Q: Where is the Best Place to Buy a Horse?
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Posted by Laura Thompson Sep 6, 2009 |
A Suite101 reader asks:
"I've decided I want to buy a younger horse to train up, but I'm not sure where to start looking. Where do you recommend shopping for horses?"
This is a great question, but unfortunately one to which there is no right answer. I've known friends who have found great horses online, others who have purchased overseas, and still more who have answered classified ads. There are wonderful horses everywhere!
The question, really, is where do you feel comfortable shopping for a horse? If you wouldn't purchase a computer or a book online, for example, shopping for a horse online is probably not the best solution for you. Similarly, if you don't like to travel, I don't recommend looking for horses in a country other than your own.
My advice is always to start with the local classified ads. You can find them in your newspaper (under "Pets"), in industry newsletters and in magazines. Look for some of the qualities you desire in a horse and work from there.
The second best place to go shopping for a horse is in farms and stables around your own. The equestrian community is extremely incestuous, and if you ask any one horse owner, he or she most likely knows someone else with a horse for sale. It's the nature of the business.
You can also go shopping for horses at web sites like DreamHorse.com, where photographs and videos are often posted along with text descriptions. However, unless you are a horse dealer I do not recommend shopping for horses outside your general geographic vicinity. If you have to drive further than 200 miles, you're going too far.
If you do decide to go shopping for horses online, read my article on finding your dream horse on the Internet. It offers some practical tips and advice on how to make sure you get what you're looking for.
Good luck!
Got a question? If you have a horse question you'd like Laura Thompson to answer, e-mail her at horses@suite101.com and she'll answer in an upcoming blog post.