Are there trustworthy dealers out there?

Serephin

Serephin

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Is there such a thing as a trustworthy dealer?

I have been talking to a dealer recently and she seems very up front and honest and sounds like she has a number of people waiting for horses from her, she seems to care about her reputation and won't deal in any horses that are dodgy in anyway. She is not pushy in the slightest and happy to chat for ages on the phone. She does 7 day trials, refunds (less 10%) and exchanges.

But I am still wary. She has a horse coming in and it sounds just what I am looking for, but the last one she had was sold before I even had a chance to go and look at it, and I am worried it'll happen again - so I have the option of putting a deposit down to hold the horse until I can go and see it, if I don't like it, money goes towards another horse, can take it on a 7 day trial, 10% goes towards any horse if I return it.

Does this sound okay? would you risk paying a deposit on faith?
 
I would never pay anything before a going to view to be honest, there are good dealers out there and you have to go with your gut feeling but personally I would want to see any animal before putting down a deposit.
 
It is really difficult to know if people are trustworthy. I was very lucky I bought my horse from a dealer and he was exactly as described and exactly what I wanted. However I was caught out with someone else who wouldn't return my deposit when a horse I wanted failed the vetting. I think the only thing you can do is try and find out who her other customers are and see if you can get an honest opinion from them. In the case of the bad dealer I came across the vet actually warned me off unofficially. You really need to get as much information about this person as possible.
 
Ditto! I would not part with any money untill I had been and tried,and have brought off good dealers over the years....on my last horse after she e-mailed me the details,if I had phoned and said can I leave a deposit I would have been told 'No' untill I tried him! Don't part with any money untill your 100% sure,that would be my advice!
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I think there are some trustworthy dealers out there some where but when it comes down to it most people are just doing a job and will say any thing a customer wants to hear. I brought a horse from a dealer and it was the worst thing I could have done but im glad I did as the horse came off better out the deal! I did however buy Cherokee from a dealer but tbh I think I just got lucky with her compard to the other horses that came from them. I wouldnt put a depoist on some thing that I havent seen just so the dealer would hold it because say you didnt like the horse and the dealer didnt turn out to be what you thought she was then you wouldnt get your depoist back would you?

Its up to you at the end of the day and maybe we shouldnt judge every dealer the same by the bad ones?
 
I'd never put money down as a deposit like that...when you are just paying her to let you see the horse.
But there are good dealers around...if you tell us where you are based, maybe we can suggest some others to you?
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I think she's taking the p to be honest, any dealer worth their salt who knows they have a customer waiting who will be there the next couple of days to view cash in hand, would never ask you to part with money first. It's a method of ensuring you buy a horse off her in future just to get your deposit back!
Ask her to give you a call the minute the horse is settled and say you will view within two days, I don't believe she can sell that many horses that quickly not to take you up on the offer.
 
One thing people should always be aware of when buying a horse is there own riding ability, just because a horse is quiet and bombproof for one person doesnt mean it will be for the next, a realationship with a horse is purely the horse trusting its rider in all sorts of circumstances, so it is vital for you to try before you buy, and see if you click with this particular horse, if you rush in to buying one thats when you make a mistake, and often a costly one!
 
Dealers mainly buy horses from sales or from each other. Therefore they do not know the true history of the horses they sell. Why do people sell horses at sales and to dealers? -because the horse has a problem and they don't want anything more to do with the horse.

So if you want a genuine horse buy it locally where the locals know the full history of the horse.
 
I've yet to come across a trustworthy dealer. I've been had big time by one particular one who is very well known and even when I went to a dealer recommended on here, when I had a problem with the horse not being as described she refused a full refund and offered to buy it back at a considerably cheaper price! As far as I am concerned they are all the b****y same, out to make money at your expense and economical with the truth. Steer clear and buy privately.
 
I am sure they are but they tend to be at the top end of the market my friend bought a nice young SJ from a dealer and is very pleased with him but he was not cheap!

A couple of ponies came to our yard from a dealer to be used in the riding school one went back as it was not suitable the other was very nice so stayed but they were assessed by the RI's and the dealer has a good relationship with the RS so is less likely to try it on!

Personally I would not part with any cash till I had seen and tried the horse - I viewed alot of horses last year that were not all how they were described.
 
i got got big time (stay away from norfolk!) but have friends who have bought from dealers with no probs, these are more performance horse or youngster based tho, so i would say there are good dealers and bad dealers. you should say who you are dealing with - people can have useful feedback. good luck with whatever you decide.
 
it is here: www.findmyfirsthorse.com

to be fair she hasn't said that I need to pay a deposit, she is happy for me to take my chances that she will still have the horse at the end of the week.

horse hunting is a nightmare!

I am based in south lincolnshire
 
The horses I saw at dealers have been more accurately described than the ones I saw being sold privately! And bear in mind you have much more legal protection when you buy from a dealer. Mind you, I did see a couple of rather dodgy dealers too, but they did stand out a mile.

Dont try and get a bargain from a dealer, there aint such a thing, if its cheap its cheap for a reason.

I got my first boy from Kelmscott Farm in Surrey (Sussex borders) and have been happy with him fro the 8 years we've been together. But the horses arent cheap n cheerful, I decided in the end that horses cost so much each year to keep that it was worth investing at the outset.
 
