My Lil Tack Shop

When Buying a Horse: 5 First-Timer Tips

If you're buying a horse, especially if it's to be

your first, here are five tips that'll save you

(and your family and your local horse trainer)

plenty of headaches in the coming years. It's far

from a complete rundown and you are advised to

seek further guidance from your trainer, your vet

– and any experienced horseman you can corner

before putting any money down (or "accepting" in

the case of a free or rescued horse). Note that

the following may very well read like a list of

things "not to do," but you'd be amazed how many

emails I receive (nearly on a daily basis) from

folks who "just seemed to have acquired a couple

of horses"... and are now in over their heads,

sending emails begging for help because they can't

afford a professional trainer. I'm going to be

blunt in the coming paragraphs and I do so as a

service to your pocket book and family. Horses are

not toys, nor are they machines that can be tuned

using objective measurements out of some book then

stored away till the next season.

Owning a horse is a full time commitment; it's

24/7, 365 days a year – for years and years. It

means boarding bills and feed bills and vet bills

and farrier bills. (And always at the worst

times.) It means finding someone to care for it or

turn it out when you go on vacation or work long

hours. It means being solely responsible for an

animal that has feelings and learns both good and

very dangerous habits. It means putting compassion

in its place and making hard choices – and, to

that end, here's a little dose of reality: While

owning a horse has its rewards, a horse is an

animal that could kick you in the head and sleep

soundly tonight. Their behavior evolves every

moment of every day and if you can't afford

occasional training – or if you're not capable of

keeping the discipline yourself, let alone

actually doing minimalist training, don't get a

horse. Yes, I'm talking to you. Lease one, borrow

one, rent one, forget 'em entirely – but don't buy

one.

Okay, Tip Number One... No, let's call this "Hard

and Fast Rule Number One."

 If you are an

inexperienced horseman, do not, not ever, buy a

green horse figuring the "two of you can learn

together." A horse is not a pair of pants that

you'll "grow into." In the time it takes you to

learn the simple basics, you will have turned your

horse into a biting, pushy, kicking, bucking

monster – and that's the only training you'll

succeed in doing. This goes doubly for any horse

you might buy for your kids. I've actually

received emails from people who have picked up a

green, 1- or 2-year-old horse (read: "zero

training") with every intention of putting their

own children on the backs of these animals.

Invariably, these messages end with "PS: My kids

don't know how to ride yet." Is this not a living

example of "survival of the fittest?" How is this

any different than turning to little Johnny and

saying "Mommy picked up a live grenade for you to

play with"? I'll bottom line it for you: It's

mathematically impossible for your horse to get

the amount of training it needs in time for your

kids (having themselves matured whilst receiving a

commensurate amount of training) to ever, ever,

EVER ride that horse.

If you are not an experienced horseman - and have

no plans to work with a pro trainer – then begin

by leasing or borrowing a friend's horse.

Alternatively, you can take lessons with an eye

towards purchase. You may very well not buy the

lesson horse, of course – but ride enough and

you'll start to discern traits that you find

appealing. Do you like slow and steady or zippy

and alert? Tall? Short? Trained for a particular

event or a good solid trail horse? Pushbutton or

not-so-pushbutton? This holds true for all sorts

of training and levels: Even when training at an

upper, more advanced level, the trainer you're

working with will doubtless have horses you can

ride (try out) in order to get a feel for what's

right for you.

Inexperienced horsemen should ride or buy

experienced horses, preferably ones that can...

well... correct your mistakes. They tend to be a

bit duller (opportunistic?), sure, but ignoring an

incorrect or reckless cue from you might prove a

valuable tool when you're first learning. For

instance, were you to spot something on the trail

and jerk up your reins ready to make a run for it,

the older horse will simply plod on, ignoring your

nervousness, (think Sir John Gielgud's character

in "Arthur"). Try that with a young horse and

he'll obligingly scoot to the next county – but he

may very well buck or rear you off first. Another

example: Maybe you're a cutter or reiner. You

might benefit from the more mature horse with the

"Let me handle this, New Guy" sorta attitude.

