In this article I would like to share with you some tips and advice on buying your first horse. A good friend of mine helps to run a livery yard and he is regularly involved with selling horses. I spoke to him just two days ago about the subject of buying and selling horses and today I will be sharing with you some of the things that I have learned.
First of all, it is important to make sure that you make your buying decision based not on the way the horse looks. Horse’s coat might be blooming, he might look great, but he could suffer from lameness. On the other hand there are a lot of horses that don’t look really good, that aren’t in top condition and such horses cost considerably less. The fact is that with good nutrition and supplements you can bring almost every horse into top condition. The point that I want to make here is that when buying horses you don’t want to “judge a book by its cover”.
When inspecting a horse it is really important for you to remain calm and try to avoid being emotional. You want to make sure that you are making rational buying decision and not an emotionally based one, because such decisions can end up being costly. Before inspecting a horse you want to have a list of questions that you want to ask and get all of the answers that you need while you are inspecting the horse.
It is also really important for you to be very clear about why you are getting a horse in the first place. Are you planning to ride horses simply for recreational reasons or are you planning to be involved in more competitive horse riding disciplines. Once you will tell the seller what your needs are he will help you to find a horse that is suitable for your needs.
Once you will find a horse that you feel is right for you, then you will have to hire a vet to have the horse vetted. Vetting process is performed by highly experienced veterinarians who will be able to perform thorough assessment of the potential new purchase and tell you whether there is something wrong with the horse.
Finally it is also really important for you to be very clear about other costs that are involved in owning a horse. Owning a horse is a huge financial commitment and the initial purchase outlay is comparatively minimal to that of upkeep. You are going to have to spend hundreds on boarding, supplements, riding gear, vet bills and etc. You’ve got to be very clear about what you are getting yourself into to avoid making decisions that you are going to regret.