A reasonable time frame to keep a horse for a buyer?

[The wife]

Quick question. What would you deem to be an acceptable length of time for a seller to keep a buyers new purchase? In the past we have kept horses for up to 3 weeks for buyers after deposit has been received.

After my crap day today i am now hetting a bit of pressure from seller to collect an animal asap. Quickest I can do is next weekend, 10 days after deposit paid. I bought unseen and was quick in my decision with cash paid on collection. Is this an unreasonable time frame? Or am i being unreasonable asking for 10 days? I have tried several transporters and none of them can do it quicker.

 

[FlyingCircus]

A week.

 

[AppyLover]

I agreed to buy Ted and 2 weeks later he was delivered and I paid in full on delivery.

 

[rowan666]

The only time I bought completely unseen I collected 2 days later, seller was desperate to get rid due to personal circumstances and there was no time to waste or horse would have been snapped up by someone else so i moved heaven and earth to make sure I got there ASAP. The longest I have waited after selling is about 10 days, I was in no rush either time and deposit was paid so I would have been happy to wait a few weeks BUT I have my own place where they live out so costs to me were minimal and I wasn't needing the space for another one arriving, had I have been on a livery yard I would have been asking buyer to at least cover livery costs for anything after a week

 

[Squeak]

It would massively depend on circumstances how long I was willing to keep the horse, after a sale has been agreed I'm happier that the horse goes asap but if it was a good genuine home and there was a proper reason that it couldn't be picked up for ten days I would happily keep hold of the horse if a deposit has been paid.

 

[Goldenstar]

I collect a horse on the day of the vetting or the day after .
I would not dream of leaving it longer you want them home and get them into work as soon as possible after the vetting.

 

[Shooting Star]

If the deposit was paid at time of viewing then no, 10 days would seem quite reasonable to me. If however it wasn't paid until after a vetting then I think I'd expect by the weekend following the vetting.

Partly depends on the value though, I would be willing to go longer for a high cost, high deposit sale - call me fickle! :biggrin3:

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

I kept a yearling for six weeks due to transporter difficulties, but it was summer and I just billed at cost. The filly was paid for, so no longer in my ownership.

 

[FfionWinnie]

I kept one for 2 weeks but I wasn't very pleased about it as if something had gone wrong in that time it would have been a pain. As it was they got her sooner than that. Never taken me 10 days to get a transporter tho, even from Ireland to Scotland!

 

[The wife]

Thanks for the replies. It's not by choice, I want this horse home asap. We have been looking for nigh on a year for one that is good enough to do HOYS classes competitively and after so many let downs I just want to get him home now, especially as I have bought unseen or that I haven't messed about dragging out the process with a vetting etc. (Not that there is anything wrong with vettings it's just they can prolong the timeframe)

My problem with the local transporters seems to be the distance, it's an 8 hour trip and no-one seems particularly willing to do it...

 

[wills_91]

Where are you? Maybe someone could recommend a transporter.

 

[Ladyinred]

Thanks for the replies. It's not by choice, I want this horse home asap. We have been looking for nigh on a year for one that is good enough to do HOYS classes competitively and after so many let downs I just want to get him home now, especially as I have bought unseen or that I haven't messed about dragging out the process with a vetting etc. (Not that there is anything wrong with vettings it's just they can prolong the timeframe)

My problem with the local transporters seems to be the distance, it's an 8 hour trip and no-one seems particularly willing to do it...

Have you tried the bigger transport companies, they might fetch him as a part load?

 

[be positive]

I think 10 days is reasonable, from earlier threads this is a youngster so they should not be having to worry about keeping it exercised or the same considerations there would be for a ridden horse, they have a deposit so if you did pull out they are not out of pocket, I usually expect them to be collected within a day or two of vetting but have honoured holiday commitments at times and often with vettings involved it can run into 10 days or more anyway.

I suspect they are worried that as you bought unseen you may get cold feet at the last minute, they don't know you, have not met you so I can understand that concern, I sold one unseen although to someone who knew the horse and his previous owner and did have a few minor panics until they arrived to collect him as it was delayed once but it went as planned eventually.

