Buying a horse is emotional.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re spending $15,000 or $500,000.

At some point, your heart starts making decisions that your head has to justify.

I’ve seen it happen hundreds of times.

I’ve done it myself.

The funny thing is…

Most buyers aren’t lied to by sellers.

They’re lied to by themselves.

Not intentionally, of course.

It’s simply human nature.

When we really want something, we’re incredibly good at explaining away the things that worry us.

After spending years working in dressage sales barns, I’ve heard the same sentences over and over again.

Some came from first-time buyers.

Some came from professionals.

Some came from trainers.

Almost all of them started with the words…

“I’m sure…”

Here are some of the little lies we tell ourselves.

“He was probably just fresh today.”

Maybe.

Sometimes horses are fresh.

Maybe it was windy.

Maybe turnout was limited.

Maybe he really did have an extra day off.

But if you find yourself saying this every time something concerns you…

Pause.

Ask more questions.

“He’ll settle once he gets home.”

Sometimes that’s true.

Sometimes it isn’t.

A change of environment can absolutely change a horse’s behaviour.

It can also make it worse.

Don’t buy a horse based on the version you’re imagining six months from now.

Buy the horse that’s standing in front of you today.

“My trainer will fix that.”

Maybe your trainer can.

Good trainers improve horses every day.

But ask yourself an honest question.

Do you want to spend the next year fixing problems…

Or enjoying your horse?

“It’s probably just because there are other horses in the arena.”

Maybe.

Or maybe that’s how the horse behaves every time it’s around other horses.

Competition warm-up arenas aren’t empty.

Lessons aren’t empty.

Clinics aren’t empty.

If the behaviour concerns you during the viewing, ask to see it again.

“I just need to become a better rider.”

Improving is part of riding.

But there’s a difference between being challenged…

…and being overwhelmed.

The right horse should stretch your abilities.

It shouldn’t destroy your confidence.

“He’s too talented to pass up.”

Talent is exciting.

Rideability is underrated.

One makes for a great sales video.

The other determines whether you enjoy riding every Tuesday evening after work.

“I’ll get used to it.”

Whenever I hear this, I always wonder…

Why should you?

If something already makes you uncomfortable before you’ve even bought the horse…

There’s a good chance it will still bother you later.

“He didn’t mean to bite.”

Maybe he didn’t.

Maybe he was protecting himself.

Maybe he was frustrated.

Maybe it was completely out of character.

The point isn’t to label the horse.

The point is to ask why it happened instead of pretending it didn’t.

“I’ll never need to clip him.”

Until winter arrives.

Or a competition.

Or your vet recommends it.

Try to imagine owning the horse in every season—not just the one you’re viewing it in.

“I don’t really hack anyway.”

Until one day…

You wish you could.

Sometimes buyers convince themselves they’ll never need certain qualities simply because the horse they’re looking at doesn’t have them.

“The PPE will probably be fine.”

Maybe.

Maybe not.

That’s why you do the PPE.

Never skip it because you’ve already fallen in love.

“The videos looked so good.”

Of course they did.

That’s what sales videos are supposed to do.

A good sales video introduces a horse.

It should never replace seeing the horse in person.

“He’s only difficult because he’s so clever.”

Maybe.

People often confuse intelligence with behaviour.

Some clever horses are absolute gentlemen.

Some aren’t.

Being smart doesn’t automatically explain away every habit.

“He’ll be different with me.”

This might be the biggest one of all.

Every buyer secretly believes they’ll unlock something special.

Sometimes they do.

But horses don’t magically change owners overnight.

Assume the horse you’re buying is the horse you’ll be bringing home.

Anything better than that is a bonus.

“I don’t want to miss out.”

Fear is a terrible shopping partner.

Maybe another buyer is coming tomorrow.

Maybe they’re not.

Either way…

Buying the wrong horse because you were afraid someone else might buy it first is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make.

“He’s perfect.”

No, he isn’t.

And that’s okay.

No horse is.

Every horse has weaknesses.

Every horse has quirks.

Every horse has things you’ll learn to work around.

The goal isn’t to find a perfect horse.

It’s to find the horse whose imperfections you’re happy to live with.

The biggest lie of all

There’s one sentence I’ve heard more than any other.

I’ve heard it from amateurs.

I’ve heard it from professionals.

I’ve heard it from people buying their very first horse.

And I’ve heard it from people buying their fiftieth.

It goes like this:

“I can live with that.”

Sometimes you can.

Sometimes you can’t.

The trick is knowing the difference before you’ve signed the contract.

Because once the horse is standing in your stable…

That little thing you convinced yourself didn’t matter…

Will probably still be there tomorrow morning.

And the morning after that.

And the morning after that.

Coming up in Part 2…

There are just as many stories we tell ourselves after we’ve bought the horse.

Things like:

• “He’s still settling in.”
• “He was never like this when I tried him.”
• “Maybe I just need a different saddle.”
• “I probably expected too much.”

We’ll talk about those in the next edition of The Little Lies We Tell Ourselves When Buying Horses.

Because sometimes the hardest person to be honest with…

…is ourselves.