how desperate some people must be.

landyandy

landyandy

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just pondering, and I wondered if anyone on here would sell their horse to someone with very little knowledge, or in this case non what so ever, one of my friends told me she was getting a horse last week, and asked me what kind she needed!. I begged her not to get one and have riding lessons first, but she insisted she wanted one, so then I asked her to let me go with her to view, NO she as been and bought a 3 year old welsh cob, just broken in, i'm shocked that people would sell to someone who as never owned and knows nothing about horses.
 
Thing is you can't tell some people; Tbh I was the same, aged 40, had 6 lessons, bought a cob who bucked me off all the time! Lesson learnt. All you can do is be there if things go wrong.

It didn't put me off though, I sold him, had some more lessons and was given a Sec D by family, 5 years I had him and although he was a g*t I also learnt how to sit spins and spooks! Enjoyed myself immensely :)
 
The same thing happened with a friend of my daughter. She and her father bought a welsh cob from Leicester virtually via the internet. She paid quite a bit for it too - did NOT even trial ride it on viewing. We had warned her - I even rang the parents to voice my concerns (I felt I had some right/duty) since they borrowed our trailer and took this to the viewing :eek:

And guess what - horse turned out to be a nightmare - he bolted with the girl, he needed and still does some 6 years on sedation for his feet to be trimmed. They kept him for 6 months then sold him for a song to a friend of mine. He was ridden for a bit and has languished in a field since.
Numpties that's all I can say. I was so cross - they wouldn't listen to any of my fears for them and they all came true and they were just lucky their daughter wasn't killed in the process. You couldn't make this stuff up.
 
I hope it works out for her, but she as never even sat on a horse, she as never really been around them, this morning she asked me if she needed to put a rug on her as she was a baby!!
 
YasandCrystal said:
The same thing happened with a friend of my daughter. She and her father bought a welsh cob from Leicester virtually via the internet. She paid quite a bit for it too - did NOT even trial ride it on viewing. We had warned her - I even rang the parents to voice my concerns (I felt I had some right/duty) since they borrowed our trailer and took this to the viewing :eek:

they wouldn't listen to any of my fears for them and they all came true and they were just lucky their daughter wasn't killed in the process. You couldn't make this stuff up.
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I wouldn't have lent my trailer under these circumstances.
 
When you sell a fair amount of horses it's always a dilemma when you come up against this. I have actually sold a few horses to beginner riders on the proviso that they remain at my farm for a few months to make sure the horse and rider are compatible. I know my horses inside out so I usually see whether there's a connection there the moment they meet the horse. If there isn't then it's just not worth carrying on with the sale but if there is then I'm more open to selling to them. I would never ever sell to numpties though regardless of their level of horsemanship.

I sold a yearling to one of my existing clients about 2 years ago. She always got along fabulously well with one of my foals from the moment he was born and she was clearly attached to him so when he was about 15 months old she asked if she could buy him and I agreed. She is middle aged and the other horse was her daughter's. The lady hadn't ridden in a number of years but the daughter was pretty good with horses. The lady was a little nervous of other horses but never of this foal. A few months ago they moved the horses to a friend of there's who lived next door and only yesterday I was sent photos of her riding the youngster. She's had him out on trails and they get on like a house on fire.

I have a number of stories like this one above, all have had good outcomes but all buyers have known and used me as a sounding post to get the best out of the horses and they are always welcome to bring their horses back here for us to help if they run into any issues. I think having a network helps immensely for new owners.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I wouldn't have lent my trailer under these circumstances.
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I know I felt rather cornered, but thought that they would just hire one if I said no. The girl could ride ok and there was no issue over horsecare - it was just the viewing and purchase and that they had seemingly already made a decision without seeing the horse.

They were so unbelievably stupid I asked them about the horse being unshod (they had asked for my husband to be available to shoe the horse quickly) and why was it unshod but not barefoot? I did suggest it may be difficult to shoe. You actually couldn't even pick the feet up! I even repeated agian to her and her father when they picked the trailer up - 'please try it out after watching it ridden and if you are not entirely comfortable please walk away'. I think this was around 8 years ago - the horse was a non descript of 'welsh blood' - 6 years old and £1,600. I was aghast.
 
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YasandCrystal said:
I know I felt rather cornered, but thought that they would just hire one if I said no. The girl could ride ok and there was no issue over horsecare - it was just the viewing and purchase and that they had seemingly already made a decision without seeing the horse.

They were so unbelievably stupid I asked them about the horse being unshod (they had asked for my husband to be available to shoe the horse quickly) and why was it unshod but not barefoot? I did suggest it may be difficult to shoe. You actually couldn't even pick the feet up! I even repeated agian to her and her father when they picked the trailer up - 'please try it out after watching it ridden and if you are not entirely comfortable please walk away'. I think this was around 8 years ago - the horse was a non descript of 'welsh blood' - 6 years old and £1,600. I was aghast.
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I'd put money on it not even being 6 actually. Someone I knew bought a pony for their daughter. She was a good little rider but the pony started acting up and it frightened her. I did some work with it while they went on holiday and had suspicions so had a quick look in its mouth. They had been told it was 7, the teeth said not even 4. Luckily he was actually an honest pony and it all came right after a few more months but it meant that she had to treat him as a baby and work him accordingly which was disappointing for her.
 
I agree that sellers should be a bit responsible for where their horses go, and I agree this sounds like it could be a disaster waiting to happen, and hopefully she is keeping it on a good yard where she will get advice and support and at least it's welfare won't suffer. Please say she's not keeping it on her own land on its own?

