Bought unseen problems returning

Status
Not open for further replies.
meandmyself said:
Also

With a bit of work and bonding with the poor horse you WILL have the horse you want. His last owner was climbing all over him bareback, in the dark, no reins. There's not many who'd let you do that. Mine is as good as gold generally but would have buggered off and left me in the dust if I tried.

This is the horse you bought. It'll just take a bit to find him again. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AXZERJEJR/
Click to expand...

I honestly thought the OP would have been delighted to see the videos and photos of him, he looks like a sweet trusting boy and very much like described in the adverts.
We will just have to accept that he was an impulse buy and sadly the OP doesn't like or want him.
I hope his next owner appreciates him 😞
 
@Jasmine2023 I have kept up to date reading this thread but i must admit i am starting to get frustrated.
i appreciate you have mental health issues, which you keep repeating, and i am wondering whether that is why you are focusing solely on the dealer, getting more frustrated, commenting about people selling horses at auction and not what a potentially lovely horse you have in front of you. Your YO doesn't seem to be encouraging, supporting or helping you which does make me suspicious that she is either very incompetent or knows what rough diamond you have bought and is going to make you a low offer. You said yourself they haven't kept you updated, only when you ask. If he doesn't like the stable could he live out 24 hrs and just come in for a food treat?

I feel sorry for Ozzie, the innocent, in this situation and if I had my own land i would buy him off you and give him a home for life, conformation problems or not.
 
HBB said:
I honestly thought the OP would have been delighted to see the videos and photos of him, he looks like a sweet trusting boy and very much like described in the adverts.
We will just have to accept that he was an impulse buy and sadly the OP doesn't like or want him.
I hope his next owner appreciates him 😞
Click to expand...
Yes, well it made me a lot more positive about him. Doesn’t seem like it would take long to get him back on that more even keel.
 
Mental health issues are no excuse to forget you're dealing with a living creature

It sucks but sometimes life does suck

Op has been given the options plainly, some hugely experienced people have commented, if they still choose to pursue the dealer then it's their decision but really probably not in theirs (or the horse's) best interests.
 
nagblagger said:
@Jasmine2023 I have kept up to date reading this thread but i must admit i am starting to get frustrated.
i appreciate you have mental health issues, which you keep repeating, and i am wondering whether that is why you are focusing solely on the dealer, getting more frustrated, commenting about people selling horses at auction and not what a potentially lovely horse you have in front of you. Your YO doesn't seem to be encouraging, supporting or helping you which does make me suspicious that she is either very incompetent or knows what rough diamond you have bought and is going to make you a low offer. You said yourself they haven't kept you updated, only when you ask. If he doesn't like the stable could he live out 24 hrs and just come in for a food treat?

I feel sorry for Ozzie, the innocent, in this situation and if I had my own land i would buy him off you and give him a home for life, conformation problems or not.
Click to expand...
Or maybe the YO is just as frustrated as we are .......
 
Last edited:
Buyer's remorse. Most people would be forgetting about farting around on the internet, and be out with their new horse. If I was too depressed to see said new horse, I wouldn't be posting online, or chasing a refund from the dealer.

The horse in my avatar is the reason I'm still here. There have been two occasions when he had to fend for himself for a day, as I couldn't face the outside world at that time, but full livery is a luxury so I had to go and see him and he kept me going for twenty years. If I couldn't face him, I would have sold him. Glad I didn't.
 
@Jasmine2023, you honestly need to put the energy you are using to chase a refund into working with your new pony and building a bond, or looking to sell him on asap before he settles again.

You dont seem to like him at all and it comes across in your posts that you want sympathy. People have had sympathy and are now getting frustrated because you dont answer questions about his behaviour so we can help, you just keep going back to your mental health. With absolute kindness, if you are so fragile, is it sensible taking on a living creature you are responsible for? Leaving him on full livery is fine for his daily care but is he getting consistent handling, love and a bond? From my experiences with riding school (limited though) riding schools are often staffed by teens and non professional volunteers. He needs you to step up, be his leader and let him build confidence in you so he can settle.

I imagine some on here would happily buy him from you, so maybe you need to cut your losses and consider this.
 
poor Ozzy 😢.

I've been in the op's position and it's very hard when it feels like it's going wrong but there is no way I could return a horse back to Devine Cobs.

If you do I really think you will end up with no horse and no money.

I guess you can try and sue for the difference in value between the horse you though you were buying and the one you got (i.e one that had been assessed for 6 weeks v one that had been there a day) but it will be very hard to prove and what is the difference in value. I guess if you sell him truthfully at a loss then that it his true market value. But the headspace this will consume will be exhausting.

