Trying out a horse in a couple weeks time...checklist of questions to ask? :)

L

Lucinda_x

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 November 2008
Messages
472
Location
Devon
Visit site
So mum agreed to let me try this 16.1hh Dutch warmblood in a couple weeks time but honestly we havent tryed a horse out in such a long time! What questions should we be asking the owners about the horse?

Thanks
Lucy :D
 
Top off my head ...

1. Pre-existing vet conditions?
When was vet last out and why?

2. Vices?

3. Turned out with mares and geldings?
Good alone/company?

4. Reason for sale?

5. Shoes - full set?

6. Good to be clipped?

7. Load/travel well?

8. Any strong fears


Thats all I can think of for now
 
Well I guess you could treat it like a job interview

experience (at home and out)
education (training- who and when, attendance at clinics), has she hacked out, has she been floated, trucked, clipped, has she competed
qualifications (what has she won, when & where, who with)
strengths
weaknesses

but I would want to certainly know her history medically and possibly ask if you can speak to vet, if they are not willing, may show issues

also

vices - biting kicking rearing napping bucking

who has ridden her - level of experience of riders

behaviour - is she anxious, laid back, fearful, bolshie etc

and how does she cope with being on her own, seperation anxiety, herd bound, cranky with other horses (bite & kick) - I guess this comes into socialisation

I would want to see them ride, then try myself, ideally a trial way from home is helpful as well, or seeing her out at an event

Vetting if serious
 
I always ask how long they have had the horse and their reason for selling. As well as the obvious ones about vices, box/shoe/clip/traffic etc. I always ask if the horse has any quirks or if there was anything they wished the previous owner had told them when they bought the horse.

People have always been very honest with me on this one luckily. We bought one where the owners told us that for the first month we had him we should always enter his stable holding up a stick otherwise he would try to barge out but after a month it would no longer be neccesary - very odd but very true as it turned out.

The pony I am currently buying (hopefully) panics if his tail bandage is put on tightly (!) - strange little things particular to a new horse are always useful to know :)

If I do buy I always ask for a written receipt stating that the horse is sold sound and vice free.
 
Those are great questions and certainly the ones I would ask - but - please take everything any seller says with a pinch of salt! Please keep your eyes firmly open.

Best of luck though - I love a bit of horsey retain therapy x
 
I am perfectly open with my buyers, as I want him to have a good home, so far no one has come to buy him, yet he is vice free and sound, and a lovely ride, so obviously honesty is not the best policy, but I find it easier to ask the buyer about themselves before they arrive, and if they say they are very experienced, I just help to saddle up and let them ride.
If a horse is for a suitable for beginner [they call themselves novices with a lifetimes experience], I will ride it for five minutes then let them on.
I am wary of people who want to buy for nothing so they can sell it on to the first person who happens along.
 
i would agree with a PP & tell them a bit about yourself too, what you plan to do with the horse if you buy it etc, so they can get an idea as to whether you're going to be a good partnership

too often people are armed with 101 questions about the horse, but fail to grasp that perhaps the seller doesn't want to sell the horse to just anyone, and is actually being quite responsible in trying to find the right new home for the horse.

so think of it as a two way street ;)
 
Ask to see the passport, don't just trust that they have one, it's a right pain to sort out if you buy, and then passport 'gets lost'!

Good luck! X
 
ALWAYS ask to see it ridden BEFORE you get on. Obvious point maybe, but a friend went to see something advertised as "perfect pony club pony". She, being wise, asked to see it ridden; and lo and behold as soon as the rider's foot was in the stirrup it started to take off and then bronked its way all over the place. And of course she was told "its never done that before"!!!!

So buyer beware. Sorry if I'm repeating what others have said but its good to take an experienced friend with you who you can trust implicity to be both impartial AND honest about you and your ability. Better still take your trainer, or best still to ask your trainer/instructor to seek out something suitable for you.

I'd also personally, as well as seeing the horse both trotted up and ridden under saddle, also want to try it out in whatever discipline you're going to be using it. So for a hunter, I don't think it would be unreasonable to try it out on a days hunting. Or do what myself and trainer did recently when trying out a green horse; we organised a hoon and went somewhere safe, off-road, to see what it would do and how it would react to people cantering past; we had a gallop across an open field to not only test its wind but also see whether it hotted up; and also separated it from the main herd and see how it took to that, as well as riding in busy traffic. So all in all, we tried to do everything that I'd ever want to do and see how the horse reacted.

I was so grateful to my trainer for organising this coz now I know how the horse will react in the "worst possible" case scenario and can now make a decision based on that. It really is the only thing to do to properly try a horse.

Also, good if you can speak to the previous owner(s); sometimes the truth will come out if you ask the right questions, which can be quite revealing and might make you revise your decision!! If the current owner is cagey about you speaking to the people who've had the horse before, you know to walk away.

Good luck anyway.
 
Good idea to ask what the horse has been doing in the last 24 hours or so - If it went on a 20 mile hack yesterday and was ridden for 2 hours this morning it might well be a quiet ride now, likewise if it's has been kept stabled and not turned out for a couple of days it might explain why it's a bit sharp - (or impress you if it's still so well behaved!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top