Advice on selling a horse going wrong.

[Jojo_Pea4]

A lady on my yard sold a horse 3months ago, his ad was very basic (cant remember myself). His problem was he cant canter but this wasnt put in the ad but was talked about on the phone before they viewed him. They said they werent interested in him cantering.
The girl looking to buy was 14years old and coming out a riding school. On the viewing the owner did not ride the horse as she had been ill and had a 12year old ride him (the 12year old is experienced) the owner asked the mum if she would like the owner to ride as well but said no.

They said they loved him and asked for a vetting. A vet which comes to the yard carried out the vetting but has never seen the horse. The vet was told about the horse not cantering and he passed for the level of work he would be carrying out.

A letter comes today saying the horse was sold wrong. He cribs, wind sucks, box walks, wont hack, head shakes, wont be bridled or saddled, the list goes on.
Apparently a vet has seen him and said he is unfit to be ridden and looking into a problem with his pelvis.

As an outsider this horse was on my yard I have never in the 9month he was at the yard seen him do any of the problems listed above and found him to almost be too perfect.

The woman who brought the horse wants a full refund and to send the horse back. or she will take the previous owner to court.

Where does the seller stand?

 

[PennyJ]

I would have thought if the buyers had him vetted and he was passed as fit for the proposed use, then there is no comeback on the seller. The buyers sound like they are just trying it on, and it is a bit strange that it has taken 3 months for all of this to come to light.

I think they would need to be taking this up with the vet who carried out the pre-purchase vetting.

 

[Jojo_Pea4]

PennyJ- Thanks for your reply. thats what I thought as thats the reason a horse gets vetted.

 

[Welshie Squisher]

They are taking the pee and trying it on. Advise your friend to stand their ground, they will then go away!

 

[Jojo_Pea4]

I think they are aswell. She will stand her ground and we have told her to get legal advice.

 

[thatsmygirl]

No come back

 

[Gingersmum]

I feel sorry for the horse ! They sound like novice owners if they have just come out of a riding school, sounds like they have really upset the poor thing ! If the original owner has the money maybe she can buy him back and find him a decent home !

 

[FionaM12]

Just out of interest, why can't he canter?

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

they tried the horse liked the horse had the horse vetted (presuming a 5 stage) and bought the horse! you do need to know what the advert said(this is important), and you do need to know what was written on the sales invoice/receipt of money!(this is v important) but i would stand firm. the horse was sold. was not on trial etc etc. does sound like it is now cooped up. stressing and getting bad mannered and taking the p.......

 

[be positive]

While agreeing that they have no come back, is there a reason that he could not canter and is it possible that the girl has tried, not surprisingly really as I can not understand why anyone would have bought such a horse for a young girl that would most likely want to progress with her riding.
It could be that an underlying problem has caused the horse to change totally.

 

[Jojo_Pea4]

She has brought a youngster from the money. so i dont think she could afford it.

He can on the lunge, in the field. the owner has never been able to. my sister the (12year old who rode him on the vetting) has made him canter.

 

[9tails]

Sounds like their management is totally wrong for this horse. Maybe a visit from the previous owner could put them back on track? Though I understand if she would rather boil her head than help them.

 

[Jojo_Pea4]

I have found out the buyer has sent the horse on livery at a college to be used by students. they are saying the horse is crazy and insane and where they are getting there advice from.

 

[mulledwhine]

If the vetting came back ok, and these problems sound like they have just arisen, then sounds like they have made the problem so = no come back

 

[thatsmygirl]

I had the same problem a year and half ago, the horse who never ever had any problems with me was being a nightmare with them after 4 months and after a few calls where I told them I wasn't giving them a refund as she was a lovely horse without problems even the vet who carried out a 5* vetting said if she was looking she would snatch my hand off for her. She flew the vetting with no issues. They expected me after 4 months to take back a lame bolshy horse and sent a couple off letters from their legal team!!! I seeked legal advise and as the horse was vetted it covered my arse and their issue was to be brought up with the vets not me.

 

[jhoward]

some years ago, i had a woman try and pull a fast one on me, i sold a wb type that had been a novice horse for my non riding husband, the day a friend and i delivered him, we unloaded on a road and had to walk him up it with quarry type traffic we stood that horse in front of a van and the bloke held his hand on the horn.. horse never battered an ear.

a few days later woman tells me horse is a rearer nappy and dangerous in traffic, i stood my ground and said ok i will come to you and a, ride the horse myself, and b see the things your saying, i didnt belive it for a second so i said if horse put a hoof wrong id give her money back..

it never happened. suggest to old owner they offer to go and ride/see the horse doing such things for themselfs. i bet all goes quiet.

 

[Jojo_Pea4]

Thank u all for ur advice. I will take it to the owner.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I have found out the buyer has sent the horse on livery at a college to be used by students. they are saying the horse is crazy and insane and where they are getting there advice from.

Search on here for threads about having your horse at Equine Colledges. Many horses do not suit this way of life.

 

[MagicMelon]

I would have thought if the buyers had him vetted and he was passed as fit for the proposed use, then there is no comeback on the seller. The buyers sound like they are just trying it on, and it is a bit strange that it has taken 3 months for all of this to come to light.