Simply put, you may need a horse that'll override

you in the heat of the moment and cut the calf

"you really mean" or do a flying lead despite your

confusing, ham-fisted signals.

See the same reins John Lyons uses himself each

and every day.

To put a finer point on this, let's say you wanted

to pick up your left lead. With an older horse

you'd drop your right leg back, kiss and bang,

you're loping. You'd do that several thousand

times and eventually begin to feel what feels

right (seconds before "take off") and what feels

wrong. Alternatively, how would a green horse know

you wanted a left lead when you don't even know

how to set him up for it? (That is, if he ignores

a cue, how do you set him up or motivate him to

oblige?) Or how about a flying lead change? Your

trainer could tell you do x, y and z to make your

request on an experienced horse and you'd get your

change. But what would you do if your horse

ignored your cues? He doesn't know his "x" from

his "z" and you barely know the cues yourself, let

alone how to enforce them. He'd quickly start

ignoring your lame requests and soon you'd have a

horse that tunes you out altogether. Start with an

experienced horse, learn from him, trade him in

years later when you're ready for a zippier model.

A note about purchasing school horses: I worked

for years at a riding school back in the day and

saw many riders/lesson-takers purchase a horse

they'd grown fond of. Now, in the case of the

school where I worked, I can tell you that the

lady who owned the place took diligent, quality

care of her horses. She had to; her very

livelihood depended on the horses staying healthy

so that they could be sent out for lessons. No

horse, no money. But, having said that, I'll

proffer a few caveats about lesson horses: They

tend to be older horses and, yes, this usually

spells "calmer" because by and large, they've

"been there done that" to the point that virtually

nothing scares them. But... with that experience

comes certain trade-offs. Older horses can have

leg issues. Older horses by definition only have

x-amount of good years in them. Older horses know

lots and lots of tricks to avoid being saddled,

blanketed or otherwise worked and can be cranky

SOBs. Know these things and factor them in. (And,

as with any purchase, but especially in this case,

get a vet check that includes leg x-rays.)

Tip Number Two: You get what you pay for (and

sometimes what you don't).

If your Uncle Joe

shuffles off his mortal coil and leaves you his

52" Sony flat screen, then you got a free TV. If

Uncle Joe leaves you those two pretty fillies in

his backyard, the two paints with no training that

nobody can touch... and "you've always wanted a

horse but don't know the first thing about

horses..." then he's actually left you a pile of

professional horse training bills if you're lucky,

hospital bills if you're not. Unlike the TV that

uses up only electricity, those horses are far

from free. There's hoof trimming and inoculations

and bags of feed... and you certainly can't afford

to skip the training and allow them to de-evolve

into expensive, dangerous lawn ornaments that your

farrier can't get near nor can your vet.

Bloodlines and age aside, expect to pay more for

the horse that's proven himself capable of

reliably carrying a beginner or child. School

horses are pricey because they've shown that they

can pack a newbie around in circles in relative

safety and that means money in the bank. Nobody's

gonna sell a proven school horse till they've done

the math: "How many years of making me money has

Flicka got left in her?" up against "What's the

cost of breaking in a new school horse?" Sure,

logic says "How can that horse be so darned

expensive with average bloodlines and no real

training?" – but truly dependable horses are tough

to find. Great horses for green riders or kids are

even tougher to find. A still-young horse with a

truly gentle, amenable mind on it (the equine

equivalent of the indefatigable, happy-go-lucky

golden retriever) – is a rare creature indeed.

You'll find them, priced accordingly.

Tip Number Three: Don't go it alone. You'll do

something dumb like buying a horse because "you

connected the first time you saw him." Rubbish.

Work with a reputable trainer to find your horse.

Warning: While most trainers are upstanding

individuals who love their kids and hardly ever

beat their wives, there are some bad apples out

there with all the scruples of your typical

lobbyist or trial lawyer. How did the phrase

"horse trader" get its negative connotation, after

all? Do your homework, get references for the guy

and check those references out. When you've got

somebody you can trust, see if he can't make a

match. Be honest with him about your level of

expertise, wallet size and plans. Be careful of

any horse trader who steers you toward "too much

horse," (like the guy who was all smiles as he

tried to sell me a movie stunt horse back when I

was still learning to stay on). Mark the dog down

as "shyster" in your address book and start over.

