What type of questions should I ask when looking for a horse?

Question

Im looking for a new horse, and im totaly stuck on asking questions.

I just cant think of any..

Will somebody help?

Thanks!!

Answer 1

Is the horse a stallion, gelding, or mare?

How old is the horse?  Learn to verify the approximate age by checking the horse's teeth.

How long has the horse been under saddle?

Has the horse had any professional training?

Who is the horse's vet?  May I have your written permission to speak with the vet about the horse's health history?

Does the horse have his Coggins papers?

Does the horse have his Health Certificate?

If the horse doesn't have these and you get pulled over, the police officer or Department of transportation officer can impound your vehicle and quarantine your horse.

Is the horse suited for a beginner, intermediate, or advanced rider?  Do not tell the owner what level rider you are, have them answer the question first.

For a mare, has she been bred?  How many babies has she had?  has she ever lost a foal?  Why?  Has she ever had difficulty with breeding or delivery?

Is the horse registered?  Do you have the papers?  What do I need to do to transfer ownership at the registry?  Remember, a registered horse is not necessarily better.  You can't ride papers.  however, if you want to show on a big circuit, you may very well need a registered horse.

What kind of bit does the horse use?

What kind of shoes do you put on him?

Be sure to look at the horse's feet, then ankles, knees and move up.  Bad feet = no sale.

How many owner's has the horse had?

Does the horse have any bad habits?  Does he crib, kick, rear, etc.?

Does the horse stand well for the vet and the farrier?

Is the horse easy to de-worm?  How does he react to shots?  Some horses will get a little nuts when given shots, so you need to know what to expect before giving him a shot.

Can the horse be clipped?  Even his ears?  Do you have to use a twitch?

Does the horse load easily and catch easily?  Will the horse stand tied with out problems?

Is the horse barn sour or herd sour?

Is the horse head shy?

Does the horse pick up his feet easily?

Some of these you can witness on your own.  Stop by unannounced and ask to see the horse.  Watch the owner catch the horse and see if he has to use feed to catch the horse or if he can simply walk up to the horse can get hold of him.  Take notice of whether the horse is in the stall or barn when you arrive to see him.  Take note of whether the horse is saddled or not when you come by to see him.  These can be indications of a horse that is hard to catch or saddle, but it isn't the rule.  Some sellers are simply trying to be polite by having the horse ready.

Be sure you have ridden the horse several times before making your decision.  You need to know whether or not you can handle the horse and whether or not your personalities go together.

I hope these things help!  Hope you find a great horse!

Answer 2

well age, temperament, habits, riding and stable manners, price, height, weight, farrier, vets, food, trailers, and ask if he is good with other horses or pets.

Ask questions with answers that can be valuable for making the desicision on whether or not you want to get this horse.

Good luck!!

Answer 3

Name, age, Pedigree, Past Inguries, I will suggest a vet check, Breed, If its registered or not.

Um also i dont know about where your from and if your haveing problems with it but there is a stud named "Impressive" You do not want a foal from him. He was tested for some kind of mental ilness i believe and so its possible that his foals have it to.

Answer 4

Does the horse have any bad habits? Has the horse been vet checked and can they show you that they have? Has the horse had any previous injuries? Does it get along with other horses/animals? What is the feeding habits? Does it load well? Is the horse broken and if so what style? Are there any vices... the list goes on and on and on. Buying a horse is a working process and if your not experienced I would take someone who is when looking at the horse.

Answer 5

1. Is he up to date on all vaccinations?

2. Good to bath/farrier/trailer/clip/tie..etc?

3. Does he have any experience on trails? (If yes) Is he good to hack?

4. Any history of lameness/illnes(colic, especially)?

5. Has he ever been shown? What level? Did he place?

6. (For jumpers) Has he been started over fences? Schooled to what height? Does he refuse ever?

7. For registered horses, ask their bloodlines.

8. For foals/young horses ask if the dam (and maybe sire) is on site.

9. Any under saddle vices?

10. Any ground manner vices?

11. Is he spooky?

12. Forward/hot or laid back/lazy?

13. Any professional training? If yes, by who? (then you might have heard of the trainer or your coach/someone you know might know)

14. (Mostly for english) Is he working in a frame?

