Why did the barn owner sell her horse Dakota?

One minute, Dakota’s owner was selling him because she had lost her job, the next, because she was moving. The barn owner told me Dakota had been purchased from a private owner a year ago, and then in the next breath, that he had been bought from a broker out of state.

What did you need to know before buying a horse?

In fact, I felt as if I was the world’s most informed horse shopper before I bought Dakota. I had been a rider for decades and was confident in my ability to buy the right horse. I wasn’t rushing the horse-buying process, either.

Can a bill of sale be invalid when buying a horse?

Emotion can quickly overwhelm rational judgement when horse shopping. Only then did I realize that the bill of sale in my hand could be invalid: It had been signed by the barn owner on behalf of the owner, whom I never met in person.

Is the horse Dakota too good to be true?

Red Flag: Dakota seemed too good to be true. This horse had apparently done and been everything. He’d been a lesson horse, a ranch horse, a therapy horse and that wonderful horse some older lady rode “all over before he was sold to the current owner.” On the spookiness scale of one to 10, he was a zero.

Can you be taken in by a horse trader?

Don’t be taken in by a savvy horse trader. Here’s how I’ll protect myself from making mistakes when buying a horse in the future—and you can, too. I was not a horse shopping newbie. In fact, I felt as if I was the world’s most informed horse shopper before I bought Dakota.

Why did I want to buy a trail horse?

Loud noises and flapping arms, he took it all in stride. I was told he was being sold because of family hardship. When I tied him up, away from his herd, he didn’t act the least bit concerned. He seemed calm, self-assured, bombproof—just the sort of trail horse I was looking for. It helped that he had a gorgeous coat and soft brown eyes.