Horse selling fun ?

[Tiddlypom]

Here’s me being assessed for competence on the school mistress horse on my last horse buying foray! (I passed the test, phew).

 

[McFluff]

I didn't want a mare, or a grey...
But that's what I ended up buying ?

This reminds me of my friend, years ago. Went to buy a pony club pony, ideally for teams dressage (she was very good on her previous pony so was stepping up from 13.2 to 14.2). Her criteria were: gelding, bay or chestnut, 7-11 yo, Dressage record. She came home with a 4 yo, grey mare who was 15.2. Green as grass. And never did learn to enjoy dressage. Very good jumper though!

 

[Cob Life]

I’m on the other other side, with trying horses that are falsely advertised.

advertised as an 8yo That could be ridden by a novice. (Im not majorly experienced but I would‘t say I’m a complete novice)
I watched her ride, he was very on the fore hand, swung quarters out but I got on, he rode fine, fairly tense but eventually settled. Got off and was told I was the first new rider he hadn’t bronked and taken off with! Kind of would have been nice information to have before I got on the horse!

 

[Flicker]

Why would it put you off?

I have to say that if someone asked me a tonne of questions about how to ride the horse down to such minute detail before getting on I’d assume they were either very nervous or very novice.

Because I generally don’t expect to be auditioning for the right to part with my cash. If the horse is correctly described, I would expect that to be sufficient. I ask a lot of questions about how the horse is used to being ridden to ensure that any aids that I apply are appropriate to any quirks it may have.

 

[Red-1]

Being asked for videos wouldn't put me off at all. I like to get a horse straight from a loving home, knowing everything about it. I also like to get a horse from a professional who has had it long enough to know about it. The former tend to want to now your life story before they allow you custody of their pet. That is fine, especially as they also tend to be the ones who tell you everything they know about the horse.

I have never asked for a video though; having a chat with the prospective purchaser has generally been enough.

As for time wasting, I always set out thinking "this could be the one!" on my way to view. But, for me, it is not just about height, breed, ability, it is also something akin to finding a partner, so I have to actually like the horse. I have to want to get on - or I don't.

Once I am on, I have to want to take the horse home and be excited at that prospect. Some horses I have tried and they have been nice, just not 'my horse' so not purchased.

 

[millikins]

I ask for videos of prospective viewers riding, unless it's a horse marketed for a novice. Had too many people paint themselves as the next CDJ when they get on and can barely keep up with a rising trot.

I will likely be pony shopping in the New Year and I'd welcome this as I'm one of those people who become a bag of nerves when my riding is being judged and don't do myself justice.

 

[Winters100]

The last horse I sold was a really super horse, but really suitable only for pros or very strong riders. Our discipline is small where I am based, so I pretty much know everyone involved, and there are not many horses of his level available without going abroad. I was astonished by the people who asked to try him - people who would not be able to ride half of the horse. One good friend offered me the asking price over the phone without trying him, and all I could tell him was that it was not a good horse for him and that he would probably end up breaking his neck. I also had the father of one very overindulged girl in her 20s tell me that his daughter really wanted the horse so "what will it take to get him?". In the end I accepted a lower price from a really super home in Germany, but for me it was worth it to send him somewhere that I knew he would be a good fit and properly cared for. I did not want him to end up being viewed as a 'problem horse' just because he was without an experienced / strong enough rider.

All of this was after the first offer which was before I had decided to definitely sell. Someone on the yard had heard me saying that I was considering it, and I arrived there one day to find his legs shaved. Of course I was shocked and asked what had happened to him, and found out that this woman had had him vetted with NO discussion at all with me. She then made me a ridiculously low offer, almost exactly 20 times lower than the price he finally sold for, and when I refused she asked me to pay for half of the vetting that I had never agreed to!

Edited to add that the justification given for me paying for half the vetting was that then she would give me the xrays that I could provide to other buyers - as if I would EVER want to do that!

