Does Anyone Actually Buy Horses Any More?

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Mithras

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You could be forgiven for thinking not. I've had my mare advertised for a week now, should be a type very easy to sell, price is below £5000, and I've had quite a few enquiries - all asking if she is for loan. Or loan with a view to buy. For at 6 months - a year.

The latest was "hi am just asking if you are putting your horse out on full loan ?. thanks". The other type is women who invariably for some reason, don't ask me why, have a daughter of 12 or 13, who live on a farm and keep their other horses on their own land, they intially seem keen on buying but once gently questioned as to their real intentions, admit they are "not yet ready to plunge into buying a horse".

I am capable of buying a horse, yes it involves parting with money and taking a minimal risk - but then so does buying anything. Is it really that unusual?
 
In some way its like when people buy cars via Ebay, most are tyre kickers, just keep your chin up, it is the credit crunch after all, but stick to your guns. People should be aware that Loan with view to buy, says what it means! You intend to buy after a certain amount of time, unless I have heard wrong.
 
It seems a bit harsh, and none of the other ads have it. But I might - I've had 6 of these enquiries so far, and it takes time out of my working day to log into the site and look at them. I would have thought it obvious a horse was for sale and not for loan if you advertise it for sale with a price tag - theres a seperate section on this site for horses for loan (its the main site in Scotland, which is why I'm using it - any recomendations for other sites welcome).
 
When I was looking earlier in the year I did see adds that stated 'no loans' on them.
Yes there is a seperate section, but in some ways you can't blame people for trying. If you have been looking for a loan horse for a long time and havent found anything, and then see something perfect for sale (that doesnt say no loans in the advert), you would be tempted to ring - I know I certainly would. I know it is annoying, but at least they haven't viewed the horse and then they said they want a loan only.
I would put 'no loans' on the advert to stop these phonecalls, and only get serious buyers.
 
I think they have got a cheek tbh! I certainly would not let any horse of mine go on loan with a view to sell. Especially for 6 months lol! Great so they get a free horse for 6 months then you have to pay to advertise it again?

Also for what it's worth I wouldn't have the nerve to ring up about a horse that is clearly for sale, asking if I could have it on loan.

Daft people!
 
I'm looking and will be buying
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TBH I must be a bit naive because I'm shocked at people's bare faced cheek to ask if a horse for sale is for loan. And the sort of horse that I would have thought everyone wants to buy as well - riding club type, successful competition record showing, BSJA and eventing, bombroof, safe, no quirks!

I wouldn't dream of asking sellers if their horses were for loan!

As for the farming mums, they clearly think they are entitled to a free horse just because they have their own land and play on seller's desires for a good home. Except it wouldn't necessarily be a permanent home with loaning, would it? They also don't seem to appreciate that some of have to pay livery bills and need to get money from the sale of one horse to finance the purchase of another!

"This horse is not for loan" is going on the advert! I bet I still get people asking for it though.
 
I had a similar problem but the oher way around! I put an advertisement up looking for a horse for loan, I said in the advert that I would not be buying just wanted a loan. I reckon 80% of the people that called and e-mailed me wanted to sell me their horse rather than loan. They always said that they most definitely wanted to sell not loan. As said I can't blame them for trying, but why oh why try and sell someone something they have said they are not looking for! One lady told me she was looking to loan her horse, I travelled for nearly 3 hours to view him and when I had got there and had ridden him (he was lovely!) she told me she had decided to sell him instead! I was a tad annoyed!
 
change your advert to NO LOAN HOMES i think its just dam right cheeky if your horse was for loan youd state that and yes there is people out there willing to buy infact i went all the way to ireland to buy my lad some people have the cheek of the devil iv seen in adverts no loan homes n no tex messages n i think that fair enough but when i was buying there was a lot advertised bigger than they were n i also asked on the phone has it got enet blemishes n was told no to drive lots a miles to find a splint n it be to small so its swing in round abouts
 
Yes they are but slowly! Two horses have sold from our yard this year and I've just bought a new foal! Just have to be patient the second horse did take about 5 to 7 weeks or so to sell, enquiries weren't coming in unfortunately when he was advertised at £5000 (and he was easily a £5000 horse!) owner had to drop to around £4000.... The money just isn't there at the moment unfortunately!

Although the people with money who want to be able to say they spent £xxxx on a horse are still around so you could always throw caution to the wind and put the horse up for way more than its worth!!

