Is there anyone out there that is actually serious??

EgerdenFarmStud

EgerdenFarmStud

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I've got my homebred mare advertised on horse deals and it's the first time I have used them... My add went up at about 4pm a few days ago and by 5pm it'd had over 500 views, I then had a call from a really nice guy who sounded perfect for her, but he was viewing two the following day and I never heard back... I have since received 14 emails from people wither wanting to loan / lwvtb or from people I can only imagine are having a laugh... ( would she hack 1.5 miles along dual carriageway etc ) she is a rising 5 year old very well bred competition horse and allthough I have stated in my add that she hacks anywhere alone or in company I find it hard to believe that someone would want to hack a 5 year old along a d/c over a mile... Am I being silly in thinking that this is quite strange?!? I've also had a few teenagers text ( about 3 pages long with only 1 full stop ) and ask if I would take £3k as they are a perfect home and are aiming at 1.40m level Bsja!!!

I am finding this whole selling my horse lark a bit of a nightmare at the moment, maybe I have just written an advert for her that is attracting numpties... Anyone else having the same problem? ?

Xx
 
Lol, you're not alone. I just think there are alot of people out there who want the perfect horse for an unrealistic price. I've sold two in the last year and had to deal with lots of people who want a complete saint with masses of talent and no problems at all for 2k. I had somebody local ring and ask me if my girl would hack alone through a local village with a nervous rider. Nobody in their right mind would ride a horse alone along that stretch of road on a regular basis. I think alot of people must ring every single advert in the hope that the impossible actually exists.
 
No you most definitely aren't alone.


A friend of mine is selling 2 ponies. The number of people she has had ring up and say they want to come and see either of them and then they don't turn up. Its reaching the point now where she's dreading answering the phone as she just knows its going to be another time waster :(
 
Definatly not alone! Have had emails asking if she would be okay for someone coming off riding school ponies,despite that she is a jumping pony and advertised as NOT a novice ride!
 
Nope, not on your own...... I'm selling two ponies. The 1st is a Section A lead rein (having had a foal last year and then broken in). I am extremely honest with the advert and clearly stated she had just been broken in (hence the price). Despite this, I get someone trying her out and being rather surprised that she has 'just been broken in'. Am I missing something here? All the same, pony is amazing with the kids (expected) and they didn't buy her (really unexpected given how good and how cheap the pony is!).
Second pony is only 3 years old (again, extremely cheap pony). I get the family that's had one lesson horse riding, now think they should 'jump in at the deep end' and buy a pony and proceeded to wear flip flops to the viewing. I wouldn't sell to them and am now wondering if pony advertised too cheap!??
Seriously thinking of upping their prices to attract some sensible people.
 
I have been trying to sell to, my ad has had over 1000 views, he is described clearly and accurately, but i have only enquiries from dreamers, people the other side of the country asking where i am - which is stated in the ad - or people who are working full time, expect to keep him in a field on his own, and want to know if it is OK to only ride him once a month as they are busy.

I have taken him off the market, quite honestly i thought he would be better off in a home who had time to ride him and fuss over him, which he loves, but i think now he is better off with me, even if i dont have any time to ride him.

Ive never known the market to be so bad with "numpties", i think it must be that horses are much cheaper due to the higher keeping costs, and this has opened the door to a lot of people who think horses are a status symbol.
 
In defence of one of your prospective buyers, the dual carriageway thing sounds perfectly reasonable to me. One of our bridlepaths runs alongside the A1 (3 lanes each way, 70 mph for quite some distance) so you do need a traffic proof horse). That said, it is fenced with a central reservation like fence between horses and traffic (not that horses understand nature of fence) as I certainly wouldn't ride it unprotected!) and it does lead to some pretty nice routes. We also have a horse bridge over the A1 linking rights of way and ride over the traffic.
My friend's four year old hacks out alone quite happily and confidently. I think if I was buying a horse asking if it was good in heavy traffic would be a priority for me - I hope you wouldn't think I was a total numpty!
I hope you find get some suitable people calling soon - great horses deserve great homes and yours are lucky that you are taking so much time and care to find them fantastic new owners :)
 
And I thought it was just me. Bombproof weight carrying pony priced to take account of economic climate etc only attracting phone calls from people 100s of miles away, people who ring several times and then don't turn up to view and endless strange emails. I had no idea how stressful and dispiriting selling was going to be!
 
Hi

I am sure you are getting many time wasters but as a prosepective buyer myself I have two big requirements. Top is 110% traffic(I live along an A road with HGVs/supersize tractors/motorbikes you name it we have it) my old boy who has just retired never bats an eyelid and when I purchased him from a private home we road tested him alone first (we looked big vehicles, a bus which fortunately let off its brakes behind the horse and in company to make sure he wasnt silly). Its for his and my safety. I think a dual carriage way may be a bit steep but can understand someone wanting this requirement, if they have to go along(I see many horses on the verges on A414 St Albans way).
The farrier is my second , my farrier is getting on and is past the days of hot shoeing nutcases and will not touch kickers etc.

