~ A Common Sense Approach to Matching People and Horses ~
Horses are like people. They aren’t perfect. They all have issues. Horses for sale are almost certainly going to have some issues, or they probably wouldn’t be for sale! The question is whether the issues of the horse you are considering, are something you can live with, or something that will be a train wreck for you. The trick is to sort
out the train wrecks from the horse that will meet your needs and fits the skill level of your riders. The horse you want to buy, at a bargain price of course, is the last horse anyone wants to sell: sound, sane, brave, affectionate, beautiful, well trained, great mover and all that. But, from time to time, honest people must sell, or choose to sell, good horses at reasonable prices. Someone is always retiring, getting a divorce, has developed a health issue, the only rider in the family just went off to college, needs money for something else, or like us 3 years ago, just got bigger than they wanted to be. You probably won’t find “fantastic” at a fire sale price, unless the seller doesn’t know what they have, or is really in a bind to move quickly. Beware the horse at an apparent fire sale price, unless you know who you are dealing with. It’s far more likely that there are some serious problems. That’s because the fantastic horse at a fire sale price doesn’t usually make it onto anybody’s sales list. It went to a friend or someone the seller knew and trusted, because finding the right home was more important than money to the seller. However, with work and patience, you can find a good horse, and perhaps one with the potential to be a great horse for you, at a bargain price. We found our first National Grand Champion at a low price 14 years ago. A large breeder of Peruvian horses was getting a divorce. The wife wanted money, not horses. The husband wanted the best of the breeding stock. So some very good geldings were going at bargain prices. His good friend was also our good friend and he steered us to a fabulous 4 year old with a great pedigree. He had only been shown once at halter (2nd place at the National show) and was juststarted under saddle. One year later, which included professional training and lessons for us, this horse was National Grand Champion, Performance Gelding of the Year, and Performance Horse of the Year. The purchase price was $4000, at that time what you would pay for a pretty average horse in the breed. We also purchased our senior Andalusian stallion as a foal at a very reasonable price because the breeder was cleaning house on all her boys to bring in an outside new stallion. She wasn’t keeping any boys because they were all very closely related to her mares. We purchased 3 half brothers, resold 2 of them at enough of a profit to recover our investment for all 3, and kept the one that we liked best overall. Now 12, he has turned out to be one of those rare “do everything” horses: multiple show Champion at halter and under saddle; sire of multiple National Champions; lesson horse; demo horse; trick horse. The point of these two stories is that, to find good, with the potential to be great, at a bargain price, requires patience, luck and guidance, especially if you are an inexperienced buyer. There is no substitute for lots of looking and comparing. This will allow you to “know it when you see it”. Purchasing a horse is a big commitment. You can’t easily disengage if you make a mistake. However, it can lead to one of the most rewarding experiences in life. People in the business for the long term strive to make good matches of people and horses because that leads to referrals and repeat business. People ask us all the time, “How can you bear to sell your babies?” I tell them, “If you work on making good matches, it is a source of joy and new friendships. More than half of our best friends today are people we met by selling them a horse.” At any given time we have regular correspondence with a dozen or more owners. We receive e mails, photos or video from somebody every few weeks of our foals growing up. And there is nothing more rewarding than to sit next to a new owner at a show with tears streaming down his or her face or cheering madly, as their horse wins the blue ribbon or a championship. And best of all, we have the pleasure without having to pay the entry fee for the class! Of course, there is also the call for advice if this horse or that one has been hurt or has a runny nose. But that is an unavoidable part of raising any kind of animals. Don’t go into the kitchen if you can’t handle the heat. Beginning young riders represent a particular challenge. If you purchase a very quiet “bomb proof” horse, they may rapidly out-grow it. On the other hand, purchasing one significantly above the child’s skill level may frighten them and make the equestrian experience less than enjoyable. Parents often buy their children a horse barely above dead because they want one that’s safe. But 6 months to a year later, the child knows how to ride and now loves this animal, but it won’t do anything. The horse may be in decline a few years later, just when the child’s skills are peaking. We experienced some of this with our first 2 horses. Observers and judges we didn’t even know would come up to us at our first 4-H shows and say, “You know, your daughter has a lot of potential. But she just isn’t on enough horse.” At first, we thought they just wanted us to spend money with them. “I can