Horse Buying Tips.

Part I

Introduction
Whether you are planning to buy your first horse or your tenth, a track to run on is a very useful tool. The guide presented here in the next several posts is a step-by-step purchase guide to assist you in selecting just the right horse.

To begin the selection process you need to develop as much information about a particular horse as possible, therefore we recommend that you ask every seller the exact same questions, note the answers and compare answers from all of the sellers you contacted. This process is important for several reasons:

• Horse Lovers have a tendency to buy horses based on emotion only. This however, is not usually  a good idea.
• Knowledge is strength and power. The more you know the better your selection will be.
• They say that kids say the darnedest things. Not so, adults say the darnedest things. You will be amazed what people will tell you if you ask the right questions.
• This process will save you time looking at horses and may save you $$$$ by preventing you from buying a problem horse with a chronic illness or injury.

Before you make a special trip to look at a horse, talk directly to the owner. S/he is the person who has all the answers to the questions that are necessary to take the selection process to the next step:

• Going to see the horse. After all, buying a horse can be an emotional purchase. We don’t want to fall in love with a pretty horse, get him home, only later to find out he has multiple behavior or physical problems we should have known about before the purchase.
• To further complicate the situation, both you and/or the kids are now “attached” to this horse and it would break your heart to have to sell or replace him.