Viewing booked. Argh

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Ceifer

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Following on from Lissie2’s thread. I have a viewing booked in and I am starting to have anxiety about it. I hate viewing horses, I never ride particularly well as I hate being watched, I do that really weird British thing of trying to be really polite and not trying to be too much trouble for the owner, when in fact I should be asking all sorts of questions/ asking them to show me the horse doing stuff.

Has anybody got any tips on what to ask / see. The things I’ve thought of are

1) Assess confirmation, feet , legs, body etc
2) Look for lumps, bumps, sarcoids, check tendons
3) Ask for veterinary history (she has stated over the phone that she’s had no problems and he has no vices)
4) Trot up on hard standing
5) Ridden – ask owner to ride first -work on flat and jump. Then try myself. I am worried about the jumping – In the past I have jumped to a decent level, I have competed at Discovery but these were horses I knew really well and built up confidence with. When I jump a horse for the first time I ride like an idiot.
6) Hacking out. I get paranoid about this. I hack out alone most of the time. The last horse I purchased the owners stated that he hacked perfectly alone and in company. He didn’t. I did hack him when I viewed him but only up a lane, the owners said that the road was too busy to go on (that bit was probably true) and that the fields they used were closed. In hindsight I should have known this was suspicious. How do people hack when they view?
7) Ask about what the horse is fed
8) Ask about general routine, turnout, does it turn out with other horses? Stabling arrangements

Is there anything else anybody would ask/ do?
I don’t really have anybody knowledgeable that I trust to take with me. My instructor isn’t available to come with me due to family reasons but has looked at the videos the owner sent and really likes the horse.
 
I rarely jump a horse at a viewing. I don't think, unless you are really used to jumping lots of different horses which most people are not, it's particularly fair on the horse. I'd watch the owner jumping it to whatever height it's supposed to jump and perhaps pop a small jump myself. Really, jumping a horse on home ground doesn't tell you much anyway. Stalk their YouTube/FB to find out what it's really like!
 
Just try to relax, you'll be fine. Remember you don't have to do everything on the first viewing, you can always go back for a second and jump the horse then.

It might be an idea on the first to hack with them and then if you're interested come back again, try the horse again and go on a solo hack. The owners should have no problem with any of this if they are genuine and have nothing to hide. Trust me I sell horses as an agent and second and third viewings should not be a problem to sellers. Most people fully understand that it's a very big deal to buy a horse and that buyers need to try a number of times to put their doubts to rest.

There's no pressure to do a big jump. Let the owner jump him and show what he can do, then on day two you can do a cross pole but only when you're comfortable. And I've had people who've bought without ever jumping the horse and were just happy with how they saw him jumping.
 
FfionWinnie said:
I rarely jump a horse at a viewing. I don't think, unless you are really used to jumping lots of different horses which most people are not, it's particularly fair on the horse. I'd watch the owner jumping it to whatever height it's supposed to jump and perhaps pop a small jump myself. Really, jumping a horse on home ground doesn't tell you much anyway. Stalk their YouTube/FB to find out what it's really like!
Click to expand...
Stalking done lol. It looks a very nice horse, it's got a consistent jumping record. Not going to be a world beater but I dont want that. I'll probably be doing 95cm- 1m max
 
Definitely ask about vices etc - they aren't obliged to volunteer the information but if you ask, they have to be truthful. And take a witness. And if and when you have a vetting, arrange for a blood sample to be taken and stored, in case later he appears to have been drugged.
 
Is it good with vet and farrier does it have any sensitive areas? Important thing is to relax it'll be ok in the end if you write a list of questions to ask this can be a helpful reminder.
 
One thing I like to ask is, what issues did the horse have when you got it?
Followed by, if so, what did you do to overcome this?
It might be a catching, loading, tying, vet, farrier, separation, dust, bedding, or anything else issue, which current owner worked through 2,4,5 years ago etc.
Very occasionally these issues can pop up again in a new place and if you have the tools to work through then it isn't a problem.

Happy testing :)
 
Take a friend and get the friend to "chat" to the owner while you are riding. She can ask all the questions and probably get more out of the owner, who is likely to be off her guard while watching you ride.

In my experience people show you how high the horse can jump and then drop the poles right down for you to start with, as they don't know your ability. I'm not confident jumping high, but I never had to ask anybody to lower the jump because they'd put it down to about 18 inches to start with!
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
One thing I like to ask is, what issues did the horse have when you got it?
Followed by, if so, what did you do to overcome this?
It might be a catching, loading, tying, vet, farrier, separation, dust, bedding, or anything else issue, which current owner worked through 2,4,5 years ago etc.
Very occasionally these issues can pop up again in a new place and if you have the tools to work through then it isn't a problem.

Happy testing :)
Click to expand...

That is an excellent way of asking, most horses will revert a little when they move and is helps to know what may happen and also gives an idea of how honest the seller is as it is extremely rare to have nothing go wrong in the first week or two even if it is something minor.

