Dealer who trials horses out

[Birker2020]

I've been looking at a lovely horse for sale with a dealer who has a number of horses for sale, they have an excellent reputation, nothing bad on dodgy dealers, I have no reason to believe they are not genuine.

I have asked if I can book an appointment to view the horse with a professional, but they text to say they are waiting to hear back from someone intending to have it on trial. When I replied by text saying 'what a shame, never mind' they suggested that I had it on trial. However I'm a bit risk adverse and cannot help but wonder and worry about what happens if the horse either arrives lame or goes lame in the field or when riding. I have asked this very question and only been told that you take out trial insurance yourself and that it wouldn't be lame when it arrived anyway which has deflected my question and doesn't really put my mind at rest. Also you cannot view the horse and then have it on trial you have to have on or the other. I get that the dealer might be fed up having a load of time wasters (I use that sentence whilst cringing as I hate the term, just because you don't like or want the horse doesn't make you a time waster by default). Maybe they don't want loads of people on their yard, or it takes up too much time, hence this way of selling.

Having it on trial - in the event something happened I assume you'd end up going through your own insurance. And how would you prove the horse was lame when it arrived.
Has anyone been in this scenario? Have you had a trial horse go lame? Is this kind of 'trial before you buy' aimed more for professional type riders?

I would get the horse vetted by my own vet whilst it was on trial but I'm just wondering if its worth all the hassle. Transport (both ways if you don't want the horse) is at your expense.

No name sharing please as too outing - I'm sure you will know who I am referring to anyway.

 

[Fraggle2]

Listen to your gut...
If your already asking questions it's probably worth it to keep looking.

 

[ester]

Assuming it’s the one near me it works for them. Quite a few go back but they make it easy.
Def not aimed at pro market

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Personally if anything was leaving my yard to go "on trial" then I'd make damn sure it was vetted before it went; otherwise the person (let us call them the loanee) could say it arrived lame and/or in a bad condition. If you/the dealer are using a Horse Transport firm they would normally (if they are reputable) take a video of the horse doing a walk/trot-up before it loads, so they can prove the horse was in good condition before they transported it.

Had a situation where I put my old boy on loan; he had sweet itch and the vet had been the week prior to him going. He'd gone on loan to a numpty girl who'd kept him at a riding stables, and the first weekend he was there he'd been turned out without his sweet-itch rug and had rubbed himself horribly to the extent that he was raw. Yard Owner claimed that he'd been sent in that condition and started ranting & raving about it to me; I got my phone out and showed him my vet's number on speed-dial and said OK so would you like to speak to my vet? As this horse was seen by the vet only last week. YO then suddenly lost his enthusiasm for an argument. Funny that.

But I digress: I think you are questioning a lot of things with this dealer, and I sense you have misgivings. Yes I appreciate that a lot of people like to have a horse on trial, my recollection is that in the old days a lot more dealers were willing to let this happen than nowadays. However if you do not feel your questions & concerns are being dealt with to your peace-of-mind satisfaction then my feeling is that you should just walk away. If your Sixth Sense is telling you something isn't right then it just might not be.

Do you have an experienced Friend or even better your Instructor who could come with you to this yard? You might find you get some more sensible answers if you take an experienced person with you who they will sense won't take any cr@p.

 

[shortstuff99]

I know a few people that have used this dealer (if it is the one near me) and you have to pay for the horse upfront and then if you don't like it/ fails the vet then you send it back for a refund or swap. So you basically own the horse while it is in trial to you.

 

[Birker2020]

Ok thanks folks I think I am going to leave it. It just makes me feel a bit weird when your concerns aren't addressed properly, I'm parting with a lot of money and don't feel I'm getting my questions answered.

 

[Birker2020]

Do you have an experienced Friend or even better your Instructor who could come with you to this yard? You might find you get some more sensible answers if you take an experienced person with you who they will sense won't take any cr@p.

That's what I've tried to do but they said someone might be having it on trial.
When I said 'what a shame' they said 'why don't you have it on trial?' This was two minutes after they said they were waiting to hear back about whether person A was having it on trial. It makes me think they'd rather just deliver a horse to a 'random person' than go to the trouble of letting you visit the horse with a professional. But I am not sure why.

Its just niggling me, I'm too risk adverse particuarly after what happened last time. Its not beneath the realms of fantasy to consider that a horse might be injured in transit. I know that could happen when you buy a horse in the normal way too but .........

 

[nutjob]

It just sounds a bit odd that you cannot go to view because person A is having it on trial but they are OK for you to have it on trial? Horse buying is not fun at all, there's so much that can go wrong nowadays.

 

[Birker2020]

It just sounds a bit odd that you cannot go to view because person A is having it on trial but they are OK for you to have it on trial? Horse buying is not fun at all, there's so much that can go wrong nowadays.

I know, weird isn't it?

 

[gallopingby]

I know, weird isn't it?

I can see both sides to this. Buying and selling is really stressful these days, so many time wasters both sellers and buyers but from the selling perspective you’ll get lots of texts from people having a nosey who have no interest in buying and they come at all times of the day and night. Then there are the Saturday afternoon joy riders just out for a nice trip preferably with good trial facilities!!! (And they don’t have to pay to view). There are of course ways round all these things but if the seller has found a way that suits them and they and the buyer are prepared to take a risk maybe it’s a workable solution to someone without any particular aspiration other than to own the horse in question?

