A few questions about horse buying.?

1. I wouldn't buy an Arab. I am not fond of the breed. I don't like the way they look and haven't had the best experiences with them. Not due to their speed. I have the need for speed. But they are just high maintenance.

2. I like to see a clean and tidy yard. I am a neat freak and the cleaner the better. I like to see that a horse is living in healthy conditions.

3. I could care less about tack. If needed I could see that the horse gets the proper tack needed.

4. Depends honestly. I haven't bought from a dealer. But I have a few friends who have and they have gotten some lovely horses. I would bring my grandfather and trainer with me if I ever did.

5. I really enjoying jumping with my gelding. He has the speed and it's just an adrenaline rush for me.

6. When I look at a horse first thing, I look at is conformation. If I can go skiing down the horse because he's so downhill, I'l pass. Height is another factor for me. I love tall horses. I'm a tall girl, I need a tall horse. I adore my pony, but I just look silly at 6'1'' on a itty bitty horse. Temperament is another factor, but I don't mind spirited horses. I actually prefer them.

1- There are certain breeds (the expensive ones :P) that I avoid

but if the temperament is good and the horse is sound, it doesn't

hurt to try out a TB or an Arab. I know lots of people who've

lucked out with those breeds. If you have a breed in mind, that

helps narrow down choices.

2- It does show that the owner is professional but it doesn't bother

me too much. If the horse is from an owner that boards their horse

on a stable that isn't there's, you can't really judge the state of the

farm because they don't run it. If you find a really dumpy place and

the horse is good, it can be fine.

3- Hmm, coming with tack and blankets is sometimes really handy

for new owners but at the same time, they usually want to purchase

their own things. When I sold my palomino a while ago, I sold him

with one good blanket because I knew that I wouldn't need that size

again and also it was nice to know he had a blanket. Tack, no way

because it is usually expensive to recuperate if you have to buy it

again. I've had a few saddles that fit all of the horses I've worked with.

4- If the price is good and if the testimonials are true, real and positive,

then maybe. I usually like dealing privately with just regular sellers

because I find that they are very honest and only want their horse/pony

to go to a good home. Some dealers in my area have really nice horses

that I've seen in action and then there's the ones that suck. It really

depends, I would judge them equally with other sellers.

5- I love jumping, just schooling and a little bit of competing in jumping.

I school more than I show so I guess I like schooling better because I'm

not constantly judged lol. I like jumping because my horse and I are

really in tune and it's a great way to finish off riding. I don't jump very

high, it's mainly for fun. I love teaching people how to jump as well.

6- The most important thing to me when buying a horse is the temperament.

I could deal with the price, height, age and location as long as the

temperament of the horse is good. I can tell a lot about a horse by the

way they act and what they do in situations. Usually most people link

the age with temperament as older horses tend to be quieter. A horse

with a quiet temperament yet curious about their surroundings is one

that I may like.

1. There is not a specific breed I would not buy, although some breeds have their own characteristics, you cannot sterotype each horse of that breed to be highly-strung and hot-tempered because they are known to be. Give every breed a chance, is my motto :)

2. Well, dont judge on the yard in general. Judge on the person's tack room, the stable of the horse and the owner's space. If you spot that the woman has some sort of medication or something (for example) when she says the horse is perfectly healthy and sound, then you know to be careful. It doesn't really matter that much, but if the owner seems to be a very unorginised person, you may need to consider that if you decide to go ahead and buy the horse.

3. I would prefer the horse to come with tack and rugs. If the rugs were not good enough and I felt the new horse needed new ones, I would replace the old ones, but keep them as spares. You can never have enough rugs, in my opinion. I would also keep the tack, but possibly buy new stuff if I felt the saddle was not of a good enough fit or if the bridle was not either.

4. I have bought both my horses from dealers and found no problems. However, it is a good idea to be wary, even with a reputable dealer. Private sells tend to be a lot safer, from friends' experience.

