Looking at a pony to buy,what questions should I ask?

Question

Im lookin at a palomino pony in a few days to buy, shes 10yrs, was broken in previously but has had 3 years off as a brood mare, so is a little nervous and needs to be reintroduced to riding.

I will of course look at all the basic stuff, like picking her feet up, leading, tying, kicking, general conformation ect, but as shes been unridden for some time, is there anything else I should be looking for?

From information Ive gathered, she has never bucked, bolted and was ridden alone previously. She doesnt have any nastiness in her, shes just needs to be refamilureised with daily handling and riding.

She will be used as a pleasure riding horse only, and is not very expensive as she needs work.

Answer 1

For a pony like this I'd make sure that I could spend a good 2 hours with her.

Even if she hasn't been ridden in 3 years, by this age you would still expect her to be good at being tacked up, lunged and having a bridle put on.

So even if you don't feel comfortable getting onto her, you must at least be able to do all this basic stuff with her. Any sign of trouble doing these simple things and leave her there!

If you lunge her to get the sting out of her, I see no reason why someone shouldn't be able to get on her. After all she must have been previously ridden for many years. And when she was for carrying a foal she was probably ridden.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Be sure to ride her or take someone with you who will be comfortable riding her.  You need to get a feel for how much remedial work you will need to do.  I just rode an 8 year old mare who hasn't been ridden in 6 years and she did just fine.  A little reluctant, but no dangerous bad habits.

Find out how she reacts to horses she doesn't know...is she a dominant mare?  

Ask the owner why he/she has never actually ridden her (keep in mind that there are many people out there who just breed the mares and sell the babies).

Ask about any past illnesses and if she has been kept up to date on shots and worming.  

Ask the owner the name of his/her veteranarian.  You might even want to use that vet to do a check, then you can speak with him/her to confirm what the owner has told you.

Pay attention to whether or not she has already been caught up when you get there.  Some horses are hard to catch and the owenrs will spend the time catching the horse so you don't see she's hard to catch.  After you have looked her over, ask the owner if you can turn her out and observe her with the other horses in her herd.  Once she has re-joined her herd, ask the owner to catch her again because you would like to ride her.  You can do this rather smoothly if you plan for it in advance.  You can say you're not really interested in riding her today, and then later on, just change your mind.

Find out what farrier is used to trim her and be sure to look at her feet really well.

I hope this helps!

Answer 3

all questions above are good but also ask for ei vaccination or clearance certificate. in nsw requires a transport permit, dont forget to check dpi website

Answer 4

Are you having a vet check done? (It's a good idea to have one done)

I would ask these..

Any history of lameness or colic? Any other health issues or injuries? (in the past or present)

When was she last wormed?

When were her feet last trimmed? Does she require shoes? When were her teeth last done?

Any vices or bad behaviours/habits?

Does she get moody when she's in heat?

Why are you selling her? How long have you owned her for?

Will you be boarding or keeping at your place? Ask about how she gets along with other animals

Answer 5

reason for selling

health in past

diet

type of riding

get a vet for vet check

Answer 6

http://www.gomestic.com/Pets/Tips-on-Buy...

this link covers tips on how to buy a horse.. and questions to ask.. its excellent...

Answer 7

I would say don't even ask many questions about the pony's personality.  Go out and see for yourself.  Throw the rope up and down her body, bring a plastic bag and a soccer ball and see if she has a good head on her.   Even if she's not ridable at the moment you can always tell just by doing simple things on the ground.

Good luck!

Answer 8

I agree with exxy, they are the questions you need to ask! But if you dont know what to ask, when getting a horse, in my opinion dont get one! Or take someone that is experienced with horses to help you! GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR NEW HORSE! I love my horse, they are great fun!

Answer 9

Pony 500.00 sounds fishy to me. But the economy is bad so maybe. It will be you doing everything possible to see how safe she is. Like previous post go try everything with her and see just how nasty she can get. Good Luck

Answer 10

Why don't you have the people ride her first and see if she is ok and wont hurt you.

Then YOU get on her and see if you like her.

IF you do, I would suggest asking the owner's to release the mare's charts to you so you may see EVERYTHING that has been done or wrong with her.

Then, if her medical record is good, I would suggest calling your or their vet and have a full vet check done on the horse.

You didnt mention how much you were paying but our rule of thumb is if you are paying more than $5,000-$10,000 you should do X-Rays. If it is a cheap mare like $1,500-$3,000 I would think you are okay. Good Luck :-D