How much involvement should an old owner have?

How much involvement should an owner have after a sale?

  • Total voters
    0
E

EQUIDAE

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 August 2015
Messages
1,999
Visit site
Bit of a background - five figure valued horse purchased for a nominal fee of £2 to secure a forever home. Contract of sale states 'bought as seen on day. Transfer of ownership fee £2. Condition - must never be sold on'. Fair enough :)

The question is though - how much involvement should the old owner have post purchase?

Poll added to cover what I expected to happen, what actually happened and a couple of other possibilities.
 
Poll not visible to me but this doesn't sound like a straightforward sale to me. Sounds more like something done in particular circs (divorce/financial difficulties/illness of old owner?) that would be hard to guess at on here.

Edited to add: can now see poll but not voting for reasons above.
 
That is not a normal sale transaction so I expect the previous owner is putting their oar in where it is not wanted and to a certain extent I can understand that they still feel a tie to the horse even though they have no rights.

In normal circumstances I like people to make contact to say they arrived home safely, horse has settled in etc. then anything else is totally up to them, once the horse and money have changed hands the deal is done.

In this case I think if I were the seller I would expect more contact, assuming I already knew the buyer otherwise I am not sure I would have made the deal final by taking the nominal sum, it would have remained a loan. I have one here that I bought for £1 we remain in touch, less as time goes on and I will tell them if there is ever something major otherwise it is now just the odd email, christmas card being sent.

Not answered the poll as every sale is different, I have one here I sold recently for a client that is staying at livery, his old owner has popped in and seen him but will not expect to have any say on what he is doing, she knows he will be cared for and he has barely noticed that he is now owned by someone different, he is having to do less work so he is more than happy!!!
 
I think it depends a little on how long ago the sale was, I don't see the harm in a few monthly updates and then just if something to report unless the new owner has definite reasons not to.
I guess we have kept in annual contact with one of our horses old owner and Frank's old owner knows I am on FB if she wanted to know :)
 
Depends really. One horse I have no contact with. 2 shetlands I keep in regular contact with the owner, she added me on FB, so I see her photos etc and will occasionally comment on them and she will message me to ask for advice, I like to see how they are getting on and I would be a bit gutted if she didn't want to keep in contact tbh!

ETA: I have no contact with the previous owner of my mare. Would have been happy to keep in touch but she wasn't interested.
 
Ive been in a similar situation. What should have been a high value horse, sold to me for £1 as he had problems. The person I bought him from didn't set any conditions - she wasn't emotionally involved, as she had only had him a few years, and he was purchased to train her clients on, not for herself. She has never forced any involvement, but often comments on posts about him on Facebook.

It was me who contacted his previous owner, who had him from a baby, and trained him to GP. She was aware that he had been "sold", but would never have contacted me, as she didn't feel it was appropriate. She was utterly thrilled to hear from me, shortly after I bought him, and we've become friends. She adores him, and is really happy that he has a home for life, and is worshipped.
I really love having her involved in his life still - she's a lovely person, and I really like being able to keep her up to date with him.

Once the horse is sold, it is up to the new owner to decide how much contact is reasonable, no matter how much the horse changed hands for
 
Thankyou for all the responses. I'll leave the poll running until tomorrow then I will post with what the situation is.

The sale was as a result of the owner losing interest - she just wants a horse she can ride once a week, rather than having to go every day (he was on full livery) and she is now looking for a part loan.

I'm not slating the previous owner as she is a lovely person.
 
My horse came from his breeders and my last horse from breeders but on sales livery. Both asked for updates and I enjoy sending them but I hated having to tell my old arab's breeders he'd been put down with colic, I did and still do feel like I let them down massively for it having happened.

I've never kept in touch with former horses' sellers, mainly because most (but not all) were from dealers but it is definitely different buying from breeders.
 
Last edited:
Would be lovely if previous owner could be contacted in the event of the new owner needing a little advice. Previous owner should not really be contacting new owner unless instigated by new owner, or they bump into each other at a show or such like.

Seems slightly different in the situation you describe. In this instance it would be nice if the new owner could send the old owner an update every once in a while , say annually or so. Old owner should not be badgering new owner though for frequent update and reports!
 
I voted other as it depends on what the new owner wants I am currently looking after my old ponies in their new home one has been with this owner for over 20 years the second was bought from me as a relative newly backed pony and is now mid teens. These ponies are very dear to me as they brought me a great friend and we have been friends since they day the old girl went into their ownership. I do like to hear about the ponies I have sold but equally I dont contact new owners it is up to them what they want me to know. I love looking after the ponies and dogs while my friend is away it is almost like they are still in my life and I still love them dearly but although we are good friends we dont live in one anothers pockets
 
EQUIDAE said:
Bit of a background - five figure valued horse purchased for a nominal fee of £2 to secure a forever home. Contract of sale states 'bought as seen on day. Transfer of ownership fee £2. Condition - must never be sold on'. Fair enough :)

The question is though - how much involvement should the old owner have post purchase?

