Stop! Don’t Buy!
Horse shopping? Be sure you don’t make these key mistakes, as detailed by four pro trainers.
Let's face it; Horse shopping is exciting . We do it to move up to a more advance mount, to find one for a new discipline, to get our kids or grandkids the perfect horse-even just for fun when we're not really in the market. there's rush that only riders get when looking at forsale horses, whether online or in person. But that excitement comes at a price. It can cloud our vision, make us blind to issues we don't want to acknowledge, and (the worst) cause us to Here, make four rash professionaldecisions based trainerson the outline emotions scenarioswe feel they’ve when personally shopping experiencedfor a new horse. with clientspoor horse-buying(we’ve changed choices—andtheir names) one whom where they the saved client from bought makingthe horse. what could’ve been
Read along to ensure that you don’t fnd yourself in any of these situations on your next shopping venture. It’ll save you a lot of Mr./Mrs. Wrongs in the future.
The Wrong List
The expert: La Rae Powell, Auburn, Washington; highly accomplished Arabian trainer, with more than 250 national and reserve champions across youth, amateur, and open competition. The scenario: Jan came to Powell with an extremely specifc list for her next horse. Bay, four white socks, star-and-snip face, 14.1 hands high, and a mare… only a mare. Jan was very proud of (and committed to) her criteria; she just knew this would net her the perfect horse for her needs. So she set out shopping online and let those in her horse network know what she was looking for. The mistake: “Jan’s list was completely superfcial,” Powell states. “It focused on things that should be icing on the cake, not the entire cake itself. She needed to look for more substantive qualities like what events she wanted to compete in, if the horse had the physical build to carry her and do what she wanted, if she could get along better with a gelding than a mare, and other more realistic qualities.” The reality: “I encourage my customers to look for a horse that fts into the division in which they want to compete,” Powell shares. “Jan could’ve found a horse with all of those items she sought, but the horse probably wouldn’t have possessed the qualities she needs to be able to ride and show the horse. In the end, I sat down and asked Jan questions that got to the meat of what she was looking for, rather than focus on the surface, and, using my network of trusted professionals, we found her a nice horse (a gray, 14.3-hand gelding) that she shows very competitively.” →
The takeaway: Analyze your real needs for what you want to do with the horse, and be flexible with the cosmetic qualities you desire.
Free Isn't Free
The expert: Julie Salida, Colorado; clinician who helps riders in person through clinics and demonstrations and worldwide via her RFD-TV show, “Horse Master, With Julie Goodnight.” The scenario: Veronica, a 16-year-old, horse-crazy girl, wanted to upgrade to a more advanced mount. A beautiful Paint gelding came along at the exact right price for her parents—free. Veronica loved the horse from the moment she saw him. The mistake: “Te seller was honest and disclosed that the horse had the early stages of navicular,” Goodnight shares. “Veronica was quickly progressing in her riding abilities, and the truth of the matter was that the horse wouldn’t be able to keep up with her long, as his condition degraded and she continued to improve as a rider.” The reality: “T is horse would’ve only been ‘perfect’ for Veronica for a very short time,” Goodnight laments. “She’s a young, up-and-coming rider who’d now be responsible for the very expensive upkeep of a horse with a deteriorating navicular condition. I had a long, hard talk with Veronica and her parents. Tey continued to hang onto the ‘ free’ price point, but I told them that simply wasn’t the case. Even in his short usable life for Veronica, he’d require extensive management to remain sound, which isn’t cheap. Furthermore, when he couldn’t keep up with the girl anymore, they’d have to go out and buy her another horse, too. Ten they’d have two horses to pay for, one of them requiring a lot of maintenance. Finally, and possibly most difficult, Veronica would’ve been hopelessly attached to the Paint horse when it came time to make a tough choice about ending his suffering. Veronica and her family decided to pass on the ‘ free’ horse and we used our network to fnd something that she can ride for a long time and progress with as she learns.”
The takeaway: Inheriting a horse with a long-term problem, even if he’s free up front, is expensive in terms of vet care, corrective shoeing, pharmaceutical treatments, and supplementation. You might save $2,500 to start, but you’ll spend much more down the line.
Resources left untapped
The expert: Brad Barkemeyer, Scottsdale, Arizona; lifetime horseman who does it all— starts colts, trains world champions, and coaches amateur and youth riders. The scenario: Monica saw a wellbred horse in her price range that was for sale in an online auction. Te auction situation gave her a sense of urgency—it’s exciting and impulsive. She thought she’d miss a great deal if she didn’t move fast, so she bought the horse sight-unseen, and then called Barkemeyer to discuss her purchase after the fact. The mistake: “Monica didn’t use any of her resources to investigate this horse,” Barkemeyer shares. “If she’d come to me frst, or anyone else in her network of riders, veterinarians, friends, etc., we could’ve saved her time, frustration, and money.” The reality: “Monica purchased a horse that looked good on paper but in reality was not a good ft,” Barkemeyer shares. “When she called me to tell me about the purchase, she was so excited about her new horse! I felt terrible breaking the news to her that I knew the horse and that he had a reputation of being unsound. I knew the trainer that
before and ping the horse sou Monica to wait and tha