15. What rider level is he suited for?

16. Reason for selling

17. Good to catch?

18. Lead changes : does he get them over fences, does he get his flying changes, does he still do simple changes?

Anyways, some of these (i.e. 14) you can ask but you kind of have to judge for yourself.

That's all I can think of right now. Good luck!

Answer 6

The first one that you need to ask is "Where can I find a horseman or a trainer to go with me and help me?"  If this is your first horse, I would definitely get some help from someone that I trusted and knew what they are doing when it comes to weeding out counterfeits...counterfeit horses and counterfeit sellers as well.  An expert in the field will be familiar with sellers as well, which is just as important as knowing horses.  

Make a list of things that are most important to you, things like:

Safety

Way of moving...not only aesthetically, but does this horse appear sound and definitely have him/her vetted.

Discipline/disciplines that you are going to be riding

What tack that you already have and will it fit or are you going to have to buy more?

Experience the horse has in showing, etc.  Do they have his show and/or medical records available?

Things to remember:

Come early to the appointment, for obvious reasons

Have the seller ride the horse first for you, then explain any special way that this horse has to be ridden.

Don't be pressured into making a decision, I don't care if there is a line of people waiting to try him out.

The seller should not be offended if you request having the horse vetted, if so, take notice.  Also, I would make a deal that if the horse does NOT PASS the vet exam, you don't pay for the exam, if he PASSES, whether you buy him or not, you pay for the exam...it's only fair.

If you finally agree on a price, make sure everything is in writing, right down to the claims that the seller is making regarding soundness, fitness for certain activities, history, etc.  What kind of guarantee is the seller willing to include?  If anything, put it in writing.

When registration papers are shown to you, either you and/or your expert should take the time to see the papers are in order, whose name are they really in and is there a signed transfer by the owner listed on the papers?

As about any particular vices like cribbing, weaving, etc.

If their name is not on the papers, see how long they have had this horse and is the transfer made out to the seller.  You could end up paying for 2 or 3 transfers to finally get this horse in your name...nothing wrong with that, it just needs to come off of the purchase price.

Request the farrier's name and number that has been shoeing this horse.  

Ask to see the horse load, stand tied, see if they hesitate putting him on cross ties, etc.

Walk around the horse and notice if he responds to you in any negative manner, such as laying his ears back, eyes getting smaller (not as soft and round) tail swishing, etc.

Answer 7

im not gonna list a bunch of things that you should ask about cause a lot of the answers above me have already answered most of them BUT

call the owner first and ask them about any injuries and soundness, if they say that the horse has none, then take a person with you that has a lot of horse knowledge, look the horse over really good before you buy it

me and my mom went to go look at a "perfect" horse for her a few weeks ago

the horse was her dream horse and when drove 2 hours to get it with a truck and trailer got lost on some dirt roads, finally found the place but when we saw the horse, he had a blind eye and scars on his legs that the lady had no even told us about over the phone or shown in pictures and acted like she didnt want us to notice it...the horse was said to be sound

Answer 8

Try the horse out!!!  We have found that so many people lie & some drug their horses.  Even if you ask the right questions...people may give you the right answers & not the real ones.  Good luck.  We have 2 free sound TB & one free sound Arabian in our area.  Hope it works out for you.

Answer 9

You Schould Bring Along an Experianced HOrSe friend

as they will be able to help you choose which horse is Right for you

How long have you had him?

What were his previous homes like?

Why are you selling?

The horse's age?

What it has been used for?

Its experience and training?

Its health and soundness (does it have any physical limitations)?

How long has it been ridden/driven (sometimes horses aren't trained until late in life)?

Does it have any vices (bad habits)?

Is it afraid of getting on a trailer, or of cars, bikes, and other scary things?

How would you describe his personality?

Is he suitable for a beginner/intermediate/advanced rider?

How Tall iis he?

