Best Type & Place for Horse Purchase

[paleraider]

So my sister just moved up to ID from AZ. She is an experienced horseman and will be purchasing some horses in the near future. I have taken it upon myself, as a loving and caring brother, to help her in this process to ensure her horses have "utilitarian" value. By which I mean hauling elk out of whatever overgrown hell hole I drop one in

As such I was wondering if you have any recommendations on the best bread of horse to get for the back country of ID. As well as any recommendations on where she should be looking to make her purchase would be appreciative. I am willing to go anywhere within 400 miles of Boise to help her pick them up. I don't believe she would be able to spend more than $10-$15k for the animal. Also no she hasn't ever packed an animal out on a horse, but step one is go get the horse, step two is to get her trained up!

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

10-15k for a pack/trail horse is a lot, that's performance papered horse prices. A grade gelding or mate with trail and packing experience is more like the 2500-3000 range. One elk is usually 2 horses to get out I. One trip. Facebook is a good resource of finding stock, contacting Outfitters is also available but they usually only sell their older stock. Contacting a company that leases horses can help as well but same thing usually older stock or stuff they can't lease anymore.
The breed is usually quarter horse or even draft crosses are good horses for packing and trails.

 

[paleraider]

That is good information, thank you. The $10K was most likely and that was to be for 2 not 1, I should have been clearer on that.

 

[BigAntlerGetter]

I kind of figured that after I posted. Ride the horses before hand get health certs before you purchase spend time with them. More than just a day, not saying all are like this but some will ace a horse to make it calmer as you try them, then you get them home and it's completely different. Get a health cert from someone who is not that persons regular vet. If your sister is experienced I'm sure she knows all of this, auctions are not the greatest places to get horses now a days neither are rescues(personal opinion).

 

[1signguy]

For 5k you might be able to find a decent horse but I would plan to spend $7500.00.

My deal when purchasing from an unknown person is as follows-

Here is a check for the agreed upon $$$. I want the horse for 30 days and I will have it vet checked etc. If the horse is healthy and works I will keep it. If the horse gets hurt while under my care- I own it... If the horse just is not a good fit or doesn't pass the vet check I am bringing it back...

If I am buying from a known individual/trainer or other that I trust I generally have the horse vetted and bring it home. In Idaho I would be looking for a horse that comes out or off of one of the Simplot Ranches or better yet feed lots...

IMO you are not going to find a better horse for trail riding and/or packing than a gelding who has spent several years in a feed lot.

 

[MesaHorseCo.]

Not completely true...you wont find a better horse for trail riding and packing, than a horse that has been trail riding and packing for the last several years

 

[MesaHorseCo.]

And you dont need to spend anywhere near 5k for a good horse if you have half an idea what your looking at.

 

[PNWGATOR]

I'd recommend joining the local backcountry horseman chapter (or similar organization i.e. North Idaho Saddle Mule Club) and get involved and get to know members and let them get to know you, your needs, wants and abilities. Horse trading is not for the faint of heart as there are some seriously shady folks in the business peddling less than desirable and down right dangerous animals. That said, there are some of the best folks and animals you'll ever meet in the equestrian world. On the surface it can be darn near impossible to tell the difference.

 

[paleraider]

That is great information on the North Idaho Saddle Mule Club, I will definitely have her look into that!

 

[rayporter]

if a seller knows ahead of time you are willing to spend 5 grand on a packer he will darn sure charge that for it.

 

[1signguy]

Everyone is different and their situation is different but you generally get what you pay for... Some folks might jump on a 5k horse and think they just mounted pegasus... Others who have owned and ridden professionally trained horses understand that for $7500.00 you aren't getting much... Its either an unfinished horse (which may be fine for some people who don't know better), a horse well past its prime, or horse with health issues.

At $1,000.00 bucks a month for training (that's generally with little live cow work) and it taking 2-3 years to finish a horse you see what you are getting for 5k. If I was looking for a trail/pack horse I would be looking for an aged out horse (6-9 years old) that was a finished horse. A horse that has been there and done that sort of deal... You don't get that for 5k and even at $7500 you are well off of getting that...

My only point is that the more you spend generally equates to the safer and fewer bad habits the horse will have...

 

[Bubblehide]

A true finished horse is a horse that will do anything and everything it's asked to do, to the point of walking/jumping... off a cliff. I would never want a true finished horse as a pack animal.

 

[Wapiti66]

OPs sister is an experienced horse person. She doesn't need to spend 7500 to have a trail riding horse IMO. Gentle is the best breed. A "finished" horse for that money can hurt you just like a 1000 horse. It's about their attitude and experiences and if they trust you when you introduce them to that bloody bag of meat, etc. I would look for an older horse that's been used for trail riding and preferably hunting. With patience these will pop up from packers moving older animals out of their lineup to older people that can't do it anymore.