 

[Birker2020]

I can see both sides to this. Buying and selling is really stressful these days, so many time wasters both sellers and buyers but from the selling perspective you’ll get lots of texts from people having a nosey who have no interest in buying and they come at all times of the day and night. Then there are the Saturday afternoon joy riders just out for a nice trip preferably with good trial facilities!!! (And they don’t have to pay to view). There are of course ways round all these things but if the seller has found a way that suits them and they and the buyer are prepared to take a risk maybe it’s a workable solution to someone without any particular aspiration other than to own the horse in question?

That's pretty much what I was getting at in my OP. What I find weird is the fact that the horse was going to someone on trial, then all of a sudden I can have it on trial.
I wouldn't be best pleased if I was person A.

 

[gallopingby]

Person A might have been messing about deciding what to do for a few days?

 

[IrishMilo]

I know a couple of people who have had good experiences with them. The horse looks nice, too.

 

[ihatework]

It’s certainly a different strategy, especially for a dealer. I would want assurance of a full refund for no reason at all. I wouldn’t want to be tied into a swap.

 

[webble]

A friend sold a horse through the dealer if it is who I think it is and had a good experience but felt that they were very buyer focused

 

[Timelyattraction]

Is this dealer in Soham? They are local to me and i enquired about a horse there a couple years ago and when they said about the trial and no viewing i was instantly put off

 

[Hormonal Filly]

I’ve got a feeling who this dealer is.. might be any negative on dodgy dealers but I haven’t heard all good about them. If it’s the same place.

I’d want to view the horse before having it on trial and find it all bizarre, are they trying to encourage you into having the horse ‘because the other buyer wants it’

 

[Flowerofthefen]

A local dealer to me does this, he always has. For me it worked out great as a couple I had on trial weren't suitable, the third one I trialled was, still have him nearly 20 years later. I could view the horses though then decide if I wanted them on trial.

 

[Pinkvboots]

A bit unsettling for the horses to be sent all over the place.

My friend enquired about one of there's a few years back and the horse had been on trial at 3 places already, so she decided not to bother with her I suppose if 3 people had sent her back makes you wonder why.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Could you be sure these horses are properly quarantined between trials? Sounds like a recipe for producing stressed horses.

 

[nutjob]

It's a good idea if you can view the horse first then have a trial. Otherwise, it's an expensive way to find out the horse is not suitable, especially if you have to pay for transport and not allowed to collect / return yourself.

I personally wouldn't have a horse turn up unseen incase it has habits like weaving, cribbing, windsucking and I have been at a dealer yard where one had a snotty nose and had to put my clothes straight in the washing machine before handling my own horses. Some yards need a negative strangles test before accepting the horse and wec or worming before turning out so the cost mounts up. It's definitely good to have your own vet do the vetting but there's benefits in having a vet examine the horse before it arrives and then collecting it asap, especially from a busy yard.

 

[Birker2020]

Decided against it now, but thank you for the thoughts. It just doesn't seem worth the hassle.

 

[irishdraft]

Decided against it now, but thank you for the thoughts. It just doesn't seem worth the hassle.

I haven't heard of this before but I wouldn't go down that route myself, too much could go wrong. Also lots of horses don't immediately settle at a new place so you could be seeing a different picture as opposed to viewing a horse in an environment he's used to.

 

[Surbie]

If it's the place I am thinking of, near @ester, a friend trialled two. Neither worked out.

It must work often enough for them to keep it a a business model, but it's not one that would appeal to me as a buyer.

 

[lamlyn2012]

I was put off by the fact the horses were sent for a short trial and then potentially returned as you didn't know how many times this had happened and was unsettling for the horse.

Have you looked at Lucie Turner on FB?

 

[Birker2020]

I was put off by the fact the horses were sent for a short trial and then potentially returned as you didn't know how many times this had happened and was unsettling for the horse.

Have you looked at Lucie Turner on FB?

Yes Lucie has a nice bay she's selling

 

[ycbm]

Yes Lucie has a nice bay she's selling

Lucie sells mostly as an agent, not as the owner. Be aware that the Sale of Goods act may not apply and even if it does might be difficult to prove. Insist on speaking to the owner, as that is the person you would sue if, heaven forbid, anything went wrong with the sale.

This advice applies to any horse bought via an agent.
.

 

[nutjob]

Lucie sells mostly as an agent, not as the owner. Be aware that the Sale of Goods act may not apply and even if it does might be difficult to prove. Insist on speaking to the owner, as that is the person you would sue if, heaven forbid, anything went wrong with the sale.

This advice applies to any horse bought via an agent.

Really good advise, you don't have the same legal rights and typically you can't question the owner of the horse. Agents can truthfully answer pertinent questions with don't know or not to my knowledge or can just outright lie and you have no comeback as they aren't the one who has your money. I've had bad experiences with the agent scenario and I particularly dislike it when they are not clear that they are an agent and you have to dig down to find out who is the actual owner of the horse.

ETA I do like that particular horse though!

 

[lamlyn2012]

Yes Lucie has a nice bay she's selling

Have you seen the Polish Warmblood?

 

[splashgirl45]

Birker2020 , have you seen the Facebook group quality Irish draft and Irish sport horses, might be worth joining