dodgy dealers

Achinghips

Achinghips

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I have bought 3 horses in my equine life, all private sales, all claiming to have sold me "been there, done that, safe horses". The first turned out to be aggressive on the ground and bucked repeatedly in canter with his head between his legs. The second had absolutely no brakes and only stopped when we arrived back at the Yard and the third went lame after 6 months with bilateral spavins. It makes me wonder, in my advancing years, whether to go to a dealer for a horse - they have a lot of horses pass through, they know their stuff, some advertise they will take pride in matching a horse to an owner. How can one get a headsup on the dodgy ones, without comprimising another into libel allegations? What protection is there for people like me?:confused:
How can one research it?:confused:
The second option is to buy a green horse from a breeder, but I don't consider myself to have the skills to further its education, also I'm too old. So, what do you do?:confused:
 
i have always bought privatley,with some ive been lucky others not. My next horse planned for next spring will either be word of mouth through people i know or seriously considering one of the reputable dealers .have heard v good things about clip clop traders and my type of horse. i agree its a total nightmare.
 
Well, first thing is to find a reputable dealer which is known to sell genuine horses and be helpful. Then, take someone else experienced such as your instructor with you to view the horse, and then have it 5* vetted after seeing enough horses and seeing this specific horse enough times to know it's for you. By all means go back more than once, and try it in as many situations as possible and enough for you to feel comfortable with it. There are some very honest dealers out there. I got my boy from a well-known dealer and admittedly it's only been 2 months, but he is everything she said he is. He hasn't put a foot wrong, and is the horse I fell in love with. So far it's been very smooth and I can see a very long happy future with him. I would definitely buy from a dealer again, you just have to be careful as with any equine purchase! xx
 
I think speaking to people in your area who may know of the dodgy dealers is a good place to start...go with your gut instinct as well.

I bought a young horse from JG, and it was the best thing I've ever done....I don't think you can be too old to do well on one of her horses...most of her 3 year olds have mature heads on their shoulders, way beyond their years!

I'm roughly in your area I think, I do know of some dodgy dealers around here, and some dodgy private sellers so feel free to pm about any you do find!

I don't know of anything at the moment but will point you in the direction if anying comes up!
 
I've bought both of mine from dealers. I have found that both horses were as described, especially Fany who was needed for a specific job (to give my daughter back her confidence after a rather nasty accident hacking) she was described as "bombproof" and she is. I found her seller to be honest generally, she told me Fany was a dirty mare in the stable and she sure is!

I would happily recommend either of the dealers I have dealt with, so I would look at getting personal recommendations. You could also put the name on the forum and ask for PMs about them.
FDC
 
My personal preference is to buy from a breeder. If I was you, I would go to see JG's horses, even if all that happens is that you have a nice day out and decide that you definately want a 'made' horse.

There are good and bad with private sales, dealers and breeders, so always be careful.
 
debsflo said:
i have always bought privatley,with some ive been lucky others not. My next horse planned for next spring will either be word of mouth through people i know or seriously considering one of the reputable dealers .have heard v good things about clip clop traders and my type of horse. i agree its a total nightmare.
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My mare came from Clip Clop Traders. :) She's a big bird too!!! Emma made the sale so easy and stress free. Got a 28 day no quibble warranty on her too. Even if I just felt she wasn't for me I could have returned her. But I didn't!!! She's a star! And was described accurately down to the tiniest detail. Even her flaws of which there aren't many! ha ha!
 
I got K from a dealer and he was perfect. did get a 5* vet & bloods - just in case. I have had him 4 1/2 years and I think he is awesome! :)

No 2 came from a breeder, he has been good so far, he was well handled and nicely mannered, but he is only 8 months old - so the rest is up to me!
 
debsflo said:
i have always bought privatley,with some ive been lucky others not. My next horse planned for next spring will either be word of mouth through people i know or seriously considering one of the reputable dealers .have heard v good things about clip clop traders and my type of horse. i agree its a total nightmare.
Click to expand...

Just to say I too got my boy from ClipClop! xx
 
I would ask around and get some recommendations. The problem with buying privatly is that too many people see their animals through rose tinted glasses. They don't mean to lie but it doesn't mean you are getting an honest assesment of the animal! Our first horse we got through word of mouth, she was an angel in every way but nappy hacking on her own which we weren't told about. We got over it in the end though. Daughter's first pony was on loan from my YO and was a little horror but one with a certain something and daughter fell in love. My youngster came from a breeder who was very honest and told us she would take him back at anytime if we felt as if we had bitten off more than we could chew (we'd never had a youngster before). He's a little star, very easy to handle so we haven't taken her up on her offer. :D Daughter's second pony was bought from a dealer when the first passed away and is the perfect lead rein/first ridden as advertised (she shares him with her little sis). So I'm more than happy to buy from the trade and prefer it be honest.
 
indiat is right! I think often private sellers view their horses through rather rose coloured specs! It's not that they lie, exactly - but Hugo's previous owner definitely exaggerated what he had done. In the end, it has turned out ok because what she said about his character and temperament were exactly right <3

I haven't bought through a dealer, but nearly did! I feel that what she told me was truthful and she did her best to help me find the right horse - I was just too slow and missed the one I wanted, then Hugo came along!
 
always bought privately, last one was through a dealer but was as described. Slightly easier (in a way) because previously I wanted proven event horses so it was the work of 3 minutes to read their record and then to speak to the owner. I bought my mare because a: her eventing record was pretty good b: the picture showing her jumping a trakenner (my least favourite fence) with the rider hanging on for dear life. Thought that I couldn't do any worst and I was right. Mare was the horse of a lifetime!
 
I have bought privately and from dealers in the past. I have only ever bought from the one dealer who seemed to be very reputable (in saying this we have heard bad things about this person from other clients but this is expected for all dealers). I bought a horse at the start of last summer and simply didn't jell with her, returned to the dealer at the end of the season and he was happy to take her back! Definitely wouldn't get that from a privet sale so as long as you can get some good references for them I would think about trying a dealers yard.
 
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