make your child a concert pianist with just a few more lessons.” But when people with no financial interest told us that, we made the painful decision to sell and upgrade. This is a tough part of the landscape in any competitive field, whether it be dressage, barrel racing, or jumping. Sometimes the “outgrown horse” can stay around as a horse for Mom, the grandchildren or a broodmare. I always advise people to consider resale potential or alternative uses when they purchase, even if today they think they will own this horse for life. When you really are trying to help a buyer and they just don’t get it, it can be frustrating. I have seen people save a thousand or two on the front end, only to spend several times that amount living with the shortcomings they acquired at a bargain price or trying to fix the problem. A classic case of this is a truly gifted rider who is competing on an inferior mount. Sometimes people try to pack too many needs into one horse. A lady once visited us looking for a riding horse for her daughter that was also trained to drive a carriage and stand quietly for photos with non horse people at her wedding chapel business. We showed her a Haflinger mare that was both under saddle and trained to drive. A handicapped riding program had just tried every way they could to spook her and the horse was unflappable, so I knew she would wear any costume. (They had passed on her because her back was too broad for the handicapped children to sit.) On the spot, I trained her to play the keyboard. I figured that had to seal the deal. I was actually quite excited about the possibilities and my mind was racing. I told the potential buyer that she could dress her in robes like the preacher for photos; then change her into a dress and introduce her as the church organist, and so on. I was completely dumbfounded when she passed up the horse because her daughter was so green that the horse scared her a little. I thought, good grief, buy an older horse for your daughter to learn on, or give her riding lessons which she needs anyway, and in 3 months she’ll be fine on this horse. The impossible thing to find is a wedding chapel, riding, driving, costume wearing, plays the organ, horse, for sale for $3500! But perhaps it was fate. We sold the horse a week later to a “love at first sight” lady who came to look at a $25,000 Andalusian mare, but fell in love with the $3500 Haflinger. The weird thing is that they bonded so instantly and it was in both directions. When I had the mare and her foal play the keyboard after a night ride and it lit up with colored lights, the lady just laughed and laughed. A second potential buyer showed up the next day and the mare would have nothing to do with them. It was almost as if she was saying, “I’ve already decided who I am going home with; now you work out the details. And don’t be bringing around any other strangers to look at me.” I can hear you thinking, why were you selling such a talented horse in the first place? Believe it or not, we have another one just like her. We fell in love with her at first sight and therefore she is the one that has a home for life. Appropriately named, Starz drives both single and double, wears costumes, plays the keyboard and the guitar, plays ball, answers questions and can do addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and square roots in any language I can understand. She is right 99% of the time unless I miscue her. The video camera is indispensable for buying and selling. It gives you the ability to compare horses and watch them move in slow motion. For breeding stock, I try to let people see the natural, untrained movement of the horse as a youngster if this is available. This gives you the best indication of what’s in the genes; not what some trainer has taught it to do. We like to show video of a horse we are considering to other breeders and trainers we trust, to get their opinions. I also like to get and give as much information as possible on the parents, grandparents, and siblings. I include video and pictures of these when available. First saddles, bravery tests (how does the horse react to something it’s never seen before?), trailer loading are also important. I am amazed at how many transactions take place without the purchaser asking basic questions like, “Does this horse load?” How did it react to the first trip away from home, the first show or trail ride? Does this horse have any vices? The seller is not obligated to tell you everything wrong with the horse they are selling. However, most people will not lie or misrepresent, if you simply ask. And if they do misrepresent, you may be able to tell by their affect or body language. If you can get to the real reason they are selling this horse, you can make a more informed decision. A friend recently purchased an excellent gelding that was sold at a bargain because the owner couldn’t handle him as a stallion and got disgusted when his personality didn’t change overnight after he was gelded. She apparently didn’t realize that it takes several months for the hormones to readjust. A few months later the gelding was suitable for a child or novice with a little talent. Of course, gelding a stallion does not always produce this change in temperament, but it certainly did in this case. One other aspect of assessing your prospective new horse is a comprehensive vet check. Regardless of the monetary value of the horse, you should consider that this equine may