Steps to successful horse buying

Are any of you people out there thinking of buying a horse?? well, if you are, you might want to stick around for some tips.

When you are looking for a horse, its very important that you look really close at the add. People can sometimes lie about their horse's condition. Here I've made you a list of what the add might say:

* Perfect lead rein Pony= Can't take him off the lead or ge Bolts

* Good doer= Total Fatty! will eat you out of house and Hay.

* Good to shoe and float= yes... but a total Nightmare to catch and tack up!

* Loves to jump= Goes berserk at the sight of a coloured rail and is unstopable

* Been To pony club= Took him once and he was so Naughty we never took him back again.

* Not in regular work= I'm to scared to get on him myself so I'm selling him

* Can be spooky= Goes bonkers at the sight of a Plastic Bag

* Needs confident rider= Completely Mental! You'd need to be MARK TODD to control this Lunatic!!

* Not a typical Thoroughbred= Yeah, Right!

Now that you know what the horse might be like, The next step is to go see him!!

When you see the horse, check the overall conformation, This means to judge is the horse is fit, if his withers are higher than his rump ( which indicates his power is in his front half, meaning this horse will be a good Show jumper)   If he has a strong thick bone ( necessary for an Eventer of Edurance Mount)...

Once this is done, Run Your Hands down the legs to check for swelling or Heat, which are both singns of Lameness. Next up, Look at the horse's Face. If there's a runny discharge coming fro the nose, this might indicate the horse is vulnerable to infection or is suffering from allergies. Look at his eyes and see if they have a sad, suffering look. If they have Bright, Curios eyes this shows the horse is in a Pretty good condition. Now take a look at his teeth. This will determine his age. Take a look at his feet next. The hooves of a horse should be Symetrical, meaning the left side should be a mirror of the right. 

When you have looked at the horse, request to see his  Stall. Once there, check the door for Cribbing Marks ( cribbing means when the horse has made a Habit out of biting the stall door out of boredom), Next look around the stall and try to spot any Kick Marks in any of the walls.

Now its time to ride The Horse!! Walk him a few laps around the arena to get the feel of him, push him to a trot when ready. When you've got a steady rythm going, pay attencion to how he moves and how he places his feet. Next, you canter him around the perimeter of the arena. Take a look if he's counter cantering, or if he moves akwardly with his hindquarters engaged. Take him through some serpentines to see how well he bends to your leg cues.
When you are ready, request that a small crossrail is built at X (the center of the arena) and pop him over it. See how he reacts, if he spooks, slowly walk him to the jump and let him take a good look at it. If you go clear with minor problems, take him around again an dpay attencion if the horse is Balanced, and Listening, Collect him and see if he tries to edge his way to a side, if so, apply a firm leg to get him back in the center.

Finally, See if you are buying this Horse, If you aren't, then repeat the same process to all other horses you see. If you do decide you want to buy it, Ask for a 1 week trial at your riding stable. Take him there and install him in his stall, leave him there to grow acostumed to his new surroundings. The next day, take him out to the field and see how he interacts with other horses. When you ride him, make sure you do the same things you did when you rode him the first time. Afterwards request for your Vet to check him thoroughly again, for you always need a profesional's opinion.

After the one week trial, you can either decide to take him, or to keep Looking, You decide!!