Screening questions before you travel
Do the first round by phone so the viewing is worth the trip. Ask why the horse is for sale, how long the seller has owned it, what it has been doing in the last year — competing, hacking, breeding, resting — and what level of rider it honestly suits. Ask its age, height and breeding, and confirm the passport exists and matches. If any answer is evasive, or the horse's recent history has gaps the seller cannot explain, you have learned something before spending a day travelling.
History and health questions
Ask directly about lameness and injuries: has the horse ever been lame, had joint or tendon trouble, colic, or surgery, and is anything under ongoing management now? Ask when vaccinations, dental checks and worming were last done, whether it needs shoes or goes barefoot, and whether the seller is happy for your vet to see its records and carry out a pre-purchase examination. A seller who refuses a vetting, or wants it done only by their own vet, is telling you to walk away.
Behavior in hand and under saddle
Work through the everyday list: how is it to catch, lead, groom, tack up, shoe, clip, load and wash down? Does it crib, weave, box-walk or bite? Under saddle, ask how it behaves in traffic, hacking alone and in company, in open spaces, and at competitions or in new places, and what it does when it spooks or gets strong. Ask what bit and tack it goes in and whether it has ever bucked, reared or bolted — and watch the seller's face as much as their words.
At the viewing: ask while you watch
Ask to see the horse in its stable and caught from the field rather than presented ready-ridden, and ask the seller to ride it first — if they will not get on it, ask yourself why. While it is ridden, ask about anything you see: stiffness on one rein, reluctance to go forward, tension in traffic. Then ride it yourself, in the arena and, if possible, out on a short hack. Ask the seller to load it or clip it if those matter to you; a genuine horse shows nothing new.
Trial, vetting and terms
Before you leave, pin down the practicalities: will the seller accept a deposit, allow a trial period and on what terms, and is a pre-purchase exam agreed? Ask what tack and rugs are included, when the horse could move, and how the passport and change of ownership will be handled. Get the agreement in writing. Once the horse is yours, KinsLe's Transferrable Profiles transfer its profile from the seller with its history, health records and routine attached, so everything you asked about at the viewing stays on record rather than in your memory.