I've had enough of this horse shopping

splashgirl45 said:
the trouble with this search is there are lots of horses that look suitable in the south of the country so many hours of travelling required as i believe annagain is cardiff area. i have also been searching but have discounted those in the south...i am sure he is out there somewhere and hopefully in wales...

horsequest 209066, very brief ad and over budget but if close could be worth a look
Click to expand...

Thanks all,
I've phoned about this one and he sounds promising but I can't do much about it at the moment as I can't even drive let alone ride. As it happens I'm going away for a few days the week after next to the next village along from where he lives. My leg should be better by then so as long as he hasn't sold (I think he's a bit over priced as he's team chased but done nothing else so may not) I'll see him then. Archie's sharer is actually on holiday in the same village at the moment but I don't think she'd know enough to tell whether he'd suit me or id send her to have a look!

The one in Newport is also advertised as being in Reading so with the price too, it all seems a bit dodgy.
 
annagain said:
Thanks all,
I've phoned about this one and he sounds promising but I can't do much about it at the moment as I can't even drive let alone ride. As it happens I'm going away for a few days the week after next to the next village along from where he lives. My leg should be better by then so as long as he hasn't sold (I think he's a bit over priced as he's team chased but done nothing else so may not) I'll see him then. Archie's sharer is actually on holiday in the same village at the moment but I don't think she'd know enough to tell whether he'd suit me or id send her to have a look!

The one in Newport is also advertised as being in Reading so with the price too, it all seems a bit dodgy.
Click to expand...


Can sharer at least go and and check that he is the size and type stated?
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Can sharer at least go and and check that he is the size and type stated?
Click to expand...

I did wonder that but if I can't go and try him for a while and I'm 10 minutes away in a few weeks I thought it would be best to not torture myself with her telling me he's lovely and potentially missing out on him. If he's still there in a fortnight its meant to be.
 
Challaborough Christmas Tree said:
It amazes me how useless some of these ads are for horses priced at a decent amount? Is it honestly that hard to use some pictures of themstoodup untracked, in the flat and over a few jumps with a short video?
Click to expand...
I know. I saw the one I nearly bought but didn't before he was advertised as I know his owner. She then advertised him with a lovely advert showing all that and sold him unseen to Scotland within 4 hours of the ad going up! Just shows what a good advert can do. Horsequest 213840 if you want a look!
 
Places to look (not saying you haven't already looked at them just making suggestions)
H&H
Adhorse
Horse mart
Horse quest
Horses4homes
Right horse right home
Preloved
Gumtree
Freeads
RSPCA
Bluecross
HEROS charity
Mare and Foal Sanctuary
World Horse Welfare
Redwings
Dragon Driving
The horse exchange
Pets4homes
www.horseandrideruk.com/adverts/
Done Deal (if you are able to bring over/travel or have someone else view for you)
Police horse training places often rehome those unsuitable for the job or retirees - check out their FB pages/websites, they don't "advertise" per se but you can get in contact with them and they let you know if/when they're looking, they might have the stamp you're after but not sure, think they'd be more likely to be too big.

Breed associations often have sales lists too or can put you in touch with people, you mentioned wishing your currect horse was younger so that might be a good way of getting a younger version of what you already have?
Sorry, just brainstorming really.
 
The Irish Draught thread has just reinforced my suspicion of buying off an ad. All horses are for sale for a reason. I prefer that reason to be 'I produce and sell horses for a living' than the reasons many private sellers come up with. I've started calling them the 'perfect, but' horses.

As in: perfect PC allrounder, but I like them with a little more fire/ but I feel a bit big on him/but I don't have time to do him justice/but he's wasted with me.

Those might even be true but I just don't think people sell amazing horses that often. If the horses really is lovely and talented then most people make it work despite the 'but' parts. If I was selling Amber she'd have been a 'perfect, but' because there were plenty of 'buts'. But the fact is she is amazing so I found a way.

Of course there are 100% genuine sellers (outgrown, change of circumstances, kids off to uni...) but finding them amongst the ones who have some sort of a problem with their current horse and therefore have decided to sell on seems very challenging.
 
Turning your thoughts around and more aimed at the established horse rather than just backed youngsters, why is the 'perfect' horse with a solid background/ record, in a dealers yard they are there for a reason and it may be they have been sorted out/ improved in some way but the question marks are much the same.

You may have some comeback buying from a dealer but how many people ever get their money back even when terms suggest they will it can be extremely hard to prove the horse is not as described and even harder to get money back without spending more fighting it.

I think you are always taking a bit of a risk wherever you buy and in my experience, mainly buying privately, if you do your homework, have a feeling the owner is being genuine then you take a punt and hope you get at least a horse that is mainly suitable, you then work on the rest.
 
The thing with private sales is that there are lots of mid-described horses, but it’s most often due to rose-tinted-specs or ignorance which, if not obvious from the advert, is usually fairly easily ascertained from viewing and digging into the history. The bonus of private sales is there are plenty of people who genuinely want to see their horses in the right home.

Dealers in the other hand come in good, bad and indifferent. The problem is the bad ones know every trick in the book to deceive.

AE - don’t rule out either. And just take care that you don’t get so suspicious that the genuine seller gets scared off from showing you their horse!
 
Yes good advice! I think I trust in the basic goodness/willingness of most horses so I feel safer with younger ones who have had fewer negative experiences. But I am looking at ads too and will try not to be so cynical that I miss diamonds!
 
