Where to buy a horse?

[livingthedream]

Hi all, I'd like some advice as to the truly best place to buy a new horse. After being heavily lied to mad when I bought my last one causing a car crash of a relationship I have quite a distrust of sellers. Any advice is most welcome

 

[Parachute]

Have yet to buy my own horse but I hear Horsemart is very good, costs money to advertise but I know a few people who have bought/sold on there and highly recommend it

Edit: I agree with Littlelegs, word of mouth recommendations are good too, Just make sure you get to see the horse a few times before you decide to buy or not, wouldn't want you to end up with something not what it's advertised as

 

[Littlelegs]

Ask for local word of mouth recommendations, both for dealers & private horses for sale. And also private ads. But, its impossible to recommend places to look where anyone can be sure the seller won't lie. The only thing you can do is take along someone experienced at buying to spot discrepancies & get a full vetting. Depending on the type you are after, long term loan from a reputable charity is one place they won't lie, but chances of finding a suitable riding horse at one are slim.

 

[MerrySherryRider]

If its any consolation, even the most experienced people get a bad buy sometimes. However, as you don't say how much experience you have, I'll assume you're fairly novice (sorry, if that's not right,).
Best way to minimise the risk of buying the wrong horse is to have someone knowledgeable to guide you. An instructor, YO, farrier, vet etc can advise and may know of a suitable horse locally.
Some dealers are excellent and some private owners really do want to match the horse to the right owner, not every one is out to rip you off - but until stamping liars on the forehead is compulsory , its hard to know who's good and who isn't.

On viewing, bring someone with you, ask if its ok to video the horse trotting up and being ridden and allow the seller to talk. Genuine people will offer lots of info, none of which contradicts itself. Liars may talk too, but trust your gut.

Get a full vetting and be present when the vet is there as you'll get much more info and he'll be able to have an idea of what you want the horse for.

Keep any emails and written documents/receipts in case of a problem but accept that horses may seem very different in a new home and it takes a while for them to settle.

 

[Kallibear]

Ditto getting help. Being duped can happen to experienced riders but it's mainly novices who are done, for a reason. There's constant stories about it on here and usually the very experienced owners will see the outcome a mile off.

Get experienced help and listen to them. Even consider paying someone to find you a horse.

Be honest about your ability. The vast majority of 'mis-sold' stories are nothing of the sort, the new owner is just more novice and inexperienced than they thought.

Be sensible about what you need. If you're an 8st 5'2 rider who mainly hacks and does just a little schooling then a nice sensible cob would be far more suitable that a big athletic warmblood competition horse, even if you 'like' the flashy horses.

Get it vetted. By your own reputable vet.

Make sure you have the facilities and help once you get it home. If it's your first horse then keeping it by itself in a rented paddock with no facilities or help on hand is a recipe for disaster.

Have a reasonable budget. Cheap horses are cheap for a reason! A sensible allrounder is worth a lot of money so if you find one for £1000 inc tack and rugs, there's probably something wrong with it!

And in the mean time keep learning as much as you can. Get lessons. Help out at yards. Read up as much as possible.

Good luck!