What advice would you give a first-time buyer? (long, sorry)

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chillidragon

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Due to a very happy change in circumstances, I can now think about buying my first 'proper' horse less than a year (YAY!) but the more I'm finding out about it, the more terrifying it's becoming. I didn't get Brandy in the conventional view-ride-vet-buy way; I free-loaned her for a few years and sort of drifted into ownership, so I have never actually gone through the 'proper' buying process and it's hit me what a minefield it can be. I want a super-safe, bombproof plod that will mainly hack, but that can also go to riding lessons, pop a cross-pole, try absolute beginner dressage and maybe - just maybe - go to a show. Safety is paramount over colour, size, sex, breed, blemishes, age, etc., and my budget by then will be £6k, so I've started seriously reading HorseMart to learn the market, but after circling a handful that all seemed to fit the bill, I spotted a striking similarity in the wording ("A real kick-on bombproof plod" etc. - comes of plagiarism spotting when marking assignments, I suppose) and noticed that every single one was marked (T) (trade? Dealer?) and I immediately lost all faith in them. After all, how can all four/five horses have exactly the same temperament? Anyway, should I avoid trade since this is my first (proper) time buying? I've also realised that the pre-visit phone call is an excellent time to weed out unsuitable horses (and save myself and others a lot of time) and I have a list of questions I plan to ask when I start seriously getting on with this, but are there any that, from your own experiences, you think I should ask (or not!)? So far I have:

- Why is s/he for sale and how long have you had them?
- When you describe this horse as bomb-proof (or a plod, or whatever) would you happily put a child on them?
- Does your horse hack out safely whether alone, in company, in heavy traffic, in open spaces, etc.?
- Does s/he have any vices that you know of? If so what?
- Is s/he open to vetting? (If not, drop like a hot potato.)
- Has your horse ever been known to rear, buck, nap, bolt etc.?
- Is s/he good to handle in all ways (box, shoe, clip etc.)?
- Is s/he up to date with teeth, worming, vaccinations?
- Any medical issues (history of laminitis, colic, sweet itch etc.)?
- What do you know of their history?

Anyway, aside from these what other top tips would you have for first time buyers? And is it worth paying a riding instructor to come with me and see/ride the horse too? HELP!
 
I've struggled buying my first hore. I went to a dealer who imported horses from the continent but specialises in safe, confidence giving horses, most are described as anyones ride or novice ride. I tried a few that were all described as that and though I said I wanted to potentially go low level eventing I also kept saying it needs to be a good confidence giver. I bought a horse from that dealer and when I got him home he fly bucked when I rode him so I had my instructor try him and she said he is quirky and not a novice ride and the next time he reared vertical. Luckily I got a full refund but lost out on £800 transport and £200 vetting so it was a bad experience for me.

I now have a really nice mare that I went private to buy. All i'd say is find people with really genuine reasons for selling. The ones I bought from were selling because the daughter had A-Levels and uni. The girl really didnt want to sell her but her mum made the decision.

I took my instructor with me to see the mare which I am glad she did as she was asking questions while I rode her. I wish I took her with me to the dealers but I thought I knew what I was looking for lol.

Also my instructor asked a good question which caught the seller off guard. What is the worst thing the horse has ever done while you've owned it? Forces them to think of something and with you wanting a bombproof horse it might help.
 
i would try to buy from someone who is upset to sell, and really dosnt want to, youl then know its a genuine sale. good luck with your hunt and decide what you want and stick to it otherwise you may end up selling on.
 
I'd ask - does it have any vices, as that covers a multitude of sins.

I'd also find an experienced friend to take with you who is detached from the process, unemotional about it all, and who will pick up on things you miss. The number of people who go alone and buy an unsuitable horse would astound you....I did it once, never, ever again!
 
