Process Of Buying A Horse

Process of buying a horse.Step 1: Know what you want and why you want itStep 2: See horsesStep 3: Ask for schedule (don’t wait for the horse to ask about your schedule, it’s not only polite, but beneficial for both parties) Step 4: Arrange a time to ride the horseStep 5: Meet the parents of any young horseStep 6: Get referencesStep 7: Pay a deposit or sign a contract

Buying a horse can be an exciting but sometimes stressful process. Whether you are looking at private ads, auctions or placement services, there are numerous factors to consider.

Have you ever bought a horse or mule before? It’s an exciting time, but it can be very overwhelming. From where to look for your horse, finding a good deal, how to inspect and test ride your horse before you purchase — buying a horse is a big decision! I wrote this article in hopes that it will help you make one of the largest purchases and investments of your life.

The process of buying a horse can be a little confusing, especially if you’re new to the world of owning animals.

To start, you’ll need to do some research and decide what kind of horse you want to buy. This will depend on your personal preferences and how much time you’ll have to spend with the animal. If this is going to be your first time owning a horse, we recommend starting with something small, like a pony or miniature horse.

Once you’ve narrowed down your options to one or two breeds, it’s time to start looking at individual horses for sale. At this point, it’s important not only to look at their appearance but also their temperament—they need to be friendly and calm around people and other animals.

Once you’ve found one or two horses that seem like a good fit for your family, take them for a test ride! Most owners are happy for potential buyers to come out and spend some time with their horses before making an offer on them (though some might require an appointment). The best way to get an idea of whether or not the horse would be right for you is by spending time together in person!

The process of buying a horse can be complicated, but we’re here to help you make it simple.

We’re going to walk you through the steps that you need to take to get started.

1. Do your research. You want to know what kind of horse you want before you start looking at horses! The best way to do this is by reading books on horses and watching videos about different breeds.2. Find a reputable breeder near you that sells the type of horse that interests you most.3. Go visit the breeder and take notes on what kind of temperament the horses have, how well they’re cared for, and how much room they have for exercise and play time in their paddocks or pastures.4. Once you’ve picked out the perfect horse for yourself, make an offer on it!

Process Of Buying A Horse

Hello, aspiring horse owners… I’ve written this guide to buying a horse to cover everything my family and I wish we had known from the very beginning, so you can hopefully learn from our years of experience and avoid the many mistakes we made along the way!

If you are buying a horse for the first time, this easy to follow, comprehensive guide will teach you everything you need to know about buying a horse! For those who already have some experience in buying a horse, and just want to make your next purchase as stress free as possible… I’m sure you’ll find plenty of useful tips too!

Daydreaming about buying a horse or pony is a past-time that most horse lovers spend a lot of time imagining… the sunny afternoons hacking across beautiful fields, birds singing overhead, and maybe even a wall of brightly-coloured rosettes. Yes, of course there are days like that, but you’ve got to remember there will also be cold, dark days with muddy fields – rain, meaning even more mud – and days when the mud sucks the wellies right off your feet and you want to scream – basically, a lot of mud! Having ridden and owned horses my whole life, and worked freelance  with them for most of the adult part of it – trust me, summers make up for it, but I can’t stress enough – be prepared for the mud! So, let’s get down to it – you need to be realistic. Do you really have the experience, time, and money to look after a horse?

These are the three most important to questions to ask your self before buying a horse…

Can you afford a horse?

• Firstly, do you have the available cash to actually buy a horse, and all the kit you’re going to need? You might have £5,000 burning a horse-shaped hole in your pocket, but have you considered that the kit you’ll need (tack, rugs, etc) will set you back upwards of at least £1,000, and that’s buying a lot of it second hand! So you’ll need to bear your overall budget in mind when searching for a horse (some horse or ponies do come with tack and rugs, but not all that often, and what they come with may not be to your taste). Check out What do I Need for a Horse? – The Ultimate Checklist of Equine Equipment for a comprehensive look at all the kit you’ll need.
• You also need to figure out if your budget is realistic for the type of horse or pony that will fit the bill for you… for example: £1,500 – £4,000 might be realistic for a child’s first pony or a happy hacker/Riding Club horse. And if you’re a good rider with some experience looking for an all rounder to do higher level local competitions, and maybe even some affiliated, £4,000 – £8,000 should be a reasonable budget… but you’d need to up this amount considerably for buying a horse to compete at top level competitions (and would probably need lots more quality kit too).
• If you find that your bank balance isn’t going to cut it for the initial outlay, you could always consider loaning or sharing before buying a horse.
• The purchase price, and accumulating all the kit you’ll need, is just the beginning… the weekly costs can easily mount up (mount up – get it?!). If you have lots of time and experience, you can keep the costs down by doing much of the work yourself, but if you’re inexperienced or lack the time, you’re going to need help, which isn’t cheap.
• There are lots of livery options, so you’ll have to weigh up what’s best for your situation, and if the cost is worth it (prices vary according to the area you are in, what they offer, and what facilities they have – so it’s worth ringing around you’re local ones to get an idea).
• As a rough guide, in my area (the Home Counties in England), on a yard with a ménage, Grass Livery (just grazing) starts at about £15 per week, DIY (stable and grazing) from £25, Part Livery (all basic daily care, hay and bedding) from £75, and Full Livery (same as Part Livery, but usually with grooming and some exercise) from £100. I’ve kept most of my horses DIY (or assisted DIY where someone turned out for me each morning, and I did everything on my one evening visit to save me driving to the yard twice!). I’ve also stabled part livery where someone turned out/brought in and did all the mucking out, which allowed me more time to groom and ride, but it was obviously a bit more expensive.
• You’ll also need to tot up the costs of shoeing (approx £40 – £70 every 5-8 weeks), as well as worming, insurance, feed/supplements, hay/bedding if not included in livery, fuel to and from the yard, yearly dentistry and back checks, and possibly even maintaining a horse trailer, or horsebox, should you want one, plus lessons and show fees.
• Also, consider your goals… if you are buying a horse to be a happy hacker, basic facilities will be more than sufficient, and therefore cheaper, but if you want to compete, it’ll be a lot more expensive; you’ll want access to good facilities, and will probably want your own transport.