well become your friend and extended family member. Purchasing a horse with an unsoundness, history of colic, cardiac or respiratory problems may pose life-long management problems and be emotionally and financially draining. The vet should be able to tell you whether there are any problems or conformational flaws which might prevent the horse from performing well in your desired discipline. For example, our daughter fell in love with a beautiful young mare who had a large side-bone, identified by x-ray at the pre-purchase exam. Kim wanted to jump the horse. The vet informed us that if the mare broke off a piece of the side-bone at a jump she could become completely incapacitated. He felt that this was not an appropriate discipline for this mare. We passed on the mare. Another horse we were about to purchase was found to have a windpuff at vet check. The vet explained that this was a blemish only, and didn’t anticipate that it would impact the horse’s soundness. We purchased that one without reservation. It is important to realize that no horse is perfect. Some vets will tell you that if they look hard enough, they can always find something. Remember the first paragraph of this paper. The question is whether any conformational or health issue the vet finds is something that will materially affect the functionality of the horse for your intended use. While it doesn’t show everything, it one more piece of data to get before writing the check. One of our customized clinics is on how to shop for a horse. We recognized the need for this from our own first shopping experiences in 1992. These were near disasters, to say the least. Although I grew up around horses, I knew nothing about shopping for one or taking care of a horse for that matter. My cowboy brother-in-law and my horse trader Dad had done all that. I just rode like a wild Indian through the woods and creeks of south Dallas County, the stomping grounds of the legendary quarter horse, Steel Dust. We were looking for a first horse for our horse crazy 11 year old daughter. We answered an ad in the paper that said, “Gentle saddlebred mare; anybody can ride”, etc. Our first mistake was to put our daughter on a strange horse before the trainer or owner rode her. The second mistake was trying out this unknown horse on the shoulder of a road rather than in a confined arena. Things were fine going away from the barn but the horse ran off with her coming back. Things really went out of control when the horse unsuccessfully attempted to jump between a parked truck and attached trailer and launched our daughter 30 feet into the front yard of the horrified spectators. She escaped with minor cuts and bruises, as did the horse. In the flurry of apologies and explanations, it came out that, “We didn’t run the ad; the horse belongs to my boss and we are trying to help them sell it. They are selling it because she is afraid of the horse.” I’m thinking, “You people are idiots and so are we!” At lunch, my wife Judy, said, “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.” Daughter Kimberly, however, said “I have to get on another horse. Today!” Sure enough, we purchased a quarter horse mare later that same day. This time, however, the seller rode her first and in a confined paddock. She also agreed to take her back in a couple of days if we got her home and things didn’t work out. She turned out to be just fine, except for one serious vice. She would rocket out the back of the trailer when you unloaded her. But that’s another story about how to buy trailers and how to correct trailer vices. At another barn, we tried an Arabian in a paddock. One side of the paddock was attached to the stable and tack room. Unfortunately, the sellers left the stable door open and the Arabian mare decided to run through it with our son on board, peeling him off at the door. Neither of our children were novice riders at the time. They had been on lots of horses but we didn’t see these wrecks coming before they happened. We know better today. As Paul Harvey would say, “The rest of the story…” is that buying a horse that day changed our lives forever. We can’t imagine a life without horses. Two of our children became avid riders. We had not planned to show, but a short 3 years later our daughter garnered 31 first place ribbons and several regional and national championships on the Peruvian gelding I discussed above. In 1996, she rode him in the musical exercise class at the national show, sitting backwards on the horse. Then we removed the bridle and she did the whole routine again with just a lead rope around his neck. Monte and Kim were featured in over 30 magazine and newspaper articles, nationwide. Our son, Chris, became a gifted rider, trainer, and exhibitor. He spent a summer on 3 ranches in South America, learned Spanish, spent a week with John Lyons and has performed at several horse shows and expos. He opened the evening performance of the Texas Equestrian Trail Riders Expo riding our Andalusian stallion, Magico, at a full gallop, freestyle, carrying an American flag and no tack of any kind on the horse. Another son, Bryan, is a fantastic photographer and helped us develop our web site. His 3 year old daughter now rides with him. Judy became our resident vet and is totally immersed in nutrition, breeding, foaling, imprinting and so many other subjects. I have been able to relive my childhood. We have also worked with handicapped riders. A dwarf, whose goal was to