She might be fine, but until you have been to the yard and felt the vibes you don't know what you are getting into. One thing that would make me wary...........she hasn't got the horse yet, and it may be gone before the end of the week, so how can she know what the horse is realy like ? I rode with a dealers assistant once who let slip that the way they assess a horse to see if it is ok in traffic is to ride it on the road until 2 cars have passed it going each way, if it doesn't make a fuss it is good in traffic.....................not quite good enough to be my idea of a bombproof in traffic horse !
 
I've looked at the site and read the contract. If the horse is not there at the moment. Maybe its already sold and on trial. If it comes back she will have already had approximately £300 for a week's loan? and if you pay for it and it goes back she will have made approx £600 for two weeks of someone else feeding and looking after it. Will she give you previous owners name and phone number. I once bought from a dealer in south lincs. The horse was a nightmare but to be fair I rang her within a few days and she told me to bring it back. I did and she gave me ALL my money back. She then rang me a month later to ask if I would send a letter as she was starting an internet and wanted people to know she had been fair. I did as she had been fair and did not keep any of the money. I asked if she had sold the horse she said after two weeks her groom was knocked to the floor the same as I was. She reduced the price and sold him to a riding school but said she told them what he was like?? Do I beleive this? Not sure. But while I had him I contacted two previous owners from his passport by letter. They rang me the next day and warned me what he was like. The one that sold him to her was amazed as she said the dealer did not tell her she was a dealer didn't even ride him. Just said he was for her husband. Doubled the price and sold him to ME. Although she gave me the money back I would never again buy from a dealer. Otherwise why doesn't the owner sell him.
 
I got my boy from Holistic Horses near Newbury and Lisa wouldn't let me even put a deposit down until she had seen me ride my boy. Have been to Sandalls Farm as well and they seem very up front.
 
Let's be honest here, when it comes to buying horses, it is 6 of one and half a dozen of the other.

I bought my horse from a dealer. The first few I tried didn't suit me but then she phoned me up to say that one of her liveries had sold their horse to her and she thought I would like it. I tried him and loved him. II then said that I wanted to come back with another friend of mine to see what she thought. She said that was fine. My friend loved him, he had a vetting the following friday and I got him a week later (Sat just gone).

He is lovely and the dealer then told me that there was someone else who really wanted him, but she wanted me to have him. She didn't want to tell me until after he'd passed the vetting as she didn't want me to think she was pushing me.

No, a dealer may not know a horses history, but then private sellers may choose not to tell you the history any way and you can still have a total disaster. At least with a dealer you can have some comeback.
 
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Dealers mainly buy horses from sales or from each other. Therefore they do not know the true history of the horses they sell. Why do people sell horses at sales and to dealers? -because the horse has a problem and they don't want anything more to do with the horse.

So if you want a genuine horse buy it locally where the locals know the full history of the horse.

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Not all horses in sales have problems my horse came from a dealer they import them from ireland i still have my horse nearly 4 years later and he is everything they described him as. If they have a good reputation then surely they want to keep it that way, theres plenty of private sellers out there that are just as bad especially if they have a horse they want rid of and know by selling to a dealer they wont get much.
 
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Didn't Bombproof rename itself Findmyfirsthorse recently?

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no, they renamed themselves Crack On - and are in north Lincs.

Findmyfirsthorse - is in Norfolk
 
I bought my last horse off the dealer Doug Aldred and he was exactly as described, green and sharp but genuine and likely to do riding club/low level eventing. He was an excellent fun horse and I'd still have him 7 years on if his feet hadn't packed up last year. I went straight back to the same dealer and he was honest enough to tell me he didn't have anything that was what I was looking for. I'd go back to him again and would recommend him to anyone else.
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That's good to hear. It's reassuring to know that there are good dealers out there when there are so many dodgy ones.

One bit of advice I would give is don't be fooled by posh surroundings and well known names. The big name dealers (or as they call themselves 'trainers') with million pound facilities can miss sell horses just as much as the tumble down farm, cheap and cheerful places. The only difference is that the horses at the posh place probably cost ten or twenty times as much as from the cheap place. Do not be seduced by the surroundings and always get the horse 5-stage vetted even if it comes with a 5-stage vetting and x-rays. Get your own independent checks done.

Very interesting to read the post above about the test dealers do to say whether a horse is good in traffic - it explains a lot!
 
I was very lucky to fall on my feet with my first horse, well luck and the knowledge on my YO who recomended Wendy (I think it was Wendy?) King in Norfolk, ended up with a horse on trial for a week, no pressure, lovely lady, and he was 100% perfect for me. Most frustrating thing is I never knew much about his history.

I have also seen the other end of the scale (cutting hooves with cattle pincers, anyone?!) but wouldn't rule out buying from a dealer again.
 
No!
Try and be flexible so you can get there quickly to see the horse but never put down a deposit on something you have never seen. If the horse isn't for you, you most likely won't get it back and then you will tied to buying from her - which is what she wants.
 
I bought Hovis from Patsy Day at Stubley Hollow Farm and was impressed. He is exactly what she said he was. I put no money down at all (even though others wanted him), had the vetting and then gave the money to the lorry driver whom she recommended to transport him to me. All his paperwork plus a headcollar and rug turned up with the driver and she phoned a few days later to check all was ok.
 
Dawn Howarth From Sports horse continental is really good and always takes them back if you have a problem. She wont sell a horse that isn’t suitable. I also bought a horse off Doug Aldred and would highly recommend him.
 
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