Policies and Recommended Practices

Good Hands Horse Training and Sales Buyer's Guide and Suggested Practices

Know your goals for your new horse. What activities do you plan to participate in with him?

Know what you can and cannot live with, as far as faults in the animal. There are no perfect horses! For example, a horse that is going to teach kids might have a slight unsoundness which would render him incapable of being a performance horse, but does not hinder the horse from carrying light riders. Or, a 4-D barrel horse might be high strung and nervous on the trail, will that work for you? This does not, by any means, imply that you will buy an unsound or nervous horse from us! We want you to consider all possibilities and be sure you are getting a horse that will work with your gameplan!

Be aware of your own capabilities. If you tell me you are a rider and familiar with horses, I will still watch to see if you are going to get in trouble, but better to be honest, first with yourself, then with your horse seller as to your actual experience level. (Many people think they are much better riders than they really are!)

Be prepared to ride and handle the horse yourself. I guarantee you, they will all ride for me (if I am showing saddle horses) but that doesn’t mean you will get the same results that I do. Ask to ride the horse in the same kind of situation you will be using him in, trails, arena, around traffic, etc. Pick up the horse’s feet, see him caught, saddled, bridled, and find out if you can do those same things. If I can do so, that indicates it can be done. If you can’t, then either this is not the right horse or you need to work on your horsemanship!

Have questions, and don't be afraid to ask them! No reputable horse dealer will discourage questions, and really, the only stupid one is the one you don’t ask!

Get a vet check, if you want to. This is at your expense but might be well worth your peace of mind. I have been in the business of looking at horses and assessing health from a very early age but this does NOT make me a veterinarian! Much better to leave those kinds of expert opinions to the experts and a vet check is a small expense weighed against peace of mind, your and mine!

Get other opinions, but remember, YOU or your spouse or child is the person who will have to deal with the horse on an ongoing basis. Someone else may love the horse but if you don’t feel it is right for you, DON’T buy it! Also, an outside person may have their own agenda for discouraging you from buying a perfectly suitable mount, i.e. a trainer may have a horse in mind that they will make money on, and will steer you in that direction instead. Have your own mind!

Find out what kind of tack you need to ride the horse you are interested in purchasing. Horses have differently shaped backs, much as people have differently sized feet. Saddle fit and comfort is extremely important and poorly fitting tack can result in a horse that doesn’t want to perform and may actually buck in protest! What kind of bridle is the horse used to being ridden in? If you are buying a young horse that is being shown two handed in a snaffle bit (don’t know what that is? Find out!) don’t think you can take him home, put him in a curb and neck rein him down the trail.

This goes hand in hand with being sure you are aware of what the horse is and is not trained to do. It is not fair to take a horse willy nilly out of one discipline and expect him to be accomplished in another one, or to take a young, green horse and expect the same results as you would get riding an older, more experienced animal.

What kind of feed is the horse accustomed to? Changes in diet can cause changes in the horse’s behavior as can weight gain and weight loss. Check with your seller to see what they recommend as a diet plan for your horse.

If the horse is being presented with registration papers, make sure they match the horse. This might sound odd, but you would be amazed at how many horses are walking around out there with bad papers. It is my job as seller to do that before I ever show you my horses, but for your own assurance, look them over! I will never intentionally or willingly sell a horse with the wrong paperwork!

Find out if your seller is available to you to ask questions after you take the horse home and find out before you buy, what your options are if the horse does not work out and under what time period those options apply. We have very clear customer service policies and will assist you above and beyond the average expectation