Here’s a set of selection criteria for you to consider:
• First, figure out what you’ll likely be doing with this horse. That can help dictate whether you’re in the market for a performance horse, a recreational horse, a therapeutic horse, etc. Breeding also comes into play here; if you’re interested in high-level cutting, for example, a draft horse may not be the best choice.
• I recommend avoiding auctions in most cases; this environment often leads to emotional snap decisions.
• When you’ve made an appointment to look at a horse, show up a little early. This way, you’ll be able to see whether the owner has been preparing the horse by longeing it, how the horse catches in the pasture, and so on. It may raise a few red flags, or it may show you exactly what you wanted to see. Regardless, the more information you’ve got, the better.
• Ask the owner to demonstrate a typical situation with the horse, whether that’s on the ground or in the saddle. Many people have gotten hurt (particularly in the spring, after a long winter without much riding) when the horse is excitable, and they hop on. Let the owner be the one to test this out.
• If you’ve gone through these steps and you like what you see, go ahead and take your own ride.
• To protect yourself from making a purely emotional decision, ask the owner if you could have a one- to two-week trial period with the horse. This could mean that the horse goes with you, or it stays there but you visit it often. If it requires a deposit, that’s fine; it’s still a smaller loss than purchasing the horse on the spot and realizing later that this is not the partner you were looking for.
• If the trial period goes well, bring in a horse-smart friend or professional to assess the situation. Choose someone whose opinion you respect, and have them give you their thoughts on the potential fit between you and the horse. If it looks good, the next and final step is…
• A veterinarian check. If it all checks out, you’re on your way to taking your new partner home!
By following these steps, exercising patience, and removing the urge to “impulse purchase,” you’ll greatly improve your odds of finding your perfect partner, rather than your perfect poison. And finally, be sure that you’re the one picking
the horse, not the other way around!
rather than picking the perfect partner, they pick the perfect poison.
And some people just seem to get picked. Have you ever met someone who has 12 dogs and 47 cats? You ask them where they all came from, and they say, “I don’t know… they just showed up.” As you can imagine, this is no healthier when it comes to horses. Please, don’t be this person.
Anyway, my first suggestion is this: put some real effort into deciding what you want.
Pat