I would try and go back a second time to hack out if you like it, I know it means you may lose out if someone else gets there in between but if the seller likes you, cares for where her horse is going and you don't mess about they will wait a day for you to go back, they will be waiting for the vetting anyway so it makes no real difference.
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
One thing I like to ask is, what issues did the horse have when you got it?
Followed by, if so, what did you do to overcome this?
It might be a catching, loading, tying, vet, farrier, separation, dust, bedding, or anything else issue, which current owner worked through 2,4,5 years ago etc.
Very occasionally these issues can pop up again in a new place and if you have the tools to work through then it isn't a problem.

Happy testing :)
Click to expand...

That's a good one. Ask what it doesn't do so well, or isn't as well suited to.
There's a tendency to only give the good stuff so these us are good for getting to less good, if the seller is honest! And I feel exactly the same way about my riding!
 
I always ask if I can catch and groom it myself - it gives me the opportunity to find out how easy it is catch, go over every inch of it without appearing overly fussy and to get to know it a bit before I get on plus it helps to calm my nerves.
 
I always ask what's the worst thing it's done whilst they've owned it? And then wait it out whilst they answer. Generally knocks the seller off-guard a little and by staying quiet they often elaborate more than they would normally.
 
For a first viewing I would not be too worried about finding out everything, I would want to see the horse ridden and then ride myself. I would do a general chat and if I like the horse I would book a second viewing, then I would take a friend on instructor. At that point I would want to know everything I could, if I was interested in buying. If I was at that point I would leave a deposit and buy subject to vetting.
 
Agree with lots of the above! I think it's basically best to try and ask questions that aren't easily shut down with a yes/no, i.e. "What is he like to catch?", "How does he react in X situation" or "What are his bad habits?" rather than "Any vices?".

Also agree that it's great if someone can go with you and stand with the owner while you ride. It's amazing how much of a feel you can get for them/their relationship with the horse in a more casual chat and when they're watching someone else work him.

Edited to add - GOOD LUCK! :)
 
What a useful thread. I thought it was just me who struggled with the viewing! I am also going to look at a horse next week and now will have questions to ask and won't worry about jumping. Thanks
 
Get it trotted up straight out of stable. This can show up a multitude of things.

Ask how much work/ daily routine in last 6 months

ANY DOUBTS AT ALL, WALK AWAY

Take me/Quantock hills with you and stop at pub on way back
 
I've viewed a lot over the last 2 weeks. Check legs, pick up feet etc. See trotted up inhand. Watch it being tacked up.
Ask about its current routine, is is stabled and for how long, is it being fed anything, how much work is it in etc. If it's living out, for instance, it may well behave differently if you are planning on it being stabled for long periods of time.

Watch someone ride and only get on if you are happy with what you see. I walked away from one last week after watching it broncho the owner down the long side!

Good luck. I have a second viewing on a mare tomorrow, for the first time in my search, I am genuinely excited to sit on it again.

My key things this time round afor myself are- 2 viewings, don't make a rash decision at the side of a horse unless 110% sure... and get a vetting.
 
I've just booked my first viewing (my current pony kind of found me so I've never done the horse hunting thing)
My current pony is rather more laid back than I want so I'm looking for something that is a bit more active, but not daft. I'm worried that I'll think I can't handle something with that extra activity and end up with another too laid back horse.
The one I've booked to see looks and sounds lovely but is described as a bit sensitive and spooky. I guess I've got to try something sometime so I've bitten the bullet and booked a viewing.
 
No help but I got so nervous going to view horses I either had to dash too the loo when I got there or find a bush at about the 5 mins away mark. I went to try a horse that was in a riding school although the owners horse. There was 4 people lined up watching me then lots of kids. That was horrible!!
 
I've found in the past that if it's the right horse I want to jump it, I can't resist!

If you click and the horse gives you confidence, it won't feel like a big deal - but of course, everyone's different, with different comfort levels, etc. Good luck and have fun!
 
I always ask if the horse has had any accidents or injuries. Some horses, like some people, are accident prone. One horse at our yard has been off work more often than in work. It is always the horse that gets injured if the horses are having a daft day in the field. If it loses a shoe, it rips half its hoof off .... You get the picture.
 
I forgot to ask. Has anybody asked for vet records? Is the process that you need written permission from the owner?
 
Ceifer said:
I forgot to ask. Has anybody asked for vet records? Is the process that you need written permission from the owner?
Click to expand...

If you are seriously interested the owner can ask for them to be sent to you, or your vet, you cannot ask the vet directly it has to be the owner.
 
Personally the vast majority of these questions I would ask now before agreeing to even go and try the horse. Things like vices, hacking, loading, vet issues etc. can all be quickly answered in emails and you also then have physical proof of their answers (in case you had issues further down the line...). I want to be sure the horse ticks the boxes before I even bother to go and ride it, then you dont have to ask that much once you're there as you already know. You can just concentrate on watching its temperament/nature, not worrying about what question you havent asked yet. And how annoying would it be if for example, you tried the horse and it was brilliant but then you ask if the horse loads ok to which they answer no its horrific to load... if you want to compete/go anywhere this is a pretty big issue to deal with!

My only other thing that I like to do is ask them to leave the horse out in the field so I can see it being caught (which also lets you see how it is with other horses), being groomed (you can see a lot into the general horses nature from this IMO), tacked up etc. It surprises me that most buyers want the horse to be beautifully groomed and standing there ready to go when they arrive, they miss out on seeing what the horse is like to handle etc.
 
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