It is quite possible to buy a good horse for a low price at an auction, but there are often more problem horses than good horses so you need to be able to tell the difference. At most auctions, horses are sold ‘as-is’ and without guarantee, so if you find a problem afterwards you likely won’t be able to get your money back. Therefore, you need to do your homework in advance to pick out which ones meet your criteria, after eliminating the potential problems (e.g. injured, sick, bad habits, or behavioral issues).
The first step is to arrive well before the auction starts, so that you have sufficient time to look over the horses. Watch the horses are they are being unloaded and walked to their pens. The horses should display overall good condition and walk easily, without any sign of lameness. Given the noise and strange surroundings, it is normal for a horse to be alert and somewhat nervous; if they appear indifferent they may well be drugged or too sick to care.
How do the people unloading the horse treat it? If they are the owners and are gentle with it, apparently sorry to see it go, it is likely that the horse has been well treated. However, if they are treating it roughly, perhaps even whipping it into place, then it may well be an abused horse with associated problems.
When the horses have been moved to their pens, watch how they behave and move there. Any which have abnormal behavior should be removed from consideration. Look (without entering the pen) for any marks or scars, which may indicate a previous injury or even mistreatment.
At this point, you will likely have eliminated most of the horses from consideration and have a short list of possible candidates. Try to find the owners for these and ask them to tell you about the horse. Ask what illnesses or injuries the horse has had. Inquire as to whether it has any bad behaviors, habits or other problems. Ask how it has been kept and what it has been used for.
At this stage, if you are still interested in a horse, ask the owner (or other responsible person) if you can examine it. If so, ask to have the horse removed from the pen to an area where you can check it over, since working in a pen full of strange horses is both distracting and potentially dangerous. Look the horse over closely. Carefully examine the feet (including the underside) and run your hands down the full length of the legs to feel for old injuries. Look at the teeth for excessive wear, loss or other issues. Put your thumb on one side of the spine and a finger on the other side and push firmly to see if the horse shows any discomfort or pain; starting at the shoulder repeat this for the entire length of the back. During your entire exercise the horse should appear alert but should not shown signs of aggression or fear.
If you find a problem during the examination, but not enough to eliminate the horse immediately, ask the owner to explain it. If you are not satisfied with the answer or don’t believe it, eliminate the horse. There will always be other horses and other auctions, so it is better to leave an auction without a horse than risk buying one which may have major issues. Once you have your final short list of horses, decide on a maximum price for each horse, as by the time bidding has started it is too late to think logically about this.
Before bidding on a horse, make sure that you have a place to keep the horse and to transport it there. If you haven’t made arrangements in advance, discuss with the auction staff if they know of a reputable person that can do this for you. At this point you should be prepared for the bidding. Good luck!
Duber Stewart writes articles on various aspects of Horse Care and is the author of Horse Auctions