A new online platform for purchasing horses, which includes using a local assessor to visit the horse in person, has been unveiled.
Try A Horse is designed to simplify and professionalise the horse purchasing process in the UK by connecting potential purchasers to local assessors who can undertake a provisional assessment of a horse or pony, prior to the purchasers driving a significant distance.
The new platform has been designed to streamline equine sales and purchasing and is based on a three-stage process – find it, try it, buy it.
The ‘find it’ stage allows horse purchasers the opportunity to store the details of any horse or pony of interest in a bespoke ‘wish list’ located in a private area on the Try A Horse website. Users can rank equines in order of interest as well as adding notes.
Enlist professional guidance
The next stage is to find a rider for the ‘try it’ stage. For a small fee, users will be able to access a list of assessors who are local to the horse of interest. Purchasers can then select an assessor with relevant experience for their requirements before sending them video footage of their riding ability. Tiny Clapham, Lizzie Murray, Paul Gaff, Seb Hughes and Emma Forsyth are among those who have joined the network of assessors.
Assessors work on a freelance basis and consequently set their own hourly rates. Purchasers are expected to pay for two hours of their time plus mileage. The money is held by PayPal until the assessment is complete.
The local assessor will then visit the horse of interest and provide feedback via a comprehensive assessment form. As well as evaluating the horse’s ridden work and giving an understanding of their suitability for the required use, the assessor will also provide information on how the horse is to handle on the ground, their fitness levels, and how easy they are to load. The form also includes a passport check, details what tack they are ridden in and supplies information about the horse’s routine.
“As a former professional rider and now a mum of keen girls, I’m always trying to find the safest and most competitive ponies, with a busy life it’s challenging to travel the length and breadth of the country to source them,” said racing broadcaster Alice Fox-Pitt.
“It’s a really exciting concept that ‘Try a Horse’ will now narrow my list, saving us time looking for the most fun ponies for my kids.”
‘Rate my rider’
Once a visit has taken place, the potential purchaser can critique and provide feedback on the local assessor to help other users.
If the pre-assessment with a local assessor is successful, Try A Horse advises purchasers visit the horse in person and if they wish to ‘buy it’ they should undertake a pre-purchase veterinary examination with a qualified vet. Information regarding local equine veterinary practices can be found on the Try A Horse website.
“Try a Horse has identified one of the many difficulties that people face when searching for their next equine partner,” said Nick Gauntlett, British Horse Society Fellow, British Eventing master coach and international event rider.
“This website could save hours of people’s time, not to mention saving the sellers and their horses being put through many fruitless trials by people unaccustomed to assessing horses.”
For more information and to visit the Try A Horse website, click here.
Main image © Shutterstock.
