Considerations for Horse Buyers-Part 2
In our recent post, “Considerations for Horse Buyers-Part 1” we discussed they physical costs of owning a horse. In this segment, we will talk about actually searching for the right horse to buy. If you haven’t read the previous post, it has some really good thoughts on what you need to know BEFORE you take the steps below to find a horse, so check it out!
Also, these posts are meant for people who have never owned horses before and are beginning their riding careers. If you’ve owned horses before hopefully you’ve learned this stuff already ha!
So, how do I go about buying a horse??
It’s not as simple as an app on your phone that shows you what to order and exactly where to pick it up (major shouts to Walmart Grocery Pickup haha!)! Before you start browsing those ads and asking sellers if you can meet their “One-of-a-kind, bombproof perfect first horse!,” take into consideration these tips.
Rule No. 1: ASK A PROFESSIONAL HORSE PERSON FOR HELP!
Many horse sellers are dishonest or will take advantage of someone who may not be able to assess the horse’s true state of health, amount of training, conformational defects, temperament & disposition, etc.
Your instructor or another professional horse person can discern how the horse will fit you or your child’s immediate and future needs. They also may be able to find health issues, training problems, etc. that may not be immediately apparent or that the owner is trying to hide.
The second part of asking for help is-ask for help…AND BELIEVE THEM! If you aren’t willing to follow your trusted horse person’s advice and honest opinion, don’t waste their time with asking for their help in the first place.
Rule No. 2: Buy a horse that you (or your child) can ride and learn on now.
Buying a horse that isn’t trained enough for you or your child’s skill level in hopes that you and the horse will “learn together” is a bad idea for a lot of reasons. You won’t be able to learn and focus on your own skills if you are constantly worrying about the horse’s behavior or training. Untrained horses are unpredictable and unsafe and most beginner riders don’t have the skill set, knowledge, or experience to deal with a bad situation before it becomes dangerous.
Rule No. 3: You get what you pay for.
Horses aren’t cheap, and cheap horses usually aren’t suitable for beginner riders. If a horse’s price seems low, it is probably because they have a health issue, aren’t fully trained, or have behavioral problems. Putting money into buying the right horse the first time will not only save you money in the long run (think of paying additional training costs on a horse you can’t even ride), but will be safer for you and allow you to fully succeed and learn. That said, you don’t need a super expensive horse as your first horse. Sure, show experience is great but the horse doesn’t need to have won every show it’s ever been to. Try to find something in the middle price range-not a grand champion and will cost you a second mortgage, but not a $500 pasture pet.
Stay tuned for our next segment in this series-Considerations for Horse Buyers-Part 3, which will focus on what to look for-and watch out for!-in horse sale ads.