Buying a Horse or Pony
Buying a Horse or Pony | What to look out for when buying your first Horse or Pony | Where to buy a Horse or Pony
Buying a horse or pony
Choosing to buy a horse or pony will probably be one of the biggest decisions you will ever make, and this is why it is really important that you consider all of the following issues I will discuss with you before you make that final decision. Try to resist the temptation to “fall in love” with the first horse of pony that you go to see as there are just so many factors involved with regards to the horses age, health and suitability that you must look at first before you even let yourself become attached. It is always best to visit and ride several horses or ponies before you part with your hard earned cash, or it may well be the case that you find yourself parting with a lot more cash than you anticipated. This could be due to correcting possible behaviour problems or even forking out for vet bills much later on, that could have been avoided had you done all of the necessary checks and made sure you bought a healthy animal.
The golden rule when purchasing your first horse or pony is knowing that the onus is always on you and to ensure that the animal is fit, healthy and suitable for you. This is known as caveat emptor – let the buyer beware! It would be very unwise just to take the sellers “word for it” because when they say the horse is sound they may be lying,just to make a sale and you may find out it is not at all how they described and of course once the horse is bought there is very little you can do or prove.
Here I have listed some of the most important questions you should ask and remember to really think about what owning a horse entails before you go ahead and buy. You need to consider the following;
Can I afford this type of horse?
Do I have time to care for this horse as I may need to pay to keep it at livery if I choose not to fully look after it myself?
Is my riding ability up to standard to cope with this horse I am considering buying?
Is my horse knowledge and knowledge of this particular horse breed and its history adequate enough to ensure the horses well being?
If buying for a child, are they committed to the project?
While the majority of those in the horse industry, im sure are honest and want to sell the right horse to the right owner, unfortunately there are people out there who are just in it for the money! regardless of the problems that they may ensure. You should always keep this in mind and make sure you take a vet with you to every horse or pony you consider buying.
Once you have settled on the horse or pony for you, it will be a lifelong rewarding experience, however you can never be 100% certain that problems won’t arise later on and for this reason it is always wise to take out insurance. If you find that the horse or pony ends up having on-going medical conditions and has to spend long periods of time out of work, it can be heartbreaking.
Obviously to avoid these situations, it is always best that you do your homework first, as it won’t only be financially draining but emotionally draining too if you find yourself having on-going problems.
Even the cost of owning a horse in the first year, could exceed what you pay for him/her initially. So the long term costs are definitely worth thinking about. Not only that but keeping a horse at livery costs anywhere between £3000 and £5000 per year and that’s not even taking into consideration the tack, farrier, vet and dentistry bills, show entry fees and travel, and not only that, but if you do choose to compete, the cost of regular riding lessons too!
Buying a Horse or Pony
Incoming search terms for the article:
- craigslist horses
- horses for sale under £1000
- craigslist horses for sale
- Adder bites and horses
- how much does it cost to have my pony put to sleep
- horses for sale on craigslist
- horsephenomena net
- horse for sale
- horse fly bites treatment
- horse fly bite treatment
