Selling a horse v free to good home

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Parkranger

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Really don't understand the problems with this.

Ty is blind in one eye and has hock spavin so is worth bugger all. I want to find him a home where he can hack, be loved and settle.

If I advertised him for sale, anyone in there right mind would want a month's trial. If I gave him away to a free home, they'd have a month (maybe two) month's trial before I signed him over.

What's the difference? I'm not sure if I'm missing something. If I sell him for £500 (which is what he's worth) then he could still get into the wrong hands - it makes no odds.

I'm gutted I can't afford both but I have to be realistic....

So someone educate me as I'm confused.
 
Yeh but, contract is probably worth diddly.....

I don't see difference either, once a horse is out of your hands then it has nothing to do with you what happens...
But if you want no money and to be certain that for whatever reason he has to come back to you, then I don't see why a full loan can't be implemented, if you want to know his future (if any of that makes sense....)
 
Isn't he up for loan on Horsequest/Horsemart? Sure I saw the pic in your avatar. I would stick with loaning personally, or loan with a view to buy if it's the right home. Once you've sold him you won't have any say in what happens to him, sorry to say it. IMO the only way you can keep any control over where he ends up is by loaning.
 
Yeah I guess this is the right way forward then. I've advertised as free to a good home but will tell people, when they call, that it's a perm loan agreement. That way I guess I keep tabs on him.

Whats all the stories people have been talking about re. loans going wrong? Seem to ahve missed them!
 
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just to add, there will be a contract which says he can not be sold on, unless it's back to me.

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I'm afraid those sorts of contracts are worth nothing. If you want to safeguard his future I would put him on permanent loan, and even then, be careful
 
Yeah!!!!! As i see it perm loan means he is still yours until you feel it is right to sign him over, could be a month, could be a year, free to good home means they can sell him within 20mins of him getting to them. A contract wouldnt be worth the paper it was written on, as he would be theirs to do with what they wanted........

He'll find someone mrs.... hang in there!
 
I think if you give something away, it is worth nothing to that person. some people are great and would treat the horse brilliantly no matter what it had cost them, others are not, obviously. trying to tell them apart is impossible.
i've put my horses on loan in the past and found, unfortunately, the "company car" mentality... that they didn't pay for it, so it doesn't matter if they wreck it. honestly.
i now sell my horses with a guaranteed buy back (for no more than they paid me in the first place) at any time in the future for any reason. this is my way of attempting to secure the horse's future to the best of my ability, so that it never ends up at a sale, neglected, starved, whatever.
the ones i have done this with have been very very well looked after. i am paid the price i want for the horse, and as it has cost them something they value it, but they have the security of a permanent "trial" if you like, so if the horse isn't right for them, or their circumstances change, or whatever, it comes back to safety and security with me. this way, i can sleep at night... and the buyer has a pretty cast-iron guarantee that i have been totally honest about the horse.
 
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Loan horses go missing

One of many horror stories.

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Good god - I've been very niave about this!
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Well....out of 3, I've had one bad experience with loaning and it was down to me misjudging the people who had my pony on loan. Thankfully that loan only lasted a month and the only thing they didn't return was a couple of rugs. Otherwise i've had great experiences. Current loaners have had my boy for a year, just asked if they can renew for another year and then buy him at the end.

I've had a mare on loan for a year who has been fabulous and am now on the hunt for something else to loan. I have no doubt that sometimes it goes wrong but then it can also go wrong when you buy a a horse.

I hope you find someone lovely for him, he sounds like a sweetie.
 
Seriously, don't worry. As long as you check out the home he's going to, take up references, take copies of passports and driving licences (seriously), visit their house, visit the yard, have a water tight contract and visit regularly, you will be fine. I have a 7 page contract!! Before my boy went I visited the yard twice, met the YO, took up references, photocopied their passport and driving licence, visited the house, met their riding instructor, everything I could think of.

You just have to be picky.
 
I will no doubt be shot down in flames for this... but what the hell.