I think they would need to be taking this up with the vet who carried out the pre-purchase vetting.

Thats what I think. Thats what a vetting is for. If it was a 5 stage then the vet would have seen the horse being tacked up etc. They sound like they're first time owners and have no idea what they're doing... shame for the horse. I'd personally have the horse back (minus how much they've decreased its value) purely because I always want my horses to be happy where they are. But IMO seller in this case is under no obligation to do so.

 

[Tinypony]

I agree, sadly for the horse I don't think the buyers have a leg to stand on. If he's genuinely showing these behaviours then it sounds like he's had a huge change in the way he's being cared for and it's causing him a lot of stress. Physically, he passed a 5* vetting, so at that time he was sound to be sold.

 

[lula]

im quite interested in the initial vetting here..
wouldnt a vetting include putting a horse through all 3 of its basic paces, walk. trot, canter by default?

and being told the horse CANT canter...and id be interested why that is..wouldnt a conscientious vet look into any physical reasons why that could be?

it doesnt really stand to be vetted 'for the work done' in this instance. Cantering is a natural pace, not a job title and being able to canter..at least physically.. should be expected of any horse you buy.

the buyer now saying they've now found a problem with the pelvis does sound a bit worrying.
If anything they MAY have a come back on the original vet, however, they would still be to blame for instructing the owner/vet that cantering isnt required.

the rest of their complaints sound like nonsense though, if there are witnesses to say none of these vices were observed before.

Unless horse not been able to canter was a training issue.sorry, OP doesnt make that clear..

 

[Wagtail]

I feel sorry for the horse ! They sound like novice owners if they have just come out of a riding school, sounds like they have really upset the poor thing ! If the original owner has the money maybe she can buy him back and find him a decent home !

This ^^

Poor poor horse . Sounds like the poor thing is going/has gone through hell. To be fair, the old owner should have known there was something severely wrong with the horse if he couldn't canter, and so should the vet! Not cantering is a warning that there is something wrong with the back or sacroilliac region. It can also be a sign of DJD.

 

[Fransurrey]

Legally they don't have a leg to stand on, but if I was the previous owner I'd want that horse back with me. I went through similar but the girl even rode him and experienced his problems, but said she'd dealt with much worse. They wanted their money back, rubbished my name all over the internet (I was on holiday blissfully unaware that they'd ignored every scrap of advice - including of an offer for me to visit if she needed help) and even sold the horse to a dealer (I found this out through a 3rd party, they were going to take my money AND make a vast profit) - all within 3 weeks.

Your friend won't be the first and won't be the last, sadly. Tell her to get him back while she can. I never saw my horse again, even though I went looking for him when I could afford it later.

 

[PeterNatt]

I would strongly suggest that your friend takes legal advice from a specialist Equine Solicitor. If she is a Gold member of the BHS she can phone their legal helpline and get free advice.

 

[Louby]

Im guessing the ad said no vices etc and the new owner is playing on that to try and get a refund but really the fact is, they may have found out horse has an underlying problem as to why he cant canter and they know they havent a leg to stand on for that as it was disclosed by the previous owner and the horse was vetted and passed.

 

[Holly Hocks]

Tell the buyer to sod off! A private sale has no comeback unless the buyer can prove that the horse was unsuitable AT THE TIME OF THE SALE. It sounds like this is an issue that could have been underlying when the original seller had the horse, especially if not cantering is a physical issue, but the vet who vetted the horse should have looked into this for them.
Poor horse - I would be looking at whether it was pain related, but some people are so clueless it wouldn't cross their mind.
Private sale= buyer beware.

 

[jendie]

Oh the poor horse! I don't the seller needs to worry, they had the horse vetted and were clear about its limitations. But if I were the seller and if I possibly could I'd buy the horse back. Lord knows what will happen to him if they don't.

 

[FionaM12]

Oh the poor horse! I don't the seller needs to worry, they had the horse vetted and were clear about its limitations. But if I were the seller and if I possibly could I'd buy the horse back. Lord knows what will happen to him if they don't.

I agree. I'd want him back. If I ever decided to sell Mollie, I couldn't bear to think of her being in a situation like this.

 

[hcm88]

I don't think the buyer has a leg to stand on, and the seller has the first vetting as proof that this horse was previously fit to ride w&t. If it were me as a seller, I would probably take the horse back but would not give a full refund, but this would purely be for the interest of the horse's welfare and wellbeing.

The buyer needs to take the situation up with the vet who did the initial vetting before purchase, as technically it is their issue not the sellers. After passing the vetting and selling the horse on truthful grounds the sellers now have nothing to do with it, really. Its been 3 months since sale, that is long enough for a horse to settle.

If the horse has been at an equine college it seems like it wouldn't be kept in w&t work... I don't know anyone at equine college that can't canter...? So if the canter issue has something to do with pain then it seems like its got worse, possibly, if the horse refuses to be ridden etc.

Hope it all works out ok in the end

 

[Black_Horse_White]

Don't rely on "buyer beware" it's not worth jack, trust me I know.