Oh yeah, add Perfect X-Rays to the list of requirements. And it has to be a 16.2h-16.3h gelding and black or very dark bay, preferably with some chrome. Anything smaller will not be considered, mares will not be considered, chestnuts or grays will not be considered.
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FWIW, Alice Tarjan apparently buys via video.
Mine will be 15.3 - 16.1. Gelding most likely. Color not an concern. Years ago I swore I would never own another nearly white horse. Also spent time saying I would never own a stallion. That nearly white stallion in my pic shows how much I was able to stick to my gunsā¦
Maybe I should send my video clips to Alice Tarjan for input!!
I have done it twice in recent years, through the excellent UK broker that DownYonder mentioned. The first one was Hanoverian, a then 4 year old who was just started; heās now 8 and doing third level despite having my AA self as his main rider. The other is the horse in my profile picture here who I purchased last year as a 7 year old. He was a bit further along in his development although he was perhaps greener than typical at that age. Heās also working at third level.
They are both really lovely amateur-friendly horses that were very accurately represented and fairly priced considering their quality. I did do quite extensive āAmerican styleā vettings on both horses prior to importing them and I had my trusted vet review the information, xrays etc before making a purchase decision.
I did accept that there was a risk that either horse could have shown up and not suited me for whatever reason. Had that happened, I felt that they were both attractive, sound and well bred enough that they could have been sold for at least what I had paid for them without too much difficulty. However, both turned out to be really wonderful heart horses and I plan to keep and enjoy them for the rest of their (hopefully long and sound) lives.
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I would if it was from someone reputable. Jorge Gabriel at Casa Lusitana has amazing quality horses, and is great about matching horses to riders. I bought my horse fro him in 2018 and couldnāt be happier. I told him all about me in advance (and so did my trainer), and he had three specific horses for me to try. The others he thought wouldnāt be a match.
I bought my last horse from the recommendation of a trusted/respected friend and video alone. No regrets. I have limited funds and figure most of it can go to the actual horse that way. My back up plan was train him up a bit and sell if he didnāt work out.
He was the top AA USDF horse at Training level for the 2019 season, so Iām here to say you can do it, and be successful. Bonus is heās a love bug, can be ridden every day or once every 2 weeks, and is not super spooky. He is VERY up at shows, but really itās mostly manageable and his only āflawā.
āI did do quite extensive āAmerican styleā vettings on both horses prior to importing them and I had my trusted vet review the information, xrays etc before making a purchase decision.ā
Lucassb - my trainer and I were talking about this today, and getting input from my trusted vet on his thoughts, his wants, and so on, before I get too revved up about this, lol.
For all who are sharing their stories and opinions, much appreciated. Food for thought.
Please update us when/if you get your new Iberian! Pictures are mandatory! 
Have tried several horses in the area; not in love w/ any of them. My very trusted vet here has connections to vet in Spain so I have sent him the videos of under saddle work to review in case I have missed something obvious. Lovely 16 hand dark bay Lusi. If this works out, it will be a whileā¦
Yep, that was a big comfort factor for me. The (German) vets thought it was ridiculous, of course. But they were polite and respectful when they spoke to my local vet, and we got the information we wanted/needed. The entire vetting was captured on video, which is a practice I recommend.
Be aware that it can take quite some time for an import to settle in and donāt freak out if the horse initially looks and acts differently than what you saw in your evaluation/videos. My one guy stepped off the trailer after his big travel adventure and went, āoh, look! Tasty grass, yay!ā and took about 2 minutes to be comfortable here. My other guy had a harder time adjusting and took more like 6 months. Now, a year later, he is much more like the horse I saw on the initial videos.
Good luck and of course we want pics of whatever you buy!
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Friend of mine bought a Spanish GP horse off of a video. A business associate rode the horse in the video. She did the whole GP. Except for a bobble in the ones, it was a good test - easily a 65%. He looked pleasant and soft. She recommended him and he looked like a nice enough horse. He was described as āPoint and shoot.āĀ He was vetted, passed the check, and to America he came.
