Trail Riding. Micaela Myers

      These two horses work well together, neither one acting up. Evaluate how well a prospective trail mount interacts with other horses before purchasing.

       Evaluation Tips

      Take your time during your evaluation. Don’t let the seller pressure you. If you aren’t allowed to thoroughly try out the prospect, move on. Here are some tips for evaluating your trail horse candidate:

      Get the horse yourself: Ask to go get the horse from her pen yourself, groom her, saddle her and bridle her, or watch the owner perform these tasks to evaluate how the horse handles them. Her ground manners are just as important as her behavior under saddle.

      Note her ground manners: If she doesn’t tie or has a bad attitude, note these facts. It’s inconvenient to have a horse that won’t tie or to have to retrain one to tie, and tying will be necessary in many situations. It’s always safer to have a horse that will tie well on trail rides in case of an emergency or even if you want to stop for lunch. A bad attitude about being handled and ridden could indicate physical pain or reflect the horse’s overall temperament.

      Let the owner ride first: Watch the owner ride the horse in an arena (or in a paddock if an arena is not available) to show you what the horse can do. Don’t consider a horse that doesn’t willingly walk, jog, lope, side-pass, turn, stop, and back up.

      Ride in the ring: Once the owner has demonstrated that the horse knows her basics, ask to ride her yourself. Again, have her walk, jog, lope, side-pass, turn, stop, and back up. A horse that performs for her owner but does not respond to you may not be a good match for your riding level.

      Trail ride: If all goes well and you still think the horse is a good candidate, see if you can take the horse on the trail. If the owner does not have another horse that he or she can ride on the trail with you, or if you plan to ride the horse alone on the trail, ask the owner to walk along with you while you go out for a short ride. Even a short trail ride in a nearby field will help you get a feel for how the horse handles when leaving the confines of an arena.

      Assess a horse’s trail skills: The more you can test the horse, the better. If you can, watch how she responds to traffic and water crossings.

      Test her trailer loading: If possible, ask to watch the horse being loaded into a trailer. Even if you don’t plan to trailer her often, you’ll need to do so in an emergency and, of course, when you take her home (if you decide to buy her). You want a horse that will calmly enter and exit the trailer.

       PREPURCHASE EXAM

      Once you’ve thoroughly evaluated the horse you would like to purchase and are happy with the results, it’s time to call the veterinarian. As with any horse purchase, your should give a trail horse a prepurchase examination from your veterinarian or a veterinarian recommended by a trusted friend. (Have someone other the current owner’s veterinarian perform the examination, as this can help to avoid a conflict of interest.

      Although the prepurchase examination will initially cost you, it could save you hundreds of dollars in the long run if the horse has a problem that is not obvious. During a prepurchase exam, the horse’s general health and soundness are evaluated. The veterinarian can also confirm the horse’s approximate age.

      No horse is perfect, and the veterinarian may find problems in the exam. This doesn’t necessarily mean you should rule out the horse, but make sure you understand any limitations the horse may have and the prognosis for her health and usability. Tell the veterinarian exactly what you plan to do with the horse so that he or she can determine if the horse is physically up to the task.

      This careful selection will help ensure that you and your trail horse have a long and satisfying partnership. Once you have found your future trail horse, it is time to take her home and get to work preparing for all the enjoyment and adventure trail riding offers.