The worst viewing you've ever had?

Buying, we travelled for almost 3 hours to view, got on really well with it, put deposit down, and arranged to go back with RI and organise vetting. When we got home, i text her after trying to phone to ask for her postcode so I could start to organise vetting. RI cancelled all of her lessons for the tues afternoon so she could come with us, I took a days Annual leave, OH took a half day leave, all ready for tusday. I still hadnt heard from her by tuesday morning, kept ringing but going through to ansa phone, got to about 1 hour before we were due to leave when I get a text from her saying she had decided against selling him, was going to loan him to a friend instead!

Selling, I had one lady drive around 150 miles to see Charlie, who was grey,whose picture and details she had seen, plus more photos I had emailed her. She got out of the car, didnt even touch him in any way, and said, sorry, he is just too white for me!
 
I've been lucky in that I viewed 3 horses, 2 of which were nice enough and the viewings were normal, and then the 3rd one turned out to be the one for me. That was 11 years ago and I'm yet to think about looking for another :D
But we did have an *ahem* interesting experience when viewing ponies for my younger sister. She was 10, had been riding for 4 years and was a competent, plucky little rider, but needed something safe and suitable for a first time owner...which our mum made clear when ringing up and speaking to owners, as you do. So one day we set out to go and view 2 ponies that were in roughly the same area. The first one seems sweet enough and is good to groom/ tack up, if a little fidgety...but then we get told that the woman's daughter (who the pony belongs to) won't be riding and that her friend, who is notably bigger, older and stronger than either my sister or the daughter, will ride it instead. The daughter doesn't seem keen on the pony at all, which we assume is because she's lost interest, as that is what the woman had told us. So the friend rides it and the pony sort of behaves itself, though is a little bit nappy and gives her a bit of a fight every time they go past the gate. She gets off, and my sister gets on, at which point the woman, daughter and friend all disappear back off to the barn :confused:. So my sister rides it round for a bit and, being rather smaller than the other girl, struggles more with the napping and, although she manages to stop the pony veering to the gate, can't get it to move forward...the pony, obviously determined to get back to the gate, proceeds to buck until she falls off and then gallop back over to where my mum and me are stood :eek:. Of course, the woman insists that this is completely out of character for the pony, but we didn't believe a word of it - it suddenly made sense why the daughter had "lost interest", why the friend rode it for us (being bigger and stronger, she was better able to stop the pony napping and keep its head up), and why they had all vanished when my sister got on! It certainly wasn't suitable for a small, skinny 10 year old looking for her first pony. Of course, we paid for the fact that we didn't have much experience of viewing horses, as I think this was the first pony we'd been to see since the 3 viewings when looking for my horse.
 
i had my 12.2hh pony advertised for loan or share, someone came out to view him. she was an instructor (apparently) who had her own yard and she wanted my pony for one of her pupils. when they turned up the instructor was going around the yard declaring that this horse was that breed and that horse was this breed etc etc (all completely wrong!), she then wanted my pony trotted up a few times to make sure he wasn't lame as she didn't want to buy a lame horse.............he wasn't for sale.
another pupil of hers came to ride my pony before the girl got on but i asked a friend to get on him for me as i was too heavy and big for him at the time. no problems. the other girl gets on and no problems except he didn't want to canter in the school.

the girl who was wanting him got on and she rode him lovely, i asked her if she wanted to go in a field and she did, we got in the field and she got him to do a lovely little canter, no problems whatsoever. my pony was a saint and the girl was perfect for him, her mum loved him too.
they arranged to come back the week later for a second viewing and to go on a hack but 10 mins before they were due to turn up the instructor texts saying sorry to waste your time but she didn't think the pony would be suitable for her pupil as he was still very green.
i told her the pony was still learning but has lots to offer and it wasn't a problem. amongst the liveries on the yard we came to the conclusion that the instructor was too green for him not the pony being too green. found out a few months later that the girl was really upset at being told not to take my pony on. i am glad the instructor never had him as he would have been ruined.
 
