Best Places to Purchase or Adopt

Once the decision has been made to purchase a horse, there are several options available to find one.

Auctions

Local auctions are not a good idea for any beginner owner.

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Auctions are loud, and they're a new environment for horses. Sometimes, the horses are shocked and freeze up. Sometimes a normally calm horse gets nervous and displays bad behavior.

Experienced horse personnel can look past the flaws of the horses’ surroundings and judge the horse based on more than how it acts when frightened. Beginners need to have at least one experienced person helping judge the horses.

Online Ads

A quick look through CraigsList will probably show horses for sale. However, beware these ads if they advertise horses who are “dead broke” or “child safe” for a price tag less than $500.

Other online places to look for horse ads are breed registries. For example, the Arabian Horse Association has a marketplace section of its website. In this area, people can browse ads for purebred horses and Half Arabians alike.

Browse the Internet for various ads specifically for horses. Sale sites such as DreamHorse.com are convenient because it separates the horses for sale into their breeds and makes looking through a mountain of ads easier.

Always see a horse in person when purchasing one, especially when responding to an online ad.

Adoption

Horse rescues are available to anyone willing to work with a horse. These organizations take horses from dire situations and rehabilitate them for future homes. They can be breed specific, age specific, or situation specific. An online search can put thousands of horses on the screen from these rescues.

Horse rescues will need specific information about the home the horse will be going to. A lot of times, they want the potential owner to have a veterinarian, stable and farrier already set up. They may want to inspect where the horse will be stabled to make sure it is suitable.

Many people will roll their eyes at these steps, but it is necessary as the rescue has taken precious time and money to rehabilitate the horse. They want to make sure it isn’t going into another bad situation.

Breeders

Horses are as abundant as puppies in most areas. A lot of the times, local breeders always have horses who don’t fit into their program’s future. Whether it’s an old broodmare, a gelding or just a filly who isn’t going to work out for them, these horses often come with a hefty price tag. But that shouldn’t be held against them.

Responsible breeders uphold the standards of the breed, and the money used to purchase horses from them typically goes back into the breed in some way. Horses from breeders also come with a guarantee on what the horse will probably become.

Local Feed and Supply Stores

Walking into a feed and supply store, there is usually a bulletin board full of ads. From tractors, trucks and hay to sheds, heavy machinery and horses, there is something of everything on these. A lot of these are barns who have horses for sale or even horse ads themselves.

Bill of Sale

Once the horse has been picked out, the sale shouldn’t just stick to an exchange of money. A bill of sale is always a good idea, even if the horse is not papered with any breed registries. Bill of sale forms can be made easily online, like this one from Free Forms Online.