How to read a Horse Scouts report

At a glance

At the top of every report you will see three short lines: who the horse is, how high it jumps in public records, and how the price looks.

Identity: Confirmed — We matched the horse to a USEF or FEI number. The sire and dam also match public records.
Partial match — We think this is the right horse, but something still needs a check (similar name, missing papers, and so on). Ask your trainer before you call the seller.
Review needed — We cannot trust the match yet. Get the USEF or FEI number and papers from the seller first.
Level: When we have enough show rounds from Show Jumping World, we show a comfort zone. That is the height where the horse jumps most steady rounds.
Sometimes we also show a ceiling. That is a higher height the horse has cleared in public results. The ceiling is not the same as the comfort zone. It does not mean the horse is ready to show there every week.
Price: We show the seller’s asking price when the ad lists one. If there is no price, you will see No ask.
Fair range is our guess at what similar horses cost right now. We look at active listings, age, and jump level. It is not a promise that the horse will sell in that range.
For older horses, the range may be age-adjusted (lower than a younger horse at the same level).
For lease ads, the price line shows the lease fee, not a purchase price.
The last words on the price line (like “worth a call”) are a suggested next step. They are not telling you to buy the horse.

Words you may see at the end of the price line:

worth a call: Nothing big looked wrong in public data. Still send the report to your trainer before you contact the seller.
share with trainer: Some facts do not line up, or we are missing data. Your trainer should read the full report before you reach out.
verify first: The ad may claim a higher jump level than show records support. Or we did not find video at height. Do not travel until that is cleared up.
negotiate first: The ask looks high compared with similar horses for sale. Only keep going if your trainer still likes the horse.
hold off: We cannot confirm this is the right horse. Do not spend time or money until the seller proves identity.

Below those three lines, What to do next gives a longer headline (for example, “Proceed with caution — share with your trainer first”). It points to the same idea as the short phrase on the price line.

Report sections

Reports open in summary view. Tap or click full detail for tables, pedigree, comps, and source links.

Summary view: At a glance · gaps we still need to check · what to do next · fair price · a short list of questions for the seller.
What to do next: Our take on whether to call, trial, or wait. Includes simple steps and buttons to share with your trainer.
Is the price fair?: The fair range, how the ask compares, age context, and a short list of similar horses when we have enough comps.
Full detail only: Does the ad check out? — We compare what the seller wrote to registry data and video.
Identity & pedigree — Registry numbers, microchip, and a pedigree chart (sire, dam, dam’s sire).
Show record — Past rounds. We use Show Jumping World when we can and note when USEF counts differ.
Ask the seller · Comps · What we could not verify · Sources.

Comparable listings (comps)

Comps are other horses for sale that look like this one — similar age, level, and price band. We pull them from BIGEQ, Hunter Jumper Exchange, and ProEquest when we can.

Days listed: How long the comp has been on the market. A horse listed for many months may have more room to negotiate. A brand-new listing may still be testing price.
Win rate: When we have a USEF or Show Jumping World record for that comp horse, we show wins vs starts. “—” means we do not have enough data for that row.
Need more comps: Sometimes there are too few similar listings. The fair range is still useful, but treat it as a rough guide — not exact.

Pedigree and extra registry checks

Pedigree chart: A simple family tree: the horse, its sire, its dam, and the dam’s sire. We build it from public registry data. Use it to spot bloodlines your trainer cares about.
Equibel (Belgian horses): For many Belgian Warmbloods (BWP), we also check Equibel when we have a microchip. That can show extra show history in Belgium. If the ad mentions a Belgian campaign, we flag whether public records support it.

Price labels

When the ad lists a price, we compare it to the fair range:

Looks like a deal: The ask is below what similar horses usually cost. Ask why — sometimes there is a good reason (injury history, location, and so on).
Fair price: The ask fits what we see in the market for horses like this one.
Slightly high: The ask is a bit above the range. The seller may negotiate, or the horse may include training or shipping.
High vs market: The ask is clearly above similar listings at this level and age.
Need more comps: Not enough similar horses for sale to score the price with confidence. Use the range as a rough guide.

Color on summary cards works the same way: green = looks aligned, amber = check before you spend time or money, red = stop and confirm first.

What Horse Scouts is not

Not a vet exam. We read public records and listing text. Only a vet on the ground can say if the horse is sound.
Not a buy order. “Worth a call” means the homework looks okay so far — not “buy this horse.”
Not the seller’s agent. We do not work for the listing site or the seller on this report.
Not perfect. The “what we could not verify” section lists real gaps. Use those questions when you talk to the seller.

View sample report Research a horse About Horse Scouts