Horses from Dodgy dealers

Wimbles

Wimbles

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 December 2007
Messages
1,842
Location
Derbyshire
Visit site
After reading a few posts of late about people on here having bad experiences with buying horses from notorious dealers I was just wondering if I should be thinking myself extremely lucky. I bought my lad from Horse Imports (not knowing any of their reputation at the time) and although we had a a lot of trouble with him at the start I think he's an amazing horse and I wouldn't swap him for any horse in the world!

So.......................... I was just wondering if it was all tales of woe or if some of you got some diamonds in the rough so to speak?
 
Is that him in the pics, he is so handsome!
smile.gif
 
Ellie came from a 'dodgy' dealer
blush.gif
Not as dodgy as some - we looked at one place that would make anyone's toes curl - but nonetheless, this dealer was sufficiently dodgy that we fibbed to everyone about where Ellie had come from, for if they had known we would have been bombarded with insults and told that our horse was bound to turn out a cripple/mad/in her twenties etc
blush.gif
grin.gif

Ellie wasnt particularly cheap, but she was sold as a very green five year old who 'doesnt jump fillers' and had a nasty stop
smirk.gif
I will put my hand on my heart now and say that in 9 years of ownership, any refusals (extremely rare!) we have had have always been down to me, never her. Not bad for a confirmed stopper, eh? We went on to be reserve champs at the Trailblazers finals at Stoneleigh, and she probably could have qualified for the Newcomers finals had I not lost my nerve after a nasty tumble
frown.gif


It seems wrong to call her a rough diamond, but she certainly proved all the doubters wrong!
laugh.gif
 
We have a selection of horses on our yard in the last month or so from a so called dodgy dealer in Sussex - all horses been 100% and easy no problems!
 
Ah wow! no wonder you wouldn't swap him for the world! He is gorgeous. So glad it all worked out for you.
smile.gif
 
i didn't buy mine from a dodgy dealer as such... i bought him from a dodgy 'sales yard' who were selling him on behalf of (i presume) less dodgy person.

the yard i got him from eeeeked dodginess. they didn't want me to get a vetting. they insisted on lunging him before i rode. he was in a stable, which hadn't been mucked out for DAYS, with no water or hay. he hadn't been out of the stable for weeks. it was awful. and everyone told me to walk away. but i'd fallen in love. they also wanted far too much money for him. which i paid... even though i knew it was too much...

i got him home. i cleaned him up. i turned him out. i loved him dearly. he has never ever ever put a foot wrong for me. he's the love of my life, without a doubt. and i'm sooooo glad i ignored everyone that told me to walk away! now, when i think of how much i paid, even though at the time it felt like far too much. he's completely priceless now, and had i known how fab he was, i'd have happily paid double!

xxx
 
I dont understand why so many people want a complete or ready made horse and then have to deal with the consequences of bad training and handling.Why do people not buy a nice young unbroken horse and send it away to someone they respect to break it if thay cannot.I know time maybe of the essence for some and maybe as a one horse owner you want something straight away to ride but this is the reason dealers exist and why so many horses change hands through them.I am not saying all dealers are bad or untrustworthy but it is nice to know the history of a horse and with some dealers that history can be a figment of their imagination.
========================================

www.ballyshanhorses.webs.com
 
I purchased a horse from a dealer who had a dodgy reputation but I did buy him from someone who knew them personally.
He hasnt always been an easy horse but then he showed his true colours when I tried him. I still own him, 12 years later, and I wouldn't swap him for the world.
 
Well, i bought a pony from a dealer a year or so again. We were told she was a confidence giver and we got lost on the way, by the time we arrived they had to go out in half an hour. We quickly jumped on, cantered around once, jumped a couple of small fences, trotted down the road and turned her back out. We hardly saw anything of her, except she hadnt been groomed in a while, was underweight and quite timid. We bought her anyway and I can honestly say she is the best little horse anyone could ever wish for. She would do ANYTHING for you even if it scared her or was uncomfortable, she never complains. We will never sell her ever!!

That said, i bought a nice little showjumper from a different dealer who was very quiet and again described as a confidence given trustworthy horse for even the samllest of riders. He had me off daily after we bought him by bolting, backing, rearing, broncing etc. it was even an ordeal catching him as he would try and jump on top of you!! So some dealers are fine, others, stay away haha!! I guess it depnds on the horse most
smile.gif
 
But i did once buy a pony from a dealer who turned out to be wrong for me, the dealer was fantastic and went out of his way to get me one more suitable. First he came down to our yard to see the pony, then he came back a few days later with two different ponies for me to try at our yard! he did a straight swap for the one i liked and it turned out to be another fantastic pony who took me very far!!! Some dealers are brilliant!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I dont understand why so many people want a complete or ready made horse and then have to deal with the consequences of bad training and handling.Why do people not buy a nice young unbroken horse and send it away to someone they respect to break it if thay cannot.I know time maybe of the essence for some and maybe as a one horse owner you want something straight away to ride but this is the reason dealers exist and why so many horses change hands through them.I am not saying all dealers are bad or untrustworthy but it is nice to know the history of a horse and with some dealers that history can be a figment of their imagination.
========================================

www.ballyshanhorses.webs.com

[/ QUOTE ]

Because a lot of people are not experienced enough to do this. And what would happen to all the older horses? Should they be shot as no one wants them anymore?

Maybe if some dealers weren't so dishonest, I've got a dodgy dealer horse and I wish that I had never set foot on his yard, then you wouldn't see people having so many problems when they buy a horse. For one the dodgy dealers would go bankrupt as they couldn't sell the £$it on to other people.

