The process of buying a horse??

Hi All!

Today it crossed my mind to what is the correct process you should go through when buying a horse!?! Sooo many people are getting lied to and are also making the mistake of not going through all the rules and regulations when buying a horse and therefore either end up unhappy, with a problematic horse or something that does not suit their level of riding or discipline and this is because of either their lack of knowledge or due to having someone lie to them about what the horse can and cannot do!! I was going through a few horse sale ads and it just concerned me that some of them can be so deceiving and at the same time some people just don't know what they are looking for!

I just want to know what you need to be asking yourself and what you need to be doing in order to put yourself in a safe position when purchasing a horse.

So what I am asking is maybe for people to put down what they think are the most valuable and vital questions to ask yourself and the person selling when buying as well as how to make sure of the quality of the horse? Go crazy! You can go onto who you think you should bring a long with or conformation faults to look out for, health issues, age, how many times you should go test the horse ect! Anything you can think of that strikes you as important info or detail. This is just to help others and make them aware of what they should be doing when buying a horse!

You can put it in point form so maybe we can make it a list in the end

Thanks

Vet Check with a vet you trust - NOT THE OWNER"S VET! If you don't have a vet get a recommendation from someone you know and trust.

Don't get something outside your abilities. It's one thing for a first time owner to get a sound horse that isn't made and work on improving it (that's half the fun), it is another to get one that has no or poor training, terrible ground manners and other nasty habits when you aren't equipped to fix it...Unless you really know what you are doing, you won't be happy - just frustrated.

Have your trainer help you...it is worth the finders fee. They know where you are and what you need to succeed. If you find it on your own, get your trainer to ride it and try to take at least one lesson on it. If it is possible, try to get a try out for a couple weeks at your barn. If the deal is good, the owner should be willing to work with you to make sure you will be happy with the horse. After all, they should want their horse to be healthy and well cared for. If they don't seem to care what happens to the horse, be VERY wary.

Know what you have to spend, but don't buy a horse just because it hits that mark. You can find great deals on horses if you are savvy and smart, but for every great deal, there are probably dozens of bad ones.

If it sounds to good to be true.....