Inquiring about a not-for-sale horse?
I, like so many of us often do, have fallen completely in love with one of our school horses. For context I’m an adult amateur rider and starting to consider buying my first horse. I don’t compete and don’t plan to, but would love a partner to hack around with and love on.
I feel that I’ve built a very real bond with one of the newer school horses at my barn and she’s literally my dream horse. They acquired her last summer, so it’s almost been a year. The thing is, my barn isn’t one where they sell lesson horses to families (I’ve heard that’s quite common) but I’ve never seen it happen here, and I’ve been riding here for about 7 years.
So my question is, is it inappropriate or offensive for me to reach out and express interest in purchasing her? Should I consider asking to lease her first? (leasing is also not something they do as far as I know, but I wouldn’t hesitate to ask if it’s the right move). Any other thoughts/tips? All thoughts/advice welcome, I really don’t want to offend them. Thanks in advance!
Additional/optional context: I’m so intimidated by the horse-buying process and I love the idea of buying one that I already know and love, and ride regularly. Buying a horse I’ve met once or twice, quite frankly, scares the shit out of me. I also wouldn’t be able to board a horse at my lesson barn, they don’t have boarders. Not sure if that impacts the conversation - I know sometimes they can be more willing to sell if the horse is staying in the barn.