You really want your cake... You want a little bit of money even though you say the horse is worth nothng, so you might give him away, but they have to promise to keep him forever, or you might loan, but it has to be a "forever" loan.

I get cross with people who decide that at the end of a horses "useful" working life, they will try to dump their problems on someone else instead of taking responsibility for the horses future.

Take responsibility for your horse. If you give him away, he may very well end up in a meat market, don't you read the stories in the press about horses who were sold or given away as un-rideable, only for the horses to be re-sold by unscrupulous dealers ?

I would rather have my old horse put down than hand her over under those circumstances.
 
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I will no doubt be shot down in flames for this... but what the hell.

You really want your cake... You want a little bit of money even though you say the horse is worth nothng, so you might give him away, but they have to promise to keep him forever, or you might loan, but it has to be a "forever" loan.

I get cross with people who decide that at the end of a horses "useful" working life, they will try to dump their problems on someone else instead of taking responsibility for the horses future.

Take responsibility for your horse. If you give him away, he may very well end up in a meat market, don't you read the stories in the press about horses who were sold or given away as un-rideable, only for the horses to be re-sold by unscrupulous dealers ?

I would rather have my old horse put down than hand her over under those circumstances.

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Read the posts again dear, long term loans happen all the time, it's just finding the right home.

I didn't say I want 'a little bit of money' for him - if you read the post properly, I'm asking what the difference is as some peole said, just sell him.
 
The trouble with advertising a horse as 'free to a good home' is that it attracts the attention of dodgy folk who like the idea of a quick profit. There are loads of 'dealers' who look for adverts just like that, promise the horse a good home for life, then flog it at the next sale that comes along - buting it up if necessary and without giving the next purchaser any info about things like blind eyes, old injuries etc.

One regular HHOer sold her horse (for a nominal sum) as companion to a lady who promised it a home for life. The horse had an leg injury that wouldn't stand up to work, so the owner had the passport endorsed with this information so the horse couldn't be sold on as a riding animal. However, the new owner took the horse to the sales within days of purchase, claimed the horse had never had a passport and got a new one issued and sold the animal as a riding horse.
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If you are seriously concerned about where Ty ends up, then whether you are loaning or selling, then I would suggest you take up references to make sure you know who the people really are. Although there is the risk of loan horses going missing, at least in that case you do have legal rights to regain the horse if you can find it again. In the case above, the previous owner had relinquished all rights the minute she signed the horse over.

I'm sure the right home for Ty is out there somewhere.
 
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I will no doubt be shot down in flames for this... but what the hell.

You really want your cake... You want a little bit of money even though you say the horse is worth nothng, so you might give him away, but they have to promise to keep him forever, or you might loan, but it has to be a "forever" loan.

I get cross with people who decide that at the end of a horses "useful" working life, they will try to dump their problems on someone else instead of taking responsibility for the horses future.

Take responsibility for your horse. If you give him away, he may very well end up in a meat market, don't you read the stories in the press about horses who were sold or given away as un-rideable, only for the horses to be re-sold by unscrupulous dealers ?

I would rather have my old horse put down than hand her over under those circumstances.

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I also think that if you read through my posts over the last 2 years you'll see what a heartbreaking decision it is for me to rehome him at all, so please don't judge until you know ALL the facts
 
Just curious, how does that work? If they do things with the horse that make it worth more can they not sell it on for more? Or if it goes permanently lame would you still buy back for the same price?
 
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The trouble with advertising a horse as 'free to a good home' is that it attracts the attention of dodgy folk who like the idea of a quick profit. There are loads of 'dealers' who look for adverts just like that, promise the horse a good home for life, then flog it at the next sale that comes along - buting it up if necessary and without giving the next purchaser any info about things like blind eyes, old injuries etc.

