If I hear ONE more person say....... (selling horses)

[MagicMelon]

........ "I went to try a horse out, they said he was really well behaved but then he threw me off! What liars!!"

AGHHHHHH - Just been reading an article in Horse magazine (last months I think) about buying horses and one girl says the horse was excellent in the school but when she took it out for a canter if bucked her off, and that she didnt believe the owners when they said it had never done that before.

Im sorry, but horses CAN behave oddly with a different rider!! From experience, one of my horses bucked someone off when they came to try him! I can guarantee this horse had NEVER EVER bucked with me in all the years Id had him. I think it was just due to a weird rider, he acted totally out of character. I WISH people would understand horses rather than just jump to the conclusion "oh the owner is a liar!".

And the fact that some people are SO suspicious when horses have been on the market a while. Im sorry, but usually thats because there are so many damn timewasters!! I had a super horse not that long ago, took me MONTHS to sell purely because she was a little more fiesty than most although I had SAID on the phone at the very beginning she was not a novice ride as she was forward going and sensitive, although totally safe. The amount of people who came who were absolutely useless riders! They were petrified that when they booted her in the ribs, she shot forward. A squeeze is all she needs which I DID tell them! It took ages to finally find someone who gelled with her. Which is funny because she was so damn talented and such fun. It was crazy because so many people were like "why's she been for sale for so long?", well coz Ive had morons try her so far!

Rant over. For now.......

 

[paintsplat05]

kno what you mean but i'm the opposite!
Star takes the mickey with me- give him a smack with the whip then he bucks but put a younger less experienced kid on and he's an angel and doesn't put a foot wrong!

 

[dunc_n_toby]

quite true! Each horse can react differently with different riders, they're not machines!
Similar thing happened at my yard, someone came to try the quietest well schooled old lad and he bucked with the 'new' rider! We were all gobsmacked, didn't think this horse had a buck in him!

 

[dunc_n_toby]

mine is exactly the same, people say I have an electric bum!

 

[LauraBR]

Not sure I 100% agree?

If you are selling a horse advertised as something which someone who would fall off at a buck would think was ok for them based on your description then I think that it would make sense to have a few different riders on the horse first to check his reaction first. Maybe you did, I don't know and perhaps the rider made out she was more competant than she was but, even still, I can't honestly blame her for being a bit disgruntled?

 

[Super_Kat]

I have to admit the amount of people who are so quick to call people who are trying to sell their horses liars when they say the horse has never e.g. bucked with them before but does it with the potential purchasers is frightening but you have to bear in mind the amount of vendors who do actually lie about their horses when people come tp view them in order to get a quick sale.
When I went to try out a horse for the second time she threw me off after out-jumping me over a massive fence (well, ok, the jump was about a foot high

), and I landed on my bad shoulder and jarred it and the other shoulder and was in quite alot of pain for a couple of weeks. The owner said she'd never done that before, I didn't really believe them but thought well horses will be horses...................The horse I went to try out is now sat in my field and touch wood (*touches head*) I won't fall off again for a while yet

 

[vicijp]

I had a funny one like that when selling the little chestnut horse I had.
Obviously complete timewasters, walked in the stable and said 'I prefer ID's- - well you have seen countless photos/videos deary???
Watched me ride him, 'oh dont think hes for me.'
Watched me jump him (he was electric), 'oh I like him now, as long as they can jump I dont care.'
She got on, popped a few 3ftish type thingys, then 'oh can you make it a bit bigger, I want to see if hell take me into it?'
Take her into it be buggered?! Grabbed hold of the bit and jumped 6ft high - girl went flying straight out of the front door.
I swear shed never been over a jump before.

 

[tashyisaudrey]

Yeh but horses aren't machines, and they can get surprised if they are used to an experienced rider and then someone not so experienced gets on them. They would probably find that very surprising and might just say so.

I see your point about description but I'm sure Magic Melon would have said it wasn't a novice ride before they got on. There's this girl who has had lessons for four weeks at my yard and thinks she is ready to own a horse- a TB! There are a lot of morons out there who have more money than sense or experience. I'm not saying novice's shouldn't have horses, but they should seek lots of advice and take experienced person with them at least to try horse first (preferably instructor who knows riders abilities).

 

[PapaFrita]

I know what you mean, and you're right that horses DO behave differently with different people, but TBH lots and lots of people tell HUGE pork pies... and that includes buyers!!!

