Serious Advice Only! Getting New Horse? Good Deal??

Question

she is a 13 y.o. registered paint mare. 15.1 Hands High. she is shoed, and UTD on all of her Shots, Worming, Dental, Shoes, ect. and has also had a recent Chiropractic Check. Ridden Western, used for working cows, has also been used for driving a buggy. and ridden bareback, an all-around horse. She has been ridden by all ages. has been ridden on trails, and in parades, also ridden & driven on roads, and in arenas. she can lounge and leads easily. she has been on endurance rides, and camp outs. she is a quite hauler, easy to load and unload. easy to clip and bathe. awesome ground manners. has been around dogs and cattle. and other animals. does not spook easily. she neck and direct reins, and has been ridden with just a halter and reins. knows leg signals. she crosses water and bridges no hesitation. Currently ridden 3-4 days a week. does not kick, bite, rear, or strike out. her owners only warning is she tenses up when there is a new rider in the saddle, until you build trust with her.

i am and experienced rider, and have ridden horses with way worse problems. i have been bucked off before, and thats not a worry in this case... i just wanted soem advice..

her ask price is 3500... awsome bloodlines!

thanks, i have alreadu schedualed to have a ride session, the age is not an issue, i need an older horse, i dont want to mess arround with a youngster that i have to do too much work with. i want this mare because i can on a calm trail ride with my friends, rather then worrying about if my horse is going to act up a mile down the trail and have to walk it back to the trailor... so the experience this horse has is a big + and the age is also a + because she is old enough to know what shes supposed to be doing,

any more answers?

her owner wont let her go out on trial, he has incited me to come and ride her whenever i want to, to get used to her. but she recently had a mare she recently had to pick up because the lady decided she didnt like her as much as possible. when she picked up the mare after two weeks trial, the mare was a houndred pounds underweight. i totally understand this...

i know that most horses are nervouse with new people, and new riders. i'm sorry to say that the tensing up thing is something i'm used to the first few times i ride a new horse, i dont expect them to do anything but a typical reaction to change...

yes, she has very good bloodlines. i would poss. breed her to a arab stud, if she vet checks acceptable for breeding. i would never breed her if the vet said it was a bad idea. my friend recently lost a mare and foal due to plecenta previa. i wouldnt risk loosing her. i want her to be a longtime friend.

yes, i have already seen her vet records, i always request the records, i dont bother if the horse has had soundness issues. i already have a vet & farrier schedualed to go look at her, and check her over. her owners recently had her chiropractic checked because of the tensing up thing. they hired a rider in to work her because of an injury her owner got while working/moving her cows. (reason for sale) when she tensed up they called a vet out. but she doesnt do that anymore. i have talked to the girl they hired to ride her, as well as the owners. the vet records came directly from the vet office they go through. i have three people that are going to come out with me to see her and ride. my instructor is coming out the next time i go to visit the horse, my godmother the next, and my barn maneger after that. my step dad went out with me the first two times i have visited. she did tense up slightly, but she relaxed easily after a few minutes. i think its just nerves... nothing more.

Answer 1

Hey, if you are as experienced as you say, you should know whether you are getting a good deal or not. Horse prices are waylow right now, and you could get a horse like that at an auction for $1,000 or less. However, the problem with an auction is you never know what you are getting. If she is all you say and has great bloodlines, the price is reasonable. I've seen horses like this advertised for $5,000 or more. If she's as perfect as you described, stop worrying so much about what strangers think and buy her. It's your money and you're the one who needs to be happy, not us bored folk who are addicted to Yahoo! Answers!

Answer 2

Other than bloodlines, what has this horse done that would cause the price to be so high? Is she way up in point standings? Bloodlines are great but realistically you don't buy a horse just because somewhere back in the pedigree there were some horses that performed well. To use bloodline as a guide, you can really only use the performance of the sire and dam since it was that pairing that has the most bearing on the resulting offspring. As far as tensing up because of a new rider, you should really check this out. Try a surprise visit to see the horse and have someone ride it. Don't just take the seller's word for it. I'm not saying they are crooked, but you need to see the horse saddled & ridden "cold". Be sure to get copies of all vet/farrier records for the horse and have the horse vet-checked before you sign on the dotted line. You didn't say how old you are but if you are still growing, you might want a horse that is taller than 15.1. Good Luck in your decision

Answer 3

This horse sounds like a dream, she has many positive aspects, but it is true that sometimes things that seem too good to be true really are. I would never buy a horse without a pre-purchase vet exam, and have him check everything he and you can possibly think of. Especially anything that can be related to soundness issues. You mention that the owner says she tenses up with a new rider in the saddle, I would have her checked for back issues and saddle fit. You don't know that she isnt always tense when someone is on her back and he could just be telling you that to hide something. For all the positives she has it doesn't make sense that she would have that one issue alone.

