Trying a Horse - Questions to Ask (Or Ones You Wish You Asked...)

[CalPal]

Hi All - starting a horse search and going to look at a candidate tomorrow. Not trying to set the world on fire - local shows, lessons and hacking out. Had a fancy but complicated and ultimately hard to keep sound guy that I just retired to a great situation so looking for a middle aged, solid citizen to have some fun with. I commute/run my own business, and even though I keep the horses at home have to be realistic that I can’t bring along a prospect right now.

So… what questions would you ask when you go to try a horse (especially one in the 9 to 15 year old range) and/or what questions do you wish you had asked when trying yours. After the difficult horse I definitely have some new things I would look at in a pre-purchase, but don’t want to be driving home from trials and kicking myself that I didn’t ask something important.

Would love your input.

Thanks!

[Inclined]

“Why are you selling?”. You might not get a straight answer verbally, but facial expressions and body language may tell you a lot.

[Foxglove6]

I asked all my questions over the phone or via email before trying horses. I kept notes of what folks said. The trial is to A) see if what they said was true and B) see things for myself and make my own determination.

[PaintedHunter]

What is his training schedule?
What is his turnout like? How many hours, alone/group?
What is his personality when off property? New places?
How many different riders has he had?
What is he like after time off? Stall rest?

I’d ask any and all questions, in your situation, to assess anything that would change his behavior from steady eddy to… Not. So many horses are solid citizens when in a program consistently, but lose it when the program changes.

[PaintedHunter]

(Ask me how I know this ??)

[Peggy]

Tell me about your horse.

[Parrotnutz]

I always ask, How many times has he been injected?..make it sound like you take for granted he has been and some people tell you. In the age range you are looking it is very possible he has. I never word it “has he ever been” always word it like my first question.
Also “what is his maintenance schedule?” Adequan, etc.
I had mostly owned appendix quarter horses and they start injections very early. I never had one not tell me Then, because they were young, I passed before going to see. They never knew why, always told them I found a horse.
Also if the horse is a distance away ask for pictures straight on of legs…had one with such a crooked leg upon receiving pictures…saved me a trip.

[dynamite0319]

Considering what you list you want to do with the horse I would ask these questions:
Does he load and haul easily?
Has he been hauled much?
Has he been ridden out alone? With a group? How is he?
What is he like at shows?
How is he with clipping/bathing/grooming?
Does he need shoes? Special shoes? Can he be or has he been barefoot?
Has he had soundness issues? (some things are temporary or easily managed)
What kind of living situation is best for him (stalled, turnout, combo)?
Has he ever colicked?
Does he require maintenance? If so what kind?

We learn a few things with every horse we have/ride and that is usually how we get educated to ask certain questions! You best know your tolerance for specific “issues” a horse may have, so I think it is important to know what are and are not deal-breakers for yourself. Best of luck and have fun!

[GraceLikeRain]

Has this horse ever been seen by a specialist?

Are you comfortable releasing all medical records to my vet if we decide to move forward to a vetting?

Do you have any reason to believe that something will show up when I xray all major joints? - I think stating it as when rather than if can make people quicker to tell any “forgotten” information

How many days was this horse off in the past year due to injury, illness, or minor inconveniences like a pulled shoe? - good for determining chronically hurt types or ones that have sporadic but inconvenient issues

Has anyone besides yourself ridden this horse on more than a handful occasions in the past year. If so, could I be put in touch with them? - confirm workload, injuries, and general disposition

[x]

You know, the question about maintenance–I’ve had a few people ask me what kind of maintenance the horse is on–makes me feel like I am talking to a buyer that has realistic knowledge of horses. I usually don’t have horses on any type of maintenance, and if I do I disclose it, but it is one question which I really don’t mind.

[CalPal]

Thanks all, great suggestions. And yes, I expect in the age range I am looking that maintenance has either already been happening or will be soon:)

[invinoveritas]

I ask to be able to talk to the vet who has treated the horse and to be allowed to see all the horse’s health records with that vet.

[invinoveritas]

Also ask for farrier’s name and to be able to talk to him about his work on the horse’s hooves.

[EmilyM]

Has the horse ever had colic surgery. what kind of prep to get to the ring. good in turnout?

Someone once asked me the horses likes and dislikes. i had no idea what to say. Um… . .peppermints???

[greysfordays]

These are all such good questions, thank you OP for starting this thread. I love the maintenance question in particular. I think it gets to the point of giving the seller the best opportunity and most space to be honest.

I also like to ask what types of questions are challenging for the horse, i.e. we are always trying to work laterally as he can be a bit stiff or collection can be challenging.

I also like to ask what the ideal situation the seller envisions for the horse is. Most of my sellers are in Europe, so they don’t know super well what type of situation I have and will often answer honestly.

[RiderInTheRain]

• What is his daily routine (stalled/out/some combo)? Has he ever been kept in a different type of situation under your care? What was his behavior like in that scenario?
• Does he haul well? Does he haul well alone?
• Does he tie well?
• What other riders have ridden this horse? What is their experience relative to the primary rider? Did it go well?
• Does he get tune up/pro rides? How frequently?
• How many times per week does he normally work?

I like the suggestion about “do you think I would see anything abnormal if I take x-rays of joints?”

For a solid citizen type horse, I think the most important thing is to understand what the horse’s daily life is like and if you can closely replicate that at your home/barn. Obviously nothing is 100% certain, but a horse’s behavior is likely to stay similar if it is fed, kept and exercised similarly to its original home.

[cherham]

I think that the offer by a seller to a prospective buyer to view all Vet records is an excellent idea. And the ability to contact that Vet personally if they choose. I provide a waiver for any interested persons to allow my own Vet to disclose all medical records with the caveat that the requesting party will be responsible for the costs to produce those records, radiographs etc. My Vet has never had a concern with this and will supply all medical information directly to another Veterinarian of the buyers choosing.

[Magicboy]

What’s he like on his worst day?

[Mukluk]

Go find a form to fill out applying for medical/mortality insurance on a horse. I think the medical questions are pretty comprehensive- the insurance people don’t want to insure risky animals. Then there are all the other good questions suggested thus far. I think I would also ask- what do you think this horse enjoy the most (ideally your horse loves the activities that you want to do with him/her).

[equisusan]

I was lucky with my current two horses. The first one I bought from somebody I didn’t know but she told me I could come ride him more times whenever I wanted even if she wasn’t there… her barn folks could help me and I didn’t need to call first. Check! No set up. The horses is who he is. What someone does to prep a horse before I get there is always my biggest concern including hiding lameness issues.

My 2nd horse was with my trainer so I got to watch her for a long time and see all the good and the challenging parts of her before deciding to try her myself.

In absence of these situations I don’t honestly think any specific questions help you that much. I would ask about maintenance as I’d expect a horse that age to have and need some but that should also come out in the prepurchase vet exam.

I’d want to know the horses current way of being kept… is he turned out 24/7 or 2 hrs per day? How many days a week is he ridden and for how long?

If you want some sneakier questions maybe does he lunge well? How often do you typically lunge him when he’s fresh (yes just assume they do)? Or what about I have a pre-teen who wants to learn how to ride - would he be appropriate? There’s something about kids getting hurt that makes people fess up I find.

I’m sorry but I’m probably not answering honestly what my horses worst day is like and I’m pretty darn honest.