At the age of eleven, I began buying and selling horses. My parents didn't really care or get too involved in these ventures. I bought some good ones and I bought some bad ones. I learned the most from the bad ones.
I even wrote a humorous article for Horse and Rider magazine about what a horse ad really means, ( you have to read between the lines).
These days I am not looking to buy any horses, but I still see the ads on CL and FB and let me tell you, I am dismayed by them.
First of all- I see ads that are as follows;
" ISO- Beautiful horse. Must be between the ages of two and ten, no bigger than 14.2 and no smaller than 14 hh , must trailer, trail ride, be broke to roping, chickens, clowns, umbrella's and loud music. Must be a palomino or Perlino. Must run barrels and poles, but be able to go on long trail rides. Must not have any buck, it's for my grandfather. Must be sold with saddle and tack. I don't have a lot of money to spend, $1000 is my limit. SHOW ME WHAT YA GOT!"
REALLY? SHOW ME what YOU got!! ?
Is this the new way to search for a horse to buy?
I understand that there are no longer newspapers with classified ads, but even in those 'old fashioned days' there was never any - Here I am, and I'm cool so Pitch your horses to Me- attitude.
If you were in the market for a horse, you asked your friends, you found a training barn and asked if they had any thing to sell. You put the word out that you were available to
GO OUT AND LOOK for yourself.
There was no way you would ever buy a horse sight unseen from an ad. You put on your boots, got in the truck and went out to the barn and looked at the horse. You called a vet and then he looked at the horse too. Oh it took longer, and there were some pretty rank horses out there, but there were some exceptional ones too. If the Seller liked you and you had the dough, then you could bring your horse home.
The other thing I see is a seller that does not care about the horse at all. Those sellers go out into the pasture and take a picture of their Ol Dobbin, head down, head in a feed pan, strung out behind and dirty all over. Then they post the picture with a caption like,
" Perfect beginners horse, has ran barrells, will jump in a trailor,No Spook or Buck. Needs to be gelded, but my three year old leads him around by the forelock. Need Him Gone. $6000 FIRM"
I ask myself, why on earth would I ever want to come see this horse? It don't make NO SENSE.
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| What could you tell about these mares from looking at this picture? |
So what is the best way to buy or sell a horse?
If you have never bought a horse before, the best advice I can give you is to find a responsible equestrian friend or a good trainer. Training barns often have horses for sale, or know of horses for sale. Then get your smartphone and a note book and go out and see the horses for yourself. Go see more than just one. Have an open mind and try not to have a preconceived notion of what your "Heart Horse" should look like. Try to find an older horse, one that has been around a little bit. Ride it. Go home. Think about it. Go back and ride it on a different day. Ask to handle the horse for yourself. Halter it, saddle it and untack it. Then if you really like it, call YOUR vet, or a vet unfamiliar to that horse to get an unbiased opinion on its soundness and overall health.
As a first time owner, I would not buy a horse from a rescue. Rescued horses often have health and other issues that a first time owner might not have the skill or knowledge to handle. If a rescue horse is the only kind of horse you want, I would suggest first offering to volunteer at that rescue facility and determine if the horse is really what you like and if the seller is really what they say they are. I have bought several horses from people who did not care for them and it is an investment of time , money and hope.
(Unfortunately there are many, many horse 'people' that are not what they say they are.And there are many more horses that are not what the sellers say they are. Beware. )
If you want to sell your horse, please act like it is a good horse. Pretend that you care for it, even if you don't. Price your horse with his faults in mind and Please... PLEASE ..BE AS HONEST AS YOU CAN BE.
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| What could you tell about this horse from looking at his tail? |
Groom your horse, wash him if there is time ( put don't take pictures of him wet), shine his feet. Put a clean halter on him and have someone help you take a decent picture. Don't take pictures of his ass and tail, that is an old timey Quarter Horse thing to do. Have your horse stand in a way that shows off any of his good traits, legs under him, head looking forward, ears up.
When you get a phone call, be respectful to the buyer. Arrive at the barn when you say you are going to be there. Have your horse groomed and waiting for it's new owner. Be up front about what vaccines he's had, how he is with the farrier and the vet, if he's fresh in the mornings or all the time.
Our horse industry is in flux right now. Too many horses, not enough people to buy them. I encourage you to be an ambassador for our sport. Treat each other as you would like to be treated.
Don't be in a rush to buy or sell.
Trust your vet.
Be humble.
Be aware.
Happy Trails!
