Horses and ponies: how to choose and buy a horse for your needs
The horse must match your experience
The commonest mistake of a newcomer is to buy a young, hot-blooded horse “for its looks”. For a first horse it is better to take a calm, trained gelding, usually from six to eight years old, which already goes under saddle and is not afraid of cars, tractors or dogs. A stallion is not for a beginner, and a mare can behave differently when she is in season.
For a children's riding club or therapeutic riding, temperament matters more than breed. For sport you look at jumping or dressage training, and for farm work at endurance and training to harness.
What to check before buying
- Height at the withers: ponies are usually under 148 cm, and for a child try to match the horse or pony to the child's height and weight.
- Hooves, legs, tendons and gait: look at the horse moving at a trot and at a walk.
- Breathing, coat, eyes, teeth, signs of parasites.
- Papers: passport, pedigree (for breeding animals), microchip, vaccinations.
- A veterinary examination before purchase is the best money you will spend, done by an independent vet.
What affects the price
Breed and pedigree, age, training (under saddle, in harness, jumping), achievements and health. Sport training and papers raise the price of a horse a lot, while a simple, good-looking, calm working horse costs far less. Add the cost of transport in a special vehicle, keep, shoeing and care.
What to put in your request
- type and sex — horse, pony, gelding, mare, foal;
- breed, for example Arabian or Thoroughbred;
- purpose — riding, children's club, work, breeding, therapeutic riding;
- age and height at the withers;
- training and temperament — under saddle, in harness, calm;
- papers and pedigree, health;
- state or city and budget.
Example: “I am looking for a calm gelding of 6–10 years for a children's riding club, going under saddle, about 150 cm, with a passport and a vet check. Near Sydney. Budget up to $2,600.”
How to compare offers
See the horse on the spot, and better more than once: at rest, under saddle, while being groomed and mounted. Ask for a video of how it moves. Find out its history: why it is being sold, whether it has had injuries, whether it has gone lame. The difference in price between similar horses is often explained by papers and training, so compare them against the same criteria.
How BlaBlaPrice works here
You write your request once on BlaBlaPrice, and owners and stables in your region reply in the chat: the horse, age, price, terms of inspection. The platform shows the best-fitting offer first, with reviews next to it. Your phone number stays hidden until you choose a seller. Details are on the “How it works” page.
For other farm animals, see the “Farm animals” section.