But I have been lied to just with a handful of sellers, resulting in my son being dumped twice and another being taken across a field full pelt. With " oh its never done that before"!
Telling people not to bring the horse in as we want to see it caught from the field etc. And we arrive and its tacked up?

Doesnt kick then I pick up the hind and cant let go of the leg as its trying to get me!
One owner got a man to pick up a hind and he practically lifted the horse up in the air as he refused to let go(it meant serious business).

Some ads are very vague too but i have emailed owners and had some very nice replies too and its meant I can eliminate them without ringing and wasting mine and their time!

I do agree that some purchasers are silly too as I have known many people ruin youngsters as they dont know what they are doing or buying their child a pony and it all goes wrong!
Works both ways. Good luck by the way, I hated selling too!
 
I am heartened by the attitude of all of you (not) selling you horses and ponies.

I have only been riding a few years, but I am frankly staggered by the vast number of riders around me who buy what are patently unsuitable horses and ponies. I'm not going into any details, as a really don't want to be sued.

That said, I can think of two people, one a highly experienced rider, who has transformed her mega spooky mare into the most amazing 'do anything, go anywhere' horse and the other, a nervous newcomer who is perfectly suited to the 12 year old schoolmaster that her instructor found for her.

Suitable buyers are out there, they are just few and far between. Please keep your resolve (even if the numpties drive you nuts) you are great examples of responsible owners .
 
Thanks for all the replies... I do realise there are sensible loving horse owners out there... And until I find one of those, my little girl isn't going anywhere... Even if it does mean I can't pay my vet bills for her mother with cancer ( and v expensive steroids )

I agree about the traffic thing - I didn't explain fully... My horse is a sj/ event / dressage horse for a reasonable amount of Money and is rising 5... The person wanting to hack on d/c wanted to purely hack... My advert states that she requires a competition home ( not that I would turn away a hacking home if they were perfect for her ) but just seems a bit far fetched...

Xx
 
Horsedeals and horsemart are two of the most popular ways to buy and sell, so with a larger audience so to speak, your going to have a fair share of unsuitable replies, your horse has not been on there long so I wouldn't feel too disheartened or worried yet.
 
Clearly you need to come and sell ponies in Suffolk. I've been looking for a cheap 12.2 - 13.2 pony for a friends daughter (10th old) buy or loan..... Can I find anything??? NO!
 
I've had a few calls answering my ad on HorseQuest where it states where I'm from, yet they call up spend 1/2 an hour asking questions and saying they're really keen to view then I say where I am and it all goes out the window - as if NE Scotland is the end of the world!! I dont get why people from England arent willing to travel for a horse who they say sounds perfect?! I've bought a horse from as far as South Wales so I dont see an issue! They're willing to spend over £10k on a horse, yet get put off by hopping on a under-hour flight which would cost at little as £60?!

I've had one person try him yesterday, and they're local. They sound keen but as always, its so hard to tell. Made me quite sick letting someone else ride my boy though considering nobody but me has ridden him in 8 years...! Its horrid seeing a stranger riding your horse though, you have to put a huge amount of trust in them! Its a funny market just now, but I'm in a good position in that I dont really want to sell, I'll only let him go to the perfect home so I will be picky!
 
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The road to southend is littered with stable yards, I don't think it would be too much to expect a horse to walk from yard to bridleways, but OH NO its a dual carriage way these days, mostly restricted to 40/50 miles per hour.

My yard is on a very quiet country road, but the speed limit is 60.

I think if you advertise a horse as traffic proof then its really not expecting too much to want them to walk along such roads for 1.5 miles. We don't all live out in the countryside where we don't meet traffic for hundreds of miles.
 
indie999 said:
But I have been lied to just with a handful of sellers, resulting in my son being dumped twice and another being taken across a field full pelt. With " oh its never done that before"!
Click to expand...

In defence of this - dont always assume the owner is lying! A warmblood I sold a few years ago never ever bucked with me in the 5 yrs I had him, I dont know what one girl did when she was riding him but he threw in 2 big bucks and threw her off. He had honestly never done that before, but of course you look like a total liar. All horses go differently with different people. Thats why its such a worry for us sellers trusting strangers on our horses!
 
I am another one with really busy traffic. I have to ride up the main road from the city and round a massive roundabout on top of a road bridge. All the horses on our yard are perfectly chilled about it but I would ask about heavy traffic when buying too.

However, it does seem a very bad time to sell. My friend has just been trying to sell her mare and had two people say they wanted her unseen and that they would transfer money to her account. Nothing came of either. Fortunately she's gone to a nice local home now but honestly. Why say you want a horse if you don't?
 
I just spent eight months trying to sell my stallion. I had every type of numpty going ring up, one even e mailed and asked if he would need hay to eat and if so would he come with any!!!?

I was just beginning to despair and decided I would not re new any ads I would work out how to keep him when the most perfect home came along. It ticked all my boxes and they loved him. I miss him awfully but I am glad I held out for somewhere right for him.
 
I'd readvertise on the BD and BE websites. Although they reach a smaller audience... you'll get a larger proportion of "serious" competition riders who would be more suited to your horse. The BD site is very cheap £15.00 I think.
 
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