 

[ycbm]

You win with that one Winters!
.

 

[MissDean]

Yes I think you win with that one winters!
some of these have given me a chuckle thanks guys!
I do screen on the phone and always ask ‘what are you looking for’ and then I know if the horse will be suitable and can say so. Some get through though, especially at 10pm at night when I’m pretty hungry and tired! I’ll often ask for videos for younger riders or people that happily admit they are competent novices. Last lady that said she and her daughter were competent novices, were actually lovely riders and I’m looking forward to hopefully finding them a new friend!
The person that wasn’t ready to buy another yet, Didn’t tell me that beforehand. She was local so if she’d have told me that I’d have offered her to come and hack a few out on exercise with me instead. Saves me a job! I think I’m just having a run of it lately! Last few have sold to first viewers without even being advertised (word of mouth) so I was due a few tough weeks soon!

 

[oldie48]

I will likely be pony shopping in the New Year and I'd welcome this as I'm one of those people who become a bag of nerves when my riding is being judged and don't do myself justice.

The videos of me riding tend to make me look a lot more competent than I actually am and sitting on a different horse is, for many one horse owners, a bit of a test. I think I probably ride more tentatively which is why I always ask if I can do a second viewing and take someone more experienced with me to ride who will put a little more pressure on the horse to assess how it reacts.TBH I think you need to adapt depending on the market you are buying and selling in and generally the experienced/pro rider will make a decision more quickly than the more novice/amateur rider.

 

[HollyWoozle]

All of this was after the first offer which was before I had decided to definitely sell. Someone on the yard had heard me saying that I was considering it, and I arrived there one day to find his legs shaved. Of course I was shocked and asked what had happened to him, and found out that this woman had had him vetted with NO discussion at all with me. She then made me a ridiculously low offer, almost exactly 20 times lower than the price he finally sold for, and when I refused she asked me to pay for half of the vetting that I had never agreed to!
!

I actually can't get over this! They had your horse vetted without asking you?! I am a pretty calm person but I think I would implode!

 

[ihatework]

I actually can't get over this! They had your horse vetted without asking you?! I am a pretty calm person but I think I would implode!

Not just vetted but legs shaved!! I mean WTF. Shaved legs on a horse is a massive red flag to a buyer, what if she had scuppered a sale to a genuine buyer?! That definitely wins the most crazy award

 

[Bernster]

That’s utterly bonkers winters! Some people...

I saw a dealer recently who asked for videos to help match riders. I liked the idea but at the same time it did put me off a bit! Probably did the trick then haha. In my case I think I look like a sack of spuds riding but maybe that’s a fair reflection of my ability!

i saw a horse yesterday which would never come up on my search terms - too big but currently ridden by shorter riders and didn’t ride big, so going outside your strict list can sometimes work. I agree with others that if the horse suits, then I think it would be a different story - if it doesn’t that you get the too young, too big/small. But that said there do seem to be some blatant time wasters. Luckily I don’t think I’ve had much experience of that, as a buyer or a seller.

 

[shamrock2021]

I did view a horse that was to young and different breed for what I was looking for and worked out completely fine. But sellers can be annoying I had a experience with a dealer that lied about the the horse age and the horse had no passport. I didn’t buy that horse becomes it was nutcase the horse turned out to be stolen.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Not had many issues with buyers but dear lord...some of the sellers..!!!!!! ???
Pretty much every horse I viewed last year was a good hand shorter than described....do people not actually measure them for selling, or do they just take a wild guess..??!!

