Buying a Horse

I'm going to pretend for a moment that you actually asked "Should I buy a horse and if so, how should I do that?"

So what do you need to be ready?

To be ready to buy a horse

You understand that buying a horse is like adopting a child and that you are taking responsibility for a large, often frightened living thing that will need your help throughout its life - even when it is hurt and sick.
You know you can afford it: boarding, feeding, vet, farrier, training for the horse
You know you can spend the time: You're riding a lot, maybe you need your own practice sessions to work on what the instructor is teaching; you intend to keep riding a lot, all year round
You have the place: a boarding location you can afford (at home or away), where the horse will be fed, and you have access to an indoor arena for year-round riding.
You have a thirst to know a lot about horses and want to really build a deep association with a specific horse
You have the experience: You've ridden at least five horses since you started for at least a few weeks each. You are comfortable that you can get on a new horse and, within what you know how to do, you can decide whether or not the horse is able to do what you need the way you want to do it within, say, a couple of hours.
You have experienced resources to help you make your decision: a professional horse trainer and / or instructor to assess the horse, someone very experienced (hopefully the trainer or instructor) who can help you assess the suitability and safety of the horse, and for final candidates, a vet, an equine dentist (if the vet doesn't do teeth) and a farrier.

If you don't have all this going for you, you're probably not ready. Wait. Your time will come. Work with your instructor and anyone else who makes sense, let them help you get ready. Consider a lease or a half lease to gain experience.

But if you're all set with this then...

To be ready to find the right horse for you

Know what you want the horse to do: Do you have a specific discipline in mind? If so you need a horse with recent training and use in the discipline. And training expires quickly. I've looked at several horses with some specific training I wanted, but they hadn't used it for a couple of years, and it was gone.

Know what you want in the personality of your horse and why: Do you want a forward horse or a slower horse who's "bombproof"? Do you want a horse who likes to work and practice a lot or one who is more laid back? Do you want a horse who responds with quickness and agility or one that feels steadier and more controlled? Do you want a horse who likes people and wants to be with you, or is that not important?

This is where prior experience comes in. If you've had a lesson horse that made you say "I'd buy that horse if I could" then make a list of what that horse is like. The great part is, you'll know what it feels like when you get on the right horse. It will feel like that special lesson horse.

To actually find the horse of your dreams

Create your starter list. Use on-line resources (such as http://www.equine.com or http://www.equinenow.com), and use local resources like your instructor, your trainer and experienced horse friends. Online, you can pick and choose, you deal directly with the seller, you don't have to worry about offending someone important to you if you say no. On the other hand, your instructor knows you and your riding level and can better help you pick a horse that suits you. So even if you choose to make lists from online sources, don't forget to use your instructor to help with your final picks.
Make a list and rank the horses you get on the list by how closely they fit your desired horse profile. Compare them to the lesson horses you liked and didn't like.
Take the top few horses on that list and go visit. Bring someone very experienced to be your safety rider - they can make sure you aren't trying to get on a dangerous horse (there are dangerous horses for sale. I'd say as many as 30% could be dangerous to you). This might be a friend who's ridden a lot of horses and has a great seat, it might be your instructor or your horse trainer. You may have to pay for the last two, but when the list is getting short, pay that money. It's worth it.

Now, the test ride(s)...

You're going to do a lot of these. So get ready. Buying a horse is a lot harder than buying a box of cereal, a car or a dog. It's more expensive, dangerous and committing. You may laugh at the idea (I hope), but the number of impulse horse purchases are high, and they can be sad or tragic for owner and horse.

Think about it more like this: you're about to marry a dance partner. Make sure you're picking one who is going to work well with you for a long time.

When you arrive, assess where the horse has been kept. A somewhat shabby facility may not mean the situation is bad. Stables are rarely fancy and can be dirty or spider-webbed because they are understaffed and the focus is on riding. But check the horses. Well-cared for and gleaming? Shabby and shaggy? Bright eyed and active or slow and dull? How does the owner talk about the horse you are here to see? Do they seem objective about strengths and weaknesses or is everything always good (it may be - but it may be onlyt for them, or... they may not be telling the truth so they can unload a horse who has a problem).

