How to buy a horse

There are many things to look for when buying a horse. Age, gender, size, color, the important things. Now you have to worry about someone ripping you off.

Many people that buy horses buy strictly for looks. Many have found out painfully that this is not the best way to proceed. We all want a pretty horse. Once you have established your personal perameters, including what you want to do with a horse, you now want to start your search. Many people are afraid to buy from someone that sells horses. Sort of the same way they feel about buying a used car from an individual rather than a dealer. The key here is reputable farm. I hate to say it but if an individual has a car with a bad transmission they are NOT going to tell you. If they did they would never sell their car. Same with a horse. I use the cars simply as an analogy that most people have encounter at some point in their lives. If you are knowledgable enough to check a horse yourself then by all means. I have been doing this for some time and have been burnt myself. Many unscrupulous people drug their horses. Whether it's a farm or individual, if they have a spooky horse then drugging it calms the horse and makes it look great while you are there.

A few things to watch for.

With geldings it's easier to detect because they typically are relaxed to the point that they drop their male organ. Sometimes just a bit but enough to be noticed. If a horse is being put to the test they should be alert, focused on what they are being asked to do not acting like they want to fall asleep. Sometimes people will put just enough drug to take the edge off. I have seen people do this at shows...even at the World Champion level. This is hard to detect. About the best thing I have found so far is to have the horse ride in tight circles and figure eights over and over again. If they are even slightly under the influance they will stunble and not be able to cross over their rear legs as they try to pivot. Watch the horses lower lip. Does it hang, is the horse constantly grinding it's teeth or licking? These are all signs to alert you that the horse may be drugged.

Example of tight turns and figure 8's

The cure all for any type of foul play is to get the seller to give you a 30 day trial period. This is where you would buy the horse but if you are dissatisfied within the 30 days the horse may be returned. This is not a practice many people will do but if the seller gets nervous or defensive over you asking then I would look to another horse immediately. If you really like the horse but suspect something is off maybe come back at another time to see the horse. Even horses have off days. Mares can be in heat, weather changes can make them frisky, showing up at feeding time may not be the best thing for the horse. If food is on their minds I don't care how nice the horse is...they won't be happy.

The best thing you can do is either buy from a reputable farm or hire someone to evaluate the horse. You can also have vet checks performed that would normally be at your expense. This can become very costly so make sure everything else checks out before you set up a vet check. $250 and up is what you will pay. It is even possible to have X-rays done of the legs, blood drawn to test for presence of drugs or any other issues. These can get really expensive. Typically horses six years or younger aren

't going to have a whole lot of issues. In older Walkers you have to look for arthritis. Many former show horses that have been heavy shod can have joint issues. The heavy shoes these people use and the chains they use to train the horses to move this un natural way cause the horse to really lift in the front end. They raise their front legs so high some of them look like the are hitting their chest. There is also a snapping action in the fron knee which is where are the long term damage comes from. In the hind end they drop very low drom being so jacked up in front. This action is very hard on a horse and after many years of this there is bound to be long term effects. If I horse has been a heavy shod or "padded' horse chances are they have a show record. As a member of the Tennessee Walking Association you can pay an additional $50 for IPEDS. IPEDS allows you to look up any registered horse and see all reported info. If they show an extensive show career and you really like the horse, I would spend the money to have a full vet check performed. If you are not a member all you have to do is email is at Rack-N-RoLL and I will help anyone look up a horse they may be interested in. This is done as part of our evaluation process we offer. Heavy shod or padded show horses are a very small percentage of horses in the sale market. However it only takes a few bad apples to ruin a great breeds reputation.