OMG Is selling horses really like this!

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SALLYT

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My friend is selling her gelding after much deliberation and advertised him as a family sort, he's a super confidence giver and getting him the best home is a priority.
Anyway she has been unindated with phone calls wanting to see him first, she explained that the home and person he would go to is more important than who could view him first.

A lady came last night and got out the car and her first words were "oooh lovely yard, I can guarantee he won't have such a nice home with me ". A few rasised eyebrows between my friend and I , whilst we appreciate that nice facilities aren't the bee all and end all, it was a strange conversation opener.

On to the viewing he was a star in the stable and nuzzled them, was groomed and tacked up, was ridden by my friend then the lady got on to try. Now I know how horrible it is riding a strange horse in front of other people, but she was a complete novice and kept jabbing him in the mouth which he obviously didn't like, it was explained when in canter give him his head don't pull on his mouth, he'll be fine.
Her friend got on and did a little better, but felt he fell out through his shoulder ever so slightly every known and again, my friend explained he's a confidence giver hack, not a competition horse and priced as such.

Then she looked at his shoes he had been shod that morning , hmmm I see special shoes bet thats expensive, he has along with every other horse on the yard a shoe that seems to have a slight extending part to the offside, I don't know what they are called, but a receipt for a full set of shoes were shown to the cost of £50, they still were doubting .

Then the final nail in the coffin, I would like my trainer to see and ride him she said, ok said my friend not a problem.Then the lady said I will warn you she will push him to his limit she will expect him to gn the bit and if not she will make him. Now at this point I was sooo cross, had they not listened to the type of horse she was selling, I gestured to my friend to say something and I'm glad she did and said that she thought the lady was looking for something above and beyond his caperbilities.

Sharp exit.

Please tell me that this is just a one off, she has had at least 8 people wanting to come and see him and now is dreading the next one.!

Sorry for the length of this post but it was beyond belief!
 
Unfortunately, you will get through a lot of numpties before you find the right one!
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You always get timewasters and weirdos coming to see your horse, but I assure you they aren't all like that! Ive sold two horses in the last couple of years, both to lovely homes where I know they are cared for and I keep in touch.
Now here's a funny one....When I was selling my 14.1hh pony a couple of years ago a 14 year old came to try him. Nothing wrong with that you would think but she was SO overweight - I said I didnt think she was suitable for him and would grow out of him very quickly. Her mum insisted she try him as they had travelled 2 hours. I said ok.... very begrudgingly. The girl got on and Benji was NOT happy. He never stops at jumps and he stopped dead and she sailed over his head and fell off. They made a swift exit and I was pleased for Benji! He made his feelings known!
 
they sound complete numpties! maybe the instructor would have been alot more realistic , maybe your friend could try to encourage viewers to come with an instructor , or even have their instructor call you first to get an imaortial decision on if the horse is suitable
 
I hate selling horses. It is inevitable that you will get numtpies, I try to weed these out on the phone before hand!! I sold an ex racehorse a couple of years ago and I was totally inundated with calls from novices even though I had put not a novice ride in the advert! When I sold my 12.2 pony years ago I had a lovely family turn up to try him. The daughter had been used to a shetland that she had to kick lots, she kicked my pony a little too much though and he ended up jumping a 4ft post and rail fence with her (she was only 8)!! They bought him though as they realised she had asked him to do it without knowing.
 
Yup, always get some like this - I had one lady turn up, ride the horse, then her friend rode it, then her trainer rode it. Over and hour and about 30 jumps later, she asked if she could hack the horse out. By this time it was getting towards dusk, so I said she was welcome to come back and try but I didn't want him out on the roads in the poor light, so she got off. While I was untacking she disappeared, only to roar up to the yard fence where he was tied in her car and skid to a halt "just to see how he reacted to cars". He was a complete angel and didn't even blink.

She then went on to see him trotted up and down, felt all his legs, pulled, prodded and poked. Asked exactly what was included in the price - she was there for almost 3hrs. Then she and her cronies disappeared and never heard another word from them.
 
It's going to happen I am afraid- I had some right spanners call me when I sold mine. I was able to whittle some down on the phone- although when I did have one come- a young lad- his mother put him back in the car and said he was too much horse for her son- I had stated he was not a novice ride and she had said her son was a very good rider- expect the joyriders, and the pratts, in the middle of all of them you will be able to spot the one who is meant to buy the horse
 
Oh dear, when the friend was in the stable with him, she did the usual check of legs etc, then just kept prodding his back poor lad.
I know people want to check various things but it was just their manner , she wanted to know aht he was like in traffic after seeing him pass a bulldozer repair the yard's drive way- hello! what do you think, then he was being ridden in the school as the same bulldozer was driving alongside it without a bat of an eye lid.

I think they wanted a competition horse for the price of a hack.
 
