How to Buy a Horse in the United States | PetzLover

Which kind of horse suits your riding goals and experience?

Start with the job: trail riding, lessons, ranch work, a show discipline, driving or companionship. Then be honest about your experience. A horse with years of steady work in that job is a safer first horse than a young or green one, whatever its breed. Height is measured in hands at the withers; one hand is 4 inches.

Age cuts both ways. Older horses often have the most training, but PetMD describes horses as geriatric from about 15 years and notes that they need more support after that, so budget for senior care if you buy an older horse.

Where can you find horses for sale in the US?

• Private owners and boarding barns: the most common source. You can often see the horse in its usual routine.
• Trainers and breeders: useful for a specific discipline or bloodline; ask how the horse goes for an amateur rider.
• Rescues and adoption groups: many have riding horses with known histories. See how to adopt a horse.
• Auctions: fast, but you rarely get a trial or vet exam. The ASPCA warns that horses posted with a slaughter deadline and a bail price are often artificial emergencies.

On PetzLover you can browse horses for sale, filter by breed and location, and save the search to get an alert when a matching listing appears. If nothing suits, post a horse wanted ad describing what you need.

What should you ask the seller before you visit?

1. How old is the horse, how tall is it in hands, and is it registered?
2. How long have you owned it, and why are you selling?
3. What has it been doing lately, how often, and who rides it?
4. Does it have any vices, such as bucking, rearing, kicking, biting, cribbing or weaving?
5. Is it good for the farrier, the vet, clipping and trailer loading?
6. Has it had lameness, colic, laminitis, surgery or long-term medication?
7. When was its last Coggins test, and can I see vaccination, deworming, dental and farrier records?
8. Can I ride it on more than one visit, and can my own vet examine it?

Keep the answers in writing. A seller who will not allow a vet exam or a second ride is giving you a reason to walk away.

How do you test-ride and vet-check a horse before buying?

1. Bring an instructor or experienced friend, and wear a helmet.
2. Ask to see the horse caught and tacked up. Be wary if it is already saddled and sweaty when you arrive.
3. Watch the seller ride first, at walk, trot and canter in both directions, then ride it yourself.
4. Watch it load onto a trailer and stand for handling of its feet.
5. Come back for a second ride on another day before you commit.

The pre-purchase exam

The AAEP's guidelines say the examining vet reports findings and their significance but does not decide whether the horse suits your use; that decision is yours. Choose a vet who knows your discipline and works for you, not the seller. Discuss extras such as radiographs, blood work and a drug screen, which appear on the AAEP's exam report template. The vet records any recommended tests you decline.

What paperwork do you need to buy a horse?

• Coggins test: this blood test checks for equine infectious anemia, a viral disease with no treatment or vaccine. Penn State Extension says a horse that tests positive must be permanently quarantined at least 200 yards from other horses or euthanized. Texas, for example, requires a negative test within the previous 12 months before any change of ownership.
• Certificate of veterinary inspection: needed to move a horse to most other states. USEF notes that most states want it issued within 30 days of travel, and all states require a negative Coggins to cross state lines.
• Brand inspection: some western states treat it as proof of ownership. Colorado requires one before any change of ownership, by sale or gift, whether or not the horse is branded. Idaho requires one whenever ownership changes, and says a bill of sale does not replace it.
• Bill of sale: names and addresses of both parties, date, price, the horse's name, age, sex, color, markings, height and registration number, any warranties or an as-is statement, and both signatures.
• Registration transfer: if the horse is registered, get the signed transfer form for the breed registry.

How much does it cost to keep a horse?

Upkeep is where most of the money goes. A 2023 survey of 1,231 US horse owners for Synchrony's CareCredit, reported by The Horse, put basic yearly costs for one horse at about $8,600 for a backyard or pastured horse, $11,800 for a recreational horse and $26,000 for a competition horse.

Feed depends on pasture. A University of Kentucky equine specialist quoted in the same article estimates that a 1,000-pound horse without pasture needs 20 to 25 pounds of hay a day. Keep an emergency fund for problems such as colic, and if the horse lives at home, plan time every day for feeding, water, turnout and cleaning.

How do you avoid scams when buying a horse?

Fake listings use stolen photos of attractive horses at low prices, ask for a deposit, then add shipping, insurance or paperwork fees. The Federal Trade Commission says legitimate sellers will not require payment by gift card, wire transfer or cryptocurrency.

• Never buy a horse that you or someone you trust has not seen and handled in person.
• Run a reverse image search on the photos and ask for a new video with today's date on paper.
• Do not pay a transporter the seller chooses for a horse you have not seen.
• Treat slaughter deadlines and bail fundraising as a warning sign; the ASPCA says such horses can arrive sick, injured or contagious.

Use the Report Scam button on a suspicious listing, and report any loss at the FTC's ReportFraud website. Selling a horse later? Read how to sell a horse.