Sorry hijacking thread now but keeping to subject of having has enough of horse shopping..... Ad pops up on FB. Right size and right location. But absolutely NO OTHER info - which is fine, It's FB and ads are banned so these pics are shorthand for 'pm me'. . So I PM for more info and get price and telephone number. So I ask for a bit more info - just the absolute basics and reply is 'ring me'. Well why? Horse could be entirely unsuitable and I cannot be bothered ringing someone who is not giving me any info at all. I mean without SOME method of screening out or feeling more positive I could ring 300 people a night and be no nearer my next horse. A quick look at the time line and it is full of 'why is this horse still here!' 'Can't believe no viewings on my amazing horse' kind of comments. Go figure. Is it me!
 
being charitable I would imagine it's to weed out the dreamers who will just have endless conversations on messenger with no intention of buying a horse let alone that one.
But if I was in that position I'd at least have a paragraph with basics to just copy and paste into the box ;)
 
milliepops said:
being charitable I would imagine it's to weed out the dreamers who will just have endless conversations on messenger with no intention of buying a horse let alone that one.
But if I was in that position I'd at least have a paragraph with basics to just copy and paste into the box ;)
Click to expand...

Well yes! I had a para for Jenny and some video and it only took a second to ping it over to people. Mind you that did not stop people saying 'have you got any video'. What, apart from the w/t/c on both reins, SJ rounds and XC clips I have already sent you!
 
My experience recently of selling a decent horsebox was that the serious punters picked up the phone and the dreamers texted and or messaged on facebook.
 
Well it's not working for her! Presumably your horsebox ad had some basic info on it? I am a serious buyer but I am not picking up the phone with nothing to go on but a single picture of a horse and a height. But maybe I am missing out. We will never know.....
 
What I deem to be 16.2hh you may deem to be 15.3hh; what I consider a forward ride you may consider a bolter; what I class as a horse with scope at 90cm you may consider a beach donkey. What I consider to be difficult to handle on the flat you may consider a doddle.

Just experiences from my past viewing horses. :) When much younger, I picked up many a bargain by keeping an open mind. There again, the cost of a phone call then was 2d! :)
 
If I liked the look of the horse I would ring you are right if you don’t you will never know , it could be your perfect horse that you just passed by because you ok quite reasonably would like more info before you pick up the phone. What harm is a call ?

I would also widen my search area , I would ask for videos and a lot of questions before I traveled miles to view , but a horse is for life , so don’t limit your choice by insisting on local .

My most recent purchase came from Devon , I live in north Shropshire.
Well worth the 4 hour drive and if she hadn’t been well all I would have lost was the time and a tank of fuel .
 
Tbf, I hardly ever call about a horse. I get the basic details from ad or email enquiry and then I just go and view. I can't be doing with phone calls and prefer to make someone lie to my face if they're going to.

But then again the sort of horses I buy makes my buying experience quite different to a lot of people's I guess.
 
I’ve sold a ‘perfect, but’ horse, he was too steady for me. Bombproof and a very safe and fun all rounder. It dismays me that there are so many dishonest folks about though. Do,you think you can tell from talking to sellers? I def got a bad vibe off some.

ETA just remembered I sold him to my sharer so I didn’t need to advertise! Duh
 
I sold a 'perfect but' horse too. He did not enjoy XC above BE100 and my other horse was going Novice easily, so I had little interest in an older one (9yo) that was not going to progress.

He was a great hack, anyone's ride, usually won a numnah BE100, a couple of points BD (not very expressive trot lol), won a Newcomers, placed several discos, and won 3 x BN on the bounce, as well as swimming in the sea, playing silly games, going bridleless, etc etc etc, an all round good egg, perfect BUT not going to go higher than BE100 (and TBH would prefer to carefully pack someone round BE90 forever). So, the perfect but ones are sometimes genuine.

I had all sorts of people who I would not sell him to (one of whom stalked me by phone and at the yard gates) so we had to move him for 6 weeks. Others who I would have sold him too said he was too much money, so he was not going there either.

OH bought him, had him for years, til the end. Charlie taught OH and many friends to ride, do dressage and great hacking, including hiring the racehorse gallops! He was also still great for me to hunt and team chase (XC was all right if you had a lead!).

With buying horses, I always ring before I go, but do like enough particulars in writing too. So, if the advert is not enough I will message first to get particulars in writing first. Then call, then visit.

The one I bought was a heck of a drive away. The advert was enough to interest me, but after messaging I was able to research the horse and rider(s) online before calling to ask many questions. Because of the distance it was 2 weeks before I hauled ass across the country, happily it had been snowing so she was still available. Messaging first did not make me a timewaster, merely careful.
 
I dont think I have ever called about a horse for sale. I message, confirm the details that are important to me, arrange a viewing, turn up, if the horse is right, and it quite often is, I leave a deposit and come back a couple of days later to pick it up. I dont vet, I dont mess about with multiple viewings, or spend hours hanging around annoying sellers. I know exactly what I want, I know what I want to see the horse doing and I know what would be a deal breaker and what I can work with.

I'm a dream buyer, if people dont want to reply to my messages about a horse then they lose out. Theres always plenty more for me to see, and I'd rather not waste my time talking to buyers on the phone. I never pay any attention to what they say anyway, so for me its utterly pointless.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top