Personally I would post your experience with Devine Cobs and evidence on the dodgy dealer page on Facebook That will make you feel better and hopefully stop anyone else buying off them.

If you don't feel like you are going to be able to build a bond with Ozzy then the kindest thing is to sell.him on truthfully and find him the right home.
 
I would very, very strongly urge against taking legal action.
Everyone I've known who has got involved in this sort of thing has ended up in a real state. It's unbelievably stressful.
For example, I knew someone who had a horse stolen, it was found and the thieves ended up in court but got little more than a slap on the wrist and left the courtroom laughing their heads off. It was that bit that really got to the owner.
Even where people 'win', the stress is absolutely massive.

In this case, it's not cut and dried; the dealer is certainly in with a chance of winning. However, either way, the horse should come first now, not the dealer.

If OP doesn't want to keep the horse I'm sure he can be sold on pretty easily. (I'd have him up here but I wouldn't wanted to put him through a 500 mile road trip!)
People have made great suggestions, there's been offers of help and tons of empathy.

FieldOrnaments said:
Maybe we need a thread for 'horses I really regretted buying once I got them home but turned out to be bloody awesome '?
Click to expand...
Yep, it'd be a long thread! The 4-year old cob that we got 22 years ago...I don't know who was more green, him or me! Gave him a feed after he first arrived, he kicked a hole in his stable wall and I went home and cried.
But we've just been for the most wonderful little hack around the coastal path. So glad we persevered!
Someone once told me that the sensitive and clever ones can be the most susceptible to stress when moved/sold. Don't know if it's true but our boy certainly took his time to settle down.
 
How expert are you experts? Yard owner, especially in riding school settings (ime) doesn’t automatically equal knows what they’re doing.

Sounds like the little chap needs people who understand what he’s been through over last few weeks, and that’s usually just consistent, good handling within the boundaries of what the horse will tolerate that day, not what the humans want/do him in five mins type.
 
paddy555 said:
nothing to do with Ozzies problems but there is one photo on that FB post from the original owner I am surprised no one has commented on. The one where he is ridden by the young girl in shorts on the gravel. :D:D:D
Click to expand...

Also noted that his stable was more a pen type set up, If Jasmines stable is more enclosed, it may freak him out too. Plus he's getting absolutely no reassurance so far. Just another thing to take in to consideration for him. He really is just beautiful😍 anyone got a loan of £5k 🙈
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20250611_174614_Facebook.jpg
    Screenshot_20250611_174614_Facebook.jpg
    384 KB · Views: 123
HaffiesRock said:
@Jasmine2023, you honestly need to put the energy you are using to chase a refund into working with your new pony and building a bond, or looking to sell him on asap before he settles again.

You dont seem to like him at all and it comes across in your posts that you want sympathy. People have had sympathy and are now getting frustrated because you dont answer questions about his behaviour so we can help, you just keep going back to your mental health. With absolute kindness, if you are so fragile, is it sensible taking on a living creature you are responsible for? Leaving him on full livery is fine for his daily care but is he getting consistent handling, love and a bond? From my experiences with riding school (limited though) riding schools are often staffed by teens and non professional volunteers. He needs you to step up, be his leader and let him build confidence in you so he can settle.

I imagine some on here would happily buy him from you, so maybe you need to cut your losses and consider this.
Click to expand...
The riding school is very small and quiet and the lessons are taken by the owners. There are 2 larger riding stables nearby but this one is nice and quiet.

It is hard to like a horse that pulls faces and pins his ears back whenever he sees you and tries to pin you next to the stable wall when you go in. You can all be as judgemental as you like. I was expecting to be out hacking in the nice weather not in a situation where I am more depressed. I haven't the energy for all this. I hope none of you ever have to feel the way I am right now with no support around me.
 
It is of course understandably upsetting when a horse pulls a face at you and is intimidating. No one likes that. However its also very understandable that hes behaving that way as he is settling in. Some horses also just don't like people in their stable. If he's good to handle outside of the stable then he could just be dealt with / brushed / tacked up etc outside of the stable
 
Jasmine2023 said:
It is hard to like a horse that pulls faces and pins his ears back whenever he sees you and tries to pin you next to the stable wall when you go in. You can all be as judgemental as you like. I was expecting to be out hacking in the nice weather not in a situation where I am more depressed. I haven't the energy for all this. I hope none of you ever have to feel the way I am right now with no support around me.
Click to expand...
Do you think it is possible that he is picking up vibes off you? I don't know anything about horses but dogs can sense when people don't like them, maybe horses are the same?

