looking to buy a horse

[Chickenlover0810]

hi, im new. my parents FINALLY are letting me get a horse on one condition. I come up with all of the money by my self. which is not a problem for me anyways that's not the question. how to I know if im prepared or not. here is what I have so far

plenty of pasture space

cows for a buddy incase the horse gets lonely

me a rider who can ride practically everyday

etc.

so I've got all of the niceties now where do I find a horse? I was browsing "EquineNow.com" but they have limited options. is Facebook a trustworthy site to look for horses?
thanks in advance

 

[Chickenlover0810]

I live in southwest Michigan

 

[Poka_Doodle]

Congrats!!! I would say that the horse advertising websites and Facebook are not a hundred percent trustworthy. If I were you, I would do one of two things- either find someone trustworthy to help you look, or check out rescues in your area. In general, rescues are very honest when selling horses, and have very reasonable prices.

 

[Alasgun]

And, always remember “The closer you get to the North Pole; the more things there are, that want to eat your horse”

 

[Baymule]

It is always buyer beware when buying a horse. Don’t grab the first one that you find. An older, calm horse would be good for your first horse. Do you ride English or Western? Maybe contact a stables and ask about any horses for sale. Sometimes summer camps that offer horseback rides sell horses and you can get a good trained riding horse.

 

[Chickenlover0810]

It is always buyer beware when buying a horse. Don’t grab the first one that you find. An older, calm horse would be good for your first horse. Do you ride English or Western? Maybe contact a stables and ask about any horses for sale. Sometimes summer camps that offer horseback rides sell horses and you can get a good trained riding horse.

I ride western and im not to beginner im like intermediate

 

[promiseacres]

Dreamhorse.com and craigslist are ok, Word of mouth is sometimes the best. Make sure you can see the horse in person, I do not reccommend buying via pictures or the internet. Just ask questions and have cash ready.., the horse market is a bit crazy right now.
If you've taken lessons or are in a 4H club or have horse friends take someone with you. Check horse very well, some people will take advantage. And will sedate a horse or give him pain meds to cover up issues.

 

[Baymule]

Beware of anyone who has horse caught and saddled up. Better to see the horse caught out in the pasture, brought up and then saddled. It’s no fun trying to catch a horse that runs from you.

 

[Physhyr]

hi, im new. my parents FINALLY are letting me get a horse on one condition. I come up with all of the money by my self. which is not a problem for me anyways that's not the question. how to I know if im prepared or not. here is what I have so far

plenty of pasture space

cows for a buddy incase the horse gets lonely

me a rider who can ride practically everyday

etc.

so I've got all of the niceties now where do I find a horse? I was browsing "EquineNow.com" but they have limited options. is Facebook a trustworthy site to look for horses?
thanks in advance

Keep in mind that buying a horse is the least expensive part of owning a horse. You're going to need a farrier out every 6-8 weeks, teeth floated yearly and vetting.

If you are certain you have the means to take care of a horse for the long run, you can try dreamhorse.com, Facebook or Craigslist. I would strongly recommend a pre-purchase exam before buying a horse as well. Another thing you might consider is leasing a horse, as if something doesn't work out you can give it back to the owner.

 

[LoriSnyder]

How exciting! My son just got his first horse. He searched things like Craigslist, but we found the best horses are very often found by getting connected to the horse community where you live. He was taking weekly riding lessons (and paying for them by working for the trainer) he joined a riding group that met on weekends for competitions ( he volunteered there to help out which was a good way to meet people). In short, horse people tend to hang out together and they know about horses that might be for sale that aren’t on the sale boards.