Buying a good working horse

[aaronlee]

Hi all,

This is in respose to the thread about where to find a horse to buy. Using the web and reading through want adds I have no trouble finding would-be horses, what I want to know is what to do when you find the one or ten that you think will work for you?

I am 1 year out from buying a horse but I am always looking for them. So I was hoping some more exprienced folks could run down their general approach to, and routine for purchasing a new horse.

I understand that this is a vague request. The horse I want to know about buying is that mythical beast, a 1500-1800, broke, sound, ready to work horse that knows more than me.

The Draft Horse Primer has a whole chapter about it, and it seems to cover pretty much everything. I would still like to hear some other ways to go about this task. Because really as a newbie this has got to be one of the biggest hurdles if the not biggest hurdle into getting going with a draft horse.

Any thoughts on this would be great.
Thanks for reading.
Aaron

[Mark Cowdrey]

Aaronlee,
The beauty of the non-existence of the mythical perfect horse is that you cannot make a catastrophic mistake by buying or not buying any one horse. I suggest that while keeping your standards high, realise that the first horse you buy may not be the one for you, for whatever reason & even if he was “the” horse for someone else. There are always other horses. For me, taking this approach has ratcheted down the tension & expectations to a degree that has helped focus on more pragmatic issues such as are covered in Lynn’s book.

Good Luck,
Mark

[Donn Hewes]

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

[Carl Russell]

Aaron, start looking at them now. Make some calls, and visit them as if you are serious about buying them. Make yourself familiar with the situations that sellers create. Get to know the type of animals that are for sale in certain price ranges, or how they shape up to how they are advertised.

I am more apt to visit a lot of horses, so although Donn’s message about the vet is good, they are also costly, so save that till you are at the last stages of making the final decision. However, the eyes, possibly several sets, of those with more knowledge about what you are looking at are invaluable.

Most teamsters I know love to look at horses, even if they don’t want to buy one , so you should be able to get some takers there.

(I visit several every year, just because someone calls me looking to sell, and even though I have no intension to buy, I like to see what’s out there, and I ended up bringing home my last horse from just such an experience, because she was too good to pass up)

I happen to know that you are looking into spending some time with a farrier, use that as a perfect excuse to start appraising strange horses.

Although it is important to drive, harness, and handle the animals yourself, my preference is to see the owner do all these things first. If you want the horse to work in the woods, have the owner show you how they work the horse in the woods. It is a quick way to tell whether they are just a trader, and want you to just make an impulsive decision, or are serious teamsters themselves, and want to show you the capabilities of the horse.

Beware of this though, because an accomplished teamster can make a hand full look pretty good. The value of looking at a lot of horses without prejudice, is that if you don’t get the demonstration that you are looking for, you just leave, there will be others.

The seller doesn’t need to know that you have no intension of buying today, but who knows, you may stumble on one that you just can’t pass up. Also having one or two more experienced people with you, they can give the horse a spin for you, and get a sense of the animal.

I really can’t stress enough that getting to know how the market works, and how to appraise strange animals will be the best time spent. The mythical beast will present itself, but not if you only go to one farm looking to find it there.

This is one of the reasons why there are so many unproductive purchases every year, because the buyers are actually unprepared, and the sellers have very little pressure to change. I really believe that we need to work more on horse buyer education as a way to improve the quality of working stock on the market, as well as improving the working relationships that we are all trying to foster.

Carl

[near horse]

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.

[aaronlee]

Awesome stuff guys.

Carl it might sound wierd but I would have never thought to go tire kicking for a horse. It makes total sense to do so just to see what is actually being offered at what price. I know riding with some farriers will help a bunch too, if nothing else it should give me a good idea of what good feet look like. The mare at home has bad feet so I know what they look like:)

Donn the vet thing is funny only for the reason that my partner in crimes father is a large animal vet, and I would have never thought to take him along on the pruchase of a horse. Mainly because he dose not like horses, although that might make him perfect for the job ( no bias).

Thanks for all the info.
Aaron

[Carl Russell]

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

[Donn Hewes]

Lots of good advice in this thread. As far as the vet goes, I agree with Carl, don’t call them until you think you have found something you want. After all the other work you have put into finding these animals, It is worth it to have someone put a stethoscope on the wind pipe, lungs, heart, and guts, just for starters. I haven’t always done it but I have also seen a few cases were it might have saved some trouble. If they are a good horse vet they will have an opinion about how old the animals are, if they have ever been bred, are there an obvious problems for breeding in the future. Some vets can be relied upon for their opinion of the confirmation. Has the animal ever foundered? This info may be in the sole of the hoof.

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