 

[The wife]

I think 10 days is reasonable, from earlier threads this is a youngster so they should not be having to worry about keeping it exercised or the same considerations there would be for a ridden horse, they have a deposit so if you did pull out they are not out of pocket, I usually expect them to be collected within a day or two of vetting but have honoured holiday commitments at times and often with vettings involved it can run into 10 days or more anyway.

I suspect they are worried that as you bought unseen you may get cold feet at the last minute, they don't know you, have not met you so I can understand that concern, I sold one unseen although to someone who knew the horse and his previous owner and did have a few minor panics until they arrived to collect him as it was delayed once but it went as planned eventually.

I never actually thought about it from that perspective about cold feet as I am the sort of person who honours my word, although I can appreciate alot of people don't. The seller has actually messaged me this morning asking if it would help if she brought him up to us, which to be fair is an ideal solution for us as saves dragging our 7.5t lorry down there and the time it would take to do so.

 

[ycbm]

I expect payment in full as soon as the horse has passed the vet I'm afraid. Anything can happen, the horse could give itself an injury which would cause serious loss of value and/or mean months of rehab, and if I was going to keep a horse that has 'sold' I would expect payment, though I wouldn't charge for its keep for a week.

 

[xspiralx]

I would say about a week - 10 days is absolutely fine, but for anything more than a couple of days I would expect to be billed for the horse's keep after that period. It's also something I would raise before purchase. I bought my mare about a month ago but I was going on holiday straight after the vetting so I checked with the sellers if it would be okay to keep her for about 10 days until I could get her delivered. It was fine, but they did charge me full livery for that period.

ETA - I have just seen you've not paid for the horse yet. To be honest as a seller I wouldn't consider the horse really sold until paid for in full, so I would expect a bank transfer prior to collection if there was going to be any meaningful delay.

 

[be positive]

I never actually thought about it from that perspective about cold feet as I am the sort of person who honours my word, although I can appreciate alot of people don't. The seller has actually messaged me this morning asking if it would help if she brought him up to us, which to be fair is an ideal solution for us as saves dragging our 7.5t lorry down there and the time it would take to do so.

That sounds like the ideal solution, they also get to meet you which for many people will put their minds at rest as to where the horse is going, they collect the cash on delivery, I would not expect you to pay prior to collection/ delivery in these circumstances, it works both ways if it gets injured at the old home before collection if it has not been vetted I would not expect the new owners to deal with it although it is a tricky situation and would happen very rarely.
I would not ask for livery for the time waiting that would be built into the price, it can take months to sell so waiting a week or so for collection following a quick sale seems fair enough to me.

 

[popsdosh]

I would say about a week - 10 days is absolutely fine, but for anything more than a couple of days I would expect to be billed for the horse's keep after that period. It's also something I would raise before purchase. I bought my mare about a month ago but I was going on holiday straight after the vetting so I checked with the sellers if it would be okay to keep her for about 10 days until I could get her delivered. It was fine, but they did charge me full livery for that period.

ETA - I have just seen you've not paid for the horse yet. To be honest as a seller I wouldn't consider the horse really sold until paid for in full, so I would expect a bank transfer prior to collection if there was going to be any meaningful delay.

I would keep however long the buyer requested within reason however would expect full payment as soon as deal finalised as YCBM says to much can go wrong between then and pickup. Why should the seller carry that risk? If you bought it at auction it would be your responsibility before you paid for it even. I cannot understand all this pay when you pick up as it causes so many difficulties . Whenever I sell horses I dont take deposits as they are meaningless I always make it clear the horse is still om the market until paid for in full ,I and others get messed about to much to work in any other way

 

[The wife]

If it makes any difference as well I have offered the full asking price for it as well and didn't even bother negotiating on price. Considering for sales livery we used to put about 10%-20% on top of the price owners wanted on horses, I actually think they have a decent buyer I too would never consider asking for livery. This used to be on the onus of the old owners and up to them to negotiate but as my first post on this we have had one for 3 weeks. That was nerve racking but it's a risk you take to be honest when selling.

