Have you ever been lied to when buying a horse?

S

Sunny08

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 September 2008
Messages
1,073
Location
Kent
Visit site
Just talking to a friend whose horse was 'mis-represented' when sold to her and i am appalled about how easily some poeple can lie when selling horses, and how far people will go. I am lucky I brought my girl off someone I knew, so when I got her, I knew warts and all. Every time I have sold a horse I have shared every single bit of information I can as I couldn't live with myself if a mis-sold a horse, especially if I hid bad points which later resulted in an accident or something.

Are there any horror stories or are they few and far between? How can you protect yourself?
 
Lol...blatantly lied to but it all worked out! My 5 year old bombproof cob who'd hack out anywhere/anytime was 100% in traffic and 100 physically...turned out to be a barely 3 year old nervous nelly who was blind in his left eye and who wouldn't even pick up his feet, cold backed, nappy as they come and a complete nightmare!! Luckily I just gave him a year off once I realised his true age and rebacked him...mind you they were right he is absolutely bombproof with any form of traffic!! Which to be honest is the only thing I really really wanted so can't complain!! Plus he cost me very little and the way I look at it is I got 2 extra years from him so bargain!:D

I don't think you can protect yourself fully, there are some very dishonest people out there so it's just going on word of mouth and trust.
 
Yes and a fellow livery has too.

My horses behaviour on the ground was played down ALOT, in fact not mentioned at all and when asked what is she like to lead etc, told fine, needs a firm hand blah blah..... tell that to the livery who's car she nearly landed on last night.

A fellow livery was sold a safe plod, who rode ok when trying him but has proceeded to buck her off every time she rides. All checks done, all ok, a dream on the ground but not the novice ride she was sold.

Sellers need to realise they are playing with peoples safety and in extreme cases their life when misrepresenting, not mentioning a vice or even worse possibly doping.

Edited to add: I did see my horse turned out and lead in so who knows
 
ABSOLUTELY NEVER.............They all tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.... do you think I am telling the truth??????????????????????????????????!!!

There was a really good thread on here recently about wording used in adverts and what it actually means particularly to a buyer. Am I suprised at your experience....no.
 
In defence of sellers (and not in response to personal stories above)
- horses behave very differently in different circumstances
- a lot of the language we use about behaviour is subjective
So, unless you know what the seller regards as e.g. 'suitable for a novice' and how much experience/confidence/assistance etc they expect a 'novice' to have you can't really rely on that kind of thing.

I like the idea of a check list of yes/no/number type questions when viewing (for shares in my case)
- 'has horse ever reared in hand/under saddle?'
- 'has horse ever bitten you?'
- ...
(NB my novice share owner told me both of the above were 'yes'... and horse and I got on great, you can't always tell...)

Out right lies are pretty bad, written descriptions as part of receipt sound quiet valuable!
 
This wernt buying but loaning- This pony was advertised as a childs pony- her owner had her leg in this metal cage and had been broken in various places but she didnt tell us ehy this pony was meant to been a perfect little star- SHE WAS NOT! to get her in you had to have your hand in her headcollar or she would cart you, strong when ridden, couldnt lunge, i rode her for the 3rd time ( i was 11) and we were using the field as a school as no where else and we were trotting a cricle she galloped off and bucked me off. she did this weird cough thing as well she wernt right- then we found out her owner had carted her into something and broken her leg- this pony was advertsed and told us that she was a perfect childs pony- she pulled and adult ect she was defo not a childs pony they were all lies
 
Tickles said:
In defence of sellers (and not in response to personal stories above)
- horses behave very differently in different circumstances
- a lot of the language we use about behaviour is subjective
So, unless you know what the seller regards as e.g. 'suitable for a novice' and how much experience/confidence/assistance etc they expect a 'novice' to have you can't really rely on that kind of thing.

I like the idea of a check list of yes/no/number type questions when viewing (for shares in my case)
- 'has horse ever reared in hand/under saddle?'
- 'has horse ever bitten you?'
- ...
(NB my novice share owner told me both of the above were 'yes'... and horse and I got on great, you can't always tell...)

Out right lies are pretty bad, written descriptions as part of receipt sound quiet valuable!
Click to expand...

That is very true.

Ignore my rant, I'm still in a bad mood because of plonker horse :D

She's only been there for 4 weeks, on full livery so is trying her luck on the YO. A total dream to ride but definitely far too intelligent for her own good on the ground :rolleyes:

The main thing is no human or horse was hurt, how she didn't manage to hurt herself I don't know. Just car damage so my pocket is a bit lighter :(
 
Yeah sadly

I have had 3 horse in the past 6 months as i have been lied to many time!!!

