Should i offer to pay for arena hire to view a horse?

[throwawayaccount]

I’d ask for a contribution I think, if it was expensive and included hauling a trailer there etc.

A few years ago, I sold a pony and the people wanted to jump her round a course. Our facilities were rubbish so I hired an SJ arena with at the yard next door. They loved the pony etc then tried to knock me down 2k for no reason when the pony was under 3k to start with.

 

[lizziebell]

Gosh, makes me wonder how anyone sold horses when I was younger ?! No one except the poshest of riding schools had an arena, and very few people had transport.

 

[Bobthecob15]

I wouldn't bother trying a ridden horse unless I can try it in an arena.

Exactly this at this time of year, summer not so crucial if there are fields to ride in...I've been to see one that didn't even have a suitable field, just the roads?! total waste of time!

 

[ihatework]

Personally, for a ridden horse, I’d expect the seller to provide suitable facilities for the first viewing. If that means an arena hire then the seller pays.

However if I wanted 2nd/more viewings I’d fully expect to pay any additional hire charges.

 

[Gallop_Away]

I think it entirely depends.....

If the seller has perfectly adequate riding facilities, but the buyer insisted on riding the horse in the school, then I think the buyer should pay the cost of the hire. I personally have bought horses without needing to see them being ridden in an arena. We purchased my husband's horse after seeing him ridden in a field, and then hacked down country lanes.

If the seller has no riding facilities for the horse to be viewed under saddle, then I think it's fair that they should pay the cost of an arena hire.

In the OP's case where seller has some facilities but not an arena of their own, and buyer isn't insisting on viewing the horse in an arena but would still like to, then I think it is polite if the buyer offers to pay a contribution towards the hire of the arena but equally if I was the seller and I had offered to hire the school, I probably wouldn't accept it.

 

[Gallop_Away]

Exactly this at this time of year, summer not so crucial if there are fields to ride in...I've been to see one that didn't even have a suitable field, just the roads?! total waste of time!

Depends what you're looking for. My horses are used for hunting/hacking/fun rides so I personally am far more interested to see how they behave when a car speeds past them than whether their piaffe is up to scratch.

 

[TPO]

It's a good seller's perogative to set the horse up to succeed during a viewing.

Of course horses can be bought unseen, untried and ridden outside of an arena; no one is disputing that.

This seller has made the decision to hire an arena for the first viewing. I'm always the first to "pay my way" but I would not be contributing towards arena hire in the situation that OP has described.

 

[Glitter's fun]

Gosh, makes me wonder how anyone sold horses when I was younger ?! No one except the poshest of riding schools had an arena, and very few people had transport.

Know where you're coming from. I had never ridden in an arena until I went to Uni. in the city & started riding there. Found it very odd to be riding in circles!
The point is though, that you need to try a horse out doing what you will be using it for. So buying a horse now usually has to involve seeing it load and in a school.

 

[Glitter's fun]

Viewing a horse on Saturday but there is no area to ride in at their yard so the owner is hiring an arena nearby for the viewing, should I offer to pay for this or is it the owners responsibility?

Personally I'd wait to see if you get on well & whether they have mis-described the horse etc. You can always take some cash with you to offer if its all above board but you decide not to buy.
(You already thought of this I'm sure but do meet at their own yard & see it caught, loaded etc & then travel together to the arena. Horse shopping makes me paranoid but I know a dodgy dealer who pretends to be a private seller & uses arena hire so no one sees the other 20 horses.)

 

[blitznbobs]

I wouldnt pay if i buy it but might if i dont - it would really depend on their attitude tbh

 

[Birker2020]

I went and tried a horse many years ago in an arena hire as the yard the horse was on only had a field. I didn't offer to pay, I expected them to pay it, as an associated cost in having to sell a horse.

 

[Peglo]

Agree with @Goldie's mum. See what the horse is like when you get there and if the owners and horse seem good you could then offer to contribute, even if the horse isn’t quite what you’d like.

If your keen on the horse I would wait and see how the horse loads after you’ve finished.

 

[Gallop_Away]

I went and tried a horse many years ago in an arena hire as the yard the horse was on only had a field. I didn't offer to pay, I expected them to pay it, as an associated cost in having to sell a horse.

Maybe I'm just a soft touch but in this situation I would have offered to pay the seller. The horse could have been tried in the field but if I had wanted to ride it in an arena I would have felt obliged to offer to pay.

