20m circle on each rein in walk trot & canter with perhaps a figure of eight or two and pop a small fence without making an issue of anything. Remember you don't HAVE to get on board if you feel any disquiet whatsoever. Just walk away if you're not totally happy to ride it. You need to really try the horse in the discipline you're buying it for, so if for e.g. buying a Le Trec horse (which is the test I'd give it), you'd need to be able to ride it round an obstacle course, through gates, spooks etc etc. If you're doing road work you need to know what its like in ALL the traffic you're likley to meet plus some.

Re. bitting, what bit is the horse being ridden in to show you? Does it have different bits for different work? i.e. hacking out/schooling, or competing/hunting. Ask what's the strongest bit the horse is ridden in.

Ask why its for sale (obvious I know!!). Are they open to a vetting (by YOUR vet nor theirs?). If its a dealers yard, have a good look around the place; does it look seedy and run-down? What do the horses look like? In good condition? Have they got any satisfied customers they'd be happy for you to talk to? Beware of places where they've got LOADS of horses turned out in the fields and/or in big pens and they don't know anything about the history of the horses.

Is the horse good to clip/shoe/load? What's it like with the vet/dentist?

Sorry, lots of questions! But better to ask when viewing rather than realise you've brought the wrong horse home.

Finally, if not suited tomorrow, don't worry, there will be something else. Don't pressure yourself - its a buyers market at the mo and there's plenty of good horses waiting for you out there.

But best advice I can give is to deffo take a friend with you.
 
You must do all the things or see all the things you will be doing basically.

You want to see horse caught(preferably from field)/ feet picked out/ groom/ tacked up/history etc passport/breed society papers/ ask if horse been sick or sorry.

Do not let them have the horse ready for you to ride, this is most annoying when I have specifically requested this is not done and the owner pretends to be dopey! Get them to untack and stick it back out in the field and if possible see it caught. OR go back again to see this done.

If I liked the look of a horse I would do all above myself and its just a good way to see if they are friendly on the ground.

As for riding it is safer to let them show you the horse ridden but saying that I have hopped on if I am happy but if its your first horse definitely let them ride.

You should take someone with you who is experienced,vetting advisable.

Basically do look at a few, just because the seller tells you it does XYZ if you dont see it it cant do it(thats my motto).

Keep asking same questions a different way and you will be suprised how stories change!

Also when you arrive if you dont like what you see just end the viewing, its ok to walk away and not waste any time. Looking for a horse can be looking for a needle in a haystack.

Really wish you good luck hope it goes well.
 
vikalina83 said:
Going to test ride a few ploddy cob types tomorrow... any tips on what to do/say/ask etc??
I am not expecting to find my perfect partner on the first viewing (have been chanting "DO NOT FALL IN LOVE" for a few days!) but any advice would be much appreciated!:)
Click to expand...

As the other poster have said and do check out the threads on here with a name search as there are dealers who sell horses as safe ploddy cobs when they are anything but:eek:
 
Take a professional, impartial, experienced person with you. Pay them if necessary, and listen to what they have to say.
 
good luck and have fun :D
But my one piece of advice is have the owner ride before you, NEVER get on if the owner is not preoared to ride first or have someone there to ride first. Not just as a safety precaution but you also want to see their confo when ridden and moving.
:D Have fun !!
 
Write a list of everything you want to do, now & in the future. Not just obvious stuff like hacking alone, little things like bathing, clipping, tying up etc, as well as what they've done so far. Try & test as much as possible, eg picking out feet, handling all over etc. Watch how they handle them, do they tack horse up loose in a stable & turn there back on it, or do they edge round it & how does horse respond. For riding, watch them first & get them to show you whatever its meant to do, eg its flatwork, jumping etc. Watch how they ride too. When you ride, also try everything out. If all is well, arrange to go back for a second viewing with someone experienced in buying, they should be able to spot anything you've missed. Second viewing you can also try out anything you've missed, eg catching, hacking etc. And if its a private seller on a busy yard, keep your eyes pealed for how other liveries act during your viewing. I've been to see a few so called plods that draw in a crowd when I've ridden which is always a give away its not as described. And don't ride anything without seeing owner ride first.
I also look for signs they are economical with the truth. Eg if they say it doesn't need shoes, check for nail holes. Or if they insist you definitely don't need to carry your whip, & persuade you not to mount with it. When I ride one that's meant to be a first horse I also try & find out what its like when things go wrong. Such as leaning off sideways, does it panic or object strongly.
 
Ditto all of the above and if you do fall in love go back a second time so you can sleep on it and think of the questions you wish you had asked.
Ask what horse is like with vets farrier and cold or hot shod.
 