Best one I ever had was when a friend was trying to sell her mare. She was perfect to handle, bombproof hack and would jump anything you pointed her at (within reason, so up to 3.6" lets say, which is more than adequate for most riders). However, her flatwork was crap and she did not work on the bit, which my friend had said in the advert and on the phone. A family turned up wanting a horse for all the family. They wanted to see her trotted up, then ridden, then jumped, then the mum got on who was reasonably competent, rode in the school, jumped and took her for a hack, then the dad got on who had hardly ridden in his life, then they wanted the son who was disabled to also have a sit on her, which he did and the horse did not put a foot wrong with any of them. They stayed for about 4 hours doing all this, went away and never called back!!!
 
When I sold my horse who was a schoolmaster, I was very particular about who he went to. I think I turned 3 people away before they even had chance to ride him and another 2 I asked to get off him whilst they were riding! At the end of the day if they dont give a good impression and you want him to go to a good home - dont have any worries about saying that you dont think they are suitable/the horse wouldnt be suitable. Although selling is hard at the moment - you want to know he is going to a good home. I would rather offend people and say no to them, than risk them getting on him and doing more harm than good!
 
Thanks for the replies, this is the first time she has had to sell a horse and is finding it all a bit hard. I'm sure she'll get wise to it as the viewings increase.

I'd hate to think the better the horse the more the timewasters, he really is a family horse who will school and hack for england and the timewasters are already out.
 
you will probably find lots of people with strange/odd ideas, i dont give them the time and day, is on to the next n not a miniutes extra thought!!! you'll never work some people out!!! but what i can say is when the right person comes along you/your friend will know!!!
 
Think that person would be better off with a simulator or a rocking horse!
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I love the sound of your friend's horse, I am on the look out for a lovely safe sensible gelding, and all I can find in my area are flighty competition horses way too good for me, or ones that will only go forward if you chase them with a cattle prod!

Hope your friend can find a lovely home for her horse, where he will be appreciated.
 
i'm dreading the day i have to sell a horse- i'd lose my rag so quickly if they started nit picking like that. The problem is that- just as you said- people want a competition horse for a happy hacker price - they scan the adverts for 100% confidence giving HH and then when they get to the viewing immediately put on airs and graces and become all demanding about every little thing.

I had it in a way when i was looking for a sharer- lots of people trying to figure out if he could do pony club, jumping etc when i advertised him strictly as a HH due to arthritis in his hock.

hope the next lot aren't such numpties.
 
Thanks again for all the replies. She has another 2 viewings on Thursday and 2 on the friday.

Sprout he really is a lovely horse responsive to the leg and is great in traffic, will go in an outline once warmed up, just a nice sort. I find him a lovely ride, it has been a hard decision to sell him she has tried to keep him as well as find a new horse, even asked her OH if he would hack out with her on him, a big fat NO.

He went to nuzzle the lady not a rub but just came to smell her and she didn't want her private space invaded.
 
I can relate from the other end of buying horses. Rang up about one 3 weeks ago which was advertised and I was ringing on behalf of a friend who was still in work (never again) The lady was lovely and the horse sounded just right. We arranged to view him and turned up. The lady was really really drunk, showed her horse off in a mini dress and wellies I kid you not and the horse was not as advertised
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We beat a hasty retreat
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When i was trying to sell my mare I had put in my advert no pony club people, as my mare is really NOT a pony club horse and she is not a easy ride by far.

Well i had a lady ring me up, i told her all about her and how good she is XC and when i asked what she wanted her for well guess what..... pony club, so i told her it did state in my ad no pony club people, well anyway this lady then went on to tell me her daughter would be more than good enough to ride my horse (cheeky cow) and wanted to come and see her. I politely told her it would be a waste of her time and mine as i would not sell etc ect it went very quite so i said thanks for ringing and good luck in their search.

Two minutes later my phone goes again and it's this lady having a go at me for not letting them come to see my horse and how she thought i was rude. All i can say is if the mother was like that what was the daughter like and if an attitude like that they would of been the last people on this earth i would of sold any horse to.
 
i have had complete numpties to look at Lex.
despite his advert saying he is a young horse just coming back into work ive had calls from 15yr olds wanting thier first horse and the best so far - a lady came to look at him because he was 'Pretty'

i despair - and it makes a sad sale worse as i now dont trust anybody when they call.
 
Yep! Years ago, I advertised an ex-racer - good hack, great in traffic, liked a gallop but with good brakes. I explained he was a roarer - but he'd been scoped and vet thought it wouldn't affect him in the slightest for hacking, trail riding, hunting etc.

Girl came with her boyfriend - wanted horse for him (complete novice) for trail riding. SHE was an expert!! She rode him for half an hour, including a good gallop and a couple of small x-c fences and then asked me: "When does he roar?" I resisted the temptation to reply: "Only when he's hungry!" (You could hear him from across a 10 acre field!) Boyfriend rode - he couldn't rise to the trot!! Nearly fell off when he failed to steer horse around a tree and horse side-stepped to avoid running into it. Horse picked him up before he fell. Their toddler then ran under the horse to cuddle his back legs!! Horse didn't move.

The expert decided that he was too quiet and boyfriend would get bored!! (Dead with anything less quiet was more likely!)
 
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