 

[LEC]

Actually I do have a good stroy from last year. I was selling a sway backed horse. I was being very honest about the sway back but the horse was cheap and actually really straightforward. The perspective buyers came along and everything was going great, i had taken the kid out hacking. Then the yard owner comes out while i have taken the kid off hacking and has had a fair few gins and starts saying stuff that is just ridiculous even though she has known the horse her whole life like how she needs loads of management etc... the horse has never had any special management. She is going on and on and on and my friend who had stayed with the mother didn't know what to do to stop this. At the end the buyer says I don't think we have enough experience to manage this horse. I was bloody fuming but could hardly say anything as I ride the yard owners horses. I think I ended up with a pointed yes, well you didn't help sell the horse the following day and left it with a note to self to never let her near again.

 

[Flicker]

Haha LEC I shouldn’t laugh, but that’s just terrible!! People hanging around at viewings are the worst. I went to view a fairly plain cob type a few years ago. He didn‘t have anything particularly exciting about him, but I thought he could be a handy, uncomplicated little project for a bit of fun and to sell on. The seller had a ‘friend’ visiting on the yard who proceeded to tell me how, if she had the money (he was quite cheap) she’d have snapped him up, because he was ‘lovvleh’. So I asked what about him she was particularly keen on, hoping it would give some insight into his temperament or talents. Beyond him being ‘just lovvleh’, ‘a real character’ (alarm bells...) and the friend ’lovven’ ‘everehthink’ about him, I never did get to the bottom of what made him so special. I think by this stage the seller wanted to kick her in the shins, her face was a picture.
And he was lame. Which I guess explained why the friend hadn’t stumped up the very low 4-figure price tag for such a ‘lovvleh character’...

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

When I was last buying a couple of years ago maybe I could’ve seemed like a time waster. I had set out to get something not warm blood and maybe 15.2hh Irish type maybe oversized Connie. I had a fair age range from 5-10 but when I tried the younger end I was surprised at how I didn’t like the feeling of greeness. Either they were not long started or were badly schooled. One had been schooled and done all sorts over the winter but felt awful to ride. My previous 5 year old was beautifully schooled so I wasn’t really expecting that. My friend video me and from the outside it looked fine I just didn’t like the feel.

One slightly older horse 6 yrs rode really big and long and I felt out of control. I ended up buying a younger version of my old warmblood. Chunkier but with the same lovely temperament and nice but not enormous paces and responsive to aids and not riding like a stiff tank which seemed to be the way of going of the dealer Irish types. Still it only took me two weeks to find him so I didn’t look at that many. He’s a spooky opinionated twit though sometimes ?.

 

[MereChristmas]

I had sadly sold my very pretty coloured cob as we really were not suited.
I went to view with a friend another similar cob which we hoped would be more suitable to ride. It was a warm autumn day and the cob’s coat was changing. After riding we were washing her off. A girl came to us. She said ‘ Are you going to buy xxx? She has such a pretty face’. I did not reply as it was not her business to know my decision. She repeated at least 3 more times that the cob had ‘such a pretty face’. Eventually I said ‘ If you want to see a pretty cob face you should have seen the one I have just sold’. My friend said when we had finished ‘ If she had said that once more I would have hit her’.
I did not buy, but it had nothing to do with pretty faces.
.

 

[FinnBobs]

I went out looking for my first horse naively thinking that I really wanted a flashy big Warmblood or ISH and I tried a few of that type before taking a 'wild card' and going and seeing my lovely over height but smaller than I thought I wanted Connie which was a good decision for me because I think I would have been over horsed with the others! he's still beautiful and can do what I wanted to do with him without outclassing me. Hopefully I didn't waste too much time but a more novice rider like me may not actually know exactly what they want or need due to lack of experience especially for a first horse.

 

[rabatsa]

I went to hold the hand of a friend who was buying a horse. While friend and owner were in the arena I was speaking to young daughter. I commented that the horse seemed a bit unlevel on a circle and the daughter told me that was why it was for sale. Oops.

 

[1523679]

I ask for videos of prospective viewers riding, unless it's a horse marketed for a novice. Had too many people paint themselves as the next CDJ when they get on and can barely keep up with a rising trot.

