Before you go to the great expense of buying a horse, you need to evaluate how good a rider you are, and just how much you really know about horses and horse care.

 

You need to be really honest with yourself as this is a huge commitment. Ask yourself what size and age of horse would work best for you as well.

 

Okay you have just fallen in love with a fancy looking horse and now what? What do you want to achieve and is this the right horse for you? Are you going to be hunting, driving, barrel racing, trail riding or jumping? Are you going to ride at all? You can get horses just to drive.

 

What about this horse's temperament? Quiet, feisty, pushy, nervous, or grumpy? If you aren't comfortable with horses, don't get a pushy horse, as you will find it stomping all over you. If you are planning to just trail ride, don't buy an eventing horse.

 

If you don't have much horse experience, don’t buy a young horse and try to train it. Your inexperience and a young horse don’t make a good team. Wait until you have more experience or pay the price for your mistakes, such as injuries to you and your horse, because of your lack of experience.

 

Take an experienced and knowledgeable equine rider with you to check out horses you are interested in. Its better they help you assess the horse so that you don't wind up over horsed (buying a horse that is way too much for you to handle). Your experienced friend can also ride the horse for you to assess, and see if it would be a perfect fit for you. If the current owner is riding the horse, and they insist that you don't need to try the horse, run as far away as you can, and keep looking.