Grrrr! as am selling at moment this is close to home.
selling a very lovely pony very cheaply as for logistical reasons keeping him overwinter is going to be hard. Only asking 1750. Had some people try him, seemed lovely. teenage daughter rode, obv rode very well, he went fab and she had big smile on her face. Mother rode, again well and pony foot perfect. Next day got a text saying how lovely he was and they would give me £500 and it would be "a lovely home", yeah sure for five minutes before they sold him on :mad:
 
8hr drive from NE Scotland to Buckinghamshire to see a gorgeous 5yr old hanoverian gelding advertised in H&H. Spoke to seller extensively on the phone as obviously a LONG way to go. Basics established, quiet nature, ready to take out at prelim etc. Get there to find absolute hat rack!!! Horse had been turned out for a year and rarely checked. Seller admitted advertising him before she'd brought him in. Photo in the advert was that of his sire as she didn't have one of actual horse! He was for sale for £8k!!!! Insisted on riding him for me and could barely get him to move with huge spurs on. Declined riding myself and got a text as we left the yard knocking £3k off the price. Errr no thanks.

Went to try first pony for my 5yr old daughter. Assured he was regularly ridden by family friends children but they were away on holiday so no one to show him to us. Owner tacked up with oldest tack I've ever seen. Led him round the school and he seemed lovely and quiet. Agreed to put daughter on and I walked next to her while owner led the pony. All fine til she asked him to trot and he launched into a series of bucks. Daughter was thrown forwards onto his neck before I could grab her and split her lip open. Seller very red faced "oh, he's not done that before". Meanwhile, sellers mum was talking to my OH and says, "not surprised he did that. He hasn't been ridden in 18 mths". My husband had todrag me to the car before I inflicted grievous bodily harm!!

Most recently viewing a horse with a friend. Gets there to find horse being sponged off in wash bay. Obvious sweat marks from saddle and bridle but seller claiming he was just having a bath to look nice for us (we were early). Groom gets on to ride him in the deepest school I've ever seen!!! Horrendous surface where the horse could barely walk it was so deep. Friend gets on and can hardly get him to move. Feels sorry for horse and gets off saying he's absolutely knackered and it's impossible to ride on such a terrible surface. Que seller getting all offended as just paid £10k for this surface and no one else complained! Hmmm ok then. When asked if he'd transport the horse to a school 5mins away on another day so she could try it properly, we were told to F off and seller stormed off!
 
I was looking for a DR prospect on full loan last year.

Arranged to go and see a Sec D, which wasn't really what I was looking for, however I like them and this one apparently 'would excel at dressage' safe, sane and sensible, good to hack, 3 lovely paces' yadda ytadda.

Turned up only to be told that up until the Friday previous when someone else had been to try it, it hadn't been ridden in about 7 months :confused: Also that 'he hadn't done anything competition wise except a fun ride that blew his brains' :confused: horse was 9 I think and it had been implied in numerous messages that he had been out and done dressage. :confused:

Got to the field and it wouldn't come near me and was so nervous, THEN got told 'ah yes, he's a very nervous horse etc etc' Fine, okay I thought, nevermind he doesn't know me and that can be worked on.

Then time came to ride and owner looked at me and said 'well, i'm pregnant so I can't ride' I was like right, okay. I had driven an hour to go and view so thought bugger it, I'll get on anyway.

WORST ride of my entire life. As soon as I picked up the reins and took a contact he went so BTV that I had NOTHING in my hands. Fine, I thought, I'll push him forwards into it, oh no. ANY leg whatsoever and he didn't go forwards, he went up! And then sideways. Eventually got him going forward in walk but still MASSIVELY, MASSIVELY BTV to the point where you just couldn't ride him as you had NOTHING in your hands. He was shaking and felt tense the whole time. I then gave him a long rein and tried to let him stretch and go forward to the contact, nope, up, sideways, bouncing on spot again.

Went up into trot (somehow) and got about 4 strides of trot before he stopped and went up, sideways, bounced on spot etc again.

