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Articles
on
Horse Training Success
HorseTrainingSuccess.com
sells
the comprehensive ebook on training horses
...
"Horse
Training
Success".
Questions To Ask When
Buying A
Horse
Once
you have your criteria and located some potential horses
for sale, it's time for questions.... The
answers will help you decide if this horse is
worth going out to view.
More
questions!! This time to ask the
owner over the phone. Things to find out are:
-
Whether this
horse is suitable for a beginner. Most
people will be
honest here, not
wanting to endanger someone.
-
The horse's
age, height and build. Does it match
your
criteria?
- Color and
markings, if
these are
important to you.
- What sort of temperament he/she has. Quiet,
calm, bombproof, gentle.
- If she is a mare, what to expect with
any mood swings, if any.
- The suitability for your chosen horse
activity. This
is an opinion only, and should be taken with a grain of salt unless
there is a solid reason for that opinion. For example, if you wanted a
horse for jumping and the owner advised you this horse always refuses...
- Any
vices or bad habits. Charging, biting, kicking, bolting, bucking,
rearing. Any of these and you can thank the owner for their time and
end the call.
-
Easy to catch and shoe and trailer
and worm? A
horse that won't do these is a pain in the behind and you should
consider carefully if you want to put up with these bad habits.
- Any fears ie dogs, bicycles, cars. These
aren't ideal either.
- Any health issues. So
you can
research if an issue would be a problem for you.
- Any soundness issues or physical
limitations. A vet check will
show these up, but why visit a horse
that is known to be very lame?
- What
the horse has been trained and used for, now and with previous owners.
Has the horse had experience in what you want to do? You'll
have a
lot more fun on a horse that can teach you rather than the other way
around.
- How long the horse has been in work
(ridden regularly) and has it been in work recently. Some
horses aren't trained until later in life. Sometimes horses are trained
and worked and then put in a paddock and left for years.
- Any quirks of personality to be aware
of. Just so you know.
-
Why it is being sold. You
may
not get an honest answer, but it's worth asking anyway.
Want to make a comment? Please add it to the blog at
http://horsetrainingsuccess.blogspot.com/2007/09/questions-to-ask-when-buying-horse.html
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Mini-Course Comments:
Thankyou
for sending the 8 part mini course on Horse Training. I found the
explanations of why a horse behaves as he does most helpful.
I have observed many of the situations you mentioned but considering
them as natural horse behaviour seems to make them more understandable;
and consequently much easier to handle.
S
Rochester, Australia.
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