Buying Horses
Purchasing a horse is not a easy decision. You first have to be realistic on your price and expectations. It is a very expensive proposition to look at horses for sale with training and experience. To even purchase a foal with good bloodlines and no training run in the $5,000-10,000 range. Barrel horses for example are usually in the $15,000 range, if they have any experience on the barrel pattern. Calf horses are probably the in the same category because they are so specialized at their job. If you do not buy a horse with this experience you are in a position to be force to train that horse or pay someone to train that horse. I was raised in a home where we had to train all of our own horses. I competed on the same horse in barrel racing, pole bending, breakaway, team roping, and goat tying in High School Rodeo. It is so competitive today that it is unheard of to use the same horse for all the rodeo events! The exception might be a calf roping horse that can be used for the heeling side of team roping or pole bending horse that can be used also for barrel racing. Our sport has been elevated to a point where you HAVE to be able to afford a very specialized equine partner. My advice in shopping for the best horse fit is:
Make sure that you are purchasing from a reliable person. The equine world is pretty small, so you should be able to check your source.
Make sure that you do your due diligence and actually ride the horse. I have never understood how someone could buy a horse sight unseen or from the internet! I believe that you have to make sure that horse fits you.
Make sure that you spend the money on a vet check! Depending on the purchase price, I would make sure to at least do a basic check to make sure that you are not missing something obvious. I once had a horse that I reluctantly vet checked because I had a long term trial and the horse actually had a heart condition! (which is very rare as I understand for horses).
Even with doing all of your homework there is still a risk that the horse is not a match. In that situation hopefully you can find the right home for that horse where they can be a fit. Horses are pretty incredible animals and they can always fill the needs of someone with different needs than you or that competes in a different riding discipline. Once you feel that you have the right horse for you, the feeling is better than buying a new car! Pure bliss.