 

[stumpy waters]

How the heck do you unlike or unthank a post? Not that I don't like it. Have no idea how that showed up.

 

[mfllood3800]

If you're serious about using it in packing out, I'd take a bloody rag and see how the horse reacts to that.
I had 2 geldings both Qtrs, one was 13 and the other 6.
I could run both of them in the mountains, across water, in and out of trailer- they were perfect on the trails.

but when it came to cows or blood they were a handful.
I was on the 6 yr old up above 10,000 going across a meadow and getting ready to drop in to a know elk route, and he freaked out, backed up and literally refused to go down the trail. I had the older horse tied to his tail and didn't want a big production up there all alone so I gave in and we went about half a mile further, turned around came back and I tried it a second time, he had the same result. He was not going down in there- probably a bear kill or something.
My point is they can be the best trail riders, but hunting adds some elements you need to know about.

 

[MesaHorseCo.]

Had an interesting day yesterday, made me think of this post. Few days ago a guy I know paid 5500 bones for a 9 year old gelding from a guy that his family knows. So I go over to check this horse out, we bring him to the trailer, tie him up, start saddling him, everything is going fine, start tightening his cinch and WHAM! back on his ass he went, breaking the welded tie ring clean off the trailer. Across the pasture he went dragging his rope and the ring off the trailer. People can say what the want and everyone has there own desires, and opinions (especially about horses), but ive taken in more than one free horse that never acted like that, and more in the 1-2000 range that never acted like that. It just goes to show, money don't get you a solid mount. It can, but not always.

 

[1signguy]

Had an interesting day yesterday, made me think of this post. Few days ago a guy I know paid 5500 bones for a 9 year old gelding from a guy that his family knows. So I go over to check this horse out, we bring him to the trailer, tie him up, start saddling him, everything is going fine, start tightening his cinch and WHAM! back on his ass he went, breaking the welded tie ring clean off the trailer. Across the pasture he went dragging his rope and the ring off the trailer. People can say what the want and everyone has there own desires, and opinions (especially about horses), but ive taken in more than one free horse that never acted like that, and more in the 1-2000 range that never acted like that. It just goes to show, money don't get you a solid mount. It can, but not always.

Hence my requirement that I get 30 days with the horse prior to closing the deal... A horse that sells for $5500 is going to have problems... That is why it is selling for that price. For a decent saddle horse you are approaching 10k in the current market. That price is just for a good/solid, healthy horse, with many years ahead of it. A horse that doesn't do things like pull back or spook at normal trail obstacles...

 

[Stefan]

There are a lot of excellent writings about buying horses from people! I suggest checking out a lot of those sites!
I think every horseman/women has met with challenging horse buying or post bought horse experiences of some sort.

Health cert, vet check (medical history to show vaccinations, etc, etc), test ride are some of the things I look for. I want to inspect the horse, watch it get tacked up, watch the owner ride the horse and then I will get on. Things to look out for, drugged horse (happens and more than I thought, seen a colt so drugged it could barely stand), a horse that was worked before you got there, watch how someone tacks up their horse. Also, pay attention to the breed of horses and specific breed characteristics.
Also, depending on where you live trainers aren't all that bad for cost. I have a guy that produces incredible reining horses and he charges $850 with board! You can find cheaper that will also provide a safe horse. Best thing for me and bonding with my big girl is solo trail riding! I took away the comfort of having another horse and made her reliant on me for security, safety. That bond has made all the difference in my mind with her. Good luck

Tips for Buying a New Horse - America's Top Trail-Riding and Equestrian-Travel Magazine | The Trail Rider

Things to look for when selecting a horse and key questions to ask

 

[NwLegends]

If your ever looking for a Mountain Animal hit me up, I use to buy twh and mules our of the SE, I can get some pretty good deals still


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[pacoalcracker]

Old post, but good info. I bought a finished trail horse 2 months ago. A 15.3 hh, 6 year old TWH gelding that rides and drives. A solid and healthy well trained horse. Paid 6K for him just on a 20 minute video of his abilities on the trails, ground manners and demeaner along with a vet check, current vac record and clean coggins from a very trustworthy stable owner in Kentucky and he is worth every single penny paid. There isnt a single thing about him that disappoints me. Even delivered him 550 miles for $500 which was very fair. Yes, you can get a very good and safe horse for under 10K. Just this past Saturday I rode him up to the garage door entrance to the farms butchershop where they had 3 hogs skinned and gutted and 2 hogs in the process of getting butchered....he paid no mind to it and he isnt at all spooky around gunfire either since he was only 40 feet away from the hogs when they got a bullet. Everyone thinks you need a QH...but it isn't so.