As a buyer I’d be quite happy with this as a time-saver for both sides. I got fed up with (honestly) describing myself as a safe and experienced older rider of modest technical ability, only to be told that the seller was looking for a more capable/experienced/competitive home without my even getting a viewing.

I was always tempted to reply that if they were looking to sell their £5k happy hacker cob to CDJ, they should message her through the Facebooks

 

[MereChristmas]

As a buyer .....I got fed up with (honestly) describing myself as a safe and experienced older rider of modest technical ability,

Thank you 1523679. I have been trying recently to find a way to describe myself as a rider to sellers, this fits perfectly.

 

[Cortez]

Buying (and selling) horses in England does seem very.......different to how it's done in most other places. More like dating than horse trading . I've gone to look at several horses in the UK (mostly Spanish); never bought any, although I was given one once after I went to see it (he's the one in my sig <<<). I prefer to buy in places where the horses are not pets.

 

[Winters100]

As a buyer I have been super lucky in the last 2 years.

Horse 1 was bought from the buyer of my previous horse, albeit 6 months later. At his suggestion we wrote in the contract that during 6 weeks I could return her for any reason - he is a lovely man who had not intended to sell, and only offered her to me as he thought we would be a really good fit and I would give good care. He did not want to push her any more to be at the high level he needs, but she is sound and hopefully with many years ahead at my level.

Horse 2 was bought from my YO. He let me try him over a 2 week period, including competing.

Horse 3 belonged to a friend who had sent him to me to be looked after when she went for an extended trip to the UK. When I mentioned that if she ever wanted to sell I would be interested she was happy to let go of the responsibility - and I had already had him at the same yard as mine for some weeks so was very comfortable with him.

Just good luck, I know I can never hope for the same when buying again, but all 3 are perfect fits for me and will have a home with me forever.

 

[Winters100]

pressed reply in error - sorry!

 

[Flicker]

Winters100, I am a firm believer that we make our own luck. If you are a conscientious and sensible horse owner, people take note and good horses will tend to find you. The fact that three people you know have chosen to rehome horses with you speaks volumes.

 

[Lois Lame]

You win with that one Winters!
.

Yes. And I was too gobsmacked to even press 'like'. Staring at the screen like a goldfish with my mouth agape.

 

[Winters100]

Yes. And I was too gobsmacked to even press 'like'. Staring at the screen like a goldfish with my mouth agape.

I think that the audacity of it was how she managed to go ahead with the vetting. When I spoke to the groom, the YO and the vet about it they were all very sorry that they did not stop her, but said that they just assumed that I must have agreed because who would do such a thing without the owner knowing!

 

[Simbapony]

I have to say I’ve been lucky and not had many issues either. I’m not sure I’ve had a single obvious joyrider.

A handful of more novice buyers that have allowed me to fine tune my questioning! But nothing crazy.

I do think that sometimes people don’t quite know exactly what they want, and will try a bit outside their spec. It then might sound a bit daft when they turn around and say they don’t want a grey or the horse is too big / too old, but often what they might mean is ‘had I liked riding the horse enough I’d of considered that compromise. As it is I just don’t really want to buy your horse and this is the best excuse I have’ - I’ve probably been there!!

So for example I just went young horse shopping. One of my pretty firm criteria was strong damline performance (not just the bloodlines). Now those are pretty hard to come by and I had a few nice on paper types that had attractive bloodlines but no dam/grand-dam performance.

The first I viewed there was lots to like. Completely as described, sweet natured, well put together. But she was on the expensive side and just didn’t do enough for me. So the unproven damline has her as a ‘no’ despite me knowing that in advance.

I did however go on to buy another one with an unproven dam because I liked the horse in front of me enough to compromise.

This. Having been after a palomino or dun , no older than 6, and at least 15hh I've just bought a 14.2 bay 11 year old mare. When I rode her I didn't want to get off, she is home and I adore her. The one I tried who ticked all the boxes did nothing for me.