 

[LauraBR]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeh but horses aren't machines, and they can get surprised if they are used to an experienced rider and then someone not so experienced gets on them. They would probably find that very surprising and might just say so.

[/ QUOTE ]

That was exactly my point.

 

[calon]

just had two people to try my sec c one rode rely well pony was great one was rough and pony flipped never done it before but he didnt like the way the child dragged him around corners on his mouth and pulled at him all the time , ponys are only human afterall ha ha

 

[Racehorse]

You sounded exactly how we feel at the moment! We've got a super 4 year old Palomino 15.3hh Irish Cross Gelding up for sale and we've been inundated with "morons" as you say. He's been literally sold on three occasions now. The first time everything was going nicely then she rings to say vetting has been arranged and who does she send the bill for vetting and transport to. Yes, she thought because she was paying the full asking price, we would include the 5 stage vetting and x-rays plus transport to the other side of the country free of charge. Naturally our answer was a very polite NO. The second buyer comes back for the second viewing, said she wanted to jump him (which fair enough no problem with that as we are selling him as a competition horse) - he jumps 4'9" for fun, so she approaches the post and rail fence (which he's been over a thousand times) and falls off on landing. The horse hadn't put a foot wrong. She eventually gets up and admits that she's not been even over a trotting pole for over 3 years! We've then had the morons who bring the whole family for a ride out (3 year old through to granny), who all ride him and the gelding adapts to each rider, but phones us up after arranging a vetting to say granny isn't happy about him as she believes we are lying about him because no four year old can be as well schooled as he is. So, we are back to square one. He's not our horse, we are selling him on behalf of a client (we're not dealers, we are a breaking/schooling yard) and are at a loss as to how to sell him now. He shows so much ability and we are now having to say that he's not suitable for a beginner out of riding school (although he could easily be), he's not suitable for a 10 year old child, etc. etc. etc. just in the hope of trying to get a competent rider on his back who is wanting to take on an extremely talented youngster. It's not just us who has ridden him either, because we've had another professional friend on his back jumping him and the horse has looked the part with a competent rider on him. We just keep getting viewers turning up purely for a safe ride out it seems to us. He's up for £6k and to be honest, if he was a bay and a warmblood, he'd probably be worth a lot more. Have total sympathy with what you say. Have another viewing tomorrow - if they of course turn up! So far, we've had 6 bookings from people, so we get the horse in from play, bath him, hoof oil him, get the tack out and ready and then we wait, and wait and wait and wait and guess what - they don't show. We phone them up a few hours later to be sold "Oh forgot to tell you, we've already bought one now". Sorry about the rant, but yes, we can go on as long as you about it. Why do people do this? It's not fair on the horse, especially in this hot weather.

 

[PapaFrita]

God, that sounds awful. Your horse sounds lovely, I do hope you find someone nice to buy him!

 

[GTs]

I think if your horse behaves badly during a trail run you can not blame the person for walking away - I would!!!!!!! If your horse is so sensitive to where they can not cope with another rider, IMHO they are not very good.

 

[Snowberry]

We've recently sold a pony that was as good as gold with us. Never, ever reared with us and we had lots of different people riding her here. She was the pony we'd stick a novice friend on if the kids had mates over!
1month after they bought her they were selling her cos she was an habitual rearer!??

I have been called all the names under the sun despite me telling them to get her back/teeth/tack checked etc....Nope, the old owner must have lied cos ponies dont just start rearing for no reason!!!!
Bloody people!!!

oh and whilst we're on subject of buying ponies. We went to try out a pony that was described as anyones ride, 1st or 2nd pony. My middle daughter is a competant rider but the minute she sat on this pony, didnt even take up a contact she reared up and then did a lovely little rodeo - the owners said, yeah she does that sometimes cos she's excited??!

Hattie threw the reins at them and said no thanks!!!

 

[the watcher]

I had somebody look at one of mine in spring, having told them that she had been laid off all winter due to lack of facilities and was effectively a remount as she was young and hadn't done much the previous year. The rider asked her to canter around her paddock and jump and got quite strong with her when she didn't really get what she was being asked to do. Of course she bucked the (apparently very experienced) rider off.
I decided I didn't want to put her through that again and have kept her. She has turned into a really good PC/RC type who loves jumping..just needed to be got fit before she was asked to do too much. I am not sure I could bring myself to sell a horse again after that.