No, I will not be paying a penny until he is in my possession ie) on my yard or in my box. They agreed cash on collection and so will stick to this. I have paid a decent % deposit of his overall price as well which went via BACS immediately after my decision to buy him

Just pleased it's all sorted now so we can get the fella here.

 

[Deltic Blue]

I think I've sometimes had to wait up to 2 weeks to arrange transport to collect a new horse, or arrange delivery from the seller. I think that's pretty reasonable. Now I've got my own box though I would collect ASAP

Glad you've got it all sorted, bet you can't wait to have him home

 

[Maesfen]

I've had many horses transported by non local companies over the years; my favourite is Adam Gibson; he's from Yorkshire and I'm in Cheshire or Kate Tebbitts from Stafford, so not being local to you does not mean you won't find someone reliable; they travel nationwide after all.

I'm another who likes them gone ASAP after decision/vetting and even with a deposit, I never consider them sold to that buyer until they are out of the yard and/or paid in full. It's sod's law that something will go wrong even in a field they've been in all their life; it's a very nerve wracking time for a seller, even one who does it regularly.

ETA - just seen your post. That's going to be a very nerve wracking trip for them if he's still not paid for in full; I think they're being very generous to allow you to pay only on delivery unless they already have him insured for the right amount of course.

 

[Charlie007]

I kept last horse I sold for a month on livery. I really wanted this person to have him and she had to wait for a few things to slot into place so I was more than happy to wait.

 

[9tails]

If you have a 7.5 ton lorry, why don't you collect him? I can understand transport problems as I had to wait a week to hire a 3.5 ton when collecting.

 

[Tiddlypom]

The seller has actually messaged me this morning asking if it would help if she brought him up to us, which to be fair is an ideal solution for us as saves dragging our 7.5t lorry down there and the time it would take to do so.

If you have a 7.5 ton lorry, why don't you collect him?

Erm, quite.

Tbh, you're buying a potential HOYs horse unseen and unvetted, and you have a 7.5t lorry but are delaying the collection? Alarm bells would be ringing if I was the vendor.

I'd expect payment in full within a couple of days of agreeing the sale or immediately after the vetting, plus livery if collection is delayed.

 

[s4sugar]

My problem with the local transporters seems to be the distance, it's an 8 hour trip and no-one seems particularly willing to do it...
Not surprised as that would need to be over two days for someone with a tachograph.

 

[Red-1]

Why not meet in the middle? You could do the a swap at an equestrian venue, with permission and perhaps a fee.

 

[MrsNorris]

I kept one for 2 weeks but I wasn't very pleased about it as if something had gone wrong in that time it would have been a pain. As it was they got her sooner than that. Never taken me 10 days to get a transporter tho, even from Ireland to Scotland!

This, as soon as the vetting is done, I like to see them gone asap, just in case..

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I'd want to collect asap if not sooner! But understand OP's situation re. transport as I don't have transport either.

In the circumstances, OP is doing her best to arrange something - but I think it would be perfectly reasonable for the seller to expect the buyer to pay for livery for the interim period from the date of purchase to the time the horse is collected.

Am presuming that the insurance position has been clarified? i.e. that adequate insurance exists in this interim period in case something should occur to the horse??

 

[popsdosh]

I'd want to collect asap if not sooner! But understand OP's situation re. transport as I don't have transport either.

In the circumstances, OP is doing her best to arrange something - but I think it would be perfectly reasonable for the seller to expect the buyer to pay for livery for the interim period from the date of purchase to the time the horse is collected.

Am presuming that the insurance position has been clarified? i.e. that adequate insurance exists in this interim period in case something should occur to the horse??

Sorry but the OP has their own transport( I think you must have missed that like others) but cant be bothered to get it . I wonder if the seller is aware after they have offered to bring it up my god some people really are the limit. Maybe they will bring some bales of hay and hard food as well!!!

 

[9tails]

But popsdosh, think of the time wasted driving her own lorry there to collect it.