What to look for when going to....?

Question

dont laugh too hard, i've never been to an auction. I may go to one or two this fall (october ish). What is it like and if you were going to buy a horse what would you look for? I have been to smaller animal auctions, but never a horse one. Is there anything i should be aware of before going?

thanks

Answer 1

what you are looking for:

how the horse responds to people

is the horse alert (perked ears) ps. you want that...

does the horse have any obvious injuries

Its also a good idea to bring an experiance horse owner along with you to help you make the right decision!

Answer 2

Auctions (Horse) can be a GREAT way to educate oneself on the soundnesses and blemishes that can happen to a horse.

When teaching lessons in Pico Rivera and El Monte, CA, I used to drag the kids to the El Monte Horse and Mule Sale EVERY Friday night.  We'd go through the line up and I'd spot something wrong and ask my kids, "What do YOU see wrong with this horse?"

My favorite tale about the El Monte Auction, was the one night I ran a registered AQHA mare who had some serious ringbone through there.  She was only 8 or so and had been roped off of heavily by her previous owner and I wasn't able to get her in foal, so I needed to cut my losses and run her through the sale.  The horse that topped the night's sale was a little appaloosa gelding who supposedly was "four"...  I opened his mouth and nearly fainted!  I'd heard about it all my life but this was the first time I'd ever seen it, the horse's teeth had been reworked so that unless you knew what you were looking at they were short, had "cups", the whole nine yards  I went and got a horsetrader buddy of mine and asked her to "Mouth" the horse.  She did, grabbed me by the sleeve of my jacket and lead me off.  When I had looked at the horse's face and body, he was closer to 15 than he was 4, but owned by the owner of the auction so we kept our mouths shut.  Besides he bought my QH mare, because she was properly turned out and he knew I didn't drug her to make her sound, she gimped into the ring...

Answer 3

there are many levels of horse auction.. those for quality registered horses, and those for all the other horses..

this is a good link about buying horses..

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

watch to see if they are being ridden LOTS before entering the ring..

take notes..

Answer 4

Why would i laugh?? Last weekend i got JUST the horse i have been looking for at $500!!!

When you go to auctions. Make sure you look for any marks or scratches on the horse. if there is a large mark or scratch, run your hand across it to see if they're in pain, its swollen or hot. if it is any of the above, ask the buyer about it, because it is fresh. if there are LARGE scratches, but no swelling or anything.. look for signs of hair growing back in the scratch. if you see hair, then the horse should be fine as the cut will be gone shortly.

another trick to try, go to pet the horse... but move very fast, if the horse is very flinchy and panicky then the horse might have been abused... which is something you should avoid... depending on age.. horses that are younger will be okay with things like that.

Seeming how i have no idea of what you are looking for, keep in mind that the best thing to buy at an auction is something that isn't ridable.

if you were to buy a yearling, you would be on good terms... because its a horse that doesn't have any problems yet.

older horse can have problems.

if you don't get a chance to look at the horse before the bidding starts (remember to arrive early so you can see all the horses before the auction starts!) then look for cuts and what not while the horse is being bid on.

Good Luck!  

Answer 5

it could be very costly to go to auctions  alone....take a experienced person with you...auctions is were people like to 'dump' their 'good' horses..........theire is good ones to have...take someone with  you that will take the time to show u a few tricks of the trade...

Answer 6

This person talks really fast and then when someone wants to buy something they hold up there billet.

**** IMPORTANT ****

* The only bad thing about auctions is that you can not examine the horse before buying it so be carrful!

Answer 7

I have been to many many auctions. In fact i will go to an auction just for fun. You want to go to the auction with another person to help you not go too high or to help pay attention to auctioneer.First you want to walk around and look at all the animal. When you seen one you like, write the number down.

What to watch for make sure the horse is not doped up. Many sellers are not honest, so if they have a horse that is mean, or apt to buck, they will sedate the horse to make it seem calm( look for slack jaw, ears relaxed to the side, not aware.) An auction is a pretty active place, so if the horse is not paying any attention to whats going on that is a good sign that it is sedated.

Look for any injury's or unsoundness, just like you would when looking at a horse from a seller.

Be sure that you don't spend too much, Remember this is an auction and there are people who will drive up the price on a horse, to help the seller or just to be a jerk(not that I have ever been a jerk).

And be sure when you are bidding, not to use too many unnecessary movement, this can be mistaken as a bid. So be careful.

Luck and have fun.

Ps, Go to an auction a few time just to get the hang of thins. Every auctioneer has his/her own way of calling an auction.

Edit- Redgistered horse auctions are much better on the sedation issue.

Answer 8

Beware of drugged horses. Some of the really drugged horses have the 'stoned' look while others just don't act right. Drugs can cover agression, lack of training, injury or any number of things.

Just keep in mind:

That there is no guarentee that the owner is giving you the correct information. (health, training, ect)

Auctions tends to bring out the worst in a horse

Horses that are just acting funny are probably good to avoid

There are no refunds

You will probably go home heart broken cause some cute little horse wen to the kill buyer

Just keep your head together and dont get yourself killed. Some owners will tell you about all their horses training and will allow you to test ride but in truth, the training is very minimal. I have seen more than one good rider get LAUNCHED off a 'well trained' horse just for swinging a leg over.  

Answer 9

some horse auctions can be good others can be bad, most of them are for horses that people either can not sell, cant afford to keep, need to get rid of quickly, and also a perfect place for dealers to sell ignorant and poorly trained horses

When you buy a horse, if the area that they are exhibiting them one by one in front of the auctioneer and crowd is small, then have them take the horse outside if you are interested in it and make sure they ride it in an open area first, then you can ride it if it looks safe enough.  

NEVER buy a horse from an auction without looking at its feet, body, legs, head, teeth, eyes, checking its ears, checking for wounds that the owner didnt mention, having it ridden (if it is a riding horse)...dont just assume that it will ride well, like i mentioned before, have the horse ridden in an open area by the owner first

If the horse is registered, make sure to get the papers with it and also make sure they match the horse

take someone who has some good horse buying and owning knowledge with you, they will be a great help if you are looking to buy

hope this helps

edit--- i was reading a few answers above and they were talking about drugged horses, another good way to tell if they have been drugged (besides what they had mentioned about being sluggish and odd looking) is by checking their neck or rump  for small lumps