Poll added to cover what I expected to happen, what actually happened and a couple of other possibilities.
Click to expand...

have not voted as I believe it is situationally dependent - depends on owner, purchaser - their relationship, their expectations... the cost and purchase value of the horse - IMO has absolutely nothing to do with it... if a new owner wanted input from me I would give it, if at sale - communication was agreed- I would hope for it... but its not at all as clear cut as voting in a poll for expectations. I have contact with Ebony's old owner, and Bens - but not with other horses previous owners. There are also owners that I would not lower myself to conversing with...
 
For us it is all different now , Facebook makes everyone more accesible . We are in touch with 5 of the 6 current equines previous owners , some are now friends . I am also in regular touch with 2 out of the 3 ponies we ever parted with . I dont interfere but love to see the pictures and be supportive .
 
Personally I'd be very happy to keep in as much touch as an old owner wanted providing they let me get on with it my own way and didn't physically appear unannounced constantly!
I kept a horse at its old owners yard a few times. Once out of convenience- it was close and I didn't have a yard lined up and once because I was already there with another horse.
I think these things naturally cease over time anyway.
 
My son had to sell his mare at Easter, we are in touch with new owner, she is local and I see the mare quite often at tournament we go to.. (Sold due to uni )
Should the new owner express displeasure in us keeping in touch, then I would just do it by watching FB , but she wouldn't do that... When I see the mare, I make a fuss of her but never interfere.she has a great new rider.
 
I think Facebook changes things. I sent my boys old owner a message when we got home to let her know he travelled fine and was settled. Since then communication has been limited to facebook, she always comments on his photos, other than that when she got the vaccination reminder she reminded me, and I contacted her once when we had an issue and wanted to know if there was any history. If she was in the area, she would be more than welcome to come and see him.
I did almost buy another horse, one of my worries was that I suspected his owner would of been interfering.
 
I voted monthly updates after seeing the terms of the sale and assuming, as it transpired wrongly, that the previous owner had had to let the horse go because of personal or financial difficulties.

I think it actually completely depends on the individual situation. I texted my horse's previous owner once to let her know he had settled a couple of weeks after arriving and once a couple of weeks later. I don't think she was particularly attached to him so I didn't contact her again after that, although would not have minded monthly contact if she had wanted.

However, I would not want any interference in the horse's future - sold is sold.
 
Once a horse is sold, the old owner should have only as much input as the new owner is comfortable with, irrespective of the purchase price. Clauses that prohibit the new owner from selling the horse on would be very hard to enforce. Friends of mine bought a horse for £1 some years ago. There was a clause in the sale contract that the old owner had to get first refusal if the mare was sold on. Fast forward a number of years and the mare was diagnosed with kissing spine. My friends made the decision to PTS as she had some other health issues too. The old owner kicked off big time, saying the mare should have gone back to her (which my friends would never have done, even if it had been an option for the mare, given the state of the old owner's other horses). Old owner even contacted a lawyer who told her these sorts of clauses are not worth anything and can't be enforced. Mare had already crossed Rainbow Bridge by this time so not sure what old owner was hoping to achieve...
That said, my last horse's old owner was still a very real part of his life while I had him - she rode him for me when I was away, helped me get to grips with his enormous jump, visited him at least monthly and had real input into my final heartbreaking decision to have him PTS. I would have sold him back to her if I'd been unable to keep him for whatever reason, and she would have had him.
 
i think this totally depends on the situation, personally i have gone from no contact at all to helping out and teaching the new owner, it is nice to keep in touch but it is no longer your horse/pony so all decisions should be made by the new owner and they should not be pestered by the old owners - maybe you could just be friends on facebook then tat way you would see updates without being too involved!
 
None.

Buffy's old owner called to make sure she had settled in, and I give her a Christmas update.

To be fair to her she has never even asked or made comment on her care, just likes to see my Christmas text from me and Buffy and asks how she is.
 
I voted "other" as I think it depends on what was agreed at the time. I "bought" my old boy for £5 as his owner was going through a difficult divorce from a horrible man who was threatening to sell him for meat. We knew he legally couldn't but didn't put it past him to do it anyway so I bought him and moved him to a new yard. I'd had him on loan/share for a few years by this point and was very close friends with his owner. She continued to be fully involved with him just as she had been before. She then had to move away due to this man so left him with me. I kept her updated and every so often she'd come and visit when she was back visiting family. She was the first person I phoned when he died (unexpectedly), before I even told my OH.

If there's no agreement in place, I'd say the old owner shouldn't expect any involvement but if the new owner wants to offer it, then great.
 
