The Internet is becoming a well-used tool for many in today's horse market. It has its good points and its weak points. Its strongest asset is the ability to see many more horses and farms in a short period of time that you many not otherwise have seen. It also allows you to see potential horses in the comfort of your own home without any pressure from a seller. It allows you to get in touch with people outside your immediate area and if they have a web site you can see something of what their farm is about and the kind of horses they raise. It also gives you access to information that you might not have been able to get if you deal only in person, mail or telephone. The down side is on occasion what ends up coming off of the shipper's truck is not what you envisioned you had purchased. This is where a little research would have helped to avoid such a situation.
Your first step (once you have access to the Internet) is to decide what kind of horse you are looking for. Due to the vast amount of information, many farms have their own "site" where they post pictures of their farm and horses and tell about themselves. In order to keep from getting endless bits of information decide beforehand what you want. Make a list in order of preference such as: mare, age, height when mature, color, certain bloodlines etc. If you are looking for something special such as "proven, appaloosa colored stallion, under 34", Chianti bloodline" you can obtain leads to farms by using the search option on your browser (this is what takes you from place to place and you can "browse" the information highway). In your search option try key words such as "miniature appaloosa" or "Chianti" which will list sites with those key words in them. Also trying "miniature horses for sale" will always get you at least a few farm listings.
Sale boards are becoming more and more popular and are just like the "want/sale ads" in a newspaper where people post their horse and horse related items for sale. Looking at a sale board that specializes in miniatures will narrow your search. You can also visit the registry web sites, which often have an on-line classified ad section. Many people are buying horses from Internet contacts.
The Internet is worldwide so it opens a whole new availability of horses not available in one place before. You will often hear of horror stories of horses purchased via the Internet but more often than not if you follow the right steps you can make a satisfying purchase.
When you have found an interesting prospect or farm that has the type of horses you like sending an email asking for a sales list or more information on the particular horse. Use the horse's name when sending an e-mail.
Such things to ask for are pictures, pedigree, age, height, registration status, conformation questions, breeding record etc.
Once you receive your information study it carefully. If you find the horse is not for you be courteous and send an email to the owner explaining that the horse was not what you were looking for. If the horse still looks promising you can ask more pointed questions with yes and no answers such as: any breeding, carrying or foaling problems? any hereditary defects in the horse or their offspring?, sound of limb, any bad habits such as biting, kicking, and how do they get along with people and other horses?. Be as exact as you can especially if you won't be seeing the horse in person.
Your next step is to request a video. Do not buy a horse by a fuzzy field picture. You're sure to get something other than what you had in mind. When asking for a video ask for clear tape of the horse walking away and toward you to judge the leg conformation, walk him side to side so you can see how they move. Have them trot the horse so you can see if they are sound or lame and how they move. You can also see how their temperament is by watching how they react to being handled. Ask to see them loose in a field or paddock. Watch to see if they are easy to catch or like to play "try and catch me". See how they interact with other horses.
If everything looks to your satisfaction you should then take it to a more personal level and make any final dealings and arrangements by telephone. You can also go a step farther and "check up" on the farm, their horses and the bloodlines of the horse you are considering. When visiting a web site with farm pictures look in the backgrounds of the photos and see if things are neat and tidy or is their junk all over the place. Look at the condition of the horses. Are they well cared for looking or does the broodmare in the background have hooves that are long overdue.
Use your browser and search for the names on the pedigree one by one. Often you can view siblings or offspring. If you belong to the popular miniature chat groups you can ask about certain horses and bloodlines and often-other people have photos for you to see or may know the farm.
Buying via the Internet (instead of in person) is not for most beginners. A general knowledge of horses is an asset. If you are a beginner just be as precise in what you want and explain that to a potential farm and explain your use for the horse so they can help you to assess whether a horse would fit your purpose. For the most part people are honest but you still have to keep in the mind the old adage "Let the buyer beware".
Keep in mind if shipping out of state a coggins and health certificate will be needed. Make it clear on who will be paying the charges for these as they can run from $40-$80. The buyer will also have to pay shipping which from CA to MA cost approx. $500-$600. Shop around for a reliable shipper. Word of mouth is your best bet when it comes to shipping companies. They also are listed and have sites on the Internet (search under "horse transportation"). Pre Purchase exams can also be done before the horse ships. Purchasing via the Internet can be a fun and happy transaction if you take the right steps. If all goes well when your new purchase steps off of the trailer he will be exactly what you were looking for.
*The preceding was written circa 2008. Taking into consideration the obvious this information is still spot-on today.
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