viewing horse tomorrow

[Jess66]

any tips of the trade or little tests to make sure it is calm and safe?

i know all the usual like pick its feet up, lead it round, see it caught extra but i am trying to think of ultimate tests to check how quiet it really is

i was thinking turning it out and catching it 5 mins later? and taking it for small hack then taking it in field to w/t/c so it covers open spaces + some horses can be nappy when they think they've finished for the day by returning from hack then made to work again?

friend knows horse and has sat on it, checked its teeth picked up legs etc all fine so i am going to check it out for myself tomoz

 

[be positive]

If looking for something quiet I always do plenty of walk on a loose rein before asking for anything else, you get a sense of how steady it is before trotting or cantering. Take any opportunity to ride in different places, road, field etc. walk past the yard entrance or through yard to field a nappy horse will usually show itself then.
One test I use is to drop my rein contact when cantering and ask the horse to come back to walk with no contact at all, I do this even with competition horses as it is something I expect of mine, obviously only if I feel it is safe to do so. If I am selling I do this when showing it to potential buyers, it usually impresses them

I would not expect to turn out then catch within 5 minutes, this may be an unfair test, it will not know you, may have been stabled for some time before you arrive, its friends might set off, a horse that is good may not be then. I can do this with some of mine but not all yet they are all very good to catch in normal situations.