Buying / Selling Horses in the Digital Age

…What’s is it about taking horses to the beach? Yes it’s fun but wouldn’t be my number one consideration if l was buying a new horse
l really need to find a new home for one of my ponies as my granddaughter has ‘given up’ he’s a super big chap and deserves to go to someone who wants to do M&M classes and some dressage as well as have fun so he’s advertised with a ‘no texts, please phone or email telling me about yourself’ ( I’m not in a hurry to sell unless the right home comes along and he’s not cheap) So far l’ve succeeded in the no texts .. but the emails are interesting 😂 I’m looking for a lovely pony, with a long flowing mane to go to the beach?!, and another wanting to go to the beach and maybe do some other things, maybe l need a more direct, ‘harder’ ad. with not suitable for a xxxxxx in?
 
It's for the 'gram @gallopingby
I am near the beach so if an ad says has gone to the beach I either think this horse is relatively sane and can cope with what can be a stressful environment or this horse thinks beaches are to gallop about on at hair raising speeds, usually depending on the impression you get from the seller 😅

I found horse buying very stressful and there are way more questions I would ask now or things I would want to do when trying even though I did think I did my due diligence and asked lots of stuff (see many threads posted here 😅). Some sellers seemed quite clueless. A several seemed perplexed that I would want them to ride their own horses first. One mare was an absolute saint considering she nearly sat down when I felt her back and had a chunk missing out of one foot, I doubted she was 12 either but I don't think that was the seller. I wish I could have bought her as well as she was cheap but at the time I couldn't afford livery for 2.

My little mare could have gone wrong as well and I've posted about this a lot as I probably wasn't confident enough for her needs but the seller really rated her and was happy to have her back if she didn't settle. She didn't settle brilliantly but I had a lot of support and flexibility in management and she's a happy little monkey for the most part. You'd have to have been a lot more confident than me to get her out competing that first summer though if that's what you wanted (I'm not convinced that would have been in her best interests as my very experienced YO who adores her says she has been tricky). If I had have wanted to send her back it would have entirely been on me; seller was as transparent as possible, she passed her vetting, I tried her twice and kept in touch with the seller. I feel quite strongly about this as I'm always commenting on these threads 😅

Some horses and people just don't end up doing what you buy them for. I bought my mare for endurance and trec but it turns out I hate hacking alone and she needs a confident rider. Turns out we both seem to really enjoy dressage albeit very baby intros at the mo and she's fabulous to hack in company. I do think people can be quite fixed in what they want a horse to be and do and when they want it to the detriment of the horse. But then I've also had multiple friends buy very expensive vetted horses who turned out to have KS and require a lot of intervention. I also know people who have bought entirely unsuitable horses though sheer naivety and ignorance (also usually budget) which when they tell you the story it's difficult to hear without saying well that's an accident waiting to happen why on earth did you buy a ex racer that hadn't been ridden in x months or a 5yo newly backed etc.
 
gallopingby said:
…What’s is it about taking horses to the beach? Yes it’s fun but wouldn’t be my number one consideration if l was buying a new horse
l really need to find a new home for one of my ponies as my granddaughter has ‘given up’ he’s a super big chap and deserves to go to someone who wants to do M&M classes and some dressage as well as have fun so he’s advertised with a ‘no texts, please phone or email telling me about yourself’ ( I’m not in a hurry to sell unless the right home comes along and he’s not cheap) So far l’ve succeeded in the no texts .. but the emails are interesting 😂 I’m looking for a lovely pony, with a long flowing mane to go to the beach?!, and another wanting to go to the beach and maybe do some other things, maybe l need a more direct, ‘harder’ ad. with not suitable for a xxxxxx in?
Click to expand...
Ooops, it was a step for me, hence being on my profile photo. Mine was recently backed when I bought him but I wanted a horse who could turn their hoof to anything. The photo was his first beach trip but, on his second, he packed a novice rider...

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7479887941741841686

It means he is sane!

So sane, in fact, that I have been doing hunt rides with him, despite a terribly poorly knee.

541434553_10230958461449013_3133498171403983140_n.jpg

I would worry about the person who prioritised the flowing mane though. I would suspect they merely wanted nice videos then would sell the horse on.
 
@Red-1 l think the flowing mane person was probably quite genuine, she did say she’d recently started having lessons. It wasn’t quite what l envisaged the pony doing and wouldn’t be my no 1 buying question 😀 and she asked if l thought she would be suitable. Just thought l’d missed something. I rarely sell anything so wondered if the beach was a whole new scenario, which in hind sight it could be as hopefully the beach would be safer than hacking on the roads these days.
 
Well then come the viewings… I have a 2 year old sharer with better balance than the double digit aged child who arrived and told me she had been riding all her life. Pony strongly suggested she should be on the lead and I 100% agreed. Pony then gently caught her as she wobbled out of balance and landed on her neck.

I am completely happy for that pony to go to a complete beginner - but I would like reassurance that they will get some effective instruction and that the lead rein will be applied to keep them both safe as needed! I didn’t think I needed to see videos of the child riding for a beginner safe pony, but apparently I do!

Keeping on topic, being able to ask for videos saves time!
 
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