Questions to Ask Before Purchasing a Horse

Once you have found a horse that you would like to buy, there are some questions that you should ask before you go and look at it and purchase it.

Obviously there are hundreds of questions you can ask and there will be some points that are particular to your situation. Success in buying a horse is largely to do to using your common sense, asking questions applicable to you and your circumstances. Bear in mind that there is no such thing as the perfect horse.. Every horse will have its own faults. You need to establish which set of faults you personally can live with, and which you cannot. The following are a few general questions and pointers that you should consider:

• Ask the owner/trainer why the horse is for sale. If it was such a perfect horse normally it would not be for sale.

• The advertisement should have mentioned age, sex and height. If not, ask these questions and what breed the horse is.

• Ask about the horse's temperament. Find out if it is quiet, strong, difficult, excitable, frisky, high strung, feisty, and so on. Is it easily spooked? Is it head shy? Does it kick or bite? What is it like in the stable and in the pasture? Is it a bully, or can it be turned out with other horses? Does he/she fight with other horses to be the dominant horse? How much training has the horse had and when?

• Does it have any vices? Vices such as weaving, cribbing, wind sucking, rug tearing, and pacing the stall are really undesirable features in a horse and should be reflected in the price being asked.

• Find out what the his is like in traffic. If you are likely to be riding on the roads at all, it is very important to make sure that the horse will be safe, and is used to vehicles.

• Ask what the horse is like to trim, shoe, catch, clip and load in the trailer. How often does the farrier tend to his feet and always check out the hooves.

• Try to establish as much of the horse's history as you can. What type of work has it been doing? Has it entered any competitions? Has it won anything? Has it been cross-country? Will it go through water and jump ditches? Has it show jumped? What is its flat work like?

• If the horse is a mare, ask what she is like when in season. Does she need a red flag tied on her tail on trail rides?

• Ask if it has been hunting. If so, how does it behave, how strong is it, and what type of bit is it ridden in? Will it go first or last, is it mannered, can you open and shut gates on it?

• Find out what type of bit the horse is usually ridden in.

• Ask if the horse has ever had any major illnesses or injuries, and whether or not it has any significant scars. If you wish to pursue a career in the show ring, you do not want a horse with scarred knees, etc.

• Find out if the horse has ever had colic. If so, has it had colic more than once? Some horses are prone to colic, and it is important to know if this is the case.

• Find out what type of environment the horse is living in, for example, is it kept in a small private pasture, a large busy pasture, on its own or with a herd, out at grass all the time or in a stall?

• Ask what type of feed the horse is on and the amount it is normally fed.

Success in buying a horse is largely to do with using your common sense, and asking the proper questions to find out if this is a horse you would want to buy and can deal with.

Also the best advice is to ask the owner/trainer to ride the horse before you buy the horse. If the owner/trainer has a problem with riding the horse, there is probably an underlying reason.

You should also ride the horse to find out if you are a compatible match.

Barry Turner