I again went without a knowledgable horsey person with me and didnt get the horse vetted. Dealer very plausible. Horse ended up being not 9 but 15 years old and then 3 months down the line went lame when the work load increased.
Was put down within 9 months of me buying him!
I learnt the hard way. Always take someone knowledgable with you and have the horse vetted. Word of mouth is a great thing too! Don't be pushed into anything either.
Although, there are some great dealers out there. Mu current horse came from a very reputable dealer and he is absolutely lovely!
Good luck with your search
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Firsly, make a note of what you want in your new horse and stick to it. For example don't decide you want a gelding of at least 7 years old and then be talked into the gorgeous 4 year old mare you see! There are pros and cons with dealers, they possibly will have a selection of possible horses that would suit you, rather than scouring the length and breadth of the country to find a match. But personaly I would advise buying from a private seller, and ask to see photos to confirm what they have 'done'. And always get a vet to check them over. Two years ago I bought a lovely horse after having my kids and being without one for 7 years, he was the first one I looked at and I was worried I had rushed into things, but I was lucky and he has turned out to be a gem. If you can, take an experienced friend/ instructor along with you when you view a horse and listen to their advice. Good luck!
 
Reading between the lines always seems to be a good skill too......'Ive never seen him/her do [fill in blank]' actually means 'I wasnt watching when he/she did [fill in blank]' (does that make sense??

I would also go to see a horse on several occasions. I would want to see the horse come out of its field/stable when it hasnt been ridden before you got there.

Thankfully I have been lucky with the ones I have bought, but I have seen some horrors, and also seen an 'associate' sell on some horrors too......
 
I would personally trust a reputable dealer above a private seller any day of the week!

Decent dealers have their long-term reputation to protect - it is not in their interests to sell you something unsuitable.

My advice would be to do plenty of research - if you go with a dealer look into their reputation (the bad ones are fairly well known). If you go for a private seller see if you can get any references for the horse (instructors? local riding club?).

Also I would always take an experienced friend for a second opinion.

Don't take anything at face value (however honest the seller seems).

Don't get carried away and make a decision immediately (go home and list all pros and cons!).

Oh, and NEVER sit on a horse that you haven't seen someone else ride first (and if it looks too tricky, don't feel that you have to ride it at all).
 
I'd say;
1. Make a list of physical criteria that your horse must meet - height, gender, colour, weight (middleweight etc), preferred breeds, compeitition record, radius of area you are willing to travel to, price range (but never tell the seller your budget).
2. Phone up horses and ask your list of questions - vices, snaffle mouth, clip, box, shoe, load, past history, reason for sale, etc.
3. Visit horse but take your instructor with you. Watch the horse caught, tacked up, ridden in school, on road, before your instructor or you get on.
4. Go back and visit horse again....if you like it, arrange vetting (only give a deposit which is refundable subject to it passing the vetting completely clearly, if at all).
5. If horse is registered with a breed society or BD, BSJA, phone them and check its records are consistent with what you have been told.
6. Get a receipt for the horse when you pay your money (helps when you insure said beast).

You will find, when you start looking at them, that you will feel ok about a few, dislike a few more, but when you see the right horse, you'll know it.
Take your time - better to buy a good horse slowly than a bad horse quickly.
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Absolutely worth the money to take an instructor, just make sure your instructor knows how you ride and what you want to achieve with the horse. Bombproof is great but as you go along your confidence and ability will improve so would be good to buy something that is safe but that you can enjoy and learn to move forward with too, even the most bombproof horse can change when it's home changes, so get something you think you can really fall in love with.

If you find a horse you like, visit it a few times, turn up to see it bought in from the field and be groomed and tacked up. You can learn a lot about the horse and it's manners from that. A genuine seller will be pleased you want to take the time to get it right. Also ask the seller if they would mind your instructor giving you a lesson on it, that way your instructor can see how the horse moves and watch it's eye and you can concentrate on how it rides knowing you have a controlled enviroment.