How much experience do you have?

• Having limited experience doesn’t have to be a barrier to buying a horse, but as mentioned before, it will mean you’ll need to have experienced people on hand to help you.
• If you can, it may be worth looking into taking some courses, or sharing/loaning before buying a horse to gain more experience.
• For anyone inexperienced, I would always recommend stabling a first horse at a larger yard with plenty of people around to help, and getting assisted DIY livery as minimum.

How much time do you have?

• Do you really have the time? If you’re just used to a weekly lesson or two, you’re in for a shock – horses are time consuming! A lesson is usually an allocated 30-60 minutes out of your day with the horse tacked up and ready to go. Unless you’re stabled at an expensive full or competition livery yard, this won’t be the case. Depending on your stabling arrangement, you’ll need to allocate at least another half an hour/hour, or more, on top of your riding time  – and bear in mind, as keeping a horse can be quite expensive, you’re going to want to get your money’s worth – you’re going to want to be there as many days as possible!
• If you have a limited budget, but are experienced with plenty of time, you’ll probably be considering Grass or DIY livery. In this case, you’re looking at two visits to the yard each day (once in the morning and once in the evening) to check over your horse, turn out, muck out/poo-pick the field, bring in, feed, change rugs, groom, etc – and of course, fit riding in as well! Trust me, it can be done – and if you love horses as much as you think you do, you’ll even enjoy the mucky tasks too!

Okay, so you have the time and the money, and you’ve found somewhere suited to your needs to keep your new horse/pony…

Choosing a Horse… What Type of Horse or Pony is Suitable for You?

Your experience and ability will be the main factor in making the decision of what type of horse to buy – it really is such a common mistake for people to ‘over horse’ themselves when buying a horse. Whether they’re buying their first horse, or moving up from one they’ve outgrown, there is often a huge discrepancy between what you want, and what you need – think about it, you wouldn’t give a learner driver a Ferrari!

How Big?

• What size and type of horse are you comfortable riding? How tall and heavy are you? An old guide for a suitable height horse is that their withers are no lower than your shoulder, and no higher than the top of your head; though this can be taken with a pinch of salt – shorter/rounder horses and ponies can ‘take up more leg’ (so a taller rider can look okay on-board) – so, as long as you’re comfortable, and the horse can carry your weight happily, go with what feels right.
• Many people make the mistake of thinking, the taller the horse, the more weight it can carry. However, weight-carrying is usually calculated on the ‘bone’ (measurement around the cannon bone of the leg) – there will be some 13.2hh cob type ponies that could easily carry more than a 16.2hh Thoroughbred! So consider what you are comfortable riding and handling, as well as your own height and weight.
• For children, unless they are super tall, it’s usually wise to stick to 14.2hh or under, as many shows split horse and pony classes, and juniors in affiliated competitions and showing are usually restricted by height classes (although some, such as the BSJA, do run ‘children on horses’ classes) – this will be less of a factor if you don’t intend to compete.

How Old and How Experienced?

