Imports are not all roses, as many people probably know. We have watched some horses abroad (the same ones) for a period of two years, tried them twice and they still haven’t worked out. Even with sellers you know relatively well, it is hard to know what you’re getting in terms of temperament and quirks, especially for hunter prospects. We’ve had a couple arrive that we’ve bought off videos of riders we know that have shown up a whole hand shorter than advertised, “16h” horses that are essentially today’s big large ponies. Those horse cliques are good for something, here at least I know who is full of S and I’ve seen the horses go at their farms and multiple horse shows.
Edited to say: more often than not, going into areas where you don’t operate, with unknown horse people, you are going to end up screwed rather than with a deal.