Since most international purchases of horses begin with a video, it is important for buyers to know how to view them. A well-produced sales video is merely an advertisement, one that has been made attractive using music and the most favourable camera angles. It addresses only one question: is this horse worth more of your time? No other question is answered.
If you’re intending to go beyond the marketing stuff, ask for the actual footage and make it clear what you need. Get an unedited piece of it, with no music in, that shows all three gaits on both reins, together with the transitions. Also, request to see the horse being caught, groomed, tied up and mounted so that you can assess its behaviour and movement. It’s important to watch the walk on a loose rein and on a hard surface since this gait is the easiest to conceal in a video but at the same time the most important one. You should watch the first few minutes when the horse is fresh, not after it has been warmed up, because it is in those early moments that you can see the horse’s true character. The fact that a seller is prepared to give you all this is a positive sign. The fact that they only send a short highlight nevertheless says something as well.
It is essential to keep in mind that advanced buyers do not base their decisions solely on videos. The following step is to have a professional independent of your circle try the horse and provide you with honest feedback; this could be your own trainer or a rider you trust who is already in Europe. We can assist you with this as well. Our sport partner, an international-level rider, can ride the horse for you and give you a true idea of what it’s like, a thing that videos are incapable of doing.