[Lena4285]

One of my friends, who is an intermediate rider and just starting to get into barrel racing, is looking at buying a cheap project horse to train. She just wants a horse that she can train and run on in fun days and stuff. She has one in mind but I think it is a little old and not in good shape to just be starting barrel training. The ad seems quite vague too. What are yall's opinions?

https://dothan.craigslist.org/grd/d/gray-gelding-horse/6421602424.html

 

[Lena4285]

Also what is a deal breaker for you personally on a potential prospect?

 

[Avna]

I'm no barrel racer but not one of those pictures tells you much of anything about the horse. You'd have to go see him and find out why they are basically giving him away. There is at least one good reason. I don't think 12 is too old but 14 hands is too short for a lot of people. That is not a weight carrying build.

 

[pennywise]

One of my friends, who is an intermediate rider and just starting to get into barrel racing, is looking at buying a cheap project horse to train. She just wants a horse that she can train and run on in fun days and stuff. She has one in mind but I think it is a little old and not in good shape to just be starting barrel training. The ad seems quite vague too. What are yall's opinions?

https://dothan.craigslist.org/grd/d/gray-gelding-horse/6421602424.html

dude you can't trust craigslist on surface level. whether someone is selling a car or a horse you have to expect at the very least that if you go out there, there's going to be a broken window they forgot to tell you about. Doesn't matter if he's $400 and scruffy or $40, 000 and primped up-- could all be for the picture. People can write whatever they want in an ad and maybe if they're lucky they'll catch someone who wont look past it. You're friend has to go out there and take him for a spin and be willing to get a diagnostic run regardless how he looks or how great he feels. Maybe they didn't write much because they don't have anything to make up for I think sometimes it's a good tactic to try and convince people ahead of time that what they're selling is a good deal so that the buyer goes out with a positive idea already in their head so that they'll look past whatever bad things they come in contact with. She should take a couple people along with her and get those opinions too.

 

[boots]

I used to do nothing but project horses.

"Deal breakers" for me are chronic lameness, conformation faults that lead to lameness, and a sour personality.

I always bought horses that I could see at least three jobs for. The most readily available jobs for horses where I am are: ranch work, family recreation horse, ranch work, polo, low level gymkhana, low level cross country, local shows (though I won't attempt to make a horse do western pleasure or HUS), team roping, calf roping, steer roping.

 

[Acadianartist]

I don't know how close your friend is to this horse, but having bought two horses in the last three years, I quickly learned to weed out candidates on the phone. Save yourself a drive over. Of course they can lie, but once they figure out you know a little bit about horses (and I REALLY mean just a little bit - I'm certainly no expert), they generally don't bother since they know you'll see the problems right away. So I try to keep them on the phone for a while... even just chatting about things that don't matter to me, just because I can find out more. I ask about health, routine, hooves, ground manners, vices, my list of questions is long! Sometimes they'll try the "buy it today or I'm selling it to someone else" tactic. Which will also cause me to walk away.

So, your friend wants a project horse to train as a barrel racer. I assume then, that he/she has a lot of experience and knowledge and can pick out a good project horse. Hopefully not someone inexperienced just looking for a cheap horse "to grow with".

I looked at the ad. Sweet horse! 400$??? Red flags all over the place. There is something very wrong here. Like I said, I would call them and ask tons of questions. If something seems to good to be true...

 

[carshon]

A $400 dollar horse going into winter is pretty par for the course in my area. No one wants to feed the horses for the winter. Craigslist here is full of horses well under $1000 and some are nice family horses that no one wants to take the effort to feed or care for in the winter.

I would say go take a look. I don't see anything that screams barrel horse to me. his back seems a tad short so he may have a harder time bending around the barrels - but he could be a nice project.

 

[thecolorcoal]

Be careful of these horses sold on the internet... A lot of times owners lie or cover up the truth as to why they are selling them, and you are stuck with more of a rehab case than a project.

 

[Acadianartist]

Be careful of these horses sold on the internet... A lot of times owners lie or cover up the truth as to why they are selling them, and you are stuck with more of a rehab case than a project.

Yep. Also, make sure the seller has clear ownership. Find out the back story. Where did this horse come from? Why are they selling it? That will tell you a lot.

 

[thecolorcoal]

Project horses aren't bad ideas, but you need a certain set of skills to do well with them. If you don't have a more advanced understanding of horse and animal training, they can be quite challenging and ruined quickly. Evaluate yourself and be honest with your abilities. It sucks to give horses back who did not fit into your ideal, especially when you create a bond with them... look for a good physical frame and a sound mind, everything else can be built upon.

 

[Lena4285]

Thanks for all of the replies. I'm afraid that she is interested in him strictly because she has a soft spot for grays. I'm going to tell her to be really careful about such a cheap horse with a vague ad.

 

[thecolorcoal]

Thanks for all of the replies. I'm afraid that she is interested in him strictly because she has a soft spot for grays. I'm going to tell her to be really careful about such a cheap horse with a vague ad.

Be very careful... I did this. It worked out for me but not for a ladyfriend of mine... both from facebook... I got extremely lucky, she did not. There's always a reason someone is not giving out specific info. :faceshot: I admit i want to hold back info when I advertise my mare for leasing... I don't want to tell the full truth for fear that I'll scare someone off, but me not doing that could put someone who is not prepared in a dangerous situation.

Can she do a basic PPE? flexions and the like? Just to make sure all 4 legs are in working order? Gonna need those for barrels.. pay attention to those hocks!

I think when you make the decison to invest in projects and it goes far less than planned, or even well, you are smarter than when you came out of it. even if it works out for your friend, there will be bumps in the road and it won't be smooth sailing... it's going to take longer and be more expensive... then again, giving a horse a home who is a diamond in the rough is never a regret, or shouldn't be.

 

[Acadianartist]

Thanks for all of the replies. I'm afraid that she is interested in him strictly because she has a soft spot for grays. I'm going to tell her to be really careful about such a cheap horse with a vague ad.

I also have a soft spot for grays, and I love the look of this guy! Reminds me of our Arab. But I'd be phoning them before driving over there and asking a ton of questions. If he was an awesome horse, they'd be asking for a lot more money, even if he only has minimal training. Doesn't hurt to contact them though. But I'd be very surprised that there isn't something very wrong here.