I have found the one now 4th time lucky!!
 
went to see a grey cob gelding......................when i got there it had changed to a chestnut mare...............do you think they lied?
 
there are some honest people out there!
My big girl came to me as a loan to save her from being sent to a dealer (owners illness and marriage problems), both her sharer and owner were completely honest with me about her attitude, basically that she'll try to intimidate you on the ground but if you take no nonsense she's fine, owner made it very clear she gets strong in open fields with other horses about, doesn't like to be stabled and prefers not to hack out alone but will. Because i'm slightly daft i still agreed to take her lol and she's still here with me 4 years later except she's now mine as she was gifted to me:)

We've just bought my daughter a new pony, only arrived yesterday so i'll let you know in a couple of days if he's all he was sold as;)
 
i've read this post and was thinking really hard as to whether or not i had bought a horse that was not what the previous owner described and i can honestly say i haven't.

i was told that they were either bolters, rearers, dangerous, hated women etc etc. and also from what i can recall none of them had a personality transplant on the way to my yard. maybe i've been lucky or because i don't pay lots of money i get honest replies to my questions.
 
Tickles said:
In defence of sellers (and not in response to personal stories above)
- horses behave very differently in different circumstances
- a lot of the language we use about behaviour is subjective
So, unless you know what the seller regards as e.g. 'suitable for a novice' and how much experience/confidence/assistance etc they expect a 'novice' to have you can't really rely on that kind of thing.
Click to expand...

/\/\ This

For example. Brown horse is a tool from the ground unless you are very strict with him every single time you do something with him. If I was selling him I would definitely say 'needs a firm hand' but as I've been made aware on here, most people's idea of a firm hand is not mine! I can easily see him becoming an absolute menace with someone else because he has been with me in the past and is only ok now because I know how to deal with him and I make sure I keep on top of the situation and never give an inch with him.

I wouldn't be lying saying he needs a firm hand, that is exactly how I would describe how to manage him as that is what I honestly think he needs, and yet I bet loads of people would say I'd lied about him if that's all I said after they'd had him home for a couple of weeks and he'd broken three lead ropes, pulled the ring from the wall and pulled the rope from their hands twenty times.

Unscrupulous sellers are an absolute nuisance but so are buyers who have an inflated idea of what they can deal with/their own capabilities.

Not that this is the case with you OP. People can be total illegitimate sons when selling horses!
 
Sellers of my mare were very honest about her good and bad points. They were also happy for us to view several times, see her do different things and even have a trial at our yard. Helped that we had a mutual acquaintance and were fairly local. Sellers said they would rather be 100% honest than have to live with someone getting hurt.

Having a mutual acquaintance helped with any ambiguity over subjective terms too. So she was able to reassure the sellers that we weren't typical straight from a riding school first time owners and reassure us that the young girl who backed our horse wasn't a typical fearless gungho sit on anything teenager so if she'd backed it then it probably wasn't a nutter!

Did see lots of horses about whom the owners were less than honest though.....
 
Over the years I've been lied to more times than people were honest!

However the 2 horses I bought had both been described perfectly, hence why I bought them and kept them


It seems almost law that unless the horse truly is good in every way people lie

It is possible to find someone that doesn't but it is hard
 
an elderly lady on my yard went to view a 4 year old cob, wen she tried it is was a complete dope on a rope, bombproof and super chilled out.

When she collected it it soon became apparent that the mare must have been doped when she first viewed - and she has been a complete handful for the owner.

Scariest thing is is that the lady buyer made is super clear that she needed a horse that would stand COMPLETELY STILL while she mounted as she has a pin in one leg - sellers assured her 'yes, she is perfect' - guess what, got the horse home and she wouldnt not stand still at all!!

(please note this cob is not the same one that i have advertised for another lady on the yard!)
 
We went to see Fany, she was advertised, by a dealer who used to be on here, not sure if she still is, as 15-2hh, she is in fact 14-2hh. Also as a cob, she is an Ardennes. However, I could see straight off from the ad she was an Ardennes, so no surprise there. I could also see she was nowhere near 15-2hh. But that also wasn't an issue, because she really takes up the leg. However, she was a long way away and if I had gone all that way to find she was nowhere near as big as I was lead to believe and did not take up the leg I would have been furious! I must add that everything else they said about her was absolutely true, especially her temperament, she was exactly as described a bombproof horse.

