Dealings with Elite Equine and Meadow stables in Essex

Smellycob

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I fully understand why people are saying do not buy unseen, use vet of your choice, do your research etc but there are people out there whose child has had a few lessons and the parents decide they will buy a horse or pony. yes, they are naive and yes they are targeted by the likes of these people but these naive people are often left out of pocket, heartbroken and bitter...hence the vitriol on some sites. All perfectly understandable to me, feelings run very high when people have been duped by a dodgy dealer. We cannot say 'it serves you right' because that absolves blame from these awful dealers. Everyone started somewhere on their journey with horses, please don't disparage affected novices who feel bad enough that they trusted such people. I cannot begin to imagine the anger, guilt, regret or shame that these poor buyers feel. We as a horse community need to support these people, not make them feel worse for the wrong decision they have made...hence the value of sites exposing them. There are posts where the true point is lost, but as I said feelings run very high where Meadow Stables, Sammarie Pheb, John/Jay Archer, Ricky Sawyer et al are concerned. The site Meadow Stables the truth does more good than harm, it does reach many who otherwise wouldn't have known their awful reputation. If you think the people who buy are fools then at least think of the poor, broken horses!

Beautifully put and I respect your views. The fbook page though is horrific and I think does more harm than good, particularly when admins get abusive and block happy rather than open to discussion.
 

Smellycob

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Of course they select the weak but it is also hard to be too sympathetic when the knowledge is out there for you, you just have to look for it.
1) we have the internet and google, and a plethora of forums where you can ask questions not only about specific dealers but there are even plenty of articles about how to buy safely from a good dealer- and the additional rights that affords you.
2) if you asked anyone about vettings in real life (pony club/more experienced friend) or on here then you would be told in the instances of a dealer when the horse will have no veterinary history to be disclosed with the vendors vet you should not use the vet suggested to you by the dealer. Most vets are as professional and unbiased as doctors but best not to take the risk.

So unless you are living in some sort of alternate universe where before you spend thousands of pounds it isn't worth turning the computer on and googling a name/phone number/buying a horse from a dealer then no, I don't have much sympathy for many of them. Obviously it is possible to do all that and things still go wrong but if you don't then you have to shoulder part of the blame for being so gullible and take it as a life lesson to do your research next time unless you have money to burn of course. I assume in the instance of collection they hadn't even got so far as vetting.

This, but don't say it too loud!
 

Aquila

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Hold onto your hats guys - she's been alerted to this thread so has posted on her Facebook page this morning asking her minions to post good reviews on here! No doubt the same band of merry men will come crawling out of the woodwork to defend her. *Sigh* Watch this space.....
 

Rosiejazzandpia

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I've just read her post on Facebook and had a good giggle at her minions gathering round to defend her. I've never bought from them, and never would after reading so many poor reviews online and being warned off them so many times. If you're a person who sells unsuitable horses to others for the sake of profit then you deserve to be revealed to save the next naive buyer falling into the trap.
 

Jach

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Hold onto your hats guys - she's been alerted to this thread so has posted on her Facebook page this morning asking her minions to post good reviews on here! No doubt the same band of merry men will come crawling out of the woodwork to defend her. *Sigh* Watch this space.....

Latest news....she is taking H&H to court!!!!
 

Roasted Chestnuts

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Jesus I wish I hadn't clicked on her facebook, before I'd got past the profile pic it was screaming fake.

Having read a lot of the posted information including her cronies post I don't think I'd touch them with a bargepole.
 

{97702}

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just had a look at her page. She has the strangest ID for sale. looks more like a TB, and the video is interesting...... (Sir Lancelot)

I looked at four videos of horses for sale and not one of them could make anything like a decent shape over a fence - including Sir Lancelot supposedly jumping 1m 10 - scary!
 

Spiritedly

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just had a look at her page. She has the strangest ID for sale. looks more like a TB, and the video is interesting...... (Sir Lancelot)

I'm a bit puzzled why she put on photos of him with a pretty large capped hock but not any recent ones if it's 'gone down now' as she says.
 

