Letting a horse go on a weeks Trial

lisan

lisan

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 September 2003
Messages
3,025
Location
Fylde Coast, Lancs
pets.webshots.com
Help! What do I do insurance wise, and paperwork wise?

Some people are very keen on May, have been and tried her twice and want to take her on a weeks trial to make sure she is right for the daughter. The daughter absolutely loves her, and rode her well.

So any advise please? They are about an hour and a half away from me, so obviously I will drive over and check out where she is going.

Thanks
 
If your horse is already insured then your insurance should extend to cover the girl and horse whilst it is on trial.

I am not sure paperwork wise, the only thing i would say is to not give them any important documents (ie passport etc). Maybe a copy of the insurance cover. I don't know if you need any sort of contract for that term but I am sure someone on here will know!
 
Things to consider

Are they having her vetted - if yes, then I would insist she is vetted before she leaves your yard
Use the BHS sample loan agreement for the weeks trial - be sure to stipulate management conditions while she is away, consider only individual turnout for this week
Tack - make sure anything you are loaning for the week is photographed for condition

Make sure it is down in writing that they are responsible for return of the horse at the end of the week if not proceeding with the sale, horse to be returned in exact condition it left (soundness wise etc)

I would be tempted to ask for payment in full (or at least a hefty deposit) before the horse leaves the yard, to be refunded if horse is returned in good condition.
 
Don't do it !

People who want a horse on trial tend to be time wasters, you will have no control over what happens to your horse and you may have problems getting the cash or the horse back!

I would never let one go without payment in full. I would however let anyone wanting to buy one of our horses ride supervised as much as they wanted.
 
Thats brill thanks Ben_and_Jerrys, she was asking me all these questions last night, and I had'nt ever considered/thought about it before! So I said I would give them a ring back today.
 
I don't think a week is long enough for a horse to settle in a new home. I'm with CotsworldSJ, I'd be letting them try her under your supervision as much as possible but not off your yard
 
I personally wouldn't let a horse go on trial, as far as i'm concerned they can come and try it as much as they like and the horse will always go better in familiar surroundings. Once out of your yard you have no control over what it is doing and until you have the cleared funds in your bank i would keep it at home.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Don't do it !

People who want a horse on trial tend to be time wasters, you will have no control over what happens to your horse and you may have problems getting the cash or the horse back!

I would never let one go without payment in full. I would however let anyone wanting to buy one of our horses ride supervised as much as they wanted.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why does wanting a horse on trial make smebody a timewaster?
ooo.gif
I would always ask for a trial but am certainly not a timewaster. If the owners said no, it wouldn't make me walk away. I had my current horse on trial, after paying in full and taking insurance out on him (owner already had him insured too). The reciept said he could only be returned if we were incompatable and that I was to arrange/pay for transportation costs.

Just been to view a new pony and without asking, she said I could take her for 7 days full money back guarantee.
grin.gif
Have to pay cash but that's not a problem. She knows our livery yard (which is known as Horse Hotel locally) and is keen for to go to a nice home.

Maybe I just look trustworthy
wink.gif
 
I wouldn't do it. Too much risk on your part - what if they take it home and it gets booted and breaks a leg?? Sorry - worst case scenario I know but it is possible and then you're left with the aftermath. I'd go with the others above and let them come and ride it at your yard everyday for a week - if they're serious about the horse it really shouldn't be a problem.
 
I wouldn't do it. But as mentioned above, if you do go ahead with it - yes get them to have her vetted prior to her leaving the yard. And agree on the final amount for her.

Plus everything else really that Ben & Jerry's said.
 
Effectively sell her with a contract saying you are happy for her to be returned with X no. of days if not suitable. Therefore she needs to be vetted and paid for before leaving the yard.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Effectively sell her with a contract saying you are happy for her to be returned with X no. of days if not suitable. Therefore she needs to be vetted and paid for before leaving the yard.

[/ QUOTE ]

Of course - it's the obvious answer.
grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Effectively sell her with a contract saying you are happy for her to be returned with X no. of days if not suitable. Therefore she needs to be vetted and paid for before leaving the yard.

[/ QUOTE ]
The perfect answer!! I just phoned Amy who I work for at weekends (greygatestud on here) and that is exactly what she said!

Right, shall let them know!
grin.gif


Thank you guys x
 
ETA; hehehe, the problem with trying to be on here and loo after the boys at the same time, y the time i have finished my reply and clicked on post its already been said lol
smile.gif



I personally wouldnt do it, 90minutes drive away is quite far away. Would they plan to turn her out - risk of a kick etc as someone else mentioned?
i would be worried that its the end of the school holidays rather soon, is it just they want a horse to play with? (ok, dare say they would choose something closer) but once the school holidays are out of the way, a lot of people see it as winters on its way! hence IF they returned her, would you struggle to find another buyer?
theres sooo much to go into, if they damage the tack etc and well, i just wouldnt do it!
TBH - how many people do actually take horses on trial before they buy...??
i didnt with any of mine, and TBH, no-one we have ever had on he yard has had them on trial first either, so from my experience, its not common really.
I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that they want her
smile.gif


what about maybe getting them to pay in full etc, but say that if they change their minds within 14days you will take her back minus the cost of transporting her back to you?
 
Personally I would not let it go on trial. A few years ago I had a super 14.2HH jumping pony and the people trying her forced my hand (somehow) to take her on trial for a week. Anyway 2 days later for some reason, gut instinct told me I wanted her back, so went to collect her and sure enough they had ruined her in a very short space of time. I dont know what they did to her, put they had seriously put a talented jumping pony who previously loved jumping the week before into a pony that wouldnt go within a stride of the fence without point blank refusing to jump even a small cross pole. Anyway it took weeks of schooling to get her going again and she did begin to love jumping again and she found a good show jumping home. So letting her go on trial was the worse thing i have ever done, you loose control of your horse and have no idea who is going to ride it, what they are going to do with it. You can write all the clauses in the world into a loan agreement and people can still ignore it.

So my moral of the story is I will never let a horse go on trial. I say to people they are welcome to come back and try the horse at my yard as many times as this wish before making a decision. Doing this should cut out the timewasters, because if they cant be bothered to drive back to view again they are obviously not keen.
 
I have always had a weeks trial on every horse I have ever purchased, but I heve ALWAYS paid for the horse in full and had it vetted before the trial commences. That way the seller knows I am totally committed to buying and its going to take a major problem for me not to keep the horse.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I personally wouldn't let a horse go on trial, as far as i'm concerned they can come and try it as much as they like and the horse will always go better in familiar surroundings. Once out of your yard you have no control over what it is doing and until you have the cleared funds in your bank i would keep it at home.

[/ QUOTE ]

I totally agree.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top