Tips to Buying a good Reining Horse

Here are some tips that would be helpful when out looking for a new reining horse. I will be directing my comments towards a Non-Pro Horse:
1) Buy the best horse that you can for the money. This single expense is the most inportant expense that you will have. It will cost you the same amount of money to show, shoe, feed, bed, train, etc. that cheaper model that you can't get shown. And when you go to sell it, it is much easier to sell a better horse than one that is just "trying" to do his job, but never seems to pull it off.
2) Get professional help in helping you find that right horse. Most professionals know the market and know what will work for you. They will usually make a commission from the seller, but it is well worth it, to get professional advice. If the professional is helping you with the horse after you buy the horse, they will be more willing to try and make it work, if they were involved in finding you that horse. You can find some professionals on the www.nrha.com in your area.
3) Always look for the horse that is currently doing the job that you want them to do. We hear all the time, "This horse used to mark a 73, he has just been out to pasture for 3 years". Well "used to" is the most inportant word here. If you are buying him as a pasture ornament, then YES, he is the one!
4) Make sure that you get a complete vet check from a knowledgable veterinarian. We don't necessarily want a really picky, cover their "you know what" vet. We want a vet that has a lot of experience on knowing what might cause unsoundnesses in the future and what we can live with. Remember that like you and I, we are not all perfect, we have creeky bones in the morning too and neither are the horses that we have vetted. We would much rather have a horse that is REALLY good at their job, even if we have to live with a little something that we have to maintain. We would rather not have too, but face it, if you find a horse that is a perfect match with a rider and the horse needs special shoeing or needs some minor injections versus buying a really sound horse that doesn't fit as well, we would go with the perfect fit. If you are buying out of state we always draw blood and have the vet keep the blood for 6 months. We want to make sure that if we have problems later and we even think there was a problem, we can run the blood and see if they had been given anything. Most of the time they hadn't been given any medication and it sets everyone's mind at ease.
5) If you want to show, then buy a horse that is showing, don't buy a young horse that you can "grow up with". You will be frustrated with bringing along a young horse. It always sounds fun, but when your friends are out showing and you are home trying to get your horse to change leads, it isn't as fun anymore.

The following are some very funny things that we have heard over the years about people looking for horses:

I want to buy a young horse, maybe a 2 yr old, so my daughter (age 9), can grow up with him and train him herself, maybe even a stallion so she can breed him later. Are you nuts?? Your daughter won't live to the age of 10 and the horse will get spoiled and be useless. Buy an OLD BROKE, SAFE gelding.

I am looking for a horse that I can show and just have Fun with. I don't care how competitive my horse is.....I just want to have fun! Who "really" has fun when they are showing in front of a million of their friends and can't ever get thru a pattern, because their horse can't do the manuvers? It really isn't much "fun" to be last everytime. Face it, if we didn't want to try and win a little something, we would trail ride.

Anyways, you get the point. If you have questions, e-mail us boyleranch@volcano.net and one of us will try and answer them. We want you to be successful!!! HAVE A GREAT DAY!