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 Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
  
Location: Texas | What kind of questions do you ask? What is your routine in trying them? Would it be too much to ask to try one at a college rodeo? I know that ultimately depends on the owner but I have been casually looking for a year now and found something that caught my eye and man it has just really freaked me out. He is actually priced under my budget so how do I ensure I am not getting screwed over? I have seen recent results of him placing amazing. 16's on a standard and looking pretty consistent to me. | |
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 Expert
Posts: 1591
 
Location: East Texas | My trainer also brokers barrel horses, so I always shop through him. He knows my style and I tell him exactly what I want, if he doesn't already have it, he can find it. And if he doesn't think the horse is a good match, he tells me. As a seller I probably wouldn't let you try the horse at a college rodeo if it was as far away as most of mine were when I college rodeod. It would really depend on the distance and if you had tried the horse at my jackpot first. Ask how he hauls long distances, stalls overnight, stands tied overnight if need be, etc. Those are all very important for rodeo horses. | |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| Research, research, research- google the owner, google the horse, ask for disclosure of all vet records and call and actually get the records for review. The horse may be priced well because of age or have a few issues. Your decision is how much maintence you are willing to do or quirks you may have to put up with and do you want to do it. | |
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 I'm not opinionated
Posts: 4597
Location: Online | What RM3 said..... Also the best way to find out about a horse is word of mouth. If you find a horse online ask an honest uninterested 3rd party about the horse. If you don't know anybody who might know the horse, do research. If the horse worked good at first with the owner, then fell apart, you can get an idea that the horse developed problems.
Just a little rant....... As a seller, it drives me crazy when the buyer asks questions that are answered in the ad. Also don't talk price until you have actually ridden the horse. When I have a horse that's priced at $15,000 and someone wastes my time by acting interested and after a 30 minute phone call or 15 emails, then informs me that their budget is only for $8500... UGH. Then there are buyers who seem to want the perfect horse for $5000, it doesn't exist. The perfect horse doesn't exist, period. Buyers don't seem to like honesty. I have seen more horses sold this summer that were no good runaways because the seller lied through their teeth, and I can't sell an honest solid 1D horse with some minor quirks.
I'm done. | |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | Google and research. Like Rodeomom3 said- search the riders name, the horse's name, etc.. check results and see how many horses were at the race to see what company he was racing against. I also suggest searching youtube as well for the horse and rider combination, or just the horse and just the rider. You can find a lot of old videos maybe 2-3 owners back sometimes if you start digging around.
Request vet records to be released. Do a pre purchase exam.
I would ask them for their opinion of the horse's strengths and weaknesses. If the horse was going to do something wrong on the pattern, what is it- does he shoulder the barrels, does he hit barrels, be specific and ask the questions like- does he hit more than he runs clean? When you hit a barrel is it with his shoulder or his hip or your feet? The horse I recently bought, the lady was honest with me and said she hit a lot of barrels on her leaving because she over rode her. She was true, if you just sit easy and quiet with your hands you won't catch them leaving. Also, ask them what do you have to do during the run- do you have to lift, use a bunch of leg, hustle across the pen, sit quiet, etc… I don't think asking "is he a free runner or push type" is specific enough. Ask who trained the horse. PULL AN AQHA OWNER REPORT AND CONTACT PREVIOUS OWNERS. Or the breeder. I will pull all those things and start digging around. Be ready to hear things you don't want to hear. Don't always let it scare you off.
I am more lenient with cheap horses than expensive ones. The cheaper ones I am OK with inconsistencies in their record and information I can't find, because the gamble isn't as risky. The mare I found on Craigslist barely had any results on the internet and most of what I found was 3D stuff. She was worth the gamble because she was so inexpensive, and her bloodlines were great. We've won 4 barrel races and placed in the 1D almost everywhere we go. She won 2D money at ANHA with a 17.30 on a standard. That is OK with me! Had she been priced at 35,000, I would have been asking a lot more questions and been a lot more picky on race results, and would have done a PPE. I think people need to keep that in perspective. Don't nit pick a cheap cheap horse with the same fine tooth comb as a $50,000 barrel horse as far as being able to google results. The expensive horses should be priced such because they have a verifiable record. | |
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Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
Location: Texas | Thank you all. I have done as much research online as I can find. I would go into detai, but I don't want to give the horse away. I do have 2 other questions to bring up. What all do you do during a pre purchase exam and how much should I be looking to spend? Do I use their vet or mine? | |
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You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | Either use YOUR vet or an unbiased third party vet. That way there is no conflict of interest. My vet will not pre purchase horses I am selling because it puts him in a bind if the buyer chooses to back out for whatever reason- creates tension as if he said or did something to blow the sale, even if he didn't.
I think a basic PPE is $200, and radiographs are usually $50 a shot or $200 a joint. if you are really thorough you want 4 shots from each joint, depending on what joints you are looking at. Hocks you want a DP, Lateral, a DLPMO and a DMPLO
The most important joints if you were to pick two would be the hocks and the front feet. If you want to add on, I would do stifles and then the knees (carpus).
Also remember, do not turn a PPE into a lameness exam. If you find lameness on a PPE you need to stop there and think- do I want to purchase a horse who is already off?
Edited by casualdust07 2014-09-13 11:28 AM
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Veteran
Posts: 182
| Thank you for asking this question. I too have been looking for a 1D horse and it is hard to know who to trust. The responses to this question are very helpful. | |
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Folks on-line