I would strongly suggest that you make sure that

you can afford to have a good trainer work with

the two of you for a good six months after taking

possession. When the trainer gets the two of you

meshed, he can slowly wean you off his services –

but remember that it gets progressively more

expensive to fix "the bad things" your horse picks

up from you, the new horse owner.

Note: Don't turn a blind eye to real deals. Though

rare, they do exist. Be willing to look at horses

priced below what you had expected to pay. If

you're thinking ten grand and turn your nose up to

a horse selling for two, you'll get a call

tomorrow for that very same horse in disguise now

offered at ten.

Tip Number Four: Don't trust anybody.

There are

some shady characters out there looking to unload

a lousy horse on some untrusting soul and you need

to be super careful throughout the entire

purchase/scouting process. The owner may very well

have been suckered herself. Be vigilant, lest you

fall into that same trap. That sweet little lady

who says her grand kids ride Daisy every weekend

with reckless abandon and nary a fall may be so

desperate to unload Daisy-the-ex-rodeo-horse that

she's lying through her teeth. She might have

drugged the horse or exercised it nearly to death

shortly before your arrival. Yes, that sweet

little old lady. (This is another reason you need

the help of an experienced horse trainer/trader.

He knows the pitfalls and is more than worth his

ten percent commission.) One thing you might

consider is showing up sans notice to take your

trial ride (better, "rides" plural). Also: When

somebody says "My horse can be ridden." You

respond with "Please show me." Don't get on the

horse until somebody else has ridden it. This is

John Lyons 101, a simple rule that you need to

follow. Finally, never put money down till the vet

has looked the horse over – and not without a

written agreement that says you can bring it back

within x-days for a full refund and for any darn

reason under the sun, assuming it's still healthy,

of course.

Tip Number Five: Seriously consider the horse's

background.

Case in point, if you're a novice and

no trainer, stay far, far away from those track

rescue horses. I mean it. If I had a buck for

every rescued runner that's now virtually retired

to pasture simply because nobody's brave enough to

ride it, I'd have a bunch of money, let me tell

ya. I promise you that unless you spend a bloody

fortune on a trainer, you'll not spend ten minutes

aboard that horse, charging through the surf,

feeling the wind in your hair, bonding and

channeling Elizabeth Taylor in "National Velvet."

And, for goodness sake, stay away from the BLM

wild-crazed mustangs. You may save a few bucks –

and you might even get lucky and find a true

diamond in the rough – but by and large, they're

not worth the aggravation. Don't get me started.

Nuff said.

Finally, I'll ramble through a few more caveats:

1) As previously stated, remember to stay clear of

any horse that's ever appeared in a movie and to

be careful of school horses that might be

chronically lame/arthritic. 2) While geldings are

a touch more readily trained, you might consider a

mare for one specific reason: You can still breed

it should it come up forever lame. The gelding

you'd be stuck with. 3) The more times a horse has

been shown, the more "burnt" he may very well have

become. If you're considering an older show

jumper, barrel runner, or eventer, for instance,

remember that he may know more tricks than you and

he might prove a challenge to re-school. Discuss

any reservations with your trainer. 4) Those nasty

habits ("He just bucks once in awhile") you see

before you buy the horse only get worse after you

own the horse unless you have a good, solid

gameplan to fix them. 5) Consider any costs that

might be associated with your horse if it's older

and needs a constant supply of pain-killing drugs,

feeds or special shoeing. Corrective shoeing, for

instance, can run you hundreds (yes, hundreds) of

dollars every six or so weeks. Factor accordingly.

Disclaimer: Equine training can be a hazardous

activity which may subject the participants to

possible serious injury. My Lil Tack Shop & our

associates, and other trainers listed on this site

will not assume any liability for your activities.

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