A bit of a rant about timewasters...

[spotty_pony]

Sorry this is going to be a bit of a rant but here goes...

I have a horse for sale at the moment and am seem to be having the worst luck selling her. She is a lovely mare, still a bit green and a thoroughbred, all of which I am very open about. I've been offered insulting prices, been sent snotty comments about her not being worth anything and heard everything from she is too strong - and the latest one (yesterday) didn't want her because she was too well behaved! ? ? can't quite get my head around that one! I'm not quite sure what the poor mare has to do to find a new home short of stand on her head and so star jumps. It has certainly put me off selling any more horses in future - I am a bit of a softie and emotionally can't handle it but the people I've had to deal with have been the final straw! Anyone else had to deal with this or is it just me? Share your stories to make me feel better!

 

[windand rain]

Not just you I hate it once tried to sell a pony by advertising it to be told my carefully reared Connemara mare was only worth a couple of hundred quid as you can buy them at the sales that cheap. Try getting a well handled beautiful connie off Horsequest for buttons. Kept her in the end and got a sharer for her who promptly fell in love and paid the full amount for her. Have only successfully sold anything by word of mouth before and since

 

[Bosworth]

i had someone turn up to try out my beautiful well schooled 17.2 coloured sports horse. He behaved like an angel, schooled beautifully in an unknown outdoor school with young horses charging round in the field next to it. And she decided she didnt want him as he lifted up into canter and his trot was too elevated, all of which she said as though it was a bad thing, she really did have all the gear and no idea.

 

[thefarsideofthefield]

I had a woman make an appointment to view a horse . She rolled up 2 hours late wearing the tightest of skin tight jodhs and 6" stiletto heels . No hat , no boots . I told her I'd just sold the horse to someone else - what a shame eh ?

 

[doodle]

Trying to sell Tom (very cheep) to a quiet hacking home and advertised as such. “Will it jump meter 20s?”

 

[Bonnie Allie]

Selling horses is heartbreaking on a good day. I find that lots of qualification on the phone usually puts the numpties off. I use open ended outcome based questions. The clowns can’t define what outcome they are after or define something so far away from what we have for sale that we are able to politely say “sadly I don’t think he is going to suit your needs, so I don’t want to waste your time”.

 

[HazuraJane]

I was told in no uncertain terms by my riding instructor to not waste anyone's time by going out to see a horse if you aren't ready to make a move on the horse if the viewing/vetting goes well. No one has time to deal with tire-kickers who didn't read the advert and apply the information contained therein to their capabilities/finances/situation.

 

[Pedantic]

Far too many time wasters throughout the equine world, in all ways, not just selling or buying a horse.

 

[Fragglerock]

Many years ago I turned up to see a horse. They had omitted the detail about the great big scars on two of its legs. It was quite expensive, very green without a competition record but the main thing against it was I didn't feel comfortable riding it - it just wasn't for me. No matter how much information you give at the start, nobody can tell how they will feel unless they get on and ride it. You may think that's time wasting but I think I was the 7th person to see it which suggests there was something not quite right.

 

[Marigold4]

Just to counter this though, I put my mare up for sale on a local website, got lots of interest, turned away a few as not suitable, but ended up with 4 very nice riders and homes who were looking for exactly what I was advertising. All lovely and complimentary about my mare. I was able to choose the best home, go and see it and delivered the mare myself. It was an OK experience so not all are time-wasters.

 

[oldie48]

I don't think I've ever had time wasters as such. I usually have a good chat on the phone and try to weed out those who are not a good match but it's not always possible. My only wish is that people would be straightforward and say if they are not interested instead of saying they want to go home to have a think. I generally take that as "no, not interested!"

 

[Bernster]

I think you just have to accept that this is the case, both as buyer and seller. not much you can do about it but spend time asking questions to try and weed out the not right enquiries (or horses) but, as someone has already said, sometimes you have to try a horse and you just may not click. That’s not time wasting though.

i wonder if too well behaved was a polite way of putting that she wasn’t forward or buzzy enough? And too strong seems like a fair reason.

Views on value are obv very subjective but you’ve had two that suggest she’s over priced. They may be way off ofc and you know her better. If they don’t have the budget they shouldn’t enquire about a horse hoping to get a knock down price. I wouldn’t anyway.

Do you think people would send you a video of them riding so you can help assess? I saw a sales livery dealer requesting this and it seems like a good idea. It could put some people off but you’d def weed out folks that way!

 

[honetpot]

When everything was done over the phone I think it was normal to have at least 20 calls the first day the advert was out, as someone else has said you could work out those that were unsuitable. Its not very often I view something and I do not buy, because I have all the questions over the phone, so I would just make sure they speak to you before they come to view.
There are probably a lot more people who have had free time to come and view, some of which it will be a trip out and if they pitch you a silly offer or give an excuse which seems odd it just away to get out of the situation. If you look at some posts on Facebook the level of horse knowledge hasn't increased in proportion to the amount of people wanting a horse.
Now you can not advertise on FB it makes it hard to target your ad to specific groups, but there are people who love TBs, so I would ask on the relevant FB groups where to advertise.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/exracehorsesott/

 

[Frumpoon]

Many years ago I turned up to see a horse. They had omitted the detail about the great big scars on two of its legs. It was quite expensive, very green without a competition record but the main thing against it was I didn't feel comfortable riding it - it just wasn't for me. No matter how much information you give at the start, nobody can tell how they will feel unless they get on and ride it. You may think that's time wasting but I think I was the 7th person to see it which suggests there was something not quite right.