• A horse’s prime age generally seems to be considered from when they’ve been broken in (usually around 4 years old) and been under saddle for a couple of years, to a few years before they are considered a veteran (at 15 or over) – so it would be from 6/7 years old (depending on when they were broken and the level of training) to about 12 years old.
• Don’t let this put you off the veterans though, especially for kids ponies or if you are looking for confidence giver to ‘teach you the ropes’, as they can have lots to offer and usually know their job inside out. A lot of top dressage horses are well into their teens. I have a real soft spot for the oldies, and if well looked after, I’ve know horses in their 20’s, and even some ponies in their 30’s, still happily doing their job!
• I think everyone has had the romantic dream of bringing on their own youngster from scratch, but this isn’t realistic for most people – you need lots of time and experience (along with the patience of a saint, and a god-given ability to bounce!). Unless you have the time, experience, and possess these qualities, I would recommend avoiding anything young or ‘green’. (There are of course exceptions to every rule, and you’ll find some youngsters with an old head… and indeed, some oldies who still think they’re 3!).
• For most people, I’d say stick to buying a horse that has a few ‘miles on the clock’, and is at least well established in the basics – hacking out, schooling, jumping, and has been taken out and about. If you are inexperienced, lack confidence, or are looking for your first horse or pony, the more established and more experienced the horse, the better… you can learn and progress without having to train the horse too. (If you’re both inexperienced it can be a bit of a case of ‘the blind leading the blind’, and end up with you, and your horse, losing confidence!).
• We would all love to find that ‘horse of a lifetime’, and for those with limited ambitions, or who just want to leisure ride and hack out – this is realistic, as the horse that will suit you now, could still be right for you in years to come. However, if your ambitions for the future outstretch your current ability, this can be a much harder task (– the dream would be a schoolmaster that is happy to step down a few levels while you learn, then step back up as you progress. But finding a horse like that is like finding hen’s teeth… and they usually have a price tag to match their rarity!).
• Focus on finding something that suits you now, something you can gain confidence on… you just need to realise and accept that if your ability and ambitions do outgrow your horse, you may have to consider buying a horse that is more advanced in a few years time – sadly for most of us, that means having to find a new home, or in other words, sell :(, our beloved friend.

What Type/Breed?

• As a sweeping generalisation, each breed carries its own traits and characteristics (much like dogs!), and the more native/chunky types are generally considered more easy going, while the ones with more ‘blood’, such as Thoroughbreds and Arabs are usually more ‘hot-headed’ and suited to experienced owners. This is just a rough guide though, and of course not all individuals fit their stereotypes!
• Some horses also have expressive or large movements, which can be hard to sit to for less experienced riders that don’t have a well established seat. Spanish horses, Warmbloods and Welsh Section Ds are particularly known for this, once again though, not all fit these stereotypes.
• If your horse is going to be living out, it’s worth considering the native, hardier types (I’m not saying finer breeds can’t cope living out, I knew someone who kept a Thoroughbred out all year with a field shelter and hefty rug – it’s just that in general the native types will be happier and easier to keep this way).

Before embarking on your search, consider all the factors above and write down a list of what you’re looking for, and deal breakers, such as not hacking out alone. My list, for example, would include that it must be good to load (don’t even get me started on that one!) and after years of being a groom, it would probably also rule out greys (even though they’re stunning), as I’ve spent so many mornings scrubbing stable stains and too many evenings washing off dirt! Although I’d probably be swayed for the right one! Just use your list to set some basic parameters for your search, such as rough size, preferred type/breed, rough age, level of training/experience and the temperament suitable for you, plus your budget and how far you’re willing to travel for viewings. I’ve known clients miss some lovely horses because their list was so specific (e.g., must be a black, 16.2hh, Dutch Warmblood mare, within a half an hour drive!).

What to Have in Place before you Embark on your Search…

Before you start searching for your future equine best friend, make sure you have the basics in place.

Make sure you have somewhere to keep it…

• Don’t assume that the perfect yard you’ve spotted online will have space… some have year long waiting lists! And don’t be disheartened if the best places are full, remember, you can always put yourself on the waiting list and find a compromise until a space is available.
• Make sure they offer the type of livery you want and the yard has all the facilities you need (e.g., a ménage, year round turn out, decent hacking). For more in depth reading on types of livery check out Types of Livery Explained – How Much Does it Cost to Stable a Horse?
• Also, remember websites can be misleading, and many yards, especially the smaller ones, may not be listed online, so check local saddlery notice boards for adverts, and even ring local Riding Clubs and Pony Clubs for recommendations.
• It’s essential you visit the yard prior to agreeing to a spot, to get a feel for the place, and ask plenty of questions about their rules and day to day routine – for example, do they restrict turn out in winter? Do they allow early/late visiting? How busy is the ménage? What’s the hacking like? And so on! My friend ended up on a DIY yard that didn’t allow owners on site before 7.30am, or after 8pm, and the ménage was chock-a-block every evening; considering she worked from 8.30am-6.00pm everyday, it didn’t allow her much time to squeeze in all the daily tasks at the yard and have time to ride – she ended up having to make three visits a day to shoe-horn in a ride during her lunch break (luckily she had showers available at her work!).
• Once you’ve found a suitable place that has a space available, reserve your spot! Some yards will require you to pay the full price of the livery to keep the stable open, but most will just charge a small holding fee each week.