5. I like everything. Jumping, hacking and schooling. Anything to do with horses is great :)

6. When buying a horse the top things should be temprement and price to me. Then it would be height and how good it is ridden. Then it is location and age. It is important to buy a horse that has a temprement which will suit you and also a horse that is not going to leave you broke after you have bought it. Especially if you find out that it has not got the temprement you desire and you end up stuck with a horse that is NOT your dream horse.

1. Is there any breed of horse you would not buy? I like to ride hunt seat for pleasure. I would not buy a draft breed because a draft breed is not likely to excel in that. I would also not buy any pony breed because, I'm 5'6", and that would just be silly. However, I would consider crosses of pony and draft breeds if they showed potential in the discipline and were not an outrageously small or large size. I currently own an appaloosa and a shire/tb cross so breed is not a huge deal to me as long as the horse is able to perform.

2. When going to view a horse how important is the horses/yards/sells presentation to you (as in tidy/clean it is...) If I purchase the horse, the horse is going somewhere of my choosing and does not have to stay in a dump of a stable. I don't really care what the place looks like. However, a neglected property will make me more suspicious of the sale. I will be more critical of the pre-purchase exam and of any agreements made between me and the seller. I feel like if someone neglects one aspect of their life like that, they might neglect others so I'd be cautious but it wouldn't break the deal.

3. Would you prefer if the horse you were buying came with or without tack/rug? I'm am completely indifferent to this. It's not a huge deal to have to buy your own stuff. It's to be expected, but I wouldn't complain if some tack came with the horse.

4. Would you ever buy from a dealer? (a reputable dealer that is) Yes.

5. What is your favorite thing to do when riding? (jumping/hacking/schooling...) Jumping or trail riding, depending on the mood.

6. When buying a horse what is most important to you? First comes movement and ability. If I want a horse for jumping, I want a horse that can make it over a fence in decent form. After that I use temperament, price, age, height, colour, breed etc. (in approximately that order) narrow down the selection.

1 - Thoroughbred or anything that is a bad doer or is scrawny - I need something that can keep the weight on for the ring, is not a complete nutcase and something with plenty of bone.

2 - Fairly important. I want the horse to be well looked after and don't want to have to ride around a boggy field or have to groom any mud off it because the owner only bought it in from the field an hour ago.

3 - Tack and rugs please. Without rugs isn't such a big deal, but without tack is not good.

4 - A good one, yes. Depending on the horse I wanted. However, I would have to know it's full history if I were to show it. If to do something else, it wouldn't matter as long as there were not health issues or anything

5 - Schooling and hacking. I love showing too

6 - This is what's important to me when looking at a horse (not particular order) :

-Conformation

-Movement

-Temperament

-Breed (within this - true-to-type, fits the breed standard and the height range etc)

Price and location don't bother me too much, but I don't want to travel miles - if I can't find anything in my county, I'd look further afield

1. Is there any breed of horse you would not buy?

I probably wouldn't buy pony breeds because I am a tall, rather heavy woman who looks better on a substantial (tall, wide, or both) horse.

2. When going to view a horse how important is the horses/yards/sells presentation to you (as in tidy/clean it is...) Not terribly important, as long as the horses all appear healthy and sound.

3. Would you prefer if the horse you were buying came with or without tack/rug?

I have my own equipment, so I probably would perfer NOT to clutter up my tack room with additional items.

4. Would you ever buy from a dealer? (a reputable dealer that is) Yes; I think it might be easier to return the horse for something more suitable if he wasn't what I'd hoped for. On the other hand, a dealer's horses are apt to be pricier than comparable horses sold by private individuals.

5. What is your favorite thing to do when riding? (jumping/hacking/schooling...)

Fox hunting! Then riding on the beach.

6. When buying a horse what is most important to you? Two things are equally important: temperament and suitability for the job.

1. Is there any breed of horse you would not buy? No, though I do tend to be biased towards Arabians as I have had many with awful hooves.