I wonder if I ended up buying this horse...where was it?

 

[sport horse]

I had someone come and try a horse three times - on their own, with a friend and with a trainer. They schoole him, jumped him hacked up the road and then said 'he is too big'. I replied that he was the same size as when they first saw him and the same size that was advertised!

 

[BBP]

I would probably be an utter time waster if I was horse shopping because I look for a horse for a lifetime, someone to be with me for potentially 30 years. So they might be a very nice person who rides well and ticks the boxes but if it doesn’t give me that feeling of looking in its eyes and knowing that it’s ‘my’ horse, I would walk away. And that’s one thing you can’t really get from an advert.

It’s like online dating, you can read the profile, send a few messages back and forth, and in person they might be perfectly nice, but it doesn’t mean I want to marry them. For me it’s the same commitment, bigger even, as I can bin off a person (For want of a better phrase), but not a horse!

 

[lannerch]

And why oh why do people seem to think TB should be worth nothing ,of the top of my head I think miners frolic , Bertie blunt And Over to you were all Tb and worse still some ex racers ? were they all valueless

 

[spotty_pony]

lannerch - yes I completely agree. People seem to think Thoroughbreds should be given away for free! The ones that are are usually the ones that have retired due to an injury. Mine retired sound and has started to be retrained so does have some value to her. I've thought about dropping the price further but have been told by friends that I would be selling myself short if I did. As time ticks on though, I could do with finding her a new home before the winter. Have put her on horse and hound website now and she will be in the magazine this week to potentially attract more serious buyers.

 

[Bernster]

Pricing is tricky especially in the current market. Too cheap and you’ll get more non serious buyer or dreamers I would think. But maybe they’re out there at any price point ?‍

 

[Wishfilly]

To put the shoe on the other foot, I went to view a pony today, got home and rang up to make an offer. The seller has now decided she wants the pony to go to a competition home- when I arranged the viewing I was clear about why I was looking for a pony and that I'm not looking for something to compete for the moment.

It might just be a polite way to put me off if she thinks I am not right for the pony- which is fair enough! I understand wanting the pony to go to a good home, but I just feel a bit disheartened/deflated by the whole thing.

Basically, I think it works both ways!

But I do have sympathy because obviously showing people a horse takes time and effort! I hope that you find a good home for your mare soon!

 

[oldie48]

I had someone come and try a horse three times - on their own, with a friend and with a trainer. They schoole him, jumped him hacked up the road and then said 'he is too big'. I replied that he was the same size as when they first saw him and the same size that was advertised!

We were selling an eventer, he was a lovely boy and only for sale as my daughter was going to uni. she had competed him right to the end of the season so we were heading into winter and he went off to her trainer on sales livery. He was tried twice by a woman who really liked him but decided he was too big for her, as we were heading towards Christmas I said I'd have him back and put him back on the market in the spring. Just before Christmas I got a call from the woman asking if she could try him again as she'd tried a number of other horses but still preferred our horse. She was tiny! She clambered aboard and I thought, she's too small for him but she rode him a couple of times round the arena in trot, offered the asking price, arranged a vetting and had him home before Christmas.

 

[stormox]

I went to see a horse that was very quiet, did his job and was perfectly behaved - I was honest and told the owner he was too well behaved for me, I needed more of a challenge.

 

[Muddywellies]

I'm glad I'm not looking for a horse - I'd be so worried about being deemed a time waster. We went to view a house this week which was truly lovely, but for some reason it didn't feel like 'home'. I just couldnt say why. In fact I don't know why myself. It all just has to feel right I guess. I wonder OP, have you put on the advert that you'll only accept phonecalls? I wouldnt book any viewings without having a very open and frank conversation with potential buyers first. Absolute honesty on both sides. I think you could weedle out those unsuitable by having a really good chat first (tho not all I guess).
Ps. Yes it was a 'house' we went to look at, not a horse. Not a typo ?

 

[doodle]

Better to decide before buying it is the wrong size. I sold a highland pony for a friend. She tried him a couple of times had him vetted and bought him. He was sold 2 months later as she decided he was too small.

 

[Fragglerock]

I wonder if I ended up buying this horse...where was it?

I think it was somewhere near Bath, can't remember the name now. I do know we spent 3 hours driving there and they didn't have anywhere I could even jump it and it was being sold as an eventer.

 

[HazuraJane]

https://www.equinelegalsolutions.com/uploads/4/0/2/5/40254925/hbc.pdf

As a buyer, I found this form helpful.
Perhaps sellers can somehow turn it around and tease out some of the pertinent information to help them weed out the tire-kickers

 

[mini_b]

Better to decide before buying it is the wrong size. I sold a highland pony for a friend. She tried him a couple of times had him vetted and bought him. He was sold 2 months later as she decided he was too small.

I know someone that has done this...
Baffled

 

[Bernster]

Great checklist HJ, v handy as a reminder