You can never get it 100% right, I had a 5star vet and instructor out but had serious issues to deal once he came home caused by undiagnosed back pain. Wasn't possibly to pick it up as only came to light as we progressed his schooling, however I knew he had a wonderful temperament and great character which is what kept me going through the behaviour issues and a major operation. He is now delightful and I would probably still have bought him despite everything as he is such a nice person. Mind you I would probably have a physio or similar check him over too if I ever decided to buy another.

Hope that helps and best of luck with your search

By the way also agree with Shilasdair, especially about letting owner/dealer ride it 1st in school and on road, was considering 1 horse until it bucked it's owner over the sandschool fence, decided not to proceed at that point!
 
also dont be bullied into buying, that happened to me, i was told from seller that someone else was coming to see the horse and they sounded keen, later that day i got a txt saying someone wanted to buy her at full asking price and they will take the horse without being vetted so if i wanted the horse id better be quick, i didnt have time to think if i seriously wanted or not but felt bullied into buying cos i didnt want to loose out.
the horse didnt work out for me and i sold on to a wonderful home that love the horse to bits so all did end happy.
 
I was looking for (and bought) a safe, fun pony a year ago, and at the time I'd totally lost my confidence and needed something to rebuild it (and I am a novice). I had to travel 2 hours to find him, but it was worth it. They are out there, they just don't come up for sale as often!

I found it was better to phrase questions as "what does he/she spook at?" rather than "Does he/she spook?" if you see what I mean? I am always wary of the word "bombproof" as it's an animal, not a machine.

I had two lists: one of absolute essentials, another of things I would like but could compromise on. It's difficult to find something that's absolutely, spot on perfect but when you think about it some things are maybe not as essential as you think.

As others have said, ask to see the horse caught, brought in, groomed, tacked up and ridden by the owners before you think about getting on. If you don't feel comfortable getting on board yourself - don't.

Good luck and keep us posted!
 
I would go one up on the "experienced friend" suggestion and also recommend you take your instructor with you. If fact, I would suggest having a sit down with her and discussing what you want in a horse, what sort of "range" you can look at (what sort of deviations from "perfect" you can accommodate) and what sort of questions/tests you should have that might be specific to your riding.

Then you can start looking on your own and when you have the prospects narrowed down, arrange for her to come and see anything you're still interested in. I think it's particularly important to get feedback from the person who will be responsible for helping you with the horse because a) that person knows your riding best, b) he/she should be able to tell whether or not the horse will fit into your situation and c) quite frankly because it allows you, should things not go according to plan, to make sure that person is available and motivated to help you through the inevitable adjustment period.

Lots of good questions and suggestions above so I won't repeat. However I would suggest real caution when you get to the point of trying horses out. If you don't feel confident - even eager - to get on a horse, don't get on it. If you're a bit anxious it might be a plan to take a more experienced friend to sit on it first but that's no substitute for you riding it yourself. I don't know if it's common custom here but I rarely agree to get on any horse I haven't seen ridden first, even if just on video. And I don't get on any horse that gives me any sort of bad feeling. For some reason people shopping for horses often seem to get sucked into feeling like they have to prove something to the seller, which is often when it goes very wrong I look at it totally differently: the seller has to prove to me why I would want to get on his/her horse. (That said, don't "tire kick" - ride horses you have absolutely no intention of buying - it frustrates buyers, in inconsiderate and can be dangerous.)
 
You've come up with a pretty comprehensive list! And all the advice given above is worth following. Do take your time, don't be rushed into a decision, try the horse out as many times as you feel you need to, don't compromise on what you want - your budget is a good one, so you should be able to find what you want. Ask all the questions you've put down here and take a knowlegable friend/instructor. And if you can find a horse by word of mouth, so much the better. Have a vetting, with bloods. Walk away if it doesn't tick all the most important boxes.

I wish I'd followed this sort of advice when I got my last horse - I might not be in the fix I'm in now if I had!
 
