What To Look For When Buying

When buying a car you might drive it to your mechanic so that he can tell you what’s right or wrong with it. An expert opinion is important in buying Standardbred horsepower, too.

Since you can spend between several hundred and several hundred thousand dollars when buying a horse, the expertise of your trainer and a veterinarian will be invaluable. In evaluating whether a horse is worth the asking price, or how high you should bid at auction, they will look at two important factors: breeding and conformation.

As a general rule, the best racehorses are the product of the best breeding; a prominent and productive stallion mated to a well-bred mare with a history of producing exceptional horses. Now and again, the farmer’s old mare is crossed to an unknown stud and a champion is born, but it doesn’t happen often.

No animal, however, is judged on breeding alone. Conformation—how a horse is physically “put together”—is equally important. Experienced buyers look for many things: wide-set eyes are said to indicate intelligence; a wide jaw, long and massive neck, and powerful chest mean good lung capacity; straight legs and feet suggest a good stride, which lessens the possibility of injury and lameness.

Excellent breeding or conformation—alone or together—still does not ensure success. Individuals who know about them are as much seers as they are scientists. Paying careful attention to these things, along with the wise counsel of your trainer and veterinarian, however, can maximize the possibility of getting a return back on your equine investment.

How do you know if the price, whether determined by the bidding at an auction, a claiming price, or the price quoted for a private sale is right? If you were buying a car you’d look at a copy of the Blue Book, but there is no such thing for Standardbred horses.

Again, the expertise of the trainer will be invaluable. He or she has bought many horses over the years, and can evaluate a quoted price in light of market forces and other criteria.

Trotters, which constitute only about one in four Standardbreds, can be a source of great joy for owners. They are beautiful to watch and sometimes race for higher purses than their pacing brethren because there are fewer of them. But they have challenges. They may take more time and patience to develop, and may be more prone to gallop in a race, known as going “off-stride.”

Pacers are more prevalent in harness racing, so it might be easier to find one that is successful at a lesser price. Since they race with the aid of hobbles, they are less likely to break stride. But there has been a speed explosion among pacers in recent years, and competition among pacers is often quite keen.