Im selling a horse, and people are being a pain

E

Event rider

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Why is it when you sell a horse you have so many time wasters?You advertise a competition horse and explain exactly what he is like and that hes not suitable for show jumping, yet people still come,really like him and then say they want a showjumper arghhh!!! I have a lovely rising 15yr old dressage horse for sale who is TB x SH but snaffle mouthed, is a xc machine but cant handle showjumping (very fast and complicated), but pulls off a lovely test and has good lateral work and lovely paces. He used to event and is great out hacking. Had a few people come and try him-all loved him. They all knew about his sj and were fine with it. The first woman wouldnt sit on him , turned a funny shade of pale when she saw him-Id emailed pics and think she thought he would be too much for her.Another lady from the mounted police forced loved him, wanted a flashy looking dressage horse to teach her , but then she turned round and said she wanted to sj so he wasnt suitable???!!!. Another came and was lovely but think she fibbed about her weight and the horse struggled and I had to suggest she get off, but she was understanding. Finding the right horse is important but I dont think there is any need for this, its taking the biscuit a little. If anyone is looking for a horse and is seriously looking-please let me know!:D
 
Lol! Can sympathise fully. I had a load of deluded people come and try my horse when I put him up for sale... luckily he found the right home. It only takes one person to be perfect...
 
I don't get it, I'm always dead up front about what we want before we go and see anything and don't bother if something the owner says puts us off. Some things it is difficult to explain so I can see why sales might fall through for something that is known about but if you want to showjump why go and see something that doesn't showjump????

Beats me!

I'm looking, but want a genuine all rounder that can SJ if required so your boy isn't what I'm looking for I'm afraid. My husband would love a real dressage school master but unfortunately he has to share with me and I want to jump!!
 
I'm struggling to sell mine too because he has a BE record which says he's not an out an out eventer, but advert says he'll dressage, hack and jump low level, which he will, but as soon as they toddle off to see his BE record I never hear from them again. Won't BE anything ever again because it's impossible to sell them afterwards, even though I don't want him to go to an eventing home anyway.
 
I had a horse up for loan once and a girl rang up. She sounded perfect but she was a very tall, thin girl (5ft9, 9st). I told her the horse was very petite and a small 15.3hh who rode like a pony (this girl was used to a 17.2hh!).
Nope she didnt mind about the size, she wanted to drive down immediatly to see the horse, she had seen the video and fallen in love blah blah. She came and tried the horse and guess what.. too small!! She felt too big and unbalanced on her! They travelled quite far as well.
 
I've been to see many horses that I've not chosen to ride once I'm there - It's not a time wasting trait (surely riding your horse for half an hour when there's no intention of buying it or even being interested in it is more of a waste of time?)
Kate x
 
I've taken to being rude when asked stupid questions... little mare i've sold today has gone to a nice lady, some of the people interested have been a nightmare! I have another chap here who has no job, so advertised him too to see if anyone wants a teamchaser/riding horse cheap! So no doubt here we go again lol
 
Timewasters really get to me. I'm looking for a horse at the moment, either to buy or loan, to hack and school with a little jumping, over 16.2hh as I am tall. I found a perfect horse and was meant to be picking him up this weekend, but the owner EMAILED me on Friday and said she had sold to someone else, was absolutely devastated.

So, I am looking. Event Rider, what size is your horse?
 
Sadly, timewasters is a occupational hazard when selling horses. It does drive me mad tho. The ones I hate most are the ones who tell you that they want it, they really really want it, they beg you to hold it and not to sell it to anyone else. But somehow the deposit never turns up - excuse after excuse as to why. Normally, you then find someone else who wants the horse, then the original people act all offended that you haven't kept it for them - sometimes weeks later! It is enough to drive you into the madhouse!
 
I completely understand... I am not a dealer but I buy a few ponies/horses to play with and then sell. I had a breath of fresh air yesterday about a lovely 15 hand pony club all rounder i have to sell,

a lady rang and asked exactly how many times he had hunted, the answer was 5 times, and she wanted an out and out hunter for her daughter. It was great that she told me he was not what she was looking for there and then, rather than tell me she would call me back later and not do it, which is a pain in the neck as you never know who is still interested and who isnt... or come and see him then email 5 days later to say he wasn't right, which is also really annoying!!

Another problem is people want an event horse/pony and as soon as the thing they try goes over 1 mph they say they cant hold it. YOU DONT WANT AN EVENTER YOU WANT A DOBBIN! Show me a successful eventer that doesnt take a pull...
 