ride without being led. That was success for her. A blind child, who had never felt a sense of speed and freedom, because he couldn’t run or ride a bike. A man who purchased a Magico son has one paralyzed leg. He recently told me, “The only time I don’t feel handicapped is on the back of a horse. Every day with horses is a gift.” We are now good friends and his attitude inspires me when I have a bad day. I attended a clinic several years ago at the Maryland Horse Expo given by the famous Indian trainer GaWaNi Pony Boy. The lesson was, “How do I decide whether or not this horse is worth further consideration for me or my client, if I only have one hour to decide?” I routinely use techniques such as his bravery tests to guide me in matching people and horses. Once, they even helped me advise a client who brought us a problem stallion to fix. The stallion had behavioral issues, like biting and coming at you in a round pen standing on his hind legs. In a few sessions we had him where he didn’t try that with me or our halter trainer. But he would regress easily and test other people, so I had to say, “Geld him and hope it changes his aggression level, because he isn’t just safe for you or anyone you’re likely to sell him to.” The couple asked, “Why does he do that with us and not with you?” I immodestly replied, “I have four sons. I know how to be the dominant male!” They reluctantly agreed, gelded him, and the wife is now riding him with confidence. One last thing. Sometimes all this analytical stuff just goes right out the window because, “magic happens.” I almost never stand in the way of love at first sight. If I think it is completely wrong, I will point out the obvious. But on a few rare occasions, I have seen horses and buyers instantly bond. So I show them everything. And, I am not surprised when someone comes to look at a particular horse and buys one that isn’t even the same breed as the one they came to look at. Our first Peruvian mare literally, chose us. We couldn’t get rid of her or even get her nose out of the camera to take photos. The breeder and seller said, “This is NOT what you said you wanted. You said, seasoned trail horse. This is the High Point show filly in California with 11 National Champions in her pedigree; not even under saddle and twice your price range!” We bought her anyway and never looked back. She was, perhaps, the most noble horse we have ever owned. She was almost unbeatable in a trail class and would baby sit a handicapped rider, but puff up and show her stuff as a champion with an experienced rider. She lives on through her son and numerous grandchildren. Her son, Legendario, has many of the same personality traits. He is a Grand Champion show stallion, but is also our primary lesson and demo horse. We even let strangers right out of the stands at the Houston Livestock Show ride him. The best horses adjust to the rider. I can judge a person’s skill level in five minutes by how he reacts to them. Recently, a young lady who had taken lessons on him several years ago visited with a friend, who was a novice rider. The young lady is a confident, aggressive rider and he was pumped up for her. They could have gone into a class at a show. When the friend mounted, however, he would do little above a walk, even with encouragement. The young lady’s parents said, “What’s wrong?” They were worried that their daughter had hurt him or worn him out. I replied, “He doesn’t think your daughter’s friend is ready for a show stallion and he is baby sitting her.” Last year, New York’s Today Show featured an equine non profit organization in Austin, whose CEO is both a client and a friend. She called me and said, “Can you loan me a horse for the producer of the Today Show to trail ride?” After practically falling out of my chair, I replied, “I think we can manage that.” I brought Legendario for the producer and our top performance mare for me. The producer wasn’t sure she wanted to ride a stallion. The CEO of the featured agency assured her, “Trust me; you want to ride this stallion.” In ten minutes she had figured him out and a half hour later they were gaiting and galloping through 400 acres of bluebonnets. Read My Lips. No one will sell you a horse like that. Even if something happened to us, he would go to family or trusted friends. But you can buy one that could be like that some day, if you know what to look for. With training and knowledge, it’s not as hard as you may think to find a “diamond in the rough”. We could have never foreseen any of this when we purchased that first horse. So, regardless of your horse goals, big or small, we have traveled the road you are traveling. But with horses, you never stop learning. It is always a work in progress and every other horse person you meet has something to teach you. So, I tell people all the time. “Come visit. We may not have the right horse for you. But you’ll leave here with a much better idea of what you’re looking for and how to spot that diamond in the rough. And if we don’t have your dream horse, we may know someone who does.”
Does this work? In the past few years, we have marketed both our own horses and a few on consignment belonging to friends or clients, involving a half dozen breeds at prices from $700 to over $20,000. We think our approach of viewing the sale through the eyes of the buyer is a big part of why numerous people from a dozen states and even Europe have purchased over 90 horses through us in recent years.
