BUYING A HORSE
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Owning a horse is a big responsibility, and you must consider carefully before you take on this commitment. I know people who have not done this, and it is SOOOOO sad to see the horses all shaggy and uncared for, with one shoe missing, half a hoof torn off, and skinny. Luckily most of the barn owners I know decided to care for the horses, but if they do this for long enough and the owner does not pay board, the horse becomes the property of the barn owner.
Anyways, there are several things you must consider.
The first, is do you have enough money? The cost of buying a horse seems expensive, but in reality it is not much compared to the maintenance costs. The first cost to consider is board. This varies per stable, and what they provide, so you will have to ask around. Usually it is between $150-$450. Board will be more expensive if the barn provides stalls for the horses, hay and grain(at some barns you must buy your own), services like stall cleaning, feeding, etc, and the facilities, like lots of rings and riding areas, and perhaps a heated tack room for the winter.
Then the next cost is that of the farrier. Are you going to have shoes on your horse? They are necessary if you jump a lot, event, or if the footing you ride in or your horse walks on in the pasture is not ideal. I added up the approximate yearly farrier cost for my horse, and it was a little under $700. He has front shoes and pads, and of course gets trimmed regularly.
Vet costs are the next thing to consider. My horse is on premium herd health, which includes all the vaccines necessary, some twice a year, including Potomac Horse Fever. It also includes a selenium(mineral) analysis and a coggins test, which is necessary for traveling and boarding at most barns. Herd health from my vet also includes worming every two months. The herd health for my horse costs about $220/year. Then there are the costs if your horse injures himself, for example my horse sprained his ankle and needed a lameness examination and florescoping, which I believe costed about $150. Then there are costs if your horse has arthritis or needs other supplements. Joint supplements cost about $70/two months worth, and vitamin supplements are about $20/two months worth. I am not certain of the other prices(for things like Farrier's Formula or Show Glow). For horses with arthritis, many get steroid injections every once in a while($70-100), and many get a shot of Legend, which is a joint lubricant, once a month($75).
Then there is the cost of shows. Depending on what you do, the cost varies. I would ask around, and ask your trainer to see what the cost of the kinds of shows you will be doing are.
Then there is the cost of training. If you buy a green horse, you will probably need about $1000 worth of training. You will also need training for the rider, which runs about $20/group lesson, but more for private lessons. If you choose to go to clinics, that costs about $200/clinic, depending on where it is, how much you get, and who it is with. Don't get me wrong, I love all these things, but they do cost money.
The last cost to consider is supplies. You will need your own tack and grooming kit, as well as riding clothes. If you travel, you will need traveling gear for your horse, such as shipping boots and a tail wrap. If it is cold where you live, you will need blankets and sheets. And if there are flys and stuff, you may want a fly sheet. You may also like to have an anti-sweat sheet for the summer, and a cooler for the winter.
The next question to consider is where will I keep the horse? Is there a boarding barn near by that you can afford, or do you have enough land and facilities on your property?
The next question is do you know enough to properly care for the horse? Will you be able to recognize if the horse has thrush or rainrot? And will you be able to ride the horse confidently? I reccomend you have lessons for a couple years before even thinking about buying a horse. When you own a horse you have to ride outside of lessons, and this is more difficult, and scarier.
If you can answer all of those questions positively, then you are ready to start looking!!FINDING THE PERFECT HORSE
I believe there is a perfect horse for every rider. Even if you don't have $20,000 to spend on buying a horse, you can still find a good horse!!
You should start by talking to trainers and other professionals. A lot of horses are sold by word of mouth, and you can usually get the better horses that way. Plus, sometimes if you know the people, the price goes down.
The next place you could look is around the barn. A lot of times people post fliers about horses for sale around barns.
You can also look in the newspaper or on the internet, but you must be VERY careful when doing this. A lot of lame or otherwise ill horses are sold this way, because that's the only way to sell them. Make sure if you buy a horse this way you have professional help.
As you are looking for horses do not rule out horses because of cost, age, etc. You can never ride too many horses. Go try the $800 horses, and go try the $40,000 horses. Keep notes on every horse you ride about what you liked and didn't like. This will help you narrow down your search and find the perfect horse.TRYING THE HORSE OUT
The first thing you should do when you contact the owner is tell them a little about yourself and what you are looking to use the horse for. Then ask some questions about the horse. Is it quiet when bathing, loading trailers, being groomed, and being clipped? You should know all these things.
Then you can request videos and more information if they are available. Discuss the horse, the information, and the videos(if available) with your trainer and other trusted horse people. Discuss the way the horse moves, jumps(if you are going to jump), and the horses conformation. If all is going well, call the owner back and request to come ride the horse, and watch the owner and your trainer or other horse experts you know ride.
If everything goes well while you are there, try to arrange taking the horse home for a week. If this is not possible, arrange to ride the horse more. It is best, however, if you can take the horse home. If you take the horse home, try all the kinds of things you will be doing- especially if you will be riding in the open or jumping cross country.
Then if you still like the horse, move onto the final steps.FINAL STEPS
The first of the final steps is to get a vet check. This is probably the most important of all of the things on this page. Make sure you have the legs checked, and possibly even florescoped or xrayed. Make sure you have a vet come out that has not seen this horse before and has no connection with the people you are buying from.
If your horse "vets out" then you can buy it, and own a horse!!
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