What is the best way to purchase a horse?

Question

Is it best to purchase them at auctions, the classifieds, or what?

Answer 1

Either one is ok, but here are some rules of thumb-

Never go alone- take someone with you, the more experienced the better
Never buy one the first time you see it, unless you are 100% sure of its soundness and suitability
Never ride the horse until someone else has already
Trial or lease first to make sure you really suit each other.
Always invest in a vet check- they are definately worth the money
Ask as many questions as you can, and get the owners vet and farrier and dentists contact numbers for references. Horses can behave one way with one person and another way with another person, and you also need to be aware that some owners drug their horses to sell them, because otherwise they are unmanageable.
Don't just believe that whatever the owner said is true. People are either into horses because of love or money, and sometimes it's hard to tell which is which. Some owners will tell you anything to sell their horse (that's why a vet check is so important).

If you go to an auction- be very wary of everyone there. It will be so much more important that you know what you're doing, because it's an auction and there are no refunds. Don't go there thinking you'll find the right horse. Plan to be blase' about the whole thing and bide your time until the right horse comes along. Even your own judgement can get clouded by personal motivation, instead of the objective suitability of you both, so you need to be aware of that- that's why company is so important when buying a first horse.

Best of Luck to you, taking the extra time and effort will save you alot of heartache in the long run. It's still heaps of fun horse-shopping:)

Answer 2

Auctions are definitely risky. In most you can not have the horse vet checked by your vet or usually even ride it your self. Classified ads are good, local boarding stables are a source, trainers are a source breeders are a source, Magazines like the Horse Trader are a good source. If you do not know a lot or are not comfortable in exactly what you are looking at----take a friend or a trainer with you to see the horse. Do not buy a horse that the sellers won't let you saddle (problems) or vet check. Be sure you know that you maybe looking at a lot of animals before you find the right one. Take your time, check out prices--so you can feel comfortable in any offer that you make. Good luck!

Answer 3

It depends, if your looking for a horse for a specific purpose, like you want to do a specific discipline or show him/her then I suggest having a trainer or someone with ties to other respectable horse sellers make some calls for you. However if you just want a horse in general auctions are always a great oppotunity to save a horse, but keep in mind, the horse may be old or have abuse or health issues. There are also classifieds but you need to be careful about who you purchase a horse from, because sadly not all horse sellers are honest. So really in general it depends on what your looking for.

Answer 4

All are good ways to buy a horse. We have bought some of our horses at auctions some from classifieds and some from individuals. The problem isn't as much as where you buy it from but to make sure you know what you are looking for when you go to buy. Auctions are good because often you can get a good horse at a cheaper price however many people will take a unstable horse, sedate it and make it appear to be the perfect horse then after you get it home the sedation wears off and you have an uncontrolable horse to deal with. Make sure that the horses you look at are bright eyed as well as looking for signs of injury, lameness etc. With any horse that you are planning to buy make sure to ride it before you buy. If the people are serious about the abilities of the horse even at an auction they will allow you to ride it around to get the feel of it. As others have said if you aren't 100% sure of what to look for take someone with you who is and look beyond the looks of the horse. We found a horse at an auction that no one wanted because he is ugly but he is the best, most gentle horse we have ever owned and anyone even my 6 year old can ride him.

Answer 5

All are acceptable ways of purchasing a horse such as a breeder the classified, or an auction. Just make sure you know what your doing and if you are not very knowledgeable have someone with you to help you out. Good luck.

Answer 6

I would suggest buying at an auction becasue this will save one more horse from its death. Alot of horses at lifestock auctions, (that are low class) go to the dog food factory. I have purchased many from these auctions and have only gotten one bad apple. But please if you do not know how to pick a horse, take someone wtih you who knows at least a little. Otehrwise The classifieds are great.

Answer 7

Okay, I thought I knew horses when I started to look for one of my own, however you can not be unbiased when you see the horse you "just have to have". The problem I was hitting was that there were lameness signs I didn't see, but my trainer saw, like cross tracking and shorted stride from one leg due to an old injury the "vet" said didn't influence his movement. I looked at 10 horses, all with subtle lameness issues I only started to notice myself after my trainer pointed them out, then as clear as day, I'd see a horse whose one hind leg would cross in front of his other hind leg, which can be a dangerous tripping situation, not to mention a cause of conformation default, which can lead to other lamenesses.

Find a trainer who will find a horse that suits your needs. Do you know what kind of riding discipline you plan on pursuing? Don't buy an english trained pleasure horse because you want to ride trail pleasure. The horse won't know what you're asking for when you get on.

Auctions and classifieds can have quality horses, however if you don't know what to look for, you WILL get taken advantage of. It is common at auctions for the horses to be either drugged into submission or even have pain blocks applied to hide a lameness. It's hit or miss at an auction and unless you have a vet who will attend with you and inspect all the horses you are interested in beforehand, then I wouldn't recommend it.

Classifieds are really the way to go, but again, bring a trainer who will know what you want and WILL find exactly what will suit you, because what's the point of buying a horse if you two don't "click" and have fun? :)

Classifieds to look through are:
Equine.com
Horsetopia.com
Dreamhorse.com
and your local paper.

If you are in the Georgia/Florida area you can also look at NationalHorse.com.

If you're really lucky, your trainer will already have a horse in mind for you, which if you like the horse it will cut down the search time drastically. I started looking for a horse in April of this year. I bought my horse in June. That's two months of looking at countless horses, most of them lame, while others had poor dispositions. My friend looked for 9 months before finding the right horse for her, which she ended up importing from Sweden. Be prepared to travel all over God's creation to find your perfect horse.

Good luck and don't get discourage if you see one bad horse after another. It can get frustrating, just keep on, keeping on. You'll find the horse that's meant for you!

Answer 8

All are acceptable ways to buy a horse. If you are new at this, you should take some lessons first. Then when you are ready, bring your trainer with you to check out available horses. Don't rush into anything! If possible, ride the horse several times in different conditions to be sure this is the one for you. Just like people, different horses are good at different things. Good luck!

Answer 9

if your going to buy a horse at an auction talk to the owner find out as many things as you can like what can i use him for is he a good trail rider and whatever else you might want to ask if you buy a horse privately do the same thing find out as much about the horse as possible see if you can ride him if you cant that probably means the horse has bad habits like bucking and things like that

Answer 10

Very good question... as whether to buy this used car or that one.. Personally,..... I think that I know horses so I probably would not have any problems BUT.. if you want to buy a horse.. go to where horses are sold and in most cities/towns..... etc... there are Equestrian societies.. Contact them to find out where horses are sold. Then when you find one.. make sure that someone is with you who KNOWS horses.