Every week I talk to someone who is searching for that perfect horse - almost as often I talk to someone who tells me the sad story of financial woe, unsoundness, or fear caused by an unsuitable horse. Successful horse shopping is best approached in a practical way for the most part, keeping your heart out of it and forgetting everything you read in Black Beauty. The following are my typical responses to statements from people who might be heading down the wrong path in their search for a horse.

"I only want to spend $1500." Get the best horse you can afford. You generally get what you pay for, so it is far better to wait a few months and save up for a horse with more training and experience. It costs as much to feed and show a quality horse as it does a mediocre one but there’s a world of difference between the two when it comes to riding them.

"I want a gelding to ensure even temperament." I have trained many horses over the years and I’ve seen just as many temperamental geldings as level-headed mares. It has been a rare mare that I have found to have significant enough mood swings during her heat cycle to effect her performance.

"I fell in love with a foal. We can learn to "bond" together." A foal without the well-timed discipline of an experienced trainer (as he would receive from his dam or alpha herd member) will soon become a pushy yearling and a willful two-year-old. A young horse which has been taught to respect his handler’s space and submit to authority is a pleasure to work around and ride. This isn’t a job for a novice. If you do buy a foal, why not leave it with a professional who can include you as part of the training process? This can be a satisfying (albeit more expensive) way of having a "custom made" horse!

"I always dreamed of owning a palomino." When I am looking for a horse for a customer, we make a list of priorities. It is unlikely that we’re going to find the entire wish list wrapped up in one equine package, so we have to decide what’s most important. If temperament, talent, or training is at the top, perhaps age, conformation, or colour need to be negotiable. For a novice rider I think training, experience, and temperament are the most important requirements.

"I want my horse to be perfectly sound." This is an unrealistic expectation, and, depending on the job that your horse will be expected to do, it may not need to be one of your top priorities at all. If you’re buying a horse for resale or physically demanding competition you will want your vet to do an extensive pre-purchase exam with x-rays. Almost every horse will have some questionable areas of soundness. Is there a high risk that with this horse’s workload, a potential problem will become real? If he does become unsound, can the problem be managed so that he is still useful to me? If not, would I suffer significantly, financially or emotionally?

"I feel sorry for the poor horse, so I’d like to take him home." It’s only the once-in-a-lifetime rescue story that gets printed in the horse magazines. The stories about horses that turned out to be unsafe and unsound are rarely heard. So often I hear of people following their hearts to buy an unsuitable horse. Inevitably, it becomes a financial burden and source of resentment to her family, or the cause of an accident, or just hangs out in the pasture and is never ridden.

Before you buy, make a list of the qualities that are important to you in a horse. Decide which of these qualities are negotiable and which are not. Save to acquire a horse with as many of these attributes as possible. Finally, enlist the help you sort through all the options and remind you to shop with your head and not your heart!

Lindsay Grice