Just an informal poll to see how people bought their horse. I’m interested to know how many people (specifically amateurs) do it on their own versus how many work with a trainer or an agent.
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Horse number one. I was turning 14, I walked down to the dude string barn a mile away, tried out horses and had my parents write a check. My Dad was getting tired of driving out to the farm belt to look at unsuitable horses. Horse turned out wonderful.
Horse number 2. Took on as a free lease from my coach and eventually bought her. Horse turned out quirky but wonderful in her own way.
I’ve never gone horse shopping. The idea of choices is overwhelming.
personally looked at about 400 head at several farms/ranches before purchasing our first from the breeder, got the horse primarily because of the way she looked at us and followed our movement while not looking at her but others we kept passing her and she just had a eye on us… actually left the farm but came directly back buying her. She was a long yearling at the time of purchase and we kept her until she passed away at nearly 30.
Most of the others we have purchased from a specific breeder who breeds horses that fit well into our program.
I tend to buy (or breed!) my own. My last 3 horses I bought sight unseen off the Internet. My poor trainer….
Have a Gaudi foal due any day. It’s supposed to be for sale but….we all know how that goes! Hahaha
Last 4 (past 6 years)
restarted OTTB, bought through connections at track. She became a lovely fox hunter.
Bought Trakhener from a equinenow.com ad at age 5 as an eventing prospect. One of the most sensitive horses I’ve ever worked with, ended up too much of a weenie to do anything that got his pretty feet dirty. Jumps the moon as long as there are no flowers or decor. Mostly a mid level dressage toy (no shows) for my family member now since their horse died last year.
Bought an unstarted 8 year old KWPN from a trainer I knew, elderly and had several horses he hadn’t started and too proud to hire someone else. Was pressured to buy this horse for over a year until offered to me for a song. One of the biggest challenges I’ve ever dealt with, big powerful opinionated stubborn mare. Gave me a concussion and she went to a gentle cowboy for 3 months. Now she is very bonded to me, very game fox hunter, but a bit of an albatross since she is very opinionated over by whom and how she’s ridden.
Pony for my kids. Was a rescue that turned out super cute. Easily the most trainable and sensible thing in my barn, go figure.
I’m not overall unhappy with the current herd but if I could do it again I’d buy something already doing what I want. Tale as old as time.
Do we own the same horse? 
OMG possibly! That trainer had 3 half sisters! 
We have similar stories. My first was a unstarted WB mare, from an elderly breeder who let her sit until she was 13. My coach found her, and fortunately she is a heck of a colt starter, or I would have never bought the mare. I joke that she’s 17, going on 3. Very opinionated, sensitive, emotional, and anything but a straightforward horse. Not sure I could ever sell her to someone else at this point, mainly because I’m not sure she’d tolerate them, so I feel you. Mares, man.
While I replied “with my trainer,” that only refers to my latest horse. She saw him at trainer’s barn and sent the video to me. All of my previous horses were purchased by me with no trainer involved.
There must be multiple clones of this “big powerful opinionated stubborn mare” as you just described the mare I previously leased. She taught me a lot about tact, and when/how to ask. 
Current younger horse, GP prospect found w/ help of trainer. He will do his first I-2 in a few weeks. Older horse, found myself, started a 1/2 lease and bought out prior owner some months later. He got me my silver medal and 2 scores towards my gold. Horse before that found myself, shown thru 4th; he was an older guy but gave me 6 years of learning and we did a few PSG tests, all just shy of 60 but fun to ride and show.
I either make mine or look on my own and buy from breeders.
Most of my horses have been with help of the trainer at the time. My trakehner was on my own, but trainer approved of her videos as well (young and unstated, so limited approval needed). My most recent purchase was bred by my trainer. The dam had no interest in his stallion, so they used my gelding to tease the mare to know when to order semen- so I was almost part of creating her
It took 4 1/2 years for my trainer to convince me I deserved this horse who was so much nicer than I expected to own and that I really could buy her. I refer to her as my Barbie Dream Horse, and she is totally Miss Wonderful.
Current horse was already in the barn for another student to part lease and after half leasing the mare for awhile, asked my trainer if the then-owner would sell outright. Trainer set up the sale so technically though her.
I’m an AA. My first horse was given to me by the woman worked / rode for (bc he bucked all her lesson students off, but we got along ok).
All the others I’ve picked myself without help from a trainer (my preference) from the track. If I was spending The Big Bucks, I might ask a professional their opinion. But for what I’m doing I like just finding what I like myself, paying for it and picking it up or getting it shipped to the barn.
My first horse: I was taking lessons and one time I got this feisty overgrown pony, A red roan. After my lesson I got to talking with the owner and laughing made an offer of $600. I went home, told my husband, still laughing. A few weeks layer he asked if I wanted to know what he got me for my birthday, its got 4 legs. I said “A new dining room table?”. Looking back I think the BO was hoping I would buy him. I had him for30 years.
I got the next one as an 18 month old filly. She was bred by the family of one of the competitors in the World Championship Three Day Event in 1978. Her name was Honey and she lived up to it. No one ever fell off Honey. I had her for almost 30 years. About 2 years ago the woman who rode in the World Championship posted a picture of her horse on FB. She was surprised and pleased to find out how well Honey turned out.
She died of colic and I wasn’t going to get another horse for myself but say an ad for one I thought would make a good broodmare. She’s almost23 now. When I had her inspected the inspectors from Ireland asked if I was going to breed her. I said I was having to o much fun riding her
Eta: when I went to look at her her owner looked at me and asked " Where’s your daughter? ". When he sold her to me he said he liked the way I rode her but I have a sneaky suspicion that I was the only one who tried her.
All of mine were on my own (no trainer input). I’m an amateur who shows Eventing and dressage. All of mine came from friends with track connections except one, she was a sales horse of a friend.
Lost my shirt on a lemon I had to put down mere months after purchase. Went looking in the ads for cheap or free for a horse I could flip. Found a lease/buy (basically get this horse off breeder’s payroll, but breeder wanted to keep track) with a ad for a rising 7yo, “Wears tack. Needs a job.” We’ve been together 10 years now <3 If she’d been easier/less fun she would have been sold on (with the breeder’s blessing), but she grabbed my heart a little too firmly with her giant personality. Needs a job indeed - sulks if we get to the grooming area and she doesn’t see her tack laid out ready for her.
All purchased either directly from the breeder by myself here in the UK and Spain or horses with issues that have been gifted to me.
No trainer or agent involvement, although I will send pictures and videos of prospects to friends who cast a more objective eye than mine over them.
I pay my coach to review the videos and offer opinion of the mustangs once i narrow it down. Actually, hive-mind here on COTH helped with the last four.
Some of the retired horses here have been sort of pushed into my lap by a rescue org. Some i selected as riding horses. I’ve made two mistakes with those. One, a missouri foxtrotter, grew up to be so base-narrow in the rear that he clicks his hooves. I don’t ride him. And one, an older used-up Arab broodmare just doesn’t like being ridden at all. Four have proved to be diamonds-in-the-rough. All four go to dressage lessons with me, one weekly, the other three rotate. Very soon that rotation will expand to include one of the greenie mustangs.
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