One regular HHOer sold her horse (for a nominal sum) as companion to a lady who promised it a home for life. The horse had an leg injury that wouldn't stand up to work, so the owner had the passport endorsed with this information so the horse couldn't be sold on as a riding animal. However, the new owner took the horse to the sales within days of purchase, claimed the horse had never had a passport and got a new one issued and sold the animal as a riding horse.
frown.gif


If you are seriously concerned about where Ty ends up, then whether you are loaning or selling, then I would suggest you take up references to make sure you know who the people really are. Although there is the risk of loan horses going missing, at least in that case you do have legal rights to regain the horse if you can find it again. In the case above, the previous owner had relinquished all rights the minute she signed the horse over.

I'm sure the right home for Ty is out there somewhere.

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Blimey - I've never been in this situation before so i guess I didn't realise how ruthless people could be.
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I've just changed the ad to include that it is on a loan basis only - I can't let him go through that again - he's already been through the whole sales thing when he came to the uk and deserves a good home
 
I've had good experiences with loaning but I've heard some horror stories. Same with selling cheap. The fact of the matter is you can't guarantee anything in life.

The reason I preferred loaning is that it gave me the right to set conditions on the horse and to check on him regularly - which I did. By the same token I agreed to take the horse back or pay if there were unforeseen circumstances. I agree it's pretty shoddy to use up all of a horse's life and then not expect to pay for the possible results of that working life.

If you sell a horse I think there is a real difference between including a clause saying you will buy it back for an agreed upon amount if there is a problem or change of circumstance (in effect a money back guarantee) and saying you want right of first refusal if the horse is sold (in effect, an illegal lien against the horse and an attempt to have control without responsibility). Maybe it's just a question of wording but I think it makes a big difference to how a potential buyer feels about the situation.

This next bit is in NO WAY directed to the OP (I repeat, NOT about this horse or this situation) but I always wonder about this when I read these threads . . .

I'm always a bit confused by people selling who expect a "forever home" and/or imply that the buyer will be a bad person if they ever have to get rid of the horse. Um . . . you're selling it. Why aren't you its "forever home"? Why is it okay for you to sell it but not for the person that buys it? Of course I understand WHY people want this - they want to know (or at least believe) the horse will always be safe. But the only way you can be SURE of that is to keep it and even then, if you're selling it surely that's because for some reason you can't (or don't want to) keep it. So why would the next owner be a horrible person for getting into the same situation.

It really does kind of suck that horses are bought and sold and yet there is so much emotion involved - makes it very hard on everyone. But that's the way of the world.
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Tarrsteps I agree - I've always had issue with someone who 'palms off' their horse but I'm between a rock and a hard place. I'm hoping that a good long term loan home will come up as I honestly think that in a year/maybe two I'd be in a position to have him back.

Financially I can just about afford two, but it's no life for Ty to not be ridden and his hocks to get worse and worse - he needs someone that can committ to riding him daily and give him the love he deserves as he really is that type of horse.

I'm just praying that some money I'm waiting for comes up - if it does then I can let my sharer take him on and pay for his upkeep so that time isn't an issue....
 
One thing to be careful of - is he on medication for his hocks or will he need to be in the future? Also, will he be able to be ridden for many years to come or will he have to be a companion eventually anyway? The loaner might not want to end up with a companion. Just thinking, as my horse ended up with arthritis in the knees, which also started to affect her behaviour. I really couldn't afford to keep her as a pet so in the end she was pts. Not that I'm saying this will happen to you, just that a potential loaner might not be the long term, permanent solution?

Then again if you were a bit nearer I'd be interested myself!
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One thing to be careful of - is he on medication for his hocks or will he need to be in the future? Also, will he be able to be ridden for many years to come or will he have to be a companion eventually anyway? The loaner might not want to end up with a companion. Just thinking, as my horse ended up with arthritis in the knees, which also started to affect her behaviour. I really couldn't afford to keep her as a pet so in the end she was pts. Not that I'm saying this will happen to you, just that a potential loaner might not be the long term, permanent solution?

Then again if you were a bit nearer I'd be interested myself!
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OK, in an ideal world (which it never is) he'd go on loan for 5/6 years and be ridden, then when arthitis takes hold, which I'm guessing it will with hock spavin, he can come home and retire with me.