Fiona

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I'm obviously gullible as she advertises on an Irish selling fb page I'm a member of and the ads are well written and nice pics. Not a great standard of advert in general to compare to though lol.

Hadn't realised they were England.

Must go back and scrutinise closer. .

Fiona
 

Aquila

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I love how she rubbishes this thread saying that hardly anyone making negative comments has actually bought from her. Well half those leaving positive comments on her FB haven't bought from her either! Works both ways love! And I can give her a list longer than her arms of dissatisfied customers who'd happily post their negative experiences on her page but she's blocked them all!
 

Bosworth

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well i have had a look at all those sales videos, and am astounded that anyone buys from her, not one horse can jump, they are all chipping in a stride before the jump, the rider is causing it, she can be that unlucky to have all horses that chip in a stride. And the whole site screams a novice rider, selling below average horses.
 

Leo Walker

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I'm blocked from her personal and business page and from Jays. Just had to use my partners to see what had been posted. Apparently shes only met one person posting on here. Shes definitely met me! We are all hiding behind nicknames apparently. If your reading Sam, then drop me a PM and I'm happy to give you my full name and details :)
 

Leo Walker

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Lady who she is currently selling was there 2 yrs ago roughly, Sam was selling her saying she was her own personal horse. She was absolutely riddled with melonomas. She was also 11 then!
 

Zero00000

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Sir lancelot, when I watched his video i thought he doesn't look happy through his back end especially the right hind, then looking at his legs in those photos I'm not surprised
 

Paint Me Proud

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I've looked on her fb page too and I understand that she wont be happy with what is being written here about her, whether it is true or not I dont know, but for her to paste it all over her wall is, in my opinion, very unprofessional and she would have been better just quietly dealing with it behind the scenes if she feels that strongly about it.
There is no need for her to bring attention to it, especially if she wants to make it go away.
 

RunToEarth

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I love how she rubbishes this thread saying that hardly anyone making negative comments has actually bought from her. Well half those leaving positive comments on her FB haven't bought from her either! Works both ways love! And I can give her a list longer than her arms of dissatisfied customers who'd happily post their negative experiences on her page but she's blocked them all!

Just curious, but does your username have any connection to Aquila sports horses?
 

Scoti1420

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I've been blocked as I pointed out on one of her posts that she was using photos of horses from my friends 4 in hand driving team to advertise one of her horses.

It's not like it wasn't obvious - scruffy, scrawny thin grey in the standing shots had turned into a big warmblood type in what was obviously quite a high level team! There were people who believed it though...
 

Roasted Chestnuts

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I've looked on her fb page too and I understand that she wont be happy with what is being written here about her, whether it is true or not I dont know, but for her to paste it all over her wall is, in my opinion, very unprofessional and she would have been better just quietly dealing with it behind the scenes if she feels that strongly about it.
There is no need for her to bring attention to it, especially if she wants to make it go away.

This is the right way to deal with it but people like she seems to be try and squash it with sycophantic praise and slagging others off. Anyone with half a grain of sense wouldn't be brings my attention to it but they can't help it because they can't look at the bigger picture and perhaps clean up their act.

As long as they have people to fleece these types will remain in business.
 

mariew

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I was on a yard where some people with no previous experience of horses bought some horses from meadow stud, foals, etc. (well daughter had a few months at a riding school). One was apparently minimum 4, a gorgeous filly that can't have been more than 2. One was a total fruitloop and kept on going back and forth to the dealer in exchange of others. the foals were tiny, about 4 months old.

Their horses are really cheap, aren't they? but then that's not uncommon in Essex to be honest.
 

Damnation

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I have never had any dealings with her but I am on the group on Facebook where people have shared their experiences of buying from Meadow Stables, very few good, mostly bad, drugged (blood tested) horses. I believe there are people with cases against her.

I personally wouldn't go there to buy a horse, the bad far outweighs the good - yes she may have some good reviews but then on the balance of probability she probably will get the odd good horse to sell.

Whenever I see her post about the negativity all I see is someone in sheer desperation trying to stop the bad press which screams "The lady doth protest too much" to me.

If this is unfair, then please, anyone who has bought a good horse from them, as described, should come forward.
 
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