Talking of support. Can you clear a bit of space in your head for him and try to think how he must be feeling?
 
Last edited:
skinnydipper said:
Do you think it is possible that he is picking up vibes off you? I don't know anything about horses but dogs can sense when people don't like them, maybe horses are the same?

Talking of support. Can you clear a bit of space in your head for him and try to think how he must be feeling?
Click to expand...
He could well be but the first day I went to see him I had no vibes at all just going in to say hello. And yes I have thought about how he's feeling but he seems happy enough with his field friends, being out and getting fed.
 
What's he like out of the stable? If that's the worst he does its not that bad and once you've got to know each other and established boundaries, until then you just need to set him and yourself up to succeed, so don't get yourself in the position where he can even try and squash you in the first place, even if you have to put his headcollar on over the door and just take him out to some tasty grass for a snack and stand about with him, chat to him without any expectations of doing anything in particular then put him back. He looks like a lovely pony whos hasnt done anything terrible and is just confused and needs some time to settle in with some clear boundaries in place.
If I had the money and the space I'd be falling over myself to buy him from you, he's lovely!
 
Jasmine, if you could elaborate a bit more we may be able to offer a bit more insight…

going off the advert from his old owner, he honestly looks like an absolute legend, especially for 5k, even more so when hes come from a dodgy dealer!

whilst you’ve had some harsh replies, you’ve had offers of help, useful resources, and feel-good stories but it now does seem like you don’t really want to hear it, which is a shame when it seems like you truly have gotten a diamond in the rough on your hands!
 
DizzyDoughnut said:
What's he like out of the stable? If that's the worst he does its not that bad and once you've got to know each other and established boundaries, until then you just need to set him and yourself up to succeed, so don't get yourself in the position where he can even try and squash you in the first place, even if you have to put his headcollar on over the door and just take him out to some tasty grass for a snack and stand about with him, chat to him without any expectations of doing anything in particular then put him back. He looks like a lovely pony whos hasnt done anything terrible and is just confused and needs some time to settle in with some clear boundaries in place.
If I had the money and the space I'd be falling over myself to buy him from you, he's lovely!
Click to expand...
He seems better out of the stable. But he does scare me in the stable.
 
Jasmine2023 said:
The riding school is very small and quiet and the lessons are taken by the owners. There are 2 larger riding stables nearby but this one is nice and quiet.

It is hard to like a horse that pulls faces and pins his ears back whenever he sees you and tries to pin you next to the stable wall when you go in. You can all be as judgemental as you like. I was expecting to be out hacking in the nice weather not in a situation where I am more depressed. I haven't the energy for all this. I hope none of you ever have to feel the way I am right now with no support around me.
Click to expand...

Please don't take this the wrong way but if you don't have the energy to get to know a horse, you definitely won't have the energy for legal action.

People - including me - have genuinely been on your side throughout and we really, really wanted things to work out. Hacking out in the nice weather is still a possibility, there's good weather to come, but it often takes time to get to know a horse, especially if the horse has been shifted from pillar to post. People have offered support, both remotely and face-to-face.

If you want something that will come with zero issues, will just turn up, behave well and hack quietly with no fuss, you will need a very, very large budget. And even then there are no guarantees.

But I agree with others who have said that the best thing is to advertise him and move on.
 
OP, you are very fortunate to have this much history on a horse that you bought from a questionable dealer. I'd be thanking those that dug around and found that info. So many people don't get or can't find history on their horses.

In addition to that, being out hacking straight away on a new horse, is a very high expectation.

Also, this horse doesn't know you. Not all horses are friendly right off the bat. You've got to forge a relationship of sorts with them. Some might be in your pocket instantly, but they're not all like that, and that's ok. Baby steps.

I've bought unseen before, and that horse spent the first 3 days running away from me in the field so I couldn't catch him. He also refused to let me or anyone mount him, but you know what...in the end that horse was my horse of a lifetime. We learned so much from one another and he was rock solid on what I wanted him to be, but it took time. I get that you don't want to or can't put it the time and effort, so please find this horse an appropriate home if it's not with you.

There are people on here that are being extremely supportive and most of us here have years of experience and might've been in a similar situation before. So it's worth taking on board some of the words of wisdom.

Horses come with their ups and downs (mentally and financially, really). They also don't owe it to us to live up to unrealistic expectations.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top