However, with a just backed three year old, it is more likely the purchaser won't ride at a viewing, and perhaps may be able to seem more competant than they are?

I, personallly, think an adult's safety is their own look out. If I were selling a horse to someone, I would want to be sure of the horse being well looked after (which may be the case if it's going on full livery). I think it is a bit different with children, and if I were ever selling a child's pony, I would want to make sure the child was safe, and that the parents were willing to help with care if neccessary.
 
Penumbra said:
I agree that sellers should be a bit responsible for where their horses go, .
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:) It is all well and good saying that, but try as responsible sellers may, they can be lied to, or the horse can be moved on - once it is sold it is sold.

Years ago I had a great little LR/FR pony, not cheap, people came to see it, nice family, little child, home forever etc, etc, etc. - absolute twaddle - unfortunately for them I knew them by sight, that pony would have been sold off the back of the lorry at Llandybydder the same week. I told them that I didn't think he was the pony for them, and I wouldn't be selling him that day. If I hadn't recognised them I would have been taken in by their ruse. As it happened a genuine (seemingly anyway) family drove all the way to Wales from Hampshire to see him and then paid for transport there.
 
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If people want something bad enough they will say whatever the seller needs to hear to reassure them

So people may say they have all the support in the world, are trained by top trainers, strained their back and cant ride, planning to show in hand etc etc etc...

On the face of it someone shouldnt have sold me their 18 month old Welsh colt and then a month later another Welsh that needed a lot of tlc but I was confident I would be ok and gave them no cause for concern

The colt (now gelded) ran rings around me for months, we are finally getting there but I was crazy to think I could go it alone and I would have classed myself as reasonably experienced had someone asked me at the start!
 
I've twice turned down offers on 2 diff pony sales cos I knew they weren't the right homes..both times getting a fair bit of abuse in the process! However I'm sure there are plenty of people esp now in a recession where the money is far more important.
 
Enfys said:
:) It is all well and good saying that, but try as responsible sellers may, they can be lied to, or the horse can be moved on - once it is sold it is sold.

Years ago I had a great little LR/FR pony, not cheap, people came to see it, nice family, little child, home forever etc, etc, etc. - absolute twaddle - unfortunately for them I knew them by sight, that pony would have been sold off the back of the lorry at Llandybydder the same week. I told them that I didn't think he was the pony for them, and I wouldn't be selling him that day. If I hadn't recognised them I would have been taken in by their ruse. As it happened a genuine (seemingly anyway) family drove all the way to Wales from Hampshire to see him and then paid for transport there.
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Sorry, I did mention further down the post that buyers can lie/exaggerate their ability, I'm not suggesting sellers do home checks or anything, just, I don't know, if someone mentioned in passing they were going to keep the horse on some land alone, and I felt this hypothetical horse wouldn't cope with that, or something. Obviously if people are going out of their way to lie and con you there is very little the seller can do.

I do know a lot of people exaggerate their ability (from working in a riding school), I don't know if they genuinely believe six lessons is "quite a lot" or that their child who has been riding once a fortnight for a year is "really experienced" or they just want to do the fun stuff, and don't realise how dangerous they are being, and I think people equally do this with regards to horse care/general horse knowledge, or think because they have read it in a book they can do it in real life. And some people are unscrupulous and outright lie as you described (although I would like to think this is not that common?).
 
Sellers should be responsible...... Yeah, some common sense on buyers part helps too. I agree to a certain extent but man am I sick of people that have to blame somebody when they fail. This isn't like buying a car that's not as advertised. Some horses, no matter how wonderful on the day of a trial, have issues adjusting to a new routine, humans, living arrangements, and feed. And amazingly some people over estimate just how good they are and yet blame the seller.

I know there are bad sellers out there but not as many as you like to think. As people have already said on this thread you admit your mistake and do what's best for the horse and move on.

And I have to sell green ponies for a client. I don't like it. Really because I started these ponies and have given them a good start in life so I'm more concerned with their well being. So I am a little cautious. I want them to succeed and be a good pony for someone. So yeah I try and be responsible as I can because my name is on the line as well as a young pony's future.

Terri
 
Equilibrium Ireland said:
Sellers should be responsible...... Yeah, some common sense on buyers part helps too. I agree to a certain extent but man am I sick of people that have to blame somebody when they fail. This isn't like buying a car that's not as advertised. Some horses, no matter how wonderful on the day of a trial, have issues adjusting to a new routine, humans, living arrangements, and feed. And amazingly some people over estimate just how good they are and yet blame the seller.

I know there are bad sellers out there but not as many as you like to think. As people have already said on this thread you admit your mistake and do what's best for the horse and move on.

And I have to sell green ponies for a client. I don't like it. Really because I started these ponies and have given them a good start in life so I'm more concerned with their well being. So I am a little cautious. I want them to succeed and be a good pony for someone. So yeah I try and be responsible as I can because my name is on the line as well as a young pony's future.

Terri
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i'm not blaming the seller in any way, just can't believe that people just go out and buy a horse, without a clue.
 
I know my friend doesnt care. Shes sold on quite a few horses she didnt get on with and sold to anyone.

With my lad Ive taken on, first she was happy to sell or loan to anyone. I couldnt bear it anymore so took him - her loss is my gain :D

She currently has a sharer, who doesnt actually know how to put a bridle on :confused:, and made a right mess that I had to put it back together again - its not even a complicated bridle - hes in a snaffle bit only :o

But again, as long as she pays weekly, she doesn care :rolleyes:

Edited to add: she knew nothing about horses when she got her 1st one at 2 years old, and second one was a mare in foal ........
 
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