Ready to Buy a Horse?

Remember when you first decided to enter the horse world and purchase a horse? You've spent countless hours searching near and far, scanning the classified ads--local and not so local. You have made many phone calls and driven lots of miles to see and ride numerous horses.

At long last you have found the horse for you! He/she is perfect and exactly what you have been searching for! Not only that but the price is exactly what you had to spend.

Now What?
(Check List)

VET CHECK

The first thing you need to do is arrange a soundness exam through a veterinarian of YOUR choice. I prefer a vet that is not familiar with the animal.  I also have a chat with the horse's regular vet about the medical history of the horse. If the seller has a problem with either of the above that could spell trouble as a sound horse will pass no matter WHO the vet is. An unsound horse will not pass particularly with a vet that is not familiar with the animal.

If the horse DOES NOT pass the soundness exam there are a couple of options:

You can pass on purchasing the horse period.

Or if the injury and/or illness is recent, you can wait the period of time recommended by the vet and do the soundness exam again. The horse should pass then.

If the problem is or is going to be chronic then it's time to sit down and decide if it is going to interfere with what your riding plans and goals are.

EXAMPLE: Early stages of navicular disease. Corrective shoeing and a little bute will keep a trail horse or a pleasure horse fairly sound for quite a while.  Jumping, roping barrel racing, three day eventing, and endurance riding will probably aggravate the horse's condition and aggravate you with chronic lameness and chronic vet bills.

Unfortunately, there are still people who will drug a horse to mask a physical or training problem. A drug screening test at the time of the soundness exam will catch 80% of these. But there are some products on the market that will mask physical symptoms and/or calm the horse down that can not be caught with a drug test.   I see 2 or 3 horses a year that were "chemically altered" at the time of purchase.

I will admit that I bought a paint mare a few years ago that was "chemically altered" to hide

her broken shoulder that she had had since she was a weanling. Lucky for her and me I have recouped my financial loss through her gorgeous half Arab pinto foals. Unfortunately, most horses don't luck out like her and they ultimately suffer.

The horse has passed the soundness exam, so what's the next step?

Ask to see the registration papers and you need to make sure that they match the horse. (That's another scam----selling just the registration papers or putting the registration papers on another horse that is prettier or more saleable.)

Then in many states, a state brand inspection is required on the purchase or transport of all livestock, regardless of whether the horse has a brand or not. In Nevada, this inspection is the SELLER'S responsibility and it is a state law.

Now that all the above is out of the way, you write out the check and you are now a proud owner of a horse! Now what?

First you need a place to take your new horse. If the horse is going to your backyard then you need to buy hay, grain, salt blocks, bran, vitamins, and bedding.

If you intend to board your horse, you need to do more than make a phone call.  You need to see in person what condition the horses are that already live there.  Are they fat? Coats shiny (indicates a good deworming program)? Clean water? Clean stalls? If you cannot come out daily, will your horse get turned out for exercise, do they supplement or just feed hay? Are the stalls a minimum of 12X12? The ideal boarding situation offers a total and complete diet, daily turnout, and daily cleaning.

Now that you've bought the horse, found a place for him/her to live, you need to get your new horse transported there. If the seller offers to deliver the horse, you need to be there to see how to load your horse (and see how your new horse actually loads). Follow the trailer and see how your hauls, too. And, of course, be there to see your horse get out of the trailer----and how your new horse behaves when he/she arrives in new surroundings! A lot of horses are problem loaders, haulers, and/or unloaders. These problems are most often resolved with a lot of time and patience and trailer PRACTICE! But because you have watched and followed, there will not be any surprises when you go to load your horse and trailer him/her for the first time yourself.

Now that you have your new horse signed, sealed and delivered, it is time to go ride and enjoy.

HAPPY TRAILS
Ref: 0200298

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