Questions To Ask Your Horse Seller Before You Go Look

You won't need to ask these questions in any particular order, or make your seller feel like you are interrogating him.  These questions can be asked conversationally.  You can skip questions or add your own.  Still, it would be good to have some of these questions answered before you waste your time or the seller's.  If you want to print this so you can scribble as you talk, we've attached a pdf below.  Print out a bunch of them to help you keep all the different horses and information straight.  If your seller will agree to sign a document stating all he's told you is true, you can print a fresh sheet (so he won't get to see any notes you've written), fill out what he's told you, and take it with you when you go look at his horse .  This might be a good way to weed out the dishonest traders from the start.
phone_questions_check_list.pdf
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Questions

How long have you owned this horse?
_________________________________________________________________
Did you buy or acquire this horse from: An individual? ____  An auction or sale barn?_____  Other?_________________________________________________
To your knowledge, will this horse:
Stand tied without struggling?  Yes_____   No_____ Don’t know_____
Stand quietly for the farrier?  Yes_____   No _____  Don’t know_____
Walk, trot and canter on cue?  Yes_____   No_____ Don’t know_____
Load easily in a trailer and travel quietly? Yes_____  No_____ Don’t know_____
Behave quietly while being ridden bareback?  Yes_____  No_____ Don’t know_____
Behave quietly while ridden along a public road or highway?  Yes_____  No_____ Don’t know_____
Allow itself to be ridden double?  Yes_____  No_____ Don’t know_____
Allow itself to be ridden with a halter and lead rope?  Yes_____  No_____ Don’t know_____
Allow itself to be caught while loose in the pasture? Yes_____  No_____ Don’t know_____
To your knowledge, has this horse:
Ever bucked with a rider?  Yes_____  No_____ Don’t know_____
Ever reared with a rider?  Yes_____  No_____ Don’t know_____
Ever bolted with a rider?  Yes_____  No_____ Don’t know_____
Ever suffered from any type of lameness?  Yes_____  No_____ Don’t know_____
Ever suffered from any kind of acute or chronic illness?  Yes_____  No_____
Don’t know_____

Would you, with supervision, consider this horse to be appropriate for a beginning or child rider?  Yes_____  No_____ Don’t know_____

If I come look at this horse, do you mind leaving the horse untacked until I arrive?  Yes_____  No _____

If I come look at this horse, is someone available to demonstrate how the horse behaves while being ridden?  Yes _____  No  _____

(If applicable)  Does this horse have a current Coggins certificate?  Yes _____    
No _____

Would you be willing to sign a document stating that what you’ve just told me is true and correct?  Yes_____  No_____

Notes:



Seller’s Signature and date: 


_________________________________________________