By this point, I was pis**d off and also embarassed as I just looked at owner and she looked back at me sheepishly and shrugged, I said 'does he normally do this' and she sheepishly nodded and said 'yes. until he's used to you, I've had him a year and hes just now starting to get used to me, he's VERY nervous' Then had to laugh as a tractor went by on the road next and he shat himself, this being the horse who was meant to be fantastic to hack, great in traffic etc.

Needless to say that was the end of that. Mega peed off as I spent about 40 mins basically trying to school someone else's horse and sort its problems out. That is not what I want when I go and view a horse! Just not as described or advertised at all
 
I was selling a beautiful ridden hunter, she was for sale as she could not compete, but we stated that in the advert. She was not bad, just hated competing, but was a fantastic hunter, great to hack, good in the school and angel to do everything with. she was a 17'2 mare. Fit, but sane and calm. Clean, no vices, no old injuries, and priced to sell at £3k. We had a family of 4 come round. They looked her all over, the son in law was a total know it all, talking rubbish, but feeling legs, pelvis etc, an equine tyre kicker. Seemed to like her. We took her to our friends school, in the lorry with a horse of mine. Got her out and the asked me to ride her, I did, walk, trot, canter, lateral work on both reins. Then they asked to see her jump. I told them we were not selling her as a jumper, but that she would jump at home without any problem. So i popped her over a couple of jumps. Then the daughter got on, she walk trotted and cantered her for about 30 mins, then jumped her, put the jumps up to about 3ft 9 and just kept going back and fore over it. Then the dad got on. Apparantly it became clear it was for him. He did the same, for another half an hour, all the time the know it all son in law is talking equine b*****ks. So this mare has now been ridden for an hour and 20 mins. Then they decided they wanted to hack her. So I pulled my horse off the lorry, and said i would hack back with the father while my friend took my lorry. That was fine. But he wanted to flat out gallop her. Well between the school and home, which was about 2 miles it was forestry, so some steady cantering but no clear flat out gallops. Anyway mare behaved perfectly, going ahead or behind, totally under control and he appeared to really enjoy his ride.

We got back, they said they really liked her, would definitely have her. Needed to sort vetting etc. would call the day after.

3 days later I got a phone call, they were not going to have her as her feet were too small?????????????????? Her feet were normal size for her bone, and she had perfect feet.

3 months later I got a phone call from them asking if she was still for sale as she was the best horse they had seen and they should not have listened to the son in law. I was delighted to tell them she had sold the day after they had been to a fantastic hunting home in berkshire to someone who adored her.
 
I had a horrible viewing a couple of years ago when I went to see a lady I knew's horse for a potential loan. Was described as a 16.3hh ISH, lovely all rounder and would even be suitable for a "confident novice".
Well I arrived and all was good to begin with. She didn't ride him first as I "should just get on and get used to him". Well, on I got. Lady says she will leave me to it and wanders off. Walking round, fine. Got him into a nice active trot and he kept trying to break into canter so kept bringing him back. He then jumps into canter again without my say so, attempt to bring him back and nope, not happening. He then decides to go into flat out gallop (big horse, very narrow school) and I literally tried every technique I knew trying to stop him. I was sitting so deep and putting all my weight into my heels trying to slow him down that one of my stirrups came unattached from the saddle. I tried to do a one rein stop -nope. I tried to put him onto a small circle to slow him down, he didn't slow down but in fact half toppled over onto his side as he was going so fast. As he scrambled back up I knew it was time to bail out and literally leapt for it! It ended up with me severely winded on the floor, woman potters back to find horse stood at the gate with very pleased look on his face! "he's never done that before" I was told. I'm not a novice in any way, shape or form yet she still claims it must have been my fault and that Im not experienced enough for her horse. Needless to say I never rode him again!
 
As a buyer we got to the yard and the seller told us the horse was lame and shoeless but we could still try it.. 2 hours drive home and we obviously didn't ride the horse.

As a seller, was selling a really kind, talented 7 year old horse and a girl came to try it. Broke the horse myself and always ridden it very quietly - Horse went beautifully for me, the girl got on and was less experienced than me, but by no means a bad rider - horse went vertical and totally freaked out. Can't explain it to this day. Not a bad bone in the horses body - honestly the nicest horse you could meet, never done it before, never done it since. Went to a perfect home who adore the horse. We were absolutely mortified at the time.
 
