OK, so you want to buy a pinto, but don't have 10,000 to spend, what can you do?
What you need to do is decide what exactly you are going to do with this horse, do you want to breed it or show it?Do you want a Tobiano or an Overo, do you know what the difference is, and what it will mean to your breeding program
If you are looking at using a mare for breeding,you need to know if she's had any foals, has she had foaling problems, and if she has had any illness or infections. When did she last have a live foal This is always helpful in determining her breeding status. You also want to know how many owners has she had in the past couple of years
Keep in mind that a bargain mare is not always what she seems, and your foal will tend to have the same temperament as MAMA, so make sure you have all the facts before you make the purchase
If you are looking at getting a stallion, you need to make sure that he has ALL of the necessary equipment for that purpose...the saying "two is better than one" is the key word here!
Once you have decided about your purpose for your new pinto, you can start looking in the local horse trader magazines, maybe check out those trail riding facilities, they often sell off older mares, and pintos are very popular with them.
Check out tack store bulletin boards, its amazing what you will find on those.
Call people in the business, if they don't have something for you, they may know someone who does.
Keep in mind that you are not going to find one with triple registrations, those will come with bigger price tags, so be prepared to have one that is half-arab or NSH registered, and you can do the Pinto registration yourself later on.
Don't be fooled by such labels as Homozygous or Pintabian, unless you know exactly what that means, beware.
There are many horse sellers who will tell you lots of things that are NOT true just to sell their horse. Do the research first before you go.
If you still haven't found that wonderful pinto yet, consider putting an ad in the local horse magazine, then weed out the replies that don't fit your requirements, remember "that too good to be true, usually is" so keep that in mind when you go see the horse. If you like it, have a vet check it over before purchasing it, the money will be well spent for your peace of mind.
Auctions might also be your next choice, so here once again, be careful about buying a pinto through an auction, even the experts can be fooled, and you can't take it back once the hammer drops
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