3 BIG MISTAKES WHEN BUYING A HORSE - Real stories (and real expenses)

Avoid the top 3 mistakes when buying a horse with real-life experiences.
Sharing valuable insights from over 30 years of owning and training horses. Learn to make logical decisions based on your needs, trust your instincts, and assess your skills and resources realistically.
Remember, it's not just about what you know about horses or how good you are at riding, but also about who you are as a person.
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[@Horsewise01]

Do you have any experiences, stories or tips, feel free to share in the comments section! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@ruthhamilton4882]

Never, ever trust a person wanting to sell you a horse😂

[@pernille2389]

Thanks for all the good advice. When I bought my horses I knew exactly what I wanted, a Friesian that was well ridden and could help me remember my skills as I was a bit rusty, and a Fjord that I could learn to drive with, and do a lot of ground work with. I found both horses with amazing owners that wouldn't sell without me also taking the Shetland pony best friends, so instead of two horses I suddenly had four😅 and by now I have seven horses and two donkeys, the rest is rescues. I have to add that I'm over fifty, and have no intention of competing, I just want to spend my days hanging out with horses.

[@Horsewise01]

Great! I used to have a friesian too, he was really one of a kind ❤️ It feels like the two of us have a lot in common! Was there anything specific from what I talked about in the video that you found more helpful or interesting?

[@pernille2389]

@@Horsewise01 you mentioned not bringing the trailer, and even if it is funny it is also very good advice, because it forces you to go home and have a good think before buying. I looked at many horses before buying the ones I did, and had I brought a trailer I wouldn't have the amazing horses I ended up buying , because I'm not very good at saying no, which is probably why I have nine équidés instead of the two I planned for.

[@Horsewise01]

@@pernille2389 Great! I’ve promised myself never to bring the trailer first time anymore 😂 The yearling in the trailer, I actually looked at two times before I brought the trailer… I gave myself time to think through, and I do not regret either the time to think or the purchase 😊

[@femke25]

Was looking for an Icelandic horse. Ideally 8-12 year old, preferably black, bay or red or any other easy to keep colour. Tried many horses that fit the category. Ended up with a 6 year old black tobiano mare with a lot of white 😅 She fit my needs the best, I had the best connection with her and a very honest seller. They also dropped her off hours away because they wanted to see where she'd end up and we're still in contact. I can always call if i have any problems and they will try their best to help me, or even take her back temporarily for training if needed (the extra gaits are hard if you're inexperienced) My nr 1 advice is try multiple horses, bring someone with experience, and if you find a horse you like try them multiple times in all the disciplines you plan to ride them in. If the seller doesn't want you to test them multiple times don't buy from them.

[@Horsewise01]

Thanks for sharing 🤩 Sounds like a great experience for you, and what a super seller taking such responsibility 👏🏻👏🏻

[@martylesnick2032]

74 YRS OLD AMERICAN AND THANKS FOR YOUR IMPORTANT AND KIND WORDS ABOUT HORSE BUYING. A HORSE GIRL IS A HORSE GIRL 😂 SO TRUE. WE LOOK AT LIFE THRU OUR HORSES LIVES. WE HAVE MOVED OUR HORSES WITH US FROM MONTANA, TEXAS AND MISSOURI. AS LEON HARREL SAID " LIFE WITHOUT HORSES IS INCOMPLETE. AGAIN GREAT ADVICE. Susan

[@Horsewise01]

@@martylesnick2032 Hi Susan 😊 Wow, thats so true! ⭐️Life without horses is incomplete⭐️ Would you like to share what advice you found most useful here today? From a horsegirl in Norway to a horsegirl in the US 😊 Henriette

[@SuperSkyhorse]

To be honest, I believe that the biggest mistake when buying horses is inexperience. And by this I mean a young rider (a teen or a little kid) with parents that have minimal or no involvement with the horseworld. Parents often think, that a horse is just a large dog who eats more and their kid can sit on it. Even though, a properly cared for and trained dog needs way more care, time, space and money than the average dog realistically gets. A horse is many times more of that. But parents who have the money often don't have the knowledge. They may get the help of a trainer or another equestrian, but these people are more often than not invested in getting those horses bought. I have heard of plenty stories where a "family friend" equestrian sold a problematic horse that either belonged to them, another friend, family, business partner or otherwise they got a cut from the sale. Similarly, a trainer might want a horse bought because the trainer or friend/family gets money from the sale, or perhaps the trainer wants to sell their services to "train up" the horse, which then ends up being completely unrideable for months and months, because it's too dangerous for the kid, and the trainer has to work on it. Or perhaps they have other designs on the horse - like a horse bought for the kid to compete on later, but first the horse needs to gain experience under the trainer. Who then not only gets to compete on a horse they didn't spend money to buy, but also gets paid for their "service". And would this trainer rather buy a horse that would be good for the kid, or better suited for the trainer? Right. There are a million and one scammers and selfish people. If you do not have the experience and knowledge to buy a good horse, you have no business buying one. The problem is the age old "you don't know what you don't know". So parents with little knowledge think that they can make an informed choice, when in fact, they cannot. Altough it doesn't have to be just the parents of a young rider, even if that happens often. I have seen adults, who have not been around horses for long, but have enough money to drop on a horse, rush off to buy one. I myself don't have the confidence to buy one, even though I know what to look out for. It's just too much money and responsibility to decide for me. It always boggles my mind, when I hear about a person at my barn searching for a horse to buy, when they started riding like 5 months ago. One example, that remained forever in my mind, was that of a TV show, where the poor and rich families exchange homes and spending money for a week. And on one of these episodes, there was a poor family with a mother (if i remember correctly, she didn't have a husband) and like 2-3 kids. They were really poor. The mother showed no signs of having any equestrian past. The only thing she mentioned was that "I always wanted a pony. For the kids". Said kids showed no interest. Anyway, the rich family had such a large budget, that she could buy a pony with that money. And she did. Instead of any home appliance, or supplies for the kids and herself, she bought a pony. It was a small one too, not something her size could ride, so as soon as the kids grew a couple years older, it would be basically a pasture pet. I simply cannot imagine, how she could finance the care of that horse, when on an average day she struggled to feed herself and her kids. She probably thought, that she only needed to buy it, and then let it eat the grass in their yard. The last time I had such delusions about horse care, was when I was around 10-11 years old.

[@Horsewise01]

Sounds like you've really put a lot of thought into this! I agree that many times, unfortunately, there isn't enough knowledge and experience among those considering buying a horse. My hope is that the need for education and experience can be uncovered through good conversations beforehand, and that the buyer is motivated to acquire sufficient knowledge and experience. So that both they and the specific horse can have an easier and better life when a deal is eventually made.