What are his ground manners like? How does he behave when you

lead him

tie him

groom him

load in a trailer

bathe him

ask him to stand for a farrier

JuSt Mostelyy That

>3

Answer 10

Important quest would be horses history, problems, does it cross water, is it herd bound, quality of feet, quality of legs, if you want to breed genealogies, parent color, how well does it saddle, has it been breed, can it be sprayed with a hose, age, how well stands for farrier, how it does with vet, how gentle with kids, eye sight, up to date on medication, up to date coggins, stuff along that line

Most important that people don't typically ask is

Feet problem

Leg problems

Green broke or well broke

Answer 11

How old was the youngest person that has ridden him? Has he ever had any sicknesses? What does he do? How is he around other horses? What does he do the most? How long does he get worked? Does he need anything done? Is he done training? How is he around new people? What is he afraid of? :) I hope I helped!

Answer 12

You need to ask about height, age, temperment, stable manners, how it is to ride on flat and over jumps, farrier, catching, vetting, how it is with traffic, etc....

Answer 13

up to date on shots, worming, current coggins, and farrier care.  Also ask if the horse has any behavioral issues, like kicking or biting. Bad habits like cribbing or pawing,  & how old the horse is. Ask if the horse is dominant around other horses. Make sure you see the owner pick up all four feet. I bought a horse without doing this, and i was sorry. She had issues with ppl touching her back legs, and would kick anyone who tried.

Answer 14

ok its a scary world out there! the current prices are ridiculous so we want you to get this right.

Always always take somebody with you to see them, a 2nd opinion could save the day!

There's the obvious- height, s*x, colour, age and general info (what its been doing)

You need to ask what bit it is currently ridden in

has it any experience in show jumping- if so what?

Any vices (weaving biting etc)

any blemishes (scars splints)

Is it good in traffic?

What kind of temperament does it have?

how long have they owned it?

Why are they selling it?

Does it live in/out is it stabled?

good to box?

good with the farrier?

good to catch?

what is it like with children/pets?

have they ever had the vet?

hope this helps!  

Answer 15

Here are a few good ideas which may help you think of more!

1. Why are you selling this horse? How long has he been for sale?

2. When did you buy him/her and from who? May I have the previous owners contact information?

3. Has this horse had an injuries or accidents since you've owned him?

4. Does he have any quirks you can explain to me?

5. What level of rider would you reccomend this horse for?

6. Does this horse need or prefer any special equipment? What type of bit does he go best for you in?

7. Have you found him to be on the hotter side or more lazy?

8. What kind of diet is he on? How many pounds of what kinds of grains, what supplements and how many pounds of hay a day?

9. How many hours a day is he turned out now? Alone? On grass or dry lot?

10. How does this horse tolerate the riders mistakes?

11. What were the dates of his most recent floating, vaccinations (and which ones?), farrier work, and worming. What worming rotation do you follow? Does he have any special shoeing needs?

12. How does this horse react when other horses, say at a show, get riled up?

13. Where have you taken him off the property? Which shows? How did he do? How long was the trail ride? Does he prefer to lead or follow?

14. How are his trailering manners? Does he prefer to self load or be led? What type of trailer is he used to? Has he ever been in a slantload/step up/stock trailer etc?

15. Do you know his sire and dam or breeder? Do you have any papers or registration information for him?

I bet you can think of ten more now! Good luck!

Answer 16

There are already a lot of great questions on here, so I'm not going to say them all again, but remember to ask the "hard" questions. The ones they might be hesitant to answer. (Then watch carefully to see if they are or not.) For example:

Why are you selling him?

How long have you had him for? (If it's less than a year that might be a red flag.)

When was the last time he was shod? Pulled a shoe? Has he ever had hoof problems (trush, cracks, etc.)? Why does he have shoes/the ones he has?

Why is he ridden in _____ bit? (Anything but a snaffle)

When was the last time he coliced?

When was the last time a vet saw him? What was the purpose of calling the vet?

What supplements is he on?

When was the last time he received and injection and what was it?

Just think of all the questions someone selling a horse might feel uncomfortable answering. Then ask them! Better to grill the current owner then end up with a problem horse.

Good Luck! Hope you find a great one!

Answer 17

as he ever had an illness (colic, etc.) or been lame?

age?

breed?

temperament?

how much training he has (in what disiplines)?

good with other horses?

does he live in or out?

road safe?

good for farrier, vet, trailering, bathing, clipping, leading?

how does he act at shows?

good with little kids/friendly towards people?

easy to catch in the paddock?

aggressive in any way?

perfers to be alone or with other horses?

specifics for your disipline (how high can he jump, etc.)

Hope that help.