Cappy was basically as described, difficult and a stroppy bugger! So they must have lied, he is the world's most chilled horse, I wish!

Personally I think you have to go into it with your eyes open, if in doubt take an experienced person with you and have it vetted, with bloods. I prefer to buy from dealers because you have some come back.

FDC
 
Last edited:
worst one was when i went all the way from birmingham to north yorkshire (and took my RI with me) to view a gorgeous fjord gelding only to get there and him be hoping lame - sellers pretended they hadnt noticed until the not so horsey wife let slip 'he was limping yesterday but we just thought he stepped on a stone or something' ARGHHH!!!

I was so gutted too as i really wanted him, but just couldnt trust the sellers enough to warrant a repeat super trek visit. :(
 
I really wanted to buy my perfect Friesian cross pony type, as I had worked with him to the point of backing, he was really my perfect pony, but owners [in financial difficulty] told me they had sold him, what can one say, "no, you owe money all over the place, I will pay off his outstanding charges??
 
Yes, most definately about 25 years ago by a well known lady who p2p, judged hunters etc, went to see the horse and was told he had been out of work for some time due to the owners son (well known high court judge) grown to tall. Rode the horse and thought he bucked although only a hop type movement, asked her does this horse buck ? No she replied. Took horse home within 4 weeks he was bucking me off everyday, went back to her who made me feel one inch high, all my fault supposedly. Anyway cut a long story short, managed to deal with the horse, who was actually quite a good team chaser, but still bucked, then found out a year later thru a contact at the jockey club the horse had not been ridden for a year due to the fact no one could stay on, he was an out and out bucker and his name was Bucks Fizz, should have guessed !!
 
I've not read all the replies yet, but anyone who's viewed more than a couple of horses has been lied to.

For over-hyped, half made-up, half left-out horse descriptions (Stunning, jumps anything, competition winning robot horse....), read the "For Sale" ads. For true descriptions (bay, 16 year old, big barb wire scar on o/h, won't let you ride it....) read the tracing horses ads. :D
 
Yes several times, including the shire horse that was supposed to be IDxTB, but I did sell one a few years back that wasnt good with large vehicles and I told the purchaser this several times and she said it wasnt a problem. I then got a call asking if he had ever been in a RTA, which he had'nt because he wouldnt walk past parked cars or the tractor! He spent four years walking past streets of parked cars on both sides of the road with me and all three of the tractors on the farm because that was the only way to go on a hack, and the only time he took issue with double decker buses was when they were speeding or too close, so I couldnt understand how he suddenly decided he wouldnt even walk past a parked car, and I asume that the purchaser thought I had lied, which I hadnt. I could only put it down to his change of yard and prehaps a less confident rider?
 
Yep! I ended up needing hospital treatment and out of pocket cos of sellers lies..... Which is why I have stepped back and help others with their horses.

When I did HAVE to sell my previous horse - I vetted the new owner and made sure they were compatible before I let him go, but then I cared about the animal and wanted him to be safe and sound in a good home.
 
I viewed a TB used as a "happy hacker by a novice owner".

Wouldnt stand to be mounted and when I finally did get on the thing I lasted all of 15 seconds before I was rodeo'd out of the saddle. The moment my bum hit the saddle its head was between its knees!

Had apparently "never done that before..." and was ridden fine by an instructor "yesterday". Yeah... sure...
 
Yep told they knew of no problems when they knew of plenty - old owners returned him with all vet reports proving beyond reasonable doubt that they did in fact know of the full history of the horse and were hoping to make a quick bit of cash! Hes a total *insert word here*. Poor horse has finally come good (enough) but cant belive anyone can lie like that!
 
I agree with those that have said that it's a matter of perspective. Horses do change.

My gelding was apparently a happy hacker. I knew the previous owner didn't ride due to a bad back..found out 2 months after purchase that he'd reared and she fell off. She now has a new riding horse...

The previous owner's friend would ride him (found out it was only once a week afterwards) so when I started riding him 5-6 times a week I hit a lot of problems! I don't think it was misadvertising as the previous owner never pushed him so wouldn't have known.

When I called the previous owner in tears as I was struggling to catch him she admitted that he'd always been difficult. He now comes to call for me. Also found out that he used to drag her around.

Overall its taken a while but he's improved 110%. :)
 
When i sold Beau my OH pointed out all the bad things and none of the good, he still sold :D

Maybe if he lied he would have stayed lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top