Selling horse - would you let buyer go XC schooling?

So they have seen "lots of others" - does that tell you something.

It is one thing taking an experienced horse to have a pop round some small fences - quite another to take an inexperienced horse with strange riders.

NO, don't do it.
 
I would take the horse, ride myself and only pop selected safe fences, allow the purchaser to pop over a couple in a safe controlled way - when the weather is fit and ground good enough.

I think when people come to look at horse they do need to see them in action, not from video and I think if they are reasonable people they will understand your relunctance to damage/injure the horse.
 
Diesal_dog- i thought the same, but then again the reson i asked was purely down to the fact that horses of his breeding are known to be a bit woosy, and she was trying to say he could go out and event when he hadnt actually done anything
 
I'm sorry but I'll go against the grain here.
I wouldn't let them go XC schooling per se. but I would be prepared to at least show them the horse jumping into and out of water and over a ditch, especially if they are wanting it to event. Maybe I'm lucky, but I have a good schooling venue that is open all year round near me.
I'd personally walk away if a seller couldn't produce a video of a horse going through water, or was prepared to at least take it schooling at the buyers cost.
 
The lady who has just bought Betsy - who I advertised as ready to start eventing this season, but not as having done any already - felt that the trial facilities at our yard weren't enough for the feel she needed, which is fair enough, they're not great. She asked if we could hire an arena with jumps or something, I rang round a few but couldn't find one so suggested we used a local xc course. She was delighted, just hadn't wanted to ask me to do that as she didn't think I'd be prepared to do it, and I was delighted too as B is probably better at xc than sj. So it all worked out for us. Difficult situation for you, guess it also depends on the price bracket.
 
Do you have a farm ride or similar near you? When we sold my sister's horse the lady took her on a farm ride with my sister on my horse as she wanted to go XC. This way meant we could keep an eye on her and the lady bought her so it worked!
 
well from a buyers point of view I completely understand them wanting to see the horse / try it over XC fences. I havs seen far far far too many horses produced to jump the fences on their own yard. And even schooled over their own XC fences - when taken elsewhere they fail to perform. I have a horse on my yard where the owner parted with £10k for a potential eventer. That horse cannot cope with anything away from home. It is not brave with new jumps. it won't go into new water. A real disaster. I now would insist on seeing the horse away from home. My choice of venue over my choice of fences - taking into account it's alleged level of schooling. Yes there is always the chance that the horse will get injured - but that can happen schooling over show jumps. I would be happy for the owner to ride it over new fences but I would want to try it for attitude to see how it approaches new fences. But it also comes down to cost. If I am paying £3k for a potential I am prepared to take a chance - if I am paying £10k I am not prepared to take the chance - I want to be sure the horse has the right attitude.
 
But there is a big difference between asking for a horse with a considerable price tag to be SEEN doing a specific thing and having the potential buyers simply take it and try it on their own. I see nothing wrong with wanting to see the horse do something specific, it's just the "take it and do what we want" aspect I'd object to.

Out of curiosity, what do buyers think about asking dressage horses for work above their current level? I've had people ask to see very green horses "do a change" or lateral work "just to see if they can" when the horses is not yet at that stage of development. What could possibly be judged by that, especially as, by definition, the horse could only show an inferior approximation? Do you think people do it as a test of temperament - "what happens if we ask the horse something it doesn't know how to do"? I always wonder if it's a form of showing off.
 
He was schooled XC in the summer and jumped small ditches, trotted and cantered through water and jumped round a schooling horse, no skinnies but your typical into/pn fences and he gave no worries at all first time, never queried anything.

I said to them they can go up into the woods and there are lots of different logs, and ditches and then there is a deep stream. I just didn't want to take the risk jumping round a XC course now with no studs on in poor conditions. I am not selling him as has evented, I am selling him for pure dressage, or as an top class allrounder with potential to event. He has proved himself jumping intermediate workers and now aff dressage.

I can see their point to an extent but then offered to let him go through water they argued and said they wanted to see him jump down into water as water complexes can be tricky now eventing... he is simply not ready for that, would probably do it though, but too risky in bad footing and conditions. Would prefer to do it when footing and weather is better.

I hate selling horses! You can never please everyone.
 
No. I wouldn't. Id be happy to SHOW them myself jumping him XC though or any video footage of XC competitions, however I wouldnt be happy letting someone who's brand new to the horse ride him for it.
 
I bought my horse to event, and she sounds alot like yours, but i didn't take her xc schooling. I just knew she had a good jump on her in the arena and was well schooled.
They shouldn't expect you to say yes, i certainly wouldn't. If they like your horse enough they will take him, if not it is obviously their loss, he sounds lovely
 
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