Selling Fears

[canteron]

I would find a really lovely sales livery where you pay by the week, not sales commission %. Brief them on the type of home you would like and that you will want to see a video of any potential new owners riding and details of the new home.
This has worked for me and I am still in irregular contact (maybe twice a year) with 2 horses I sold in the past 10 years and it was great having someone do the ‘not suitable sorry’ work for me.
Alternatively, if you decide to sell yourself, ask for videos of them riding and details of where it will be kept before they come - that will help weed out a few.
Good luck

 

[irishdraft]

Sounds appalling treatment of your young horse OP . He sounds like just the sort of young horse I would have loved to have 10 years ago. If it were me I'd look for a good pro to get him out & about abit for educational purposes, who knows you may decide you can manage him , then look too sell either here or Ireland, I'm sure he'll be snapped up.

 

[spacefaer]

I would find a really lovely sales livery where you pay by the week, not sales commission %.

There is no incentive for a yard to sell a horse if they're being paid for every week the horse is there. Surely it's better to be on commission

 

[ycbm]

There is no incentive for a yard to sell a horse if they're being paid for every week the horse is there. Surely it's better to be on commission

IME most do both!
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[Ample Prosecco]

Yes both makes much more sense. They need to be paid weekly for providing full livery with 6 days exercise. If a horse fails a vetting and is withdrawn from sale after 10 weeks then where does that leave the sales livery yard? The commission pays for the ads, screening homes and viewings etc etc. Commission ony means a real incenctive to offload to whoever will buy. Sales livery only means no incentive to sell at all.

I know a livery yard/dealer who had a friend's horse on sales livery. It rapidly became clear she actively put people off that one! I knew 2 people who saw the ad, went to view and were persuaded to buy a different one while there. And thought she was marvellous because she was 'so honest about how that pony would not be a good match for us even though it was more expensive!' Which was also unture. She asked for 2 grand more than the owner wanted to put sellers off and so she could claim she was saving them money (at her expense) because she was committed to matching them correctly.

 

[Lucky Snowball]

Awful experience for you and for the horse. Well done for not letting them proceed. I agree you should keep him for yourself, loan to a competition rider and enjoy watching him compete or sell privately. so sorry you both went through that.

 

[canteron]

There is no incentive for a yard to sell a horse if they're being paid for every week the horse is there. Surely it's better to be on commission

That is the point. Yards that sell on commission have an incentive to sell quickly rather than the right home.

And that’s why you have to choose an ethical sales livery - and in the end if they are ethical, have a good reputation, they will be more choosy about who they take, be honest in their evaluation and more likely to get the right home at a better price.

 

[Quigleyandme]

I would highly recommend Olivia Chamberlain near Roscommon. I bought mine from her and he arrived in good order mentally as well as physically. She tends to keep them for a few months before sale so she knows their characters.

I was astonished for a 4yo straight off the boat, he led, tied, picked feet and was generally a lovely relaxed boy. When she advertises, they seem to sell quite quickly too. She is on facebook.

I’m really grateful to everyone who bothered to respond. I asked the breeder to broker a sale because I need to be removed from the process or it won’t happen and whilst I am hand wringing and prevaricating the horse will continue to be bored rigid. I’m deeply uncomfortable talking money and in the moment I’m easily persuaded I’m wrong about things and it’s only afterwards I realise I’ve been played or bullied. The few people who have seen this horse want him but they have the measure of me and know what I want to hear which is they are offering a 5* permanent home for riding club, showing, hunting but in reality they want to quickly produce him for a lucrative sale to USA having taken advantage of my non-commercial and emotionally invested head space to offer a lot less than the horse is worth. I’ve read Olivia Chamberlain’s website and Facebook page and sent a friend request. I live quite close, maybe 40 minutes away, so I could visit, talk to her and watch the horse in training so I’m going to get in touch.

 

[ycbm]

I've met Red's boy and if that's the quality of horse she is dealing then you've got a great plan there.
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[MagicMelon]

I honestly do not understand why you let your horse go to these awful sounding people if Im honest. Id have demanded they got off my horse as soon as they started arguing about using their own saddle let alone all the other massive red flags they gave you when they tried the horse. Id suggest never selling through a dealer for a start, the vast majority dont care where the horse ends up. I would sell privately, look out for wanted adverts that might suit, chat to other horsey people and see if they know of anyone the horse would suit. I honestly think you get a feeling for someone pretty quick. Talk to anyone interested at length on the phone, go and visit where the horse might go etc. When I sell a horse I literally test the person who wants to view my horse! I ask them loads of questions to ensure that I think the horse should suit them before I even let them turn up to see the horse. If they're decent then they totally understand.

 

[Quigleyandme]

You are in all probability a much stronger character than me. I have very low self-esteem. I live in Ireland. Horses here are by and large started very early and no time is wasted in getting mileage on them and sold away. There is no culture of saddle fitting in Ireland where one saddle with either a thin pad or thick pad fits everything. I don’t have the resources to fly to the UK, Europe or USA, where the market is for top quality Irish horses, to vet every prospective home/owner. I have never sold a horse and thought I never would whereas you clearly have experience of it. Selling privately is as risky as selling to a reputable dealer because people will lie with no hesitation whatsoever but thanks for your input.

 

[ycbm]

Selling privately these days is an absolute pain in the backside. For the horse and the situation you describe a dealer is by far your best bet.
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[Nasicus]

I honestly do not understand why you let your horse go to these awful sounding people if Im honest.

She didn't.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Send me more info about him when you choose to sell…I have buying fears! For 22yr old daughter..not me lol.

 

[Irish-Only]

I was breeding for years and it was always worrying where my youngsters were going. You do eventually suss out the potential buyers who you need to put off or even tell them that this is not the right youngster for you.
I'm sorry that these awful people did what they did with your youngster, completely unacceptable.
Boot on the other foot, I will be cautiously looking for a horse in 2 - 3 months time, and quite frankly because of all the horror stories AND over worked young irish horses, I will only be looking at ones with a certified full history, and I would rather buy direct from an honest owner than a sales yard.
If you can trust yourself to vet potential owners (with references including their vet) you should be able to find your horse a lovely home.

 

[estela]

It definitely sounds worthwhile following up the recommendation of Olivia Chamberlain especially as she's close by to you. Good luck with this and I hope you find your boy a super home. They are out there!