So, you are ready begin the process of actually buying a horse – Yay! … let the string of terrifying decisions begin (insert: evil genius-style laughter here, LOL) … all in good fun.  But seriously, having a horse can either be a dream come true or a nightmare realized. Whether you will be a first-time horse owner, or have had horses before, it is an exciting but equally nerve-racking experience. And finding a suitable match is imperative for success.

What Not To Do

For the average person considering buying a horse, money is usually one of the first matters of concern. It can be tempting to buy the cheapest horse you can find because after all, you “just want to trail ride”, or “don’t need a show horse”, or “feel bad for it”.  Under some circumstances those might be accurate reasons, but all too often those statements prove to be very short sighted. Though you are not “married” to the horse you buy, you are responsible for it. If price is your main criteria to horse hunt by, you may be tempted to pass up a good horse who is a small stretch to the budget and choose a poor fit who is half your budget. Click here for more information on the real costs of having a horse.

Organize Your Thoughts

Instead, it can be helpful to start by creating a checklist of at least 10 qualities/skills you feel are necessary, not including price. You might list things like: breed or body type, range of height, what discipline, temperament, etc. Be specific and list these things in order of importance to you. As you come across available horses, evaluate each against your checklist and see if they actually meet your needs.

It can be easy to lose focus when you’re looking at the pretty pony standing in front of you with a seller happy to load it on your trailer in five minutes, and all you have to do is write the check! But availability does not equal suitability. If you find that one horse after another that meets your criteria will not fit in your budget, then start removing items from your checklist one at a time starting from the bottom (or least important) items. And see where your dreams and expectations meet with reality.

Next step

Patience, patience, patience! Horse hunting can take mere days or drag on for months. If one opportunity slips through your fingers, don’t fret. Learn from it so you can be more prepared for the next opportunity. Though finding a suitable horse is very important, there are also tens of thousands of horses out there. It’s a guarantee that there will eventually be another one that works, maybe even better than the one that you missed! Sometimes the same horse even circles back around, though you don’t want to count on that.

You think you found “the one”

You’ve tried it, maybe more than once. The price is doable, the horse hits the most important boxes on your checklist and you’ve begun dreaming about riding off into the sunset with your proposed new pony. Let’s take a moment to think all the way through to the other side of this purchase. Exactly what level of daily care does this individual horse need? What is it accustomed to? Was it on a vaccine and worming schedule. Had its teeth been floated in the past year? Does it need shoes – or even special shoes? Any maintenance required or foreseen to keep the horse working at a certain level?

A pre-purchase veterinary exam can be very helpful if you are unsure; however some of these things just need a little common sense to work through. Example A: If a horse has not been working regularly and is barefoot and field boarded pre-purchase, but you plan to ride three or more times per week and begin showing the horse, you can expect it will need more care than it has been receiving to help it perform to your expectations.  So, make sure your boarding arrangement will allow for a bit more care as needed. Example B: If you are buying a Thoroughbred who has been accustomed to a stall for a portion of each day and is in a five day per week riding program, make sure your boarding situation and riding schedule are able to accommodate a similar level of care.

For more information on horse related expenses click here.

A little side note about boarding

Personally, I would be wary of a situation that offers no access to a stall at all. You may prefer your horse live out with a run-in shed, and many horses prefer this, but what if they are injured and need stall rest? Or, assuming you have a long successful partnership with your horse, as your horse gets older it will likely need more care including stall time during bad weather with quiet time away from the rest of the herd. Though you can change barns for such situations, moving is stressful for both owner and horse. Having a bit of foresight can prevent a lot of issues. Ultimately, you will have to choose the best of the available options and just work with it.

Okay, so you bought the horse!

He’s home and you are getting to know him. Unless you truly found a unicorn, I guarantee the stars you had in your eyes when you loaded him on the trailer will begin to fade within the first two weeks. This is where I counsel even more patience, kindness and understanding. Being well supported by a trainer or other experienced horseman/woman is very, very, important. Remember that no matter how much you think you know about that horse’s history, you will never know everything he has ever been taught, or not taught, by his past life. And your job is to show him what is expected of him in his new life. Not to say you will never have to be firm with him. In fact, if you are purposely trying to teach him, there will be plenty of firm-handling moments as you establish your leadership role.

Trouble shooting options

As long as the situation is not becoming dangerous, allow a full year for things to start to feel right between you and your horse. Use that time to troubleshoot your training, tack and living arrangements to find what works best. And if the situation does become dangerous don’t be afraid to seek out professional help, or even let your horse find a new home with people that can use and appreciate him for what he is. It is a common sentiment that no one can care for your horse the way you can. With only rare exception, this is simply not true. There are hundreds of thousands of horse people out there too, and at least some of them are more skilled and knowledgeable than you – no matter who you are.

This has certainly not been an exhaustive dive into buying a horse. There are so many variables and unless you are a horse dealer or other professional, it’s a very individual decision. From my own experiences and those I had front seats to observe, I feel this is a simple, balanced way to approach buying a horse. Ideally you will give horse-ownership a good solid think before following through. But everyone’s story begins differently. Whether your horse acquisition is well-planned or more spontaneous, – take heart! Horses are very forgiving animals and willing to work with us to make things better. They want life to make sense just like we do. If you don’t know how to fix things with your horse, seek help from professional sources and partner up with your horse to figure it out. The journey will amaze you.

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Testament Farm – Training and Lessons