Make sure to ask why they are selling her. If they seem like they don't have a clear answer that satisfies you, or they seem shady I would be cautious.

Try her out for a trial period before you agree to buy. A month is standard, if they don't want to agree to that, that is another red flag. Sometimes even a good horse may just not suit you and your personalities may not work together.

When I started riding my horse I have now we didn't get along. He is an 8 year old, 17.1hh, black and white paint gelding. He was very stubborn and refused to move forward, when I asked him he would kick out or buck, and throw his head. Once it was worked out that he didn't have any physical problems and it was just stubborness, it just took alot of work on my part and trust on his part to overcome it. It took about 3 weeks of riding hell to get some positive progress, but now he is a great horse and a big teddy bear. This is why I would recommend getting the 1 month trial because it may take that long for you to figure out if this really is the horse for you.

Other than that I wish you the best because there is nothing like having a horse to do alot of good for the soul.

Answer 4

I'd say go for it. ride her first. spend time on the ground with her, grooming feeding, treats. ring ride her if you can until she is used to you to avoid a trail accident. good horses are hard to find and she sounds great. i have 31 year old quarter horse that children can still ride. i think anywhere between 10 -14 is agreat age. they've been there and done that. Please have her teeth checked and floated if necessary, since so many people forget this and it causes awful ulcers in the horses mouth. Lots of ground work and good attention will overcome her nervousness, which, if she doesn't rear or buck or run off with a new rider shouldn't be bad nervousness at her age. also ask if her feet are thin soled or hardy.

Answer 5

I think she sounds pretty good , I would worry about the whole being tense under saddle by any one that would worry me because trust me people will tell you anything to get you to buy their horse . I Personally was told similarly about my leopard app that i had and he ended up being insane and damn near killing me I would not jump into it but she dose sound nice 3500 is not bad for her keep in mind she is a mare and take it from me they can have attitudes some times i have a little filly and even at 2 she can get in her moods that is the only problems with mares . I really prefer geldings but I think if you are willing to pay 3500 you have a whole lot of options and i would look around personally but it all depends on how you feel about the horse normally what tells me about a horse is not its blood lines or training it is all how the horse reacts to me and how i feel about it . Good luck hope you find your perfect horse

Answer 6

Just be sure you ride her away from the prroperty with out any horses from there with you to make sure she is willing to leave the farm and be in a new place with no issues.
Also be sure you load and unload her from your trailer.
You may want a vet to do a pre-purchase exam for that kind of money. I would also t hrow a breeding soundness exam on it if you are ever planning on breeding her.
It sounds like she can do it all and would be a great horse. If you like her and she vets clean I think she would make an excellent all around horse as it seems she has done alot and been exposed to lots of things.
Good luck.

Answer 7

Yes, I'd as for a trail for like a week. Or at least ride her a few times and take her out on a trail and on the road or whatever you would normaly do. And see how she is.

But she sounds like an awesome horse!!! Good luck with her!!

Answer 8

Sounds like a nice horse, I would suggest making a deal with the seller, you take her home for a trial period. Horse traders look out for themselves not the buyer. I would also take my vet to look the horse over good before I did any thing.

Answer 9

She sounds great. You mentioned awesome bloodlines. Can she be bred? If she throws good colorful babies you might get some of your money back. The price is more than I would pay but that's a personal thing. If she's to your liking and everything checks out well, get her.

Answer 10

That's a great horse, i would say if you can buy her, buy her! If you take good care of her she should be able to work hard for another good 13yrs! We have a 32yr old horse that still trail rides and 2 21 yr olds who act like they're 7, and work like it!