If there are certain things that I expect (or hope to see) when seeing a horse for the first time, then it probably goes without saying that the seller has some assumptions and expectations for me, the buyer, as well. Here are some of my own rules for myself as a buyer.

Be considerate of people’s time.
This means arriving on time (except when I got inexplicably lost in Middleburg, VA, with no GPS, and the seller had his phone in the car and wouldn’t pick up to answer directions… it also would have been helpful to know that there was no street sign for the road he was on.. *ahem* anyways…) or in a timely manner. This also means staying on topic (within reason- but surely you’re not there to talk politics or religion) and being mindful of your surroundings. For example, if you arrive in the evening, and it’s obvious that the horses are nickering and stamping for their food, it’s time to make yourself scarce if you have the information you need. You can always ask for a followup appointment or email/text/call with more questions if they pop up.

Be considerate of the horse.
Just because you are there to judge whether or not the horse is for you, doesn’t mean you are there to openly judge the horse. There’s a fine line between being observant and being downright rude, and there’s never reason to insult a horse in front of their owner/trainer/whatever. If you don’t like something, fine, but there’s no need to announce it to those taking the time out of their day to show you the animal. More than likely, besides the time they are there with you, they also have a considerable investment of their time and money on the creature you are there to see. You can snicker and bitch and say anything you want when you’ve left and are in the privacy of your own car, but while you are acting as the potential buyer, you should be a good human and play nice.

Be candid with the seller.
For me, this means many things. It means that before I even come to see the horse, I have explained my goals for the animal and see if it aligns with what they know of the horse. This gets both buyer and seller on the same page, and also helps flush out horses that wouldn’t be a good fit. For instance, there have been a couple horses that would be good dressage and jumping candidates, but their owners just know that they are too spooky/don’t have the drive/don’t have the quick front end to go cross country. That’s fine, and I very much appreciate their opinion. I let them know that I will share the horse with anybody that I think might be a good fit, and they get to not waste their time showing me the horse.
The other part of this candidness includes the actual buying aspect. Having sold horses in the past, I know that when someone comes to see your delightful pony, you get excited. You hope that they are the one, as how could you not? So if everything goes great and then you get radio silence for a week, it can be disconcerting. In trying to be sympathetic to this, I try and be as up front as possible about my own process. I let them know I am looking at other horses and will be thinking about Mr. Ed/Sparky/Spot/Princess Buttercup and will get back to them. And then if I think about it and decide it’s not the right fit, I reach out to the seller and thank them for their time, and let them know. Everyone likes a bit of closure, even when it comes to horses.

Be humble.
The absolute last thing I want to do when I go meet a horse for the first time is presume anything about that horse. Sure, I know some things from the ad, or a conversation with the seller, but it’s not my job to go in there and assume I’m going to show off the horse to the best of its ability. More likely I’m going to get in the saddle and look like an absolute numpty (my general feelings these days). If I’m struggling with the connection with the horse, I ask- what can I do to make this better? How does he/she normally go? Do they know XYZ, and do you mind if I try it? I’m not there to attempt to undo anyone’s training or frazzle a horse that doesn’t understand a stranger’s (my) cues. It’s not fair to the seller, and it’s not fair to the horse. So if in doubt, ask.

There are so many other little things that I try to do to be an educated and considerate buyer, while still keeping a critical eye on things. But the bottom line in all of this comes down to respect. And if you are a respectful potential buyer, you are more likely to be open to learning what the horse is all about. As they say, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

I’ve been a part of the process of buying horses for most of my life. Whether that’s test riding, bidding at an auction, making initial phone calls, or whatever- I feel fairly confident that I know what to look out for and how to read between the lines when it comes to equine marketing.

Because of this, I have developed some personal opinions about what constitutes a red flag.

