Take expert advice to avoid pitfalls of horse purchasing

It is also the time when any thoughts of change come to fruition, whether it be replacing the old hack with a younger model or simply to allow that yearning to buy your own horse, felt all winter whilst riding someone else's, crystallise into a positive decision.

Buying a horse provokes extreme reactions. For some people it's the ultimate adrenalin rush seeing a multitude of beautiful quadrupeds. Personally I loathe it. As a single horse owner I find it a frustrating, singularly unrewarding experience searching for that elusive picture in my minds eye.

To improve my chances of getting it right I devised a questionnaire to try to uncover any grey area in the horse's behaviour or soundness. I now always insist on a video before even going to see it, having trailed to the end of the country to see a 16.2 Thoroughbred only to find a 15.2 Arab with its head over the door. I always try to send my own vet, giving him an exact description of what I want the horse to do and my level of expectation. I always take someone more knowledgeable than myself with me to see it. And I still make mistakes.

Second-hand car dealers and horse dealers are often linked together when it comes to questionable honesty. What you see is not always what you get. Almost every horseperson has a tale to tell of a purchase that went sadly wrong. The reasons are manifold but two that readily spring to mind are lack of knowledge by the purchaser and economy of the truth by the seller. Without question when it comes to selling a horse even the most honest person will conveniently forget, overlook or blatantly ignore something that may hinder a sale.

However, in recent years professional sellers, such as auctioneers and dealers have made concerted effects to refute this reputation. Brightwells, probably the leading equine auctioneer in Europe, actively ensures that the vendors are aware that they have to make sure their horse is sound. Richard Botterill is positive that more people are gaining in confidence at buying at sales. "We have strict conditions laid down for clients that we hope safeguards the buyer and the vendor," he said.

The inexperienced rider is the most susceptible to a wrong buy. Before they trip off to see all the forward auctioned bargains that are temptingly offered, they would be wise to enlist the help of an experienced horse person who has knowledge of the person's riding ability. Some, realising their lack of knowledge to be a handicap do indeed take an 'expert' along to see the horse, little realising that the BHSAI qualified instructor from the local riding school may have little more expertise than they have.

Possibly the most vulnerable of all are those who have a somewhat inflated perception of their own knowledge and ability. A dealer friend of mine had a lady rider to try a horse that had to be a jumper because she wanted to show jump. On seeing her ride away the dealer said "She's not going to be a show jumper," with which she then proceeded to sail over the rails of the mnage into the field beyond, fell off and broke her arm. Her husband, who knew nothing about horses, had naturally believed his wife when she had told him that she could ride and had aspirations to be a show jumper. He was aggrieved and tried to sue the dealer. A prime example of someone who thought they could do something and blatantly could not.

There is much to be said for buying from a reputable dealer, even though they are generally regarded with a good deal of suspicion. The late Ray Allman, a well respected dealer for more than fifty years, uttered immortal words after being told by a lady that she didn't really like going to a dealer for a horse. "Quite right my dear," he replied "there are quite a lot of dealers I wouldn't like to buy from!" Rays' widow Judy, who now runs the business with her son Mark, said: "It's very easy to lose a good name. We think it's much better to refund the money if a sale doesn't work out.

"However, if a client comes who we feel is really not ready to take care of a horse or pony we will refuse to sell to them. We had one family who rang us 14 months after buying a pony. They were frightfully cross because 'those bits of wood on the horses' feet' were beginning to break up. They had never had him shod during that time. The shoes fell off, which they were also cross about, and then the feet started to break up."

The threat of litigation is ever present fuelled by lack of knowledge. It is always advisable to have a horse vetted prior to purchase, but there is now reason to believe that vets are becoming intimidated because of possible retribution. Simon Stirk MRCVS said: "Every six weeks or so a client will ring and say the horse they are selling has failed the vet. When I go and see it there is no evidence of a problem and knowing its history I know it's never had a lameness problem."

Simon is concerned that as a profession vets have gone too far down the route looking for excuses to fail them. He said: "No horse is perfect. We are assessing them to do a job not to be perfect individuals. The way it's going I can almost see a situation where the profession stopped doing vetting because the indemnity insurers will cease to cover us."

The more seriously minded buyer looking for a competition horse is now often looking to the Internet, where a number of specialist web sites offer an increasing number of horses in every category. Competitors who favour warmbloods for dressage, jumping and increasingly eventing can now go to specialist dealers who travel to Europe on a regular basis to buy. These animals will all be vetted and x-rayed before they arrive in the UK.

Riding has never been so popular. People have more free time, better health and spare cash to invest in a new hobby. Even banks are encouraging the sport, granting loans of up to £3,000 to buy a horse. The market is buoyant despite a sharp downturn due to horses not having passports. Horse sales and dealers are both experiencing a drop in sales because horses cannot now be sold without a passport and many owners have dragged their feet in getting them.

To safeguard the purchase price and cover for repair costs many people insure their horse. To get the best from the insurance company it is advisable to be entirely honest with the insurers. Siobhan Gifford, director of Animal Insurance Agencies said: "It is really important to disclose everything about the horse at the start because the insurer is within their rights to refuse a claim for lameness if they think it pre incepted the insurer's policy."

As well as getting a five-stage veterinary certificate she advises obtaining a purchase receipt and a written warranty from the vendor stating that the horse does not have a vice or has been treated for colic or lameness. More expensive horse policies may require x-rays so it is important that the insurance company passes these before a sale is agreed. There have been instances where insurance has been refused because the x-rays have been turned down.

We live in a society that does not always take responsibility for its actions. If a horse starts napping or it doesn't perform up to the standard advertised or it starts to bite in the stable, we ought perhaps to look at ourselves before casting blame on the seller or the vet. The horse may be taking advantage of our inexperience or lack of ability or it could be just a personality clash.

There are some rogue traders out there, but with some in-depth questions, specialists' help, attention to detail and a modicum of suspicion, any potential problems can be unearthed before a decision is made.

The final word must go to the bargain hunters of which Mark Allman is one. "My best avenues of buying are divorce and teenage pregnan cies," he said. "They have to get rid quickly so the prices are low!"

* Advice on buying and selling: Page 2

Published: 06/05/2005