Just make sure you never get talked into seeing/buying anything unsuitable! Plenty of people seem to go out looking for something and come back with the opposite! I certainly dont think you need £6k for a plod TBH, Id never pay more than £2500 for what you're describing. Best way of finding something is word of mouth, ask around your local riding clubs for instance. And when you go to try it, make sure you do everything you intend to do with it so jump it over some fences, take it on a hack etc.
Otherwise, you'll just sort of "know" if its the right one! Ideally ask for video footage if they have any so then you can view it at home before working out if its worth the journey to see it.
 
I bought K from dealer and she really was very good. I had seen a couple from her yard that weren't quite 'right' and started to continue my search else where. Then a few days later she gave me a call saying that one of her liveries had just sold her horse to her and she thought he would be perfect.

I took a good friend with me (C) who I knew just wanted me to find a good horse - C had no interest whatsoever in riding or 'wanting' him (she competes at Novice level too). After I had watched him being ridden I got on and after the first 5 mins (I had seen loads of horses by this point and was a bit weary!) I just knew he was right.

I went back to see him again with C and rode him after the girl had and then popped him over a cross pole and then C jumped him a little higher. She really liked him and thought he would be perfect for me and you know what? He is. I thank my lucky stars everyday!

The dealer was really nice and said she really wanted me to have him and wouldn't let anyone else see him - all this without a deposit. I had a month to give him back - and didn't.

Do make sure that you take someone who has no other interest in the horse other than wanting you to get the right one. I have a friend who bought a mare with a friend who promised to help her if things got tricky, that help never materialised and things just went from bad to worse!

You know when you ride it if he/she is right!

Good Luck!!
 
My sister was told that she should buy from a private seller who does not want to sell, but has a good reason to. She did just that and came away with a fantastic horse who fits the bill perfectly. The seller comes on here and it's great that we can keep each other updated. When we got my Appy the girl and her mum were both in tears when they handed her over, very sad for them but worked out well for me.
 
Thank you all so much - I didn't get on here yesterday as was trooping round Bramham but thank you every one for all your help and advice. I can't tell you how nice it is that you're all so willing to help and stop me from falling head first into some dreadful mistake(s) and it gives me a bit more confidence that I can always dash back here and ask more questions if I get stuck again. So, I've kind of summarised the following trends:

- Be wary of ad-wording; 'I haven't seen xyz' doesn't mean it didn't/doesn't happen, check their numbers to see if they're a genuine seller or a rogue trader, and if they seem genuinely upset to be parting company with their ned, I may be onto a winner
- Make sure I see it taken out of the field, groomed, tacked up, and ridden by owner first, both in the school and on the roads
- If that goes well, let instructor ride and then listen to what they tell me
- If that goes well, and if I don't get any scary vibes, see if I can have a (short) lesson with instructor doing the things I hope to do with it in the future (a cross-pole etc.) and a hack out on the roads
- If that goes well too, go away and think/talk about it rather than making any snap decisions on the spot (this is where I will fall down, I'm sure - I will set my heart on it and will need someone to drag me away before I whip out my purse)
- Don't let the owner bully me into it (fortunately I think I'd be good here - I can get ridiculously stubborn if I feel like I'm being 'pushed' in a particular direction)
- And from other threads written by sellers, if I decide against it, I should ring and let them know? And say why too, perhaps so they know what happened?

Thank you every one again, and if anything else pops into your brain please don't hesitate to add on more provisos or whatever. Y'all are fab
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Lots of great advice here, and your summary looks good (you don't mention getting the horse vetted, but I'm assuming that's cos it goes without saying that you will get a proper 5-stage vetting!!)

I would wholeheartedly second the advice to buy a horse that is only reluctantly being sold. Even better if you can find a horse that hasn't even been advertised for sale. If you see a horse that you really like at a show or something, there's no harm in asking the owner if they would ever consider selling...
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