After all I saw advertised yesterday moggie kittens, nicely coloured tabby ones advertised at £150!!!!!!! (I'm hoping it was a typo!!)
 
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I don't know where people get off tbh!

You wouldn't phone up about a car that was for sale and ask if you could borrow it for a bit.

Numpties lol!

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I must admit I struggle to get my head round loaning. I can see the point with outgrown ponies but with other horses, you are surely only going to get a very young one that someone else needs schooled, or an older one that can't be sold. There can only be so many philanthropic millionaires with spare horses or people going abroad to work for a year around! TBH I'm never surprised by posts saying there are no decent horses around to loan, I'm just surprised there are any horses around to loan at all!

Juding by the posts on here it seems fraught with problems. I actually lent my 14.2 pony out twice when I went to university, and both times he was returned in the middle of winter, meaning I had to struggle to find him livery at a difficult time. The first time he was returned because the girl decided she didn't have time, the second time he shied and the girl fell off and decided he was too difficult for her. Yet when I sold him, he has stayed in the same home until this day (he is now 27!).

And I wouldn't want to loan one either. I don't fancy putting a lot of work into someone else's horse, and if I really couldn't afford the outlay, I'd get a bank loan or buy a very cheap one for a couple of thousand (or less), it can be done.
 
I think by the sounds of it I am very lucky with my loan horse. He is an absolute angel, at 7 years old yes he does need some schooling but it is work I enjoy doing, he is a lovely genuine big horse who has a couple of seasons hunting under his belt, he is very affectionate and a calm push button ride who seems to learn very quickly! I get on very well with his owner and so far i am enjoying the whole experience!
 
I don't like loaning from either direction I'm afraid.

I think if you were to loan out, then you already have an emotional investment in the horse which would make it very difficult not to take back under any kind of duress.

Personally I am too much of a control freak to take a horse on loan. I would get attached and it would be awful that it could be taken away from me at any time.

I do feel for people who can't afford the initial purchase of a horse, but personally I would rather wait and get the money together than loan.
 
Thats the only thing that concerns me, maybe having to let him go at the end of the term if his owner wants him back. But we both agree that as long as the horse is happy we are both happy! At the moment the arrangement suits us both and the horse, so there are smiles all round. Hopefully I will have saved enough to buy him at the end of the agreement term anyway!
 
i have one advertised at the moment, very reasonable. someone emailed and asked "what kind of payment are you looking for" and when i replied "payment, as in, money in my account before i will let him leave my yard" they didn't even bother replying! (bearing in mind i'm asking £1000, with all tack and rugs, and guaranteed buy-back and refund at any time so a cast-iron guarantee, basically an open-ended trial!)
i don't like loaning either, unfortunately due to the people who have the 'company car mentality' - it didn't cost them anything, so it's worth nothing, so they don't take care of it...
frown.gif

i'll never loan again, even to a friend.
 
OTOH is you are William Fox Pitt, failing which a talented BSJA rider who knows how to school a horse to a professional standard and get good results, feel free to contact me about loaning! To everyone else (and thats means everyone else) she is for sale!
 
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i have one advertised at the moment, very reasonable. someone emailed and asked "what kind of payment are you looking for" and when i replied "payment, as in, money in my account before i will let him leave my yard" they didn't even bother replying! (bearing in mind i'm asking £1000, with all tack and rugs, and guaranteed buy-back and refund at any time so a cast-iron guarantee, basically an open-ended trial!)
i don't like loaning either, unfortunately due to the people who have the 'company car mentality' - it didn't cost them anything, so it's worth nothing, so they don't take care of it...
frown.gif

i'll never loan again, even to a friend.

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OMG Kerilli!
I've had much the same thing, except after the first two, I now say "Of course you can come and try the horse, with the proviso you are in the market to BUY a horse, rather than loan" and funnily enough, I never hear from them again either.

I would much rather keep this horse to compete on myself than loan - can't think of any reason for loaning at all!
 
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I think they have got a cheek tbh! I certainly would not let any horse of mine go on loan with a view to sell. Especially for 6 months lol! Great so they get a free horse for 6 months then you have to pay to advertise it again?

Also for what it's worth I wouldn't have the nerve to ring up about a horse that is clearly for sale, asking if I could have it on loan.

Daft people!

