Buying a Horse

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

First, what do you need to be ready?

To be ready to buy a horse

You have a thirst to build a deep association with a one horse.
You know about horses - their strengths, weaknesses, physiology, psychology and how training works (even if you can't train yourself)
You understand that buying a horse is like adopting a child and that you are taking responsibility for a large, easily frightened living thing that will need your help throughout its life - including when it is hurt and sick.
You know you can afford owning a horse for the long haul and you can sustain it even if you are unemployed: boarding, feeding, vet, farrier, and maybe even training for the horse (depending on how much training the horse has)
You know you can spend the time it takes: You're planning on spending three or more days pretty much every week, all year long, riding and working your horse.
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 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.
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. Training can expire 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 in the welter of other things people had asked those horses to do.

Know what you want in the personality of your horse and why: Do you want a motivated, quick reponding horse or a slower horse who's "bombproof" or some combination of the two? Do you want a horse who likes to work and practice a lot or one who wants to walk and trot the trail or some combination of the two? Do you want a horse who responds with quickness and agility or one that feels steadier and more controlled?

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 their profile to the lesson horses or lease horses you liked and didn't like.
Remember that seller want to sell their horse, sometimes under great financial pressure. They cannot be relied on to tell you about behavioral problems, medical problems, lamenesses, injuries, etc. If they tell you about these, great, but if they deny them, be prepared to check.
Take the top few horses on your 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 be 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. This may or may not affect the horse's health or condition, but, for example, a horse who has had lots of turnout typically will be calmer and more relaxed that a horse who spends most of his life in a stall. A horse who is continously fed and watered will be less of a colic risk than one fed twice a day with limited water.

Most importantly, check the horses. Well-cared for and gleaming? Shabby and shaggy? Bright eyed and active or slow and dull? Then check the one you're here to see.

How does the owner talk about this horse? Do they seem objective about strengths and weaknesses or is everything always good. Are they selling the horse eagerly or reliuctantly?

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 and less obvious problems like weak topline, pointy hips or asymmetrical muscling. 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 faint lameness. 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, that doesn't have to be a problem. 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. That's a good thing. Test ride for at least forty five minutes at all gaits and do the most advanced things you know how to ask.
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.
Write everything down right away after you leave. Ideally, bring your list and write down how the horse did in each of the areas you identified as important in the car.
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 still 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 (in many states this is 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 pay 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 - don't let these outweigh what does:

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 that may be 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 and superb training and will be your dream horse.

What really does matter:

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.
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 may both pay in pain and delay from injury.

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.