| Buying a horse is not a simple matter. Sure, it may be | | | | personality. Buying a hot-blooded or high strung horse |
| your dream come true, but you want to make sure | | | | will turn your long, leisurely rides into battles to control |
| your dream does not turn into a nightmare. Purchasing | | | | your horse. |
| the wrong type of horse, a poorly trained horse, or a | | | | On the other hand, if you want to gallop through the |
| horse with lameness or other medical issues can | | | | woods or do sports that involve speed and |
| quickly drain your bank account. | | | | excitement, then that hot-blooded or high strung horse |
| Here are a few tips I learned the hard way. | | | | might be just the right one. |
| Tip #1 | | | | Tip #4 |
| Decide what you want to do with your horse. Are you | | | | Buyer beware. Look for hints that the seller may not |
| planning to do Western sports, such as roping or | | | | be totally honest. Some dishonest people may give the |
| reining? Do you like jumping or cross country? Are you | | | | horse pain medicine or ice the horse's legs down to |
| into dressage? Or are you simply planning to take your | | | | mask lameness. They may try to hide training |
| horse riding on the trails? Although all breeds can often | | | | problems by riding the horse in a tie-down or |
| be versatile enough to do some or all of these sports, | | | | martingale. Insist on seeing the horse without these |
| some breeds have distinct basic conformation which | | | | aids. |
| makes them more appropriate to certain sports. For | | | | The best way to insure that the seller is honest is by |
| example, quarter horses are exceptional at reining, | | | | recommendations. Talk to horse owners and trainers |
| while Arabians are hard to beat at endurance trail | | | | to find reputable persons to buy from. |
| riding. So decide what you want to do, and research | | | | Tip #5 |
| which breed best fits the bill. | | | | Insist on a pre-purchase exam by a knowledgeable |
| Tip #2 | | | | horse veterinarian. The sellers may be perfectly |
| Buy locally if possible. You do not want to buy through | | | | honest and may be unaware of issues such as subtle |
| the internet, sight unseen! If you have to take a plane | | | | lameness or health issues such as heart murmurs. |
| to see the horse, then do that. However, if you have | | | | Tip #6 |
| any options locally, those are the best, for the simple | | | | Be patient. You may have to look at a number of |
| reason that you can see and ride the horse more than | | | | horses before the right one comes along. Do not let |
| once. It can take several rides to get a feel for a | | | | your desire for a horse drive you to buy one that is |
| horse and to determine whether it is the right one for | | | | not perfect for you. And I do not mean that the horse |
| you. | | | | itself must be perfect. There are probably no perfect |
| Tip #3 | | | | horses. They all have flaws, just like people, either in |
| Look for the right personality in your horse. For | | | | their conformation, training or personality. However, you |
| example, if you are looking for a pleasure horse to | | | | still have to find a horse that is perfect for you, and |
| take long, leisurely rides through the woods, then make | | | | generally you will know it instinctively when you find |
| sure the horse you are looking at has a laid-back | | | | one. |