Chavhorse said:
I have told this one before but it is a bit of a classic......

Saw what was described as the perfect horse advertised, called and asked a few questions and arranged to go view with my instructor. Instructor duly cleared his agenda for the afternoon and we headed off on the 1.5 hour trip to view.

Were greeted by what I can only describe as a "Drippy Hippy" type, who gave us a 30 minute diatribe on how stabling was not natural, any feed other than grass was not natural, a farrier was not natural (horse by the way had terrible feet and was about 100 Kilo's overweight).

She then treated us to a "groundwork display" of the pull, pull, slap the shoulder with a stick variety....(by this point my instructor had a very visible pulse in his temple!).

I then asked "can we see it ridden now please" (I was actually feeling sorry for the poor damned thing) and watched in amazement as she placed the palm of her hand between his eyes, closed hers then nodded and turned me and said "he says he does not want to be ridden today but may want to be tomorrow can you please come back then".

We made our excuses and left and spent the 1.5 hours drive home in stunned silence apart from the occasional "that did just happen didn't it?"
Click to expand...

I know it probably wasnt at the time but this is so funny! I shall try it on my horse when i go in a bit. lol
 
Buying...
Advertised as a ridding horse, pic looks good, ad sounds reasonable etc..., phoned sounds ok as local thought no harm booking a visit.

The ridding horse hadn't been ridden in two years, had shoes on that were said to be put on about 6 months ago! Owners did comment that they should really be done ( really!), had a chronic case if mites I mean poor thing constantly bashing legs, when picking feet up tries kicking out. Owner didn't even know if she could catch the horse so had to go up that morning to put a head collar on due to lack of handling.
I asked if up to date with jabs, I was expecting ' missed it' but nope it was hasn't had any at all. I kind of gave up at that point.

Some ppl do make me wonder in I'm actually looking at the same horse as them.
 
A 17hh, Irish hunter... Ad stated... Good mover, well schooled, nice looking, clean legs, hunted for 6 seasons, jumping 1m10... Reality... Very lame, stiff, ugly and had sweet itch... And ran awy with the girl riding him. Noooo thank you!

I will admit, I have uttered those dreadful words... "it's never done that before" because sometimes the standard of riding is so appalling that the poor animals have genuinely never needed to do anything wrong until that point!
 
From a slightly different angle :o

I was the seller, with a mother and daughter looking at my no dirt, reliable Pre-nov eventer for sale. He was pretty rock solid 99% of the time, but could have a look and a swerve on XC if he hadn't been out for a while. Was completely up front, mother didn't mind as the daughter would be starting very low level anyway.

Trucked him to my aunty's property to use the indoor their. Horse worked beautifully on the flat, daughter hopped on, all smiles. We set up a few jumps and I hop back on. Trot in the X, slams on the breaks and goes through it :eek::confused: Rebuild the jump, and he does it 2 more times! Turn to the lady and said "You know what I'm going to say, but... He really hasn't done that before!!" Had to make it a pole before he would go through... And he did it again at the oxer :rolleyes: Could not believe it! But I think it was meant to be though, as he was bought a few weeks later by a sem-professional who was incredibly successful the next season out on him and loves him to bits!

When I was about 13, looking for something a bit more talented to bring on through the grades went to look at a lovely WBX mare. She seriously had the goods, great jumping lines and serious mover. Turned up and it had both front feet turned in so much! Apparently you don't mention those things on the phone.. It paddled so badly too, but still had the most amazing extended trot. I had a burn around the arena, she was worried about her mouth so got her stretching and relaxing, really enjoyed the ride. My parents were talking to the daughter/mother owners, who looked remarkably nervous the whole time. Asked a few questions and strated to get responses like "we don't feed her for a week before competitions" and "we get to a comp 2 hours before to lunger her for a few hours". Apparently it's a case of if you don't ask you don't know!
 
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