Buying a good working horse

Aaronlee, Good Question. I have to agree with what Mark said. Most of us at one time or another have brought home horses that did not work out for one reason or another. Having said that we would rather bring home a team we can keep rather than take them back and start over.

Here are a things I hope I have learned. I encourage you to use a vet. If you do, I absolutely encourage you to be there when the vet is. Be prepared with a list of questions you want answered. Also the use of a vet will be far more beneficial if it is a vet you already know, who really understands that they are there to help you find the right horse and not there to make a sale. Using the sellers vet is mostly a waist of money. Even a good vet check is not a guarantee.

If you are buying horses that are “broke to drive”; drive them several times. Hook them to a wagon and take them out on the road if that is what they are supposed to be able to do. With the owner, of course. If you come into the barn and they are all harnessed up get there early the next time so you can help harness them. Don’t be imbarrased to drive them infront of the owner. If your driving skills are not up to what this team requires, now is the time to find out.

Remember, no matter how big, beautiful, and strong they are you want a calm horse that will except your leadership. I hate to say it but almost none of this can be done in the time frame of an auction. It can be fun to look for horses, but if you are impulsive like me it can be challenging to. Good Luck, Donn

Hi Aaron,

I know the anxiety of wanting to make sure you get “the perfect horse” and did the same thing myself. After a few years of looking and then backing off, I finally recognized that “either I do this or I don’t” – theoretical horses are always the best. They don’t eat anything, have perfect feet, heart of a giant and always want to do what ever I ask (even go get a beer when I need one!). But you can’t drive or work a theoretical horse. You can’t learn to be a better teamster with them either. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that having requirements for your new purchase is foolish – to the contrary. But I think you are on the right track. Working with experienced teams and teamsters. Listen to what they have to say and see the difference in how different animals work and behave. And, as I’m sure you are already doing, you start to formulate an idea of what type of horse suits you and your needs.

That said, I did a pretty risky and foolish thing. I bought my team over the internet from 1000 miles away:o. It was apparent that getting any experience w/ teamsters in my area wasn’t going to happen – none handy – so I just jumped in. And got lucky. My biggest concern (and probably yours as well) was the reliability and honesty of the seller NOT so much the horses. Also, in looking for a team you want something experienced in what you want to do (log, mow hay or do wagon rides …..).

After all this, it seems to me (and I’m a rookie too) that some of the conformational things that are covered in The Primer (non-crippling things) aren’t nearly as important as the horses dispositions and “workability”. Looking like a good horse doesn’t get the hay mowed. Mowing does.

Steve Bowers puts it best in his book “Farming with Horses”.
“If you get the right horses, putting them to work on your farm will make your days pleasant and rewarding. If you end up with the wrong kind of horses, your days will be filled with all sorts of stress and anxiety right frm the start.”
BUT
“If you happen to buy the wrong horses for the work you have, that doesn’t have to be the end of the story……. Horses that are too much trouble should be sold to a more suitable home or traded … for what you now know that you really need.” Hopefully that will put you at ease. It’s not a “one shot” deal.

Aaron – keep asking, looking, listening and learning and you’ll be fine. Good Luck.

Just a few more thoughts.

When I was just starting out, I remember trying to find a horse that would be ready to work. At that time there were not that many in the area, so I settled for “Green Broke”. I found I knew so little about what I wanted to do, that whatever “brokeness” they had was inadequate, and I spent a bunch of time figuring all that out. The more I learned about what I wanted, the better they worked. This learning curve is a hard thing to bring into the equation, but it is important, because if you do find the perfect horse, you need to be able to work with them well enough to get that out of them. I know that you (Aaron) are working hard at that.

I basically came away from that experience realizing that I don’t go looking for a horse that supposedly has had any experience. That doesn’t answer the question of trying to find a good working horse, but I’m trying to illuminate the importance of what you bring to the equation.

But the more horses you look at, and the more working teamsters you spend time with, the better idea you will have about the parameters you will set for that mythical beast. I always do that. I say “I am looking for a…., that is x years old, is just so big, walks and works like…..”. This way I can see it when I come upon it. That is the other reason for looking at many horses. Look until you find what you’re looking for.

Carl