Then it's time to see your candidate.

Make sure you see the horse un-tacked. If he's tacked already, ask to have him un-tacked. Examine skin, hair, hooves, back, legs. Look for obvious problems like sores, scabs, scars, cloudy eyes. Have the owner walk and trot the horse on halter, preferably in the alley of the stable. Listen to the footfalls for irregularity, look for stiffness or limping. Take pictures from front, both sides and rear with the horse standing straight and still. You can check out the horse's conformation for problems when you get home.
Then watch the owner tack the horse up and look for problems with ground manners. This is a big deal. If the owner can't tack up the horse without trouble, you may not be able to either. Keep in mind, the reverse isn't true - just because they can doesn't mean you can. But that comes later.
Next, the ride. First the owner rides. Then your safety rider rides. If it all seems safe so far to you (and be willing to be timid - it's OK), then you ride. Wear a helmet even if you don't normally. Let the horse smell your hand and breathe on you before you ride - that's the introduction. Then it's time. Do the same work you're going to do at home. The horse may feel fast. It doesn't know you, it's nervous. You have to find some way to discount that. After you ride, get off, take one rein (secure the other on the saddle or somewhere the horse won't step on it, and walk away slowly. Does the horse follow you before the rein gets tight? If so, it may want to bond with you and may already see you as a herd leader. That's a good thing. You must ride for at least forty five minutes.
Make no commitment, even if you like the horse. Even if you love him. You need to get away and be more objective. Wrong decisions here can lead to disaster. There are thousands of horses that can be right for you. Don't rush into this decision.
Leave and write everything down right away. Ideally, bring your list and write down how the horse did in each of the areas you identified as important.
If you really like a horse, don't commit until you ride again. Go back and see the horse on a second day and assess the horse again. You may not have brought your instructor or trainer to early candidates, and if you haven't now's the time. This time, you tack up the horse. Your trainer / instructor rides, then you ride. Have a separate discussion with your trainer / instructor, ideally after you leave on the pros and cons. Insist they be candid and objective. Remember, don't commit, and don't write a check.
If you're ready to buy the horse, control yourself and pay nothing unless the horse passes a vet check. I strongly recommend a full vet check by a vet who does not service the seller (often required by law). If your vet can't do the exam, get a referral to a vet near the horse. I also strongly recommend x-rays of all four feet and hocks. This may cost more than the horse, but I've seen great riders sidelined for a year or more by physical problems with joints, bones or tendons in their horse. You won't be able to sell a horse who quickly goes lame, you'll still have to payt board, vet and farrier - and then what will you do?

Things to think about

When picking a horse, here are things people think matter but which don't really:

Color: Good and bad horses for every discpline come in every color. You are not buying a painting for your living room or something to match your outfit, or trying to find a way to impress people with how cool your horse is. If you think you are, stop now.
Breed: Yes, there are some breeds more well suited to some disciplines than others. But quarter horses can do dressage and eventing and giant warmbloods can do reining.
Breeding: Some of the worst horses I've ever tried have been descended from famous horses (great breeding but "dumb as a bag of rocks"). Breeding only secures conformation and perhaps some personality, but good or bad training can change disposition for better or worse, and lots of horses with obscure parents have excellent conformation.

What really does matter:

Reasonably good conformation. Don't go crazy over minor angles or asymmetries, but make sure the horse has a basically sound form. Don't take on a problem conformation or you and the horse may both pay in pain and delay from injury.

Recent and actively exercised training. Probably the most important thing of all. There are thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of great information in the heads of the best horses. This is what you are really paying for.
The right personality. You want to like working with this horse. You want this horse to want to work. Some people (myself included) like a horse who is social, curious and who seeks out contact with people. Others think a horse like that is annoyingly fidgety, wanders too much and is too easily distracted. I recommend using a system like Barteau's from "Ride the Right Horse", or Parelli's "horsenality" profile to figure out what you like.

I hope you have all the good fortune in the world and that, as I did with Lensman, and Sue did with Gunsmoke, you find the horse you really should have.