My problem is that I'm running around like a chicken who's head has been cut off and panicking that no one wants him which I know deep down is not true. He needs to settle somewhere and will then give someone a lovely hacking horse for atleast 5 years (so the vet said).

In a few years I should be financially able to take him back and the plan is to have our own land by then so he can grow old with a shetland (his idea of utopia!)
 
I've followed all your posts right from when you first bought Ty. As I see it, you are stuck between a rock and a hard place and trying to do the best for both your horses. Yes there are dodgey people out there who would jump at the chance of a free horse saying it will have a home for life when in fact it will be on its way to the sales, or worse still Potters, within a couple of weeks. But there are some decent people out there too. I was given a free horse 8 years ago on the understanding that should I ever be in a position not to keep him he would go back to his previous owner. Sadly, the previous owner died 5 years ago but I still have the horse. As long as you are fussy about where he goes to, he will probably be much better off with someone who can give him the time and attention he deserves.
 
Thanks Jaylen - I'm not about to palm him off on someone just to get rid....I just cannot look after two to the level they deserve.....and this is really not easy
 
I have had my old mare on loan for 18 years she was 14 when I got her & she had a few problems, Side Bone & Melanomas.

I didn't have a loan agreement when I took her on when I was 13, but her owner has been great, gave help when I needed it and some times dint hear from her for a couple of years at a time, im still in contact with her now. more now! She knew were her horse was & trusted me to do the right thing by her. At 33 my old mare has been retired for a good few years now, she has been worth her weight in gold to me.

The right person is out there some were you just need to find them. There are more good people out there than bad!

Good Luck!
 
If it were me, I would put him on permanent loan, but with the provisio that as and when he becomes unriddable at any time due to his condition, and if they don't want to keep him he goes back to you either for retirement or to be pts.

This way the loaner won't feel that they will end up with a broken horse and you will have peace of mind.

I did a very successful loan for my mare as a broodmare. I took references, from their vet etc and visited and kept regular contact. I had a very detailed agreement drawn up, signed and witnessed. In my case, she was to be pts if I could not have her back.

It can work, and this way he could have some more years of life and you have control over his ending of his days.

We have Cairo on permanet loan, we have spent thousands on him but he is our boy and worth the world to us. His owner has peace of mind knowing that we cannot sell him and if he is badly treated is able to have him back, subject to two independent vet reports. As it is permanet loan, we have peace of mind, knowing that she just can't turn up and take him away, so it works perfectly for both of us.
 
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If it were me, I would put him on permanent loan, but with the provisio that as and when he becomes unriddable at any time due to his condition, and if they don't want to keep him he goes back to you either for retirement or to be pts.



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That's a great idea!
 
I believe TGM is talking about me and Bailey.

There was absolutely NOTHING I could do with regards to him being sold on into a riding home. No one was interested in the moral implications...or the safety as there was a possibility his leg could break down.

The only people remotely interested in my "case" were Trading Standards. Simply because they wanted to reunite Bailey with his original passport and get the fraudulently applied for one destroyed. It never happened. Whilst I had temporarily located Bailey with a dealer in Warrington, Cheshire (that's how I knew he'd been sold on as I saw his advert on the internet) she bizarrely claimed to have sold him and didn't know who to a few hours later. She wasn't prepared to lose her potential profit on him....and I can understand that to a degree as she bought him in good faith.

Unscrupulous people will always seek to have a new passport issued. This way the previous owner details will not have your name and address on. There is therefore no chance of any new owners contacting you for history of the horse.

Quite frankly, I would never sell a horse on as companion again. I learned a very painful lesson. I wish I'd had Bailey PTS now to protect his future and spare the disappointment and heartache of future owners when they come to realise they may spent alot of money of a horse that was only sound at purchase on bute or the likes.

Now, I'm not suggesting you should go down that route with Ty as he is clearly not going just as a companion. Advertise him as a loan horse, get a contract drawn up, freezemark him before he goes and make sure you get references and have full proof of their name and address...incase you need to track them down if something does go wrong.
 
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