Some great advice here.

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but ask them to ride the horse first and look at them as you do so. Gage their reaction. If they look unwilling or hesitate, walk away.
 
I havent read the replies u have had so far, sorry, got too excited about ur morning. My experience was seeing my boy, riding him & not liking his 'cob trot' so drove away. My oh pulled the car over telling me (having seen soooo many cobs & 1 failing vetting) that I was making a HUGE mistake & should go.back. I did & hey presto
 
I was u just over a year ago!! I found my perfect horse and here was how:

-I couldnt find a knowledgable horse person and i took my husband. He chatted to the seller as i rode and got loads of information.

- I did everything i wanted to do with the horse when i got him home. Jumped/hacked and even rode in field!

-Ask to see the horse's passport. Check vaccinations, details etc.

-Ask some important questions twice.... see if u get the same reply?

Good luck and enjoy!!!
 
1Lucie said:
-I couldnt find a knowledgable horse person and i took my husband. He chatted to the seller as i rode and got loads of information.



-Ask some important questions twice.... see if u get the same reply?
Click to expand...


Just what sis and I do, it can be V-E-R-Y interesting comparing the answers!
And even better if there are two people involved in the sale.
 
Thanks for all the tips... unfortunately the dealer that I was going to see said she had had a busy couple of weeks and didn't have much left to show me so put me off for a while.
I'm trying to take my time in this decision, and really not looking to buy until after christmas but have been advised to start trying now to get a feel for whats out there and what exactly i'm looking for... she did mention that this would be wasting her time (in so many words) which didn't seem very welcoming to me and put me off a bit.

Maybe I'm jumping the gun a bit and shouldn't try anything yet? But I'm too excited!!!:D I've got a rented empty 5 acre field with nothing on it!!!
 
There is no point looking now if you really don't intend to buy until after Christmas. Not rushing into the first one you see is different to knowing you are not buying for 3 months...
 
vikalina83 said:
Thanks for all the tips... unfortunately the dealer that I was going to see said she had had a busy couple of weeks and didn't have much left to show me so put me off for a while.
I'm trying to take my time in this decision, and really not looking to buy until after christmas but have been advised to start trying now to get a feel for whats out there and what exactly i'm looking for... she did mention that this would be wasting her time (in so many words) which didn't seem very welcoming to me and put me off a bit.

Maybe I'm jumping the gun a bit and shouldn't try anything yet? But I'm too excited!!!:D I've got a rented empty 5 acre field with nothing on it!!!
Click to expand...

Good for you, there are plenty of other good dealers and private sellers and I can assure you this will be a very good learning curve and you will find you will start to see a pattern! It is very time consuming looking.You need to just stick to the script. Just let as many people know you are looking etc. Are you keeping the horse alone or are there other horses over the fence etc. Good luck though, take your time and you will know when you find the one!
 
There are no other horses nearby, so we are also looking at ponies (my 8 year old daughter also rides), however we may need to look at loans or lwvtb for this one!
 
Seems obvious but when you see it ridden take note of how much rein contact the rider has and watch their leg movements if any, I have got on a couple having seen them ridden nicely enough, who it turned out would canter round and round with you unless you were really pulling the whole time (and the owners would tell me I was not pulling enough when I initially tried to be light with my hands..). Now when I see a slight slack in the reins at any point I am decidedly reassured! Also see horse mounted with no one holding it for the rider (second viewing maybe) also ask about any weird quirks or phobias, you might not get an honest answer but for example my loan horse used to get really antsy if it rained and would not really leave the field for a hack if it was raining (left for hack thinking it would be fine, hint of rain he spun round and round in the road!) Not ideal in British weather and I quite like the rain! He did improve but he still gets stroppy about it even though he lives out!

There are so many things that can go unmentioned, I always like when a seller seems really honest and actually tells you their faults straight up - could be a trick of the trade of course!
 
Sorry Mandwhy the contact advice is not reliable as my boy didn't rear when I saw him as ridden long and lean said he was developing top line etc. when I got him home and tried contact he got up and stayed up! Op well done you buy when it suits you. Also be wary if they offer to deliver ... She delivered an hour and a half late and yes he won't load!!!
 
Also beware cobs aren't easy rides, have no idea why people think they are good for novices? i think its the thought they have more cold blood in them? it's how a horse is educated and has taken to that education that matters - good luck.
 
Good luck with your search but I am afraid that if somebody came to try one of mine and then said that they werent looking to buy until after xmas I would be annoyed, it is stressful having a horse for sale and trying to show them at their best . Why are you waiting until after xmas ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top