I think that private sellers are just as bad as dealers for lying.
 
I bought a pony from a dodgy dealer (who I didn't know was dodgy until I met several other people who had bought horses off them and told me about their troubles!). He was the best pony I ever had. We paid far too much for him and we found out he was only a 3 year old (sold as 6!)!! However he gave me the best times of my life, after having a naughty pony who I had lost all confidence on, he made sure I ALWAYS came home safe
smile.gif
 
No I didnt mean it lake that DieselDog but I personally would not touch a horse from a dealers.What I mean is that if you have the knowledge or know a reputable starter of horses then that is what I would prefer to do.The last thing I would want is for horses to be "shot" but if they are unsafe then they have no reason to be in any yard anyway.

========================================
www.ballyshanhorses.webs.com
 
[ QUOTE ]
No I didnt mean it lake that DieselDog but I personally would not touch a horse from a dealers.What I mean is that if you have the knowledge or know a reputable starter of horses then that is what I would prefer to do.The last thing I would want is for horses to be "shot" but if they are unsafe then they have no reason to be in any yard anyway.

========================================
www.ballyshanhorses.webs.com

[/ QUOTE ]

most dealers deal in good horses... not sure what kind of dealer you've been visiting
confused.gif
 
I bought a cracking 4 yr old from some well known dodgy dealers in sussex - lets say they are also known as a holiday company!

Four months later, I have just been offered double what I paid for him. He has quite simply the most fabulous horse I have ever owned with a great temprement - after a large amount of sole searching I have decided that although the money was VERY tempting, good horses with scope and fab temprements are hard to find. I would certainly go back their again, despite some of the crap you get!

However, having lost a large amount of money on a horse bought from a certain dealer in Essex, I think that I deserved a break!!
 
I bought from one who seems not to have a good rep, yet my horse was as described and taught me oodles. I wouldn't have been without him for the world. Here he is:
mlil.jpg

murphymkII004.jpg
 
I know two people who have recently brought from that dealer and I can honestly say that they are two really nice, well behaved horses, a little over weight when they came in but other than that a pleasure to have on the yard. Most dealers turn horses around so quick that querks are not found until after they have been sold, yes there are some dodgy people out there, we have at least 3 in Essex. My advice is don't tar them all with the same brush I would rather buy from a dealer than a private seller any day and always always have a 5 stage vetting done and bloods always go with your gut instinct.
 
I bought this chap from Horse Imports too! He was a 2 year old and looked like this when he arrived, we went looking for an allrounder, felt sorry for him and then rang them and told them to deliver him.
various361.jpg

This is how he turned out
S5020450.jpg

maddox022_0001.jpg


He was a cheeky talented monkey though, we paid the girl riding him to school him and then she took him on loan for a year and after that we let her buy him as she got on so well with him
He has done so well at BE and was 4th in his PN 2 weeks ago and 3rd this weekend just gone.
I dread to think what would have happened to him if I hadnt of bought him originally and found the right rider for him who has worked wonders on him and loves him to bits:)
 
I have nothing but good to say about the dealer in Sussex - but then I had no problems and so did not have to deal with any returns problems, etc, which is from what I understand where the problems arise.

Personally, if I was looking again, I would visit FC again and would recommend it BUT they sell so many horses that I suppose by the law of averages there has to be some duds.
 
I think it takes 100 good deals make a reputation and 1 bad one to break it. I bought my horse from what I later found out to be a dodgy dealer. My instructor was on holiday so couldn't check if he knew him and nobody else had heard of him despite him only being 30 miles away. My instructor got back and when I told him said "please tell me you got him vetted."

Apparently this guy has a reputation for buying vet failures cheaply at sales and then passing them on to unsuspecting naive people. I did of course have him vetted (vet said he'd never make a show horse but was perfectly sound) and, in the month I had for an exchange if I didn't get on with him, checked out his story of how he got hold of him (very long and complicated) by contacting the old owners on his passport. It checked out, he wasn't a vet failure and in 4 years we've had the vet twice - one for a small melanoma (he's grey) that appeared after a year and vet said to leave well alone, and once just recently for some relatively low level lameness that turned out to jbust briusing caused by cavorting about in the field and has healed by itself with rest and bute for a few weeks. My friend's bought from a very reputable dealer is always lame, getting colic and getting into scrapes, although this is just down to him being very accident prone rather than having any underlying problems - we call him Mr Bump!

So even dodgy dealers can have good horses, although this does nothing to enhance their reputation and good ones can have one bad one which can damage their reputation, especially in the age of the internet and message boards like this!

Unless I hear from many direct sources, I wouldn't necessarily be put off by bad comments, but would always go in with my eyes open and a very cynical attitude, no matter what the seller's reputation is. Unless it was my instructor who deals a little bit as well. I know he'd never sell me anything unsuitable as he'd have to deal with the consequences and ride it when I was on holiday!
 
I got lucky! Saw my horse in a manky field while walking the dog and she was sold from that moment. I was 18 and didn't really know enough, was told horse was the dealers wifes and she was gutted to sell her.

My poor Mum (non-horsey) found out some awful tales about the guy but nothing would change my mind. We later found out the dealer had bought her a week before from a local breeder who had money problems.

My girly was 5 then, and is now 21 - I'd have her all over again if I could. I went from nervously jumping a foot to flying over massive hedges. She's had the vet about 3 times since I've had her & although we probably made the dealer a big fat profit, she was still a bargain!
grin.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top