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I've got to say, I really disagree with this sentiment. I have a good job right now, but who knows how long I will have it for in the current climate. I would love a horse of my own, but it wouldn't be fair to make the financial commitment to a horse, then lose my job and be unable to feed it or sell it on in the current climate.
When I found no horses on loan advertised, I thought a sensible idea would be to contact people with horses for sale for over 1 month that fit what I was looking for. I said 'if in the current climate you can't sell your lovely horse, a loan may be an additional option for you. let me know if you're interested.' I figured the worst they can say is no thankyou, which some did. However one lady was very pleased with the idea and all has worked out well. I love the mare as my own and I take my responsibility toward her very seriously. I don't consider my proposition to the lady to be daft at all! If I had it to do all over again I would do the same.
 
In response to your first question, No I would buy another horse. There are too many good one's out there free to a good home! I would always go to the horse rescue places, take something off their hands rather than buy so the chain of breeding continues. Until we have less unwanted horse's I won't be buying and I'd encourage others to do the same.

Clearly if you are looking for a specificalist type horse, one that will go to advance medium stressage, grade A/B showjumping, advanced eventing etc then the rescue places aren't the way to go but I think if most people are honest with themselves they won't have the time, money, dedication or talent to ever go that far.

I find it frustrating how many people pay through the nose for some inbred 'sports' horse that's has far to much talent for what it's used for. The talented horses are wasting their life at homes were a little rescue horse could easily take it place as a hacker/local show competitor.

Rant over, I'll get back in my box
smile.gif
 
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I think they have got a cheek tbh! I certainly would not let any horse of mine go on loan with a view to sell. Especially for 6 months lol! Great so they get a free horse for 6 months then you have to pay to advertise it again?

Also for what it's worth I wouldn't have the nerve to ring up about a horse that is clearly for sale, asking if I could have it on loan.

Daft people!

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I've got to say, I really disagree with this sentiment. I have a good job right now, but who knows how long I will have it for in the current climate. I would love a horse of my own, but it wouldn't be fair to make the financial commitment to a horse, then lose my job and be unable to feed it or sell it on in the current climate.

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Um - anyone could say that just now! Or you could say it at any time at all - what job is 100% safe!

Really wouldn't loan out this horse - she's 11 now, if I loaned her for two years and got her dumped back on me, she would be 13, which is harder to sell. Plus she is really well schooled just now and I would say I am at a semi-professional level of riding and your average loanee is not. And what if the horse goes medium to long term lame during a loan? Guess where it ends up again? This is a 4 and a half to five thousand pound horse with a good competition record, I think its a cheeck to ask for it free for as long as it suits you.

PrincessSparkle - I agree with you! Unfortunately most people out there don't have the initiative to buy a cheap horse and do some some work with it. They feel happier buying a well marketed "sports horse" from a dealer or breeder - I've just managed to buy one of these cheap, and what a jump he has!
 
"Um - anyone could say that just now! Or you could say it at any time at all - what job is 100% safe!"

That's my point exactly 'anyone could say that just now'. Which is why people are not buying. There is no sense of security. I know no job is 100% safe and one could lose their job at any time anyway, but the difference is that in another climate one might be able to find another job or failing that sell off assets (ie horses). But you can't do either at the moment. Hence why people are looking for arrangements that limit their liability but still give them the opportunity to contiue their much loved hobby.
For me, not having a permanent contract but desperately wanting to keep up my passion for horses, a loan rather than buying was my most sensible and rational option. If someone selling a horse is not interested in a loan, they can simply say no thankyou. But if I were selling I would not be suprised at all to receive such offers at the moment.
 
Thank you eriskaypony - I'll have a look.

Koda - people are buying. I've just bought one and I think I would have been told to go and take a running jump if I'd asked to loan him instead. My friend has just bought too. Loaning would have no advantages for me at all, only for the person getting the free horse. And it would be extending my liability, not limiting it!

Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough - most of the enquiries in this vein start off with no mention of loaning so I assume they are potential buyers. They then make a big point of them having their own land, a younger daughter, etc. Then they start to arrange to come and view and the first one dropped the news that she "wasn't looking to plunge into buying just now but might consider a loan". So I asked the next two if they were genuinely in the market to buy and never heard from them again, despite answering their very detailed questions. None of these women worked, as they said they could come to view during the day, so they're not exactly prone to losing their jobs!

This horse has only been advertised for a week too, so its not a matter of an old advert and an unsold horse.

Please don't contact people who have horses for sale asking if they are for loan!
 
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