Very situational.
Generally, I'm happy giving little updates when we've done something noteworthy (i.e. as and when, not every week/month), and sharing pictures on FB or something.

Old owners have no input on how I ride or manage the horses unless I ask them.

Sold is sold. The various kind of 'clauses' a seller might include have no legal weight once the horse is sold, especially if only written on sales receipt. If you want to keep control over a horse's management and future, you loan it not sell it.
 
I have known one transaction similar to what you describe, well bred ex-racehorse sold for a token amount to secure a good home. In that case it was agreed in advance that the "buyer" would provide a monthly update to the ex-owner, which she did for the 2 years I knew her (and enjoyed doing as she also kept a copy as a record for herself). This was in the days before social media, these days she probably would have had a blog!
 
I would have said none but when reading your post I opted for the something useful/first comp/death etc as it sounds like old owners were more interested in good home than price.

Hope it all works out and both parties are happy :)
 
I think anyone who sells should assume "none" but hope the new owner might be willing to share, and respect otherwise.

Of the two horses I have bought and the one I have sold, the other party was in all cases a complete stranger. I am sure the dynamics would have been different with acquaintances.

I never saw or talked to the old owners of my boy again; they were getting rid at all costs and I simply did not feel I owed them anything. I notified no one when he was put to sleep and reversely no one asked about him whilst I had him or has asked since. I wish he had been more loved but at least I know he was with me.

I was friends with the seller of my mare on Facebook up until the mare was sold and I left the site. She had a standing invite to see her if nearby but never did. I presume it was too hard. When I was forced to sell I offered to let her buy her back but by then she was not interested. I knew she did not want to sell in the first place and felt offering her back was only right but I knew she had taken good care of her whilst she owned her and would not have offered otherwise. I did let her know where she ended up.

I very much thought I wanted to keep in touch with the mare and I had a (polite, I assume) open invite but once in that situation I found it too hard to reach out. Seeing her would have made it much worse, I think, so beyond a couple of practical texts a few months in we never spoke again. I recently saw an ad for a saddle on a local site and it said "for sale as the horse has been sold". The horse was my old mare and I have no idea where she is now. This very much enforced the knowledge that I will never be able to buy her back.

Sold is sold but how people feel about having made a sale will be individual.

For my part I feel better about the horse I had put down because there are no unknowns there when I think of him.
 
Melody Grey said:
Only as much as the new owner allows them to!

I'm not sure a forever home can ever be guaranteed, even as a condition of sale?
Click to expand...

This, if the new owner wants the old owner involved, then great, if not, then also great.

I'm in a situation (I've not updated on HHO yet!) where I'm in contact with both the old owner and the breeder before them. I'm perfectly happy for this and love the updates on siblings etc. I don't get any advice unless I've asked, which I have.

This may not suit some people though, but it's working for me.
 
I'm in touch with Jester's new owner who sends pics and messages...I love it, I'm so thrilled with what they have achieved together but would never push her all the time. She knows how much I loved and love him so I feel very privileged to be kept up to date :)
 
EQUIDAE said:
Thankyou for all the responses. I'll leave the poll running until tomorrow then I will post with what the situation is.

The sale was as a result of the owner losing interest - she just wants a horse she can ride once a week, rather than having to go every day (he was on full livery) and she is now looking for a part loan.

I'm not slating the previous owner as she is a lovely person.
Click to expand...

I actually did this for a while with a horse I bought, the old owner missed her but really couldn't have her full time, I was about 15 miles from her so not a huge distance, so she asked and did in fact part share her 2 days a week for while. It only lasted about 6 months as she found the time and distance still an issue, but I didn't have any problems sharing! But then I'm fairly laid back about management and the horse was living out at the time! I also gained a load more of the horses rugs from doing this as they weren't part of the sale agreement originally!
 
When i sold my last mare i asked the owners if they could keep in touch as she really meant the world to me and they lived 3 hours away so there was no chance of seeing her at shows. I had trained her up from very green and it was only a conflict of interests that forced the sale (I wanted to jump she didn't lol) and i had put in all the hours and she was my first horse. I got one email to say she was home safe and then got nothing after. Every 4 months or so i politely email just to enquire if she's ok however i rarely get a response. I hate badgering them as I appreciate it could be annoying and looks as if I'm entruding but i just really miss her and just writing this has made me cry lol (she was sold over a year ago so really i have no excuse ;p) I would be more than happy to give updates to old owners only mine have all come from dealers and any old owners I have found have shown no real interest.
 
I have all 3 previous owners (1 breeder) of my 3 guys on fb and they comment on my pics or posts but they don't have any other involvement unless I've contacted them for help. Like one girl comes over every so often and helped me catch the pony when he was being naughty. The breeder was interested in my gelding when he was injured and my mares previous owner will often comment on how good she is still look despite being 31
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top