Dodgy buyers-

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stormox

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I know this happened 3 years ago, so nothing can be done, but I keep wondering.....I had a mare, Storm, Clydesdale x cob. I bought her as a yearling, broke her, got to winning at prelim and jumping 90s. She didnt really have the paces or scope to do bigger jumps she could do 1m upright, but struggled with the spreads. When she was 8 I decided to sell her, as a riding club fun horse. She wasnt a beginners ride but was well behaved hacking etc
I advertised her, and a chap and his wife phoned several times about her and then came to see her. They drove 5 hours, from N.I. with a trailer ( I wasnt expecting them to bring one) , I rode her in indoor and outdoor schools, jumped her, they rode her inside and outside and went for a half-hour hack. They said they liked her and produced cash, made a very near offer to what I was asking, and drove away with her. I was rather taken by surprise, but as Id had a few people seeing her and not buying, I was happy for her and they seemed so nice.
Roll on 6 months.... phone rings 'were you the owner of Storm'? I got your number from the SJI office. The woman went on 'Shes gone'. I thought she meant dead, and said so. No, she said, she's disappeared. Went on to tell me that the man and woman Id sold her to were dealers, nasty people apparantly, who had sold her Storm as a 1.10-1.20 horse, she had paid a big deposit but was refusing to pay the rest as the horse wasnt as described (would never do 1.10). Storm had been taken from her stable overnight. She still had the passport, Storm was microchipped, she assumed the dealer had snatched her back, but although the police were involved no trace of her was ever found.
I know its too late now, and Ive no idea what I could have done differently, I suppose maybe I should have checked buyers ID or something, somehow, but I was at a hired arena and they came from a long way away, so it was a bit difficult.
 
I'm sorry I don't have any words of wisdom for you but couldn't read and run. What a terrible thing to happen when you thought you had found a good home for your horse. What are you going to do?
 
Theres nothing I could do, or can do now. It was 2-3 years ago, the police were involved looking for her at the time, and she wasnt mine any more. The police and the person she was stolen from never found any trace of her. They said she'd probably been sold on for hunting, private use, something that doesnt check passports.
I dont even know why I posted it really, except its always in my mind, and I was checking the 'tracing equines' for her m'chip number.
Its just theres so many sites about dodgy sellers, but dodgy buyers are just as bad.
 
Some years ago we had a similar experience. Bought from a friend of a friend. (Turned out to be unregistered dealer). Had him for 3 weeks at a livery yard. We had not long left for lunch when apparently they drove into yard, told only person there we had sold them the horse. Bought him in from the field, loaded him up and drove off.

Police were involved but it was long before the days of passports, and our few photos were of little help as identification.

Never saw him again.
 
Yep - I got done too. Lovely girl turned up to see my horse - really nice, said she was partially deaf (thinking back on it, I don't think she was). She was lovely with him, rode him nicely, but didn't canter him or jump. She made me an offer less than I had advertised, but as I thought she was a lovely person and he took to her, I accepted. Three weeks later a post on a forum was asking how much a 6 year old ex-police horse would sell for. I tried to buy him back, but they wouldn't return phone calls or emails and I learned later he was sold for about £2K more that I sold him for.

I was sad to sell him, I just wish I knew where he was now - last I heard somewhere in Northamptonshire.
 
I got done too when I sold a section A who I had bought as a companion. When my horse came back onto the yard, the companion pony didn't take to being stabled at night so I sought a home where he could live out.
Pony was not broken and was highly unsuitable to be a child's riding pony as he did have a rear in him. Sold him to a lad who was looking for a companion pony for an elderly mare, went to visit the place, spoke to his mum, they promised the best home and I said if they ever sold I would have him back. I explained that he wasn't suitable to be a ridden pony etc.

Three months later, I get a phone call from a very distressed lady. She had brought pony off the lad, just a month later. He sold it as a safe child's pony, had clearly drugged it when she tried it. They'd got him home and he had reared and flipped over backwards with a 2 year old child. She'd found my name in his passport and contacted me to find out what I'd done with pony and was horrified when I told he was no safe to be ridden and that I had sold him to this lad as a companion only.