2. When going to view a horse how important is the horses/yards/sells presentation to you (as in tidy/clean it is...) Well, I feel like I don't think it is important but I also know if I walk into a disgusting place and see a dirty but very talented horse my subconscious would make me think less of the horse. So it does matter to some degree how the horse is presented and the place it is at.

3. Would you prefer if the horse you were buying came with or without tack/rug?

Without, I prefer buying tack through a reputable saddle fitter when I have the money as many people who sell tack with a horse don't know what fits or what doesn't.

4. Would you ever buy from a dealer? (a reputable dealer that is)

I have previous experience with many dealers and have gotten ripped off 80% of the time.

5. What is your favorite thing to do when riding? (jumping/hacking/schooling...)

Posting trot, I am addicted to the rhythm and feel of it. You can long trot a fit horse for a hour peacefully. The walk is too slow for me and my horses tend to get too distracted at it. And the canter is too much for a horse to handle for a hour without frequent breaks and walking.

6. When buying a horse what is most important to you? (such as price/height/age/location/temperament...…

Price definitely. Height depends on the discipline I want the horse for. If I am looking for a cow horse I look for a horse around 14 hands, if I'm looking for a hunter I look around 16.2 hands. Overall it is not very important to me. Age is important, I prefer buying horses only under the age of 13 and I try not to buy any horses trained to ride before the age of 3. Location doesn't matter as long as it is within 6 hours from me. Temperament depends on what I want, if I'm looking for a lesson horse I want a dead broke horse. If I'm looking for a ranch sorting horse, I want a horse to have enough energy to go from a stop to a full out run in an instant.

I would never buy a TB - I just don't like them, they're too precious and don't have any sense. I'm not too keen on dumbloods either.

Tidiness of yard doesn't bother me, it also doesn't bother me if an animal I'm going to see is covered in mud - I can see past that! Not everyone has the time to sweep every inch of the yard.

I'm not bothered about tack and rugs, most of my ponies winter without rugs, and a lot of people don't have a clue about fit or correct choice of tack. I'd rather buy a pony with just the shoes on his feet and see how we get on, chances are if I'm buying the type I like I'll have a saddle to fit already.

I'd buy from a dealer if confident the animal was not stolen, but tend to buy through word of mouth anyway.

I mostly hack, there's nothing you can't do on a hack, and going round a school is deathly boring. I hack a lot to keep my ponies fresh, show in summer, and occasionally hunt through the winter.

Temperament is the most important thing to me, if they don't have a good mind frankly they're not worth having! First thing I'll look at physically is the eye, a kind eye can tell you a lot, and if I like the head I'll keep looking at conformation and breed type. I don't mind where an animal is, I will and have bought from throughout the UK and don't mind travelling if it's the right one - the key there is word of mouth and knowing enough people that you can send someone local to it to see if it's worth travelling for! And if you know certain bloodlines you can have a good idea of what you're going to see before you see it.

1. The breed thing is a load of nonsense - I have a gypsy cob who is more mental that my 3/4 t.b. It's how there raised / schooled or re-schooled etc. I will say however pick a horse that IS at your level i.e dont but a horse that states ''needs an experienced hand - not a novice ride'' if your a novice rider.

2. I wouldnt pay too much attention to the yard, as long as the stables and horses are clean and healthy.

3.depending on how much extra the owner is trying to charge ! , I like to kit out my own horse to be honest.

4. Yes - I bought my best horse off a dealer, unless you know him/ her personally or have been given good reviews about them or have an experience shopper with you... - I'm definintly of the opnion. buyer beware !

5.eventing/ showjumping.

6.the right size, must be foreward going and like its job, a nice temperment but i do like a cheeky horse and within my budget !

1 any breed is trainable. We have Arabs and TB to walkers and QH to ponies and miniatures

2 yes you shouldn't have a horse around if you can't even keep your stuff picked up

3 when I buy a horse I look for a horse to buy, tack is another day. Great if the horse comes with it but its not a priority

4 yea?

5 Cutt cattle

6 depends on the horse