Purchasing a horse in general, and a Quarter, in particular, is the all-time dream of all horse enthusiasts. We’ve all dreamt of training our own horse and then riding west with it, but sometimes things are not that simple.

When buying a horse, you don’t think at yourself, but at the horse, at its needs and at your capacity to fulfill all those needs.

Sometimes, finding the right Quarter Horse for sale, may turn into a hassle or it may generate anxiety, but once you will be with your horse, you will see that it worth it.

Before purchasing a horse it is crucial to understand and decide what you want to do with your horse, then to determine what level of riding you have, see if you have the right place where the horse can stay (a fully equipped stable), and then, last, but not least, decide who will feed and take care of your horse. Only after having these key points clear in your mind you can start looking for a Quarter Horse for Sale.

Where to find a Quarter Horse for Sale

The best solution would be to go directly to the source. When you are looking for Quarter horses for sale in Texas, Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Oklahoma, Florida, California, Michigan, Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Arizona, Missouri or any other state, you may want to contact the Quarter Horse Association of the region. They will give you valuable information on the breeders of the region, their features and their prices.

If you are planning to travel or to take part in competitions you may also look either for a horse trailer or for a horse trailer with living quarters for sale, be that used or brand new. Again, the associations may help you. If they don’t offer a viable solution, try to look for these items online or at the exact place where you will find the horse.

To help you, we gathered a list of the best places, you can find a Quarter horse for sale:

Breeders

This is the first stop, whenever someone wants to purchase a Quarter horse. Normally, breeders can show you a wide selection of horses, of all ages, colors and levels of training. When working with a breeder, you always know what you are going to buy. They will give the horse’s full pedigree, as well as credible insights about the horse, such as bloodline, possible recessive genes, predispositions to certain diseases and even very important information on the breeding program of the horse.

Also, a major asset is that you get to see the place where the horse was raised and trained, so you’ll have the opportunity to know how to adapt your stable to the horse’s needs. Ask the breeder for the horse’s trailer. If s/he has it, you may want to buy it, as it is the place where the horse got used to travel. Using this trailer, you will spare your horse from a lot of fatigue and stress caused during the trip from its breeder to the new place.

Buying a horse from an authorized breeder gives you that extra piece of mind and a certain degree of certitude. All breeders must comply with the AQHA’s Breeder Referral Program’s strict code of rules. Members of the Breeder’s Referral Program have a solid reputation and can assure bred registered American Quarter Horses, meaning that you will not have to spend time on registering your horse.

Owners

If breeders are too expensive or don’t have what you’re looking for, you can always try to contact an owner. The owner can provide a full history of the horse’s health and performance level.  Also, you can find out more on the bloodline and on the horse’s pedigree, but the information it’s not always as precise as in the case of breeders.

This kind of purchase (directly from the owner), is sometimes the best thing to do. Before actually buying the animal, you can see the horse in its natural habitat. You can even assist some training sessions, notice the horse’s habits and reactions. You may even try to stay for a while with the horse, ride it maybe and just see if that is the horse for you.

Sales

Maybe you’re looking for a black or nice chocolate palomino Quarter Horse stallion for sale, or maybe you want a rather cheap racing buckskin Quarter Horse, but you haven’t found anything at the local breeders or at the owners you’ve been keeping in contact with. On the internet, or during different types of sales you can find quarter horses for sale in Oregon, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Montana and not only. The best part is that the whole procedure takes less time than in the previous cases, but results may vary.

Before starting to look for sales you should keep in mind that there are a multitude of sales types, and that not all of them are the place to buy a Quarter horse, especially when it’s the first one you’ve ever bought.

• Production Sale – here you will find a multitude of horses (young, mares, stallions even appendix) which are brought in by breeders. Generally, you won’t find horses with a certain training, meaning that you will have to invest more in training if you want, for example, a racing quarter horse, and results may vary depending on the age and on previous training.
• Consignment Sale – owners usually consign horses to be sold during these sales. Here you will find horses of all ages, sexes, and training. Still, usually you won’t have full access to a multitude of background information about the horse, as these horses come from a variety of places and backgrounds.
• A piece of advice for all the beginners: if you want to purchase a horse at a consignment sale, arrive before the sale begins and take your time to observe the horses. Also, you may want to locate the owner and to have a small conversation with him about the horse. You will want to ask him at least three questions or apply the DHP strategy (asking about the horse’s Disposition, Health and Performance).
• Racing Sale – the perfect place to find racing horses, but sometimes you may take part in mixed sales, which bring together both racing and breeding horses. Usually in these sales you will find horses between 12 and 24 months, trained to take part in two-year-old races. You won’t find a fixed price, as they always oscillate depending on the demand and on the market.
• Dispersal Sale – almost like a production sale, a dispersal features horses of a known person. The horse’s characteristics may vary, as well as the prices. If the person is well-known, then the price may be a bit higher than for the other sales we have seen so far.

Professionals

Trainers or even jockeys can become agents for prospective buyers. If you think of buying a horse, you may want to firstly talk to a trainer, as s/he may know somebody that knows somebody… Talking about your needs with a trainer, may lead you to your dream horse.

Trainers may charge a commission, but it’s a small price for your ideal horse. Another good point of working with a pro is that,  as your horse will need further training, you can continue a collaboration with that person even after the purchase is over. Whatever horse you decide to buy, remember that buying it doesn’t mean that the horse’s needs are over. Immediately after taking the horse into your custody, you have to look for a trainer. Try to choose AQHA’s Professional Horsemen, as they are respected and experience members of the equine world who will fully follow and respect the AQHA’s rules and regulations.

Other locations:

• State or Provincial American Quarter Horse Affiliates. The AQHA recognizes them and you may find something nice and cheap there. Also, you will have full access to the horse’s background, somehow like in the case of the owners.
• Trading posts – sometimes, in big feed stores or even in tack stores you may find valuable information about a horse, or about somebody selling a horse.
• Ads in the American Quarter Horse Journal – the journal has always been a reliable source of information. If all the other options failed to meet your expectations, you may want to try these ads.
• Specialized websites

When it comes to horses and to purchasing a horse, patience is the key word. If you don’t find the right horse, it’s better to wait. Take breeder’s numbers, keep in touch with the AQHA and subscribe to different websites that assure the promotion of horse selling events and have patience. Your horse is somewhere waiting for you.

For more news and updates on Quarter Horses or on American Quarter Horses sales, you can subscribe to the TodaysEquine newsletter. The easiest way to be up to date to everything that happens in the world of American Quarter Horse.

Photo credit: 1, 2, 3, www.aqha.com, americashorsedaily.com, www.ecuestre.net, www.equine.com

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