How to Best Buy a Horse

Thinking of buying a horse but don’t know where to start? You wouldn’t be the first person, as buying a horse is quite a daunting experience for first-time owners, as there are many things to consider so that you get the right horse.

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Buying the wrong type of horse is never a good idea, as it not only costs a lot of money to buy, but also detracts from the wonderful experience of owning a horse. You need to make sure you buy a horse that you can suitably manage, otherwise the experience isn’t good for you or the horse.

Read below for advice on how to best buy a horse:

Think carefully about their size

A common misconception is the bigger the horse the better. While true in some circumstances, beginner’s looking to buy their first horse should never need to go too large, as it is only going to be more difficult to handle and ride.

In fact, a smaller breed of horse is highly recommended, even for those with riding experience, as owning your first horse is full of challenges that become even more difficult when too big a breed – it could become outright dangerous is some situations.

Instead, look to purchase a smaller size of horse, as they are much easier to handle and still perform much the same as their larger counterparts, plus you can always look to get a larger horse down the line.

Choose a horse with appropriate experience

The more experienced a horse, the more used to being handled, trained, and ridden by new owners. As a result, they are much more low maintenance than an inexperienced horse, making them a great option for people of every level.

Green experience is the most basic type of experience level for a horse, so is generally best left to very skilled and experienced horse owners, as they are basically untrained so require a lot of work.

Older horses are therefore always the best choice for first-time buyers and less experienced riders, as they are already well-trained so make for a great companion.

Always ask for documentation

Horses sell for a lot of money, which as unfortunately led to more people lying about the horse they sell in the hopes of making more profit. While this may be unlikely, you should always ask to see the horse’s documentation, including their passport, to make sure all their details are true, checking things such as age, breed, health, experience etc.

Never buy before you try

Not only should you never buy a horse you don’t see, you shouldn’t buy one before riding them at least once. Preferably you get the chance to ride the horse on a few occasions to test out how they feel and handle on different surface conditions.

Research the seller

Never take a seller at face value. While they should hopefully be honest and above board, there is a chance they’ve cut corners somewhere before or being dishonest with a previous customer, in which case there is likely evidence online.