How to Buy Horses at Auction

If you are intending to buy a horse at auction, you need to be able to tell the quality horses from the problem horses. Remember that most horses at auction are sold 'as-is', so you do not have a guarantee and have little legal protection, even if the horse has a serious problem. Consequently, you need to do your own research on the horses in advance to identify the ones that are worth bidding on and the ones which you should keep away from.

The first step is to arrive well before the auction starts, so that you have sufficient time to look over the horses. Watch the horses are they are being unloaded and walked to their pens. The horses should display overall good condition and walk easily, without any sign of lameness. Given the noise and strange surroundings, it is normal for a horse to be alert and somewhat nervous; if they appear indifferent they may well be drugged or too sick to care.

How do the people unloading the horse treat it? If they are the owners and are gentle with it, apparently sorry to see it go, it is likely that the horse has been well treated. However, if they are treating it roughly, perhaps even whipping it into place, then it may well be an abused horse with associated problems.

When the horses have been moved to their pens, watch how they behave and move there. Any which have abnormal behavior should be removed from consideration. Look (without entering the pen) for any marks or scars, which may indicate a previous injury or even mistreatment.

Through these various observations, you will normally have already eliminated most of the horses listed. With the remaining horses, try to find the owner so that you can ask about the horse. First ask the owner to tell you a bit about the horse. Once they have stopped talking, you can move to specific questions such as "What injuries and illnesses has the horse had?" and "What bad habits or problem behaviors does it have?". Don't forget to ask why the horse is being sold, particularly if the owner is full of nothing but praise for it.

If the horse is still interesting, ask if it can be moved from the pen to somewhere where you can examine it without other horses. Don't go into the pen to examine a horse as the other horses moving about are too much of a distraction and a pen full of strange horses is simply too big an accident risk in any case. Run your hands over the entire horse, feeling for bumps or injuries, especially on the legs. Look carefully at the hooves, both top and underneath. While being careful with your fingers, check that the teeth are in good condition. Starting at the shoulder, put a finger on each side of the spine and firmly push, then move down an inch and repeat until you have covered the entire back. If the horse shows any pain or discomfort during this, you have a back problem which you need to be wary of. The horse may be slightly nervous during the examination but should not show fear or aggression at any point.

If at this point everything still looks good, add the horse to your short list. If you don't see any horses that you are absolutely happy with, it is best not to bid at all. Although the sale price may not be that high, the cost of ownership is substantial, so you need to be sure before making a commitment. Once you have finished your short list, set a maximum price for each horses; it is easy to get carried away at an auction and pay too much so one should set a firm budget in advance.

Prior to the start of the auction, you should also ensure that you have facilities to keep the horse and someone to transport it there. If you haven't made arrangements, discuss with the auction staff if they can do this or if they know a reputable person that can.

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