I hate the ones that try to make the horse or pony into something it isnt or cant be, just to suit them. I nearly got violent with a couple of what I ended up calling 'BSJA mummies' . Basically, we had bought a lovely 14.2hh JA pony, who came recommended by a friend as daughter wanted to do BE, PC and unaffilated eventing. YO and trainer gave hime the once over etc, 5 stage vetting was fine, but what we werent told was that the poor little lad had had his brains blown by a young lady and he had been overjumped and although physically fine, he had just had enough. Therefore, taking to anything with atmosphere totally blew his brains, so we reluctantly put him up for sale. I worded the advert to make it obvious he was not to go to a competitive home - he was great for PC and local shows, hacking etc and I told everyone this. However, because he had done Foxhunter and had winnings, every dam 'BSJA mummy' in the location came out of the wordwork demanding to let their darlings try him and take him to do 1.30s. The poor lad got ridden by a succession of kids who had obviusly just kicked their ponies around sj arenas and yanked around corners, with mums yelling at them to jump higher. I ended up refusing to sellng him to a couple of mothers, who didnt like it one bit that I told him he had to go to a non competitive home. I even got shouted at! He went in the end to a lovely teenager to do PC and fun rides etc - he was a sweetiee, but not for us. However, the memory of those 'mums' still makes my blood run cold.
 
Phew!! Im glad im not the only one!Have no problem with genuine ppl who turn up and decide not to ride,but when they turn up after seeing photos of him compeating and then are too scared to sit on him,it does sorta waste my time.
 
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H's mum said:
I've been to see many horses that I've not chosen to ride once I'm there - It's not a time wasting trait (surely riding your horse for half an hour when there's no intention of buying it or even being interested in it is more of a waste of time?)
Kate x
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As in i tell them the mare needs someone who can actually ride they turn up and cant !! its like people just come for a free ride sometimes
 
I think I got all the timewasters in the North of England when I had a 16hh event horse for sale. She had won 2 intros and been placed in all others, but could still have green moments, so needed a determined rider, who could help her when she needed it. Put all this in the advert, yet I still had novices ringing up, and wanting to see her (they got cross when I told them on the phone she wasn't going to be suitable for them, so wouldnt show her to them!). Eventually had someone phone who wanted her for their daughter, said daughter had won alot, always brought on her own horses etc, so they came to see the horse. I showed the mare off, she went very nicely. The girl got on her, hanging onto her mane kicked her on into a trot, where I found this girl could hardly rise to the trot (parents at this point looking on proudly telling me how good the girl was!). I stopped the girl and politely suggested she get off the horse. The girl said she was just about to anyway, as she never cantered a horse she didn't know!!!! They left and I just assumed I wouldn't hear from them again.

..................... A few days later I got a phonecall from them, giving me an offer for the horse. I turned it down. Next day the offered full asking price. I turned it down. The day after that they asked me what price I would take. I told them there was no way I would sell my horse to them as the girl blatantly couldn't ride. Strangely enough I never heard from them again!!!!!!!!
 
oh god i had some crackers last year too when i was selling my horse. He was a lanky TB who had a parrot mouth so was a nightmare to keep weight on so was very high maintenance and was just one of those annoying naturally skinny people who can eat 20 choccie cakes and still be a size 6 type lol. Anyway I wanted to do BE but although horse had all potential in world he didn't have attitude. One day he would jump, the next he wouldn't. He just didn't want to do it. He was also a total ******* in stable. If you were calm and confident and firm he was fine but if you let him think he could bully you he was vile! So explained all that in the ad and on phone to all who rang about him and said he would be perfect for dressage or riding club to do lower level jumping and as a nice safe sane hacking horse. Anyway the people I had.....I actually refused one lady to get on him. She turned up, had missing front teeth, was at least 16 stone and 5ft2, peroxide hair to her ears and dark roots halfway down her head, no proper riding shoes and smelt like an ashtray. Now I'm no snob but there was NO way I could let him go to her particularly as she insisted on coming to try him despite him being poulticed with an abcess (typical timing.) I said she could see him but not ride him and then when she arrived she asked to ride him?!?! I said no and she kicked off. grrr. The others were much the same. One tried him and came back and back again saying he was perfect then decidedtno that he was but that his TROT was too big for her.....he was springy but come onnnnn.....and then the other wanted to do BE eventing. I had been very explicit to all on phone that he wouldnt do it. Another PC brat child came and wanted to jump over 4ft when trying him and I said no so she had a tantrum. Then a lady LOVED him but wanted me to not only hold him until she sold her mare but also to drop the price by 800 quid?! why look at ahorse you a)cant afford and b) have nowhere to keep as no stable for him?! It was a nightmare! Anyway, eventually found PERFECT home to a lady who loves him to bits for all of his faults and all he has to do is hacking, dressage and the odd jump on fun rides :-) You will find the right person. Just have to kiss A LOT of frogs!
 
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I love these types of threads. I do feel sorry for all of you who have had these idiots contact you and it only goes to reinforce my opinion that 90% of horse 'riders' and stargazers and wannabe's.

As for not selling horse to unsuitable people, well done. I wish more sellers had the resolve not to succumb to pound notes.
 
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