 

[Patterdale]

Offering to pay sets up a good relationship with the seller. Might help you with negotiating price if you like the horse.

If someone offered to pay something they didn’t need to when I was selling a horse, I’d think they were soft with money and I’d be far less likely to come down. Just to give another view.

 

[Honey08]

I’d expect the seller to have enough facilities to show the horse off. So a reasonable field or arena, some jumps if it’s advertised to complete, a Xc fence or two if it’s sold to hunt or event, and I’d want to see it in/near traffic if poss. Even a novice, who only wants to hack, much get need an arena or reasonably small enclosed space initially to feel safe.
Most horses are vetted nowadays and the vet will also need a reasonably level, decent area to vet.

And no we didn’t have access to arenas when I was young, but barely anyone vetted and horses were a lot cheaper (and often just turned away or pts if problems arose).

 

[Hallo2012]

last one i sold i had perfectly adequate facilities at home-big arena, jumps, hacking etc but they wanted to see the pony round a full 12 jump course so they paid the arena hire.

 

[SantaVera]

Gosh, makes me wonder how anyone sold horses when I was younger ?! No one except the poshest of riding schools had an arena, and very few people had transport.

this. ive sold many horses and never had an arena. ive bought some of the best horses ive ever had by just trying round the housing estate. the worlds gone soft, if you want a hack why on earth does it need to be in an arena? are they frightened of it running away? cant they see if its sound whilst trotting on the road? whats wrong with people? to answer the original question, I thin kit would be al ovely justure for the op to offer a contribution alsthough not strictly necessary.

 

[Abacus]

Depends very much on the level of horse and how it was advertised. If it was sold from the field I wouldn't expect to see it in an arena, and possibly not even ridden (not that I tend to buy those). Higher level horse where you really want to try it out in various ways I would expect somewhere reasonable to do this, which could be a flat field at the right time of year, but not now. As this is a young and recently backed horse, for safety I would prefer an arena to ride in.

I sold one last year to someone who wanted to take it out to another arena even though I have one (where she first tried him) - to see what he was like travelling and when out. It was arguably demanding, but I borrowed an arena in the next village where he had never been, and boxed him over. The YO is an acquaintance and kindly didn't charge me but I would probably have expected the buyer to pay for this, I don't remember her offering. But for the sake of a tenner or whatever, I wouldn't have brought it up.

 

[HashRouge]

I’d expect the seller to have enough facilities to show the horse off. So a reasonable field or arena, some jumps if it’s advertised to complete, a Xc fence or two if it’s sold to hunt or event, and I’d want to see it in/near traffic if poss. Even a novice, who only wants to hack, much get need an arena or reasonably small enclosed space initially to feel safe.
Most horses are vetted nowadays and the vet will also need a reasonably level, decent area to vet.

And no we didn’t have access to arenas when I was young, but barely anyone vetted and horses were a lot cheaper (and often just turned away or pts if problems arose).

This.
It's really up to the seller, but it is easier to show a horse off in an arena in winter and probably safer for all concerned. Of course, it is perfectly possible to sell without an arena, but it may put some viewers off and/ or make it harder to try the horse out properly when selling in winter. The seller in this case obviously feels they will stand a better chance of selling if they have an arena to use - it's in the seller's interests, not just the buyer's.
All this said, we did buy my little Arab from a tiny yard where there was no school. We just went straight out on a hack - up the road and then down the canal towpath, and at the end we galloped up and down the common. You'd have to pretty confident in the horse you're selling to do that when the "buyer" is an 11 year old child! We used the common for the vetting too; I still have vague memories of cantering round and round so the vet could check her heart. I'd still buy a horse in this sort of set up, but it would depend on the type of horse and what it was supposed to have done/ be able to do, and also how much I was paying.

 

[MagicMelon]

Id say the viewer should pay. I had a lovely horse for sale a couple years ago and had to keep paying £20 per viewer to rent a nearby arena, when people come and theyre unsuitable or the horse isnt quite for them - that fairly ends up costing a lot!

 

[TPO]

Honestly if I had to pay to try a horse then I wouldn't be viewing.

Different if, like Hallo2012, I wanted to do/trial something specific then I'd pay but would I heck as like be paying to see what someone else is trying to sell.