The first and foremost red flag to me tends to happen at the start of the test ride/visiting process. That is, having the horse already waiting and tacked up. Now, I get it if you’re a busy professional and you told me you would do that (though I still very much wish you wouldn’t). But if you already made it clear that we had all the time in the world, and yet you went ahead with this… No. Red flag. Why? Because catching a horse and tacking it up is something that I’m going to do with my future horse almost every time I see him, and I want to know if he has any bad habits. How easy is he to get from the paddock? Does he turn around to bite you when you tighten the girth? Will he throw all of his weight into each leg as you attempt to pick out his hooves, or turn into a giraffe when you go to bridle him? What’s hiding underneath those polos? It’s easy to hide all these and more in the name of convenience and helpfulness.

She’ll never know they had to tranq me this morning to bring me in…

Another red flag that pertains to jumping horses is the owner/trainer/whatever representing the horse (who I normally ask to ride the horse first) who won’t jump the horse themselves. Why? Are you afraid to jump it? Do you know it will land bucking? Take off with you? Turn the poles into matchsticks with the elephant you’re hiding under there?

A more subtle red flag to me happens before I even get to inquire about the horse. The dreaded Private Treaty price tag. Now this one is a much more personal one, as it relates to budget. But to me, I can’t fathom why someone would not list any hint of what they are asking for their horse. This is beyond the ranges I typically see in hunter/jumper ads (you know, those “priced in the lower-mid 10 figure” descriptions). Private treaty to me reads one of a few things.

• “I have put such an unrealistic price tag on my horse that I’m embarrassed to say.”
• “I don’t really want to sell this horse unless you prove to me that you are actually sent from Heaven and have the Good Lord as a your barn reference, with Peter and John as your farrier and vet.”
• “You can’t afford this.”

I understand that there are exceptions, and lots of well-meaning sellers out there (post on that coming)… but in horse selling, clarity is everything. We all [hopefully] want the horse to end up with the right person, and to do that each party needs to have a full understanding of the horse, the expectations of the sale, and a little bit of common sense. When one of these fails… ware the red flag!

After seeing yet another horse this weekend, I’m starting to feel a little mentally exhausted by the sheer volume of horses I’ve considered. Not that I don’t recognize how privileged I am to be able to even consider buying a horse, because I know there are plenty of pony-princesses like myself out there who cannot yet realize that dream. But even acknowledging how fortunate I am, it still gets a little overwhelming from time to time.

Horses come from everywhere it seems. I have one auction that I absolutely love, and considered going to, but it didn’t work out this year. The majority of the horses I have seen I found (or someone pointed/tagged me to) on facebook. I also search warmblood-sales.com like a fiend, as well as dreamhorse.com – my two personal favorite databases for horse sales. And two horses so far have come about through friends/acquaintances in the local horse world.

I’ve so far looked at 11 horses. That’s if I remember them all correctly. [Note: After publishing this I did remember at least one more, but I’m too lazy to update the infographics, so there]

Breakdown by gender

It’s no surprise that since I’m a gelding kind of gal that the majority of the horses I’ve looked at fit that category, But I have branched out a few times otherwise.

Age, I’m less picky about, though I’m fairly determined to stick within my 3-10 age range. The mode for this set of horses would be 3 year olds, likely because a nice 3 yr old is more apt to be in budget than a nice 6 or 7 year old.

Breed also tends to vary a little bit. I’ve now seen two Thoroughbreds, 3 Warmblood crosses (mostly part TB), and 3 “pure” Warmbloods, which I’m considering as either a registered warmblood, such as a branded Oldenburg, or a cross of two registered warmbloods, such as a Holsteiner X Trakehner, with little or no TB/other breed influence. The “other” category gets pretty interesting- this including the Teke, a Connemara cross, and a Dutch Harness horse cross gelding.

Obviously I haven’t yet found my match, but the quality of horses I’m seeing is on the up and up. Maybe because new horses are hitting the market? Maybe because I’m so sick of driving that only the really strong candidates will make me strap myself into my car for more than a 45 min drive? Who knows.

They keep coming, and I’ll keep looking until I find the one. He’s (or she’s) out there though, I’m sure.