squirtlysmum
Well-Known Member
I feel the need to vent my spleen somewhat!
When a very novice friend asked me to help her find her first horse she rang an advert Horsemart which advertised a Schoolmaster.
So we dutifully trundelled off up the motorway in the direction a a yard situated near Lullingstone Golf Course, no names posted!!
When I got there the first thing I said to my friend was that it was clearly a dealer and the first person we saw said 'Oh you've come to see the Gelderlander', an interesting turn of phrase and a tad impersonal as most yard people tend to know the names and not the breeds of the other horses!
However the vendor came out and said she was selling on behalf of someone - IS THAT NOT DEALING!!
Anyway they showed us the saddest large creature I think I've seen before and even my novice friend said it looked like a 'cut and shut horse' as it had no back end whatsoever, when I pointed out the horse had [****] comformation (I'm not known for holding back in these situations!) the vendor stated well what did we expect for the price! I would imagine whether you pay £500 or £5000 the horse should actually look like a horse. She then went on to explain that this was typical Gelderlander comformation, what a lot of old pants, yes they are flatbacked but they also, as a carriage horse, have good back end muscles.
This poor old dobbin had a dreadful roach back and clearly did not want anyone getting on it as it circled several times as they endeavoured to climb on and then it was far from a Schoolmaster as it didn't appear to know what it was doing let alone show anyone else.
I'd seen enough and we beat a quick path away from the horrid place. It really does make me angry that people will a) advertise as private when it is blatantly obvious they are far from a private vendor b) sell a completely unsuitable horse to a complete novice.
But I suppose I'm naive in thinking people would have the same standards as me.
Oh well, spleen vented!
As a complete stroke of luck I found a really suitable ned right under my snoot at the yard where I have my boy, oh well lesson learned!
When a very novice friend asked me to help her find her first horse she rang an advert Horsemart which advertised a Schoolmaster.
So we dutifully trundelled off up the motorway in the direction a a yard situated near Lullingstone Golf Course, no names posted!!
When I got there the first thing I said to my friend was that it was clearly a dealer and the first person we saw said 'Oh you've come to see the Gelderlander', an interesting turn of phrase and a tad impersonal as most yard people tend to know the names and not the breeds of the other horses!
However the vendor came out and said she was selling on behalf of someone - IS THAT NOT DEALING!!
Anyway they showed us the saddest large creature I think I've seen before and even my novice friend said it looked like a 'cut and shut horse' as it had no back end whatsoever, when I pointed out the horse had [****] comformation (I'm not known for holding back in these situations!) the vendor stated well what did we expect for the price! I would imagine whether you pay £500 or £5000 the horse should actually look like a horse. She then went on to explain that this was typical Gelderlander comformation, what a lot of old pants, yes they are flatbacked but they also, as a carriage horse, have good back end muscles.
This poor old dobbin had a dreadful roach back and clearly did not want anyone getting on it as it circled several times as they endeavoured to climb on and then it was far from a Schoolmaster as it didn't appear to know what it was doing let alone show anyone else.
I'd seen enough and we beat a quick path away from the horrid place. It really does make me angry that people will a) advertise as private when it is blatantly obvious they are far from a private vendor b) sell a completely unsuitable horse to a complete novice.
But I suppose I'm naive in thinking people would have the same standards as me.
Oh well, spleen vented!
As a complete stroke of luck I found a really suitable ned right under my snoot at the yard where I have my boy, oh well lesson learned!
