Advice on first time buying

I've been looking at horses to buy for some time now and am still going through trial and error but I need some horse advice on this.

The ad: http://www.horseville.com/php/view.php?id=104865
Picture:

She comes with her foal and being a first time horse owner, I wouldn't be able to train the foal. Also, would you buy a horse from a different state? (I'm in Caliornia, she's in Ohio.)

What say you guys on this ad? Anything helps! Go for it? Or move on...

(I've been riding for eight years about and am an Intermediate rider.)

you cant really tell whether the mare would be what you are looking for, the advert mainly discribes the colt..if you were really really interested i would suggest that you email the person selling and ask for information on what the mare can do

They are both beautiful (I love paints). I live in Alaska, and have bought horses from AB, Canada, California, and Colorado. If you are considering buying from out of state, I would suggest physically visiting the horses to get a feel for them. Pictures don't show personality/temperment, and though I like to think the best of people, they are not always honest. I would also suggest having a vet examine them for soundness/health if you get serious about them. It will be worth the cost in the long run.

One possible concern is that the mare is primarily a broodmare; She is 18 years old, and if she has little riding experience at this age, I would not want her as my first horse. She could be a fine riding horse though - I agree that requesting more information is a good idea. Another possibility is to ask them to make a video (if you are seriously considerring these horses - don't waste their time). You can ask them to ride the mare at all gaits in both directions, handle her (especially around her foal -attitude?), brush her, lunge her, lead her, put her in a trailer, hose her down, clip her, handle the foal, tie her - basically anything that you might want to do with the horse - you want to know that she will not freak about it.
A reputable breeder should have no problem with a vet looking at them, making a video, or answering any of your questions in detail.

As for the foal, that is a huge training commitment, and may not be the best first horse situation unless you are willing to invest a decent amount of money into training/lessons and work with/handle the foal in some way on almost a daily basis. Maybe buy the set and sale the foal?

Eight years riding experience will help, but you will get a whole new world of issues thrown at you when you own your own horse. If you have some knowledgable horse friends, I suggest that you ask them to help you look at them, correspond with the seller, and get set up when you buy (whatever horse).

Good luck :)

I would go get a horse in california for you first horse. That way you know what your getting in the horse. When you get a horse from another state your relying on what the people tell you about the horse and I hate to say it but not everyone is honest. The best thing I would do is go to a horse trainer or riding instructor and have them help you find a horse that would suit your needs.