Horses for Sale

Looking through the horses for sale pages and buying a horse is an exciting time but whether you are considering buying your first horse or are an experienced horse owner there are many things to be taken into consideration before purchasing a horse.

Firstly what do you plan to do with the horse? Knowing what you require the horse to do will help you search for a specific type of horse. For instance if you are looking for your first horse to gain confidence on and hack out, typically a young horse or a lively thoroughbred wouldn’t be suitable. Likewise if you were looking for an athletic dressage horse to compete at a high level, you wouldn’t usually consider a cob type.

Deciding on the height you require the horse to be is also important and you may also have a preference for a mare or a gelding. Do you want a certain colour, breed or bloodline? All these things should be thought about before starting to look for a horse, as falling in love with the first horse you see could be dangerous and expensive.

Once you know the type of horse that you are looking for, you then need to consider your budget and also where and how you will buy the horse from. Using a professional equine agent to find your horse is always a good and safe option, as they will have many contacts enabling them to search 100’s of horses that fit your requirements and have the experience to guide you in finding your perfect match. You could also use a reputable horse dealer or even go to a stud farm. Alternatively you may decide you will use your own knowledge and experience and search horses for sale on the Internet or magazines.

There are other things to consider before choosing a horse and bringing it home, such as where you are going to stable it and any costs involved, insurance costs, vets, where the local feed merchants are and cost of feeds, how you will transport the horse.

Once you have thought through all the aspects of buying and owning a horse you are ready to begin your search. The main thing to remember is never fall in love with the first horse you see. This is easy to do as you will have spent the last few weeks, months or even years planning for this moment and seeing the first horse can be emotional. But emotional purchases are very rarely the right purchases and you could be left with a horse that doesn’t fit your overall needs and just isn’t right for you or you for the horse. People selling the horse will present the horse well to a potential purchaser, so don’t be blinded by a horses appearance, stick to the practicalities of what you actually require from a horse and look for the features that will suit you, your riding, your ability and your goals best.

So when you are searching for a horse for sale, be prepared, be realistic and be patient as the right horse for you may not be turn up immediately.