Without Even Trying!

(“. . . things which are independent of how well he performs dressage movements . . .”)  

I admire optimists. It’s so refreshing to see an otherwise sane person climb out on a limb with her saw in hand. I only wish she knew how the odds were stacked up against her. That’s my take on buying a horse off an online video without going to try it in person.

To me there are only two circumstances where it might be appropriate to take that chance: if the horse is young enough that he is unbroke and all you’re going to do is look at him run around anyway or if he is incredibly cheap, and if he doesn’t work out you won’t mind having lost the money you paid.

Otherwise, I think it’s generally a terrible idea. If you really trust a very knowledgeable friend or trainer who can get on the horse and try it for you and make a valid judgment on how appropriate the horse is, then maybe. Maybe!

But particularly if you are an adult amateur rider, I think the most important quality a prospective horse must have is a personality that’s compatible with yours. By that I don’t mean does he like to kiss you on the nose or have his withers scratched. I mean is he “hard” or “soft?” Is he pushy? Opinionated? Easily offended? Is he hot to the aids or dull? These are all c, and they are generally not things you can determine from a video.

With enough talent and experience a rider can either reshape some of these inherent qualities or at least adjust to live with them. That’s easier if someone is paying you to ride the horse. If you are a typical amateur, no matter how talented the horse is, he must be of a sort that you can deal with successfully and have a good time.

You really need to go try him, ideally more than once. And I mean TRY HIM. If he is an upper level horse, you don’t necessarily have to try every single movement on him, although it would be wise to at least see his trainer perform them. But do see how he moves off the leg, how heavy or light he is, what he feels like in every gait, and what he’s like outside. It’s also a good idea on your second visit to see what he’s like if you get on him cold–right out of the stall, not lunged, not warmed up for you.

Yes, I know it can be expensive and time consuming, but ending up with the wrong horse is worse. The plane ticket now will be cheaper than a pack of “shoulda woulda”s that will follow you for years.