Her child could have been killed.

Fortunately, pony landed on his feet as lady was lovely and vowed to keep him as a pet. She still has him to this day.

I have never forgiven myself and will never sell anything again. I still feel horrific about the whole thing.
 
What a weird situation. Not sure you can say the buyers were dodgy OP, they paid fair and square for the horse - it's a shame they ended up being dishonest about selling the horse on, but they were perfectly fair in their treatment of you as a seller.

As for the future purchaser, that just sounds ridiculous. Why didn't she try the horse out properly? I wouldn't buy a horse on faith that it was a 1.10/1.20 jumping horse without some sort of evidence or testing it out myself. And why did she even have the horse if she hadn't paid for it in full? All very bizarre.
 
xspiralx said:
What a weird situation. Not sure you can say the buyers were dodgy OP, they paid fair and square for the horse - it's a shame they ended up being dishonest about selling the horse on, but they were perfectly fair in their treatment of you as a seller.

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But the buyers weren't honest with me at all, they said they wanted the horse for themselves for riding club activities at AP level, and for their 'wee girl' to pony club. But it then transpired that they were well known dealers who bought Storm with one intention- to sell her on and make money.
I dont know why the lady who phoned me believed the dealers spiel, but they certainly made me believe that they were a suitable private home, I questioned them a lot about where she was going, what she'd be doing etc (after all, I had had her 7 years and cared a lot) so maybe they fooled her too. I had got points on her at 1m, and she was a good horse at 85-90, but the dealers totally mis-represented her by saying she was suitable to do amateurs.
 
I sold my rising 4yo to someone who told me they wanted him to back and break to harness, following day he appeared on pre loved, the whole as was a lie. They said he was backed and ridden by children, he wasn't. My friend saw him on Facebook with a friend of a friend having bought him. I contacted her and all was well but it could have turned out horrifically
 
That's nothing unfortunately. A lady contacted me because she had owned a horse that had had fits. The mare had been her husbands potter about as he was a total novice. But when she had the seizures, they were advised not to ride her again. The owners didn't want to PTS as she was not an old animal but equally couldn't afford to keep her and replace her. So when a very nice man from Yorkshire offered the mare a permanent home as a companion to his driving horses, she jumped at the opportunity. The agreed on a nominal £1 for the mare and off she went. A while later they were contacted by the freezemark company regarding change of ownership to a woman that the previous owner had never heard of. Turns out the very nice man was dodgy dealer who had immediately sold the mare to a young woman with a small child, telling her that it was a fantastic jumper with a good record (with a novice rider who had never jumped her ???) The original owner told the new owner that the mare had had seizures but couldn't seem to get through to her how potentially dangerous this was and the phone call was ended. The original owner did some research and found out that the dealer had a reputation that preceded him but as she could not take any legal action on her own behalf she made it her mission to tell anyone and everyone in the local horse world what his name was and what he really was.
 
This is why I do not sell my horses.

Once you take the money you have no rights and it is really none of your business what then happens to the horse. You have sold your rights really. I know it's distressing when it doesn't work out but I would have been suspicious of anyone who turned up with a trailer.

Sad stories but that's life. Buyer/ seller be aware
 
My friend had a bad experience with child's pony, it seemed perfect but she soon discovered that if it was put under any pressure or didn't like anything, it would rear. She rang one of the past owners, and it turned out that she'd had the same issue and sold the pony for a nominal £1,with the proviso it was never ridden again. The buyer had then sold said pony on as a child's pony for £xxx's. There are some rotten people about.
 
stormox, was she sold to NI/what part of NI? (if you know!)

I only ask as my current yard host quite a few local competitions, from dressage to showing, if you could DM me a photo or post her description, I can keep an eye out for her?

if you're on FB, you could try joining all those horses for sale groups too, you may see her photo there.
 
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