When he got here he was a train wreck. No basics, terrible feet (omg his feet were awful), super studdy. His back was a mess. His neck was a mess. He had no halt. Unridable In the snaffle. Shorter than advertised. Incredibly uncomfortable. His body was trashed. He was in no way shape or form a match for my friend. And not because she is a bad rider - she is a talented professional. Her highly experienced coach struggled with this horse. Something went wrong during the travel and quarantine or was miscommunicated about this horse.
I took over the ride for a month or so and showed him at 3rd level before he went south to be sold. He was a ā¦ difficult ride. My back still hurts when I think about him. He was incredibly sweet, and a hard worker. Justā¦badly trained. He did get resold.
After that whole experience, I have learned that videos are more misleading than not, especially with horses.
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Remember someone like Alice can buy a bunch on video. Some are good some arenāt. Discard the not so great ones. We probably donāt hear about the ones that donāt cut it. Most of us just have 1 shot donors very different.
" I want horses that I enjoy riding. Itās hard to judge that from a video."
Could not agree more! 3 things that can easily be hidden by super skilled riders & are deal breakers for me: if theyāre tricky in the contact, if theyāre jarring on your back & if theyāre not forward thinking.
I can not tell you the amount of times Iāve gotten on a horse & said ewe, no thanks!
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Since this thread got bumped, I have to laugh at myself a little. In Dec of 2021 I ended up importing off video from Germany! I never thought I would, but my coachās longtime agent found him for her and he was a little shorter than she wanted for herself. He was very reasonably priced for the quality and vetted well, so I figured I could resell if needed. Here are the first photos I saw of himāhow could I resist that??
I really lucked out because he turned out to be even nicer than I thought, a total snugglebug, and a great match for me!
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I bought a young PRE stallion (now gelding) from Spain one year ago this week, without going to Europe. He didnāt arrive to our barn in Scottsdale until early April after being gelded in Spain, recovery from that, and then transported via Amsterdam - LAX. He then spent two weeks in SoCal in a training boot camp with a noted trainer over there who looks for & solves any notable issues.
I used an agent in Spain recommended to me by a trainer at my boarding stable who has a LOT of Iberian horses in her program. I had a specific (low-ish) budget, and wanted a very particular topline, and a naturally uphill canter.
Buying off videos & pics ended up great for me. He is a quality mover, a good size at 16.1, and has a very sweet personality. And he is a quick learner. I did consider that, as a fallback, if his personality wasnāt a fit for me I could sell him here for more than the purchase price + import costs. Much more.
But as it turned out heās great and I didnāt have to put him on the market in the USA. Heās a keeper.
Weāve already had a few successful show outings and even won an AA high point at First Level last weekend. Not too shabby for a 1961 rider on a 2018 horse.
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some years ago I leased and then bought a lusitano stallion from a woman who is now a very good friend. He was in the states already, but that said, Iām in love with the Iberian breeds. Mine can get fired up when really working, but he is not naughty, dials back in short order, an ambling steady trail horse. Didnāt quite make it to GP but got me 2 scores towards my gold. Iām now 70, back issues so dont care about the gold medal. But LOVE the fact that he listens and we read each other like a book. 1953 rider on a 2001 horse. His Nov BD pic.
somewhere a # of years back I said āI will never own another nearly white horse and I dont want a stallionā ā¦Never say never
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I second this. During Covid, I bought a horse off video. I was not comfortable traveling during that time and was too impatient to wait. My gelding was a green prospect and he ended up being a very sound and lovely horse - but he was not my type of ride. It was something I hadnāt considered when I was looking. I was most concerned about buying a sound horse. My horse also is one that feels very different than he looks.
Also, as a one horse ammy owner, itās all well and good to say youāll just sell it if it isnāt a match, but I found that for me, I get too attached to my horses to easily part ways. Thereās also the sunk cost of getting everything that works for that horse (saddle, bit, blankets, etc.) plus board, shoes, training, ect. if it ends up not being the right fit. Oh, and time. Time is the one thing none of us can get back.
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Yes, during Covid I bought a horse off video from a reputable sales barn. It was a great example of an excellent rider making a green horse look more trained that it was. It was also a head-scratcher regarding the pre-purchase. A good sporthorse vet did not mention some conformation issues or a huge blemish that was never shown in photos or the video. That was surprise once the horse was delivered. It makes me wary about buying ANY horse again without riding it and having a more comprehensive vet exam.
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