Plus this is what the seller has offered. They clearly think that's the best option to show the horse in its best light, no idea how some people think a potential buyer should be footing any of the cost.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

I would always pay for the horse to be shown to the level I was advertising at.

If it was to hack then I’d show at home. If it was as a potential dressage horse then I’d box over to the proper indoor at the livery yard that we keep a stable at, or the horse would already be on livery for a few weeks to accommodate viewings.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

It depends very much on what purpose your are advertising that the horse is fit for. If I have sold a reliable hacking horse I have not offered to take to indoor hire, but allowed any riding in my fields and a hack anywhere they choose, on and off road, accompanied and/or unaccompanied. However, if I have been selling something more of an allrounder or a show type I have always moved the horse for couple of weeks livery to a decent local yard so any would be buyers have all the facilities they need to try the horse out fully.

If a buyer viewing a good hacking horse asked to take it to a yard to try it in a menage setting then I would have no objections but I would expect them to pay not me. Never lost a sale yet over lack of a menage for that type of horse.

Edited to add when viewing a horse, if they do have an indoor I will try it but only for a very quick check on schooling level, the rest of the viewing I would be insisting on riding out on and off roads.

 

[tda]

We don't have an arena, and have sold a few ponies. I did arrange to use a local outdoor school for one pony, but they had to hack him a mile to it, so best of both worlds. They didn't offer to pay and tbh I didn't expect them to
As someone else said tho, it you were getting numerous viewers who all wanted to ride in a school it could get costly

 

[Squeak]

It's really interesting to hear the differing opinions. I don't think there is a wrong or right answer. Personally I would offer something towards it and if I was the seller then I would appreciate that someone had offered and would refuse it but would very much appreciate that the offer was made.

I've hired arenas twice for selling horses and I think one didn't offer and one did offer and I thanked them and said not to. Either way, both bought the horse and we still have good relationships so I think it probably is whatever you feel happiest with OP.

 

[throwaway2022]

I’d personally offer but I’m ridiculously polite. If I were the seller I’d appreciate the offer but decline, and secretly think you were lovely for asking ?

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

The seller does not have to pay for every single buyer who comes to view the horse, as they have to box up as it is every time, where they could just say "Come to their place but there is no facilities"

There are so many timewaster buyers out there and if the school hire is £ 20 say, the seller could loose out lots specially if it is a financial reason they are selling the horse, and if the potential buyer gets on the horse goes round once and then gets off saying "nope not for me"

I went to view a mare in Monmouthshire, they had stables and field no school, the mare could not be ridden due to being off work for 9 months and would have to be brought back in. I am experienced enough to either take the gamble or not. Sadly the mare failed the vet.


It is the buyers choice to pay for the school or not or find another horse where there is facilities, as many yards are not close to a place with facilities. Specially in remote areas. If the buyer is really serious about riding the horse in a school then really school hire should be with them providing they were warned before and given the choice to say yes or no

or


I think if the buyer is really serious about the horse then maybe the school hire could be refunded if they decided to buy the horse.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

I think if the buyer is really serious about the horse then maybe the school hire could be refunded if they decided to buy the horse.

That is an excellent and fair compromise I think.

 

[greenbean10]

It's a good seller's perogative to set the horse up to succeed during a viewing.

Of course horses can be bought unseen, untried and ridden outside of an arena; no one is disputing that.

This seller has made the decision to hire an arena for the first viewing. I'm always the first to "pay my way" but I would not be contributing towards arena hire in the situation that OP has described.

I am the same, not at all stingy but there’s no chance I’d be paying to view a horse!

I’m trying showjumpers at the moment and most offer to take their horse out to arena hire so I can see it around a course - I’ve never even thought to offer them anything and even after reading this thread I still wouldn’t! ?

 

[Fieldlife]

Ages ago I went to see a horse that was available for loan. Owners took it to near by arena (few minutes hack up road). I tried horse, said I would think about it (was second horse I had tried and I was deciding which to loan). Owner was going to hack horse straight to go hunting (was a local hunt). As I was pulling out in my car, she started frantically waving at me, that I had not paid the school hire fee. First I had heard of it. I did pay it, it wasnt a lot, and was easier to pay it. But I did wonder why she wasnt up front about it.

Better to have said, of course you can come and try X horse that is for loan. If you want to try in neighbour's school, I will ask you to pay the hire fee which is X. Rather than imply I had tried to leave without paying.