Buying a horse is not easy. In addition to being most of the time expensive, it is a purchase which requires a meticulous preparation and a great rigor. The horse being a living being, it is more a question of defining a new responsibility in your life than a purchase whose goal is to obtain the best price. Preparation, research, and visits are therefore necessary before finding a horse for sale that corresponds to your needs. It is also necessary to consider the costs involved with the horse after the purchase. Where to find a horse for sale? What is the price of a horse? The purpose of this article is to guide you in preparing this purchase, which will be the beginning of a great adventure.
Preparing the purchase of a horse
This article is of course addressed to private individuals, the purchase of a horse as a professional activity often follows a different process.
We advise you to seek as much information as possible about buying and owning a horse and living with it. There are precautions to take at all levels when considering such a purchase. Before talking about finances, you must have planned all the details related to this purchase: the housing of your horse, its food, the necessary bedding, its work, its equipment, etc… Buying a horse is far from being a child’s play, but it is making the choice of a lifestyle adapted to the requirements of the owner’s life.
Your life will completely change, and you must be prepared. You will have to organize your life around your horse, and this is not easy, he will need your time and attention, and this represents a real personal investment.
If you are still a student, you will have to think about your school schedule (when will you be able to take care of your horse if you have classes every day from 8am to 5pm?)
Moreover, you need to be accompanied by professionals in this purchase, at least your coach and your veterinarian. This is particularly important to be sure of your purchase and not to have bad surprises.
The various stages of the search for the best horse for sale
Even if each case is different, we can divide the act of buying into several classic and unavoidable phases:
Preparations for the purchase of the horse
This is the phase that we have already discussed, where you think about and take care of all the details related to the arrival of your future horse
The search for a suitable horse
During this period, you will scour the Internet and/or dedicated newspapers for all the advertisements corresponding to your criteria and contact the professionals in question to organize a visit, then a trial of the horse that interests you
The veterinary visit
Here we are talking about two different things, first the test of the horse you have found, which must be done under the control of a professional. You will ride this horse for the necessary time and check – you’re understanding and you’re feeling with him, but also his abilities. Each test goes differently depending on the horse, and you may need several tests to form a firm opinion. This is normal, don’t worry.
Then once you have chosen a horse, you must make him pass the veterinary visit, preferably with your veterinarian, to verify that there is no physical problem with the horse.
The trial periods
Once the 3 previous steps have been completed, you can then take your animal home or to the stables where you have chosen to place it, and your trial period begins. It is usually one month but the trial period can vary. During this time, you will check the final details of behavior and ability, to see if everything fits with your new horse daily and in an unknown place for him.
The final purchase
Finally, after all these steps, at the end of the trial period, there are only two possible solutions: to buy him or to give him back to his owner (the negotiation of an extension of the trial period is possible depending on the seller).
If you return it, you will start these steps again with the other horses that you had spotted or new ones.
If you decide to buy it, you will then become the owner and there will be some administrative steps to do to put the identification booklet of the horse in your name. That is to say that you will have to declare to the SIRE that you are the new owner of the horse. It will also be necessary to make the payment with the seller of course.
Attention, these steps are described as an indication and can obviously vary. For example, it is possible that the veterinary control visit will take place during your trial period,
Determining the purchase price of a horse
The purchase price of your horse will depend on its origins and its capacities. Of course, it will have to correspond to your budget, which will also have to consider the maintenance costs of the animal which is the heaviest expense. If you don’t have the necessary budget or if you have doubts after reading this article, other solutions exist to test if you are able to do it or not, like half-board, renting, or having a horse entrusted to you for example.
You will be able to see horses at all prices, it is up to you to determine your budget according to what you want to do with them and the market prices in your geographical area. Be aware that you can also have good surprises by buying a cheap horse with great abilities finally, that no one could perceive (even if it remains rare). Again, the best thing to do is to be accompanied by a professional in this purchase, whether you have doubts or not.
Moreover, as mentioned before, you will have to count in initial cost the veterinary visit, mandatory before the purchase to avoid any problem afterwards. It is at your expense and can be expensive depending on the services included in this visit, and they will obviously depend on the price of the horse. Do not hesitate to consult your veterinarian for more information on his rates. Never neglect this step because if you choose not to do it or to ignore the veterinarian’s decision, it will be more difficult for you to turn against the seller in case of health problems discovered after the purchase.
Maintenance costs to be added to the price of the horse
It is not the purchase that is expensive in the practice of horse riding but the maintenance that you will have to bring to your horse during all its life (and it can be very long…). Indeed, once you have bought your companion, you will have to think about all the additional costs that will appear. We have divided them here by themes to make them more understandable:
Housing
If your horse does not live with you, you will have to pay a monthly boarding fee in a stable, the price of which will vary according to the geographical area, the services included with it, and the facilities of the structure. No matter where he will be, you will also have to count the price of his food, normally included in the boarding fee, but you will have to pay for it if your horse lives at home. The same goes for his bedding.
Equipment
Keep in mind that equipment is renewed and worn out over time, depending on how often you practice and its quality. The saddle is a good example. Moreover, if your new horse is not the same size as your previous one or if it has a physical particularity to consider, you will have to change some of your equipment.
Care
Another important expense is that the horse is a living being and can therefore get sick or injured. You must count at least one veterinary visit per year for the vaccines, more if your horse is injured or falls ill obviously, and the bill becomes quickly salty with horses.
Knowing that the dentist is not included in the veterinary visit, there again it will be a compulsory visit once a year at least.
The farrier’s visit will also be necessary to trim your horse’s feet. The frequency of the visit will depend entirely on how long your future horse’s hooves have been growing, but on average you should expect a visit at least every 2-3 months.
We also advise you to have your horse seen by an osteopath every year on average, except for major physical problems requiring a more frequent visit of course.
Insurance
Even if it is not mandatory, taking out an insurance policy for your companion is highly recommended. As previously mentioned, the expenses of maintaining a horse are heavy and the future unpredictable, you can find yourself in a difficult financial situation. Nowadays, many insurance companies have specialized in the equestrian sector and offer various insurance contracts for your companion and even his equipment. It is worthwhile to get information in order not to be caught short.
End of life
Unfortunately, you also must think about it, when your animal will be too old to work, what will you do with it? If you prepare it well, your pet’s retirement can go very well. There are now specialized structures, and all stables offer “retirement packages” that are less expensive than a classic pension and allow you to keep your horse close to you.
Attention, the additional costs depend on each horse and your personal choices, especially in terms of quantity and quality. Therefore, we will not make a financial evaluation of these costs because there are too many variable criteria (geographical, qualitative, etc…).
Moreover, these points are only the bare minimum of “daily life” shall we say. We have not discussed other services, such as riding lessons, competition outings (regular or not), vacation travel, other types of care, etc…
The price of the horse is not the only important criteria
Depending on what you want to do with your future horse, we advise you to also look at all the horses available in the animal protection associations in your area, as well as the associations for the conversion of racehorses. They may have some that match your expectations and you will do a good deed by saving a horse. Moreover, it will surely be less expensive than if you had bought it from a classic professional (even if the maintenance cost will be the same).
However, be careful when you come across tempting ads on social networks or other non-secure online environments. Always seek professional help if you want to buy or get a horse for free from a private owner, as the animal may have health or behavioral problems that would be imperceptible to the naked eye by a novice.
