When buying a horse, consult professionals in the field to find reputable breeders, who often sell horses at the show ring to demonstrate the animals' abilities. Take time to choose the right horse with advice from a riding instructor in this video on equestrian living.
So we've decided to buy a horse. That seems like an easy task, but I can promise you I have gone all over the country, at times, in quest of the perfect horse. Given there is no such thing as that perfect horse, we like to direct clients to try to find their first horse, or any horse for that matter, by thinking of the priorities and how we can narrow that search down before we spend a lot of money as to where to buy a horse. I first, of course, find out what kind of horse... exactly what do I intend to do with this horse? And then I seek out the most knowledgeable professional for that particular sport of horses. It's important that you begin to trust the people you work with. I wish it were not the case, but there are many dishonest horse salespeople. It takes a very discerning eye, and a professional horseperson, to be able to just go on out there and start looking in your auction houses, your newspapers, your online websites. You're at the mercy of anyone who is motivated to sell their horse. We often joke and say you have to learn to read between the lines in those cases. I prefer, and offer to my clients, the opportunity to try a horse for as long as I feel necessary to make certain that it is a good match. Sometimes that's been as long as a month or two. But there is nothing like trying a horse to assure you that it was the right place to go to buy that horse. We typically buy our best horses off of the show ring. That would mean that there is a horse currently in competition that's doing a good job, that meets our needs, and is suitable for the riding ability of that person shopping. That's the easy way. The hard way is the trial and error of just going out without that opportunity to have known the horse's past or history, buy it off of the internet or at an auction house, or just through the newspaper, to find out that there were a lot of things in it's history and past that have brought it to be not the greatest match. By all means, do not go by color, or anything that has to do with the aesthetics of a horse. You want to have a good list of credentials, including their age, their previous history and training, and then go to that place where you're going to find the horse that's suitable for you.
