Timewasters rant

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clait

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:mad:THIS IS THE SECOND TIMEWASTER IVE HAD LOOK AT MY HORSE.
1, GIRL CAME TO LOOK AT HIM AND JUST LOOKED AT HIM IN THE STABLE AND KEPT SAYING "HES BIG ISNT HE"
YES HES 16.3 AS THE AD SAID.
2, 60YEAR OLD LADY WANTED HIM TO HUNT, I SAID HE HAS NEVER BEEN HUNTING BUT CANT SEE WHY HE WOULDNT SO SHE TOOK HIM DOWN THE BRIDLE WAY FOR A CANTER, HORSE WAS A GOOD BOY, PULLED UP WHEN ASKED.
"I THINK I WILL BE OVERHORSED"
WHAT DO PEOPLE WANT, HES NOT ALOT OF MONEY, COMES WITH TACK AND RUGS, BIG SKEWBALD HORSE!
RANT OVER.
PS THIS IS NOT A AD JUST A RANT
 
Unfortunately thats what happens when selling a horse.

Ask lots of questions on the phone and tell them a such as possible before letting them visit, hopefully you can then save your self some time and stop and potential time waisters.
 
blucanoo1990 said:
Unfortunately thats what happens when selling a horse.

Ask lots of questions on the phone and tell them a such as possible before letting them visit, hopefully you can then save your self some time and stop and potential time waisters.
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^This

I was given an ear bashing off someone for being a 'timewaster' however, the horse was unsound and this had never been previously mentioned.

It sounds like the people viewing your horse have a problem with his height/size, nothing more. Make sure you reiterate this when anyone else calls.

Personally for me, the bigger the better :D
 
It's always a hassle, isn't it? To be fair the second lady didn't do much wrong. The only way to know if a horse is suitable is to ride it and get a feel for it. If for whatever reason she did not get a good feel, what was she supposed to do? At least she told you and moved on rather than coming back 2-3 times and really wasting your time.
 
Very slightly off subject but I have a car for sale (Fiat Punto Grande £4,495...;-)) and all I get is hoax scam calls and people asking me where the car is then complaining it is too far away ...... address is on the advert!!

Some people are just idiots.

Good luck OP
 
It happens both ways round, people coming for a joyride on a horse they have no intention of buying, and people wasting their time seeing misdescribed horses. It's a bummer but it comes with the territory.
Your horse sounds yummy! If anything a little small! Tehehe. Hope you find them a lovely home soon.
 
In fairness a lot of people overestimate the height of there horses/ponies and it is easy to get the wrong idea of heights. Seeing the real height can be a bit of a shock. I have been guilty of this in the past. I did say straight away sorry too big. :eek:
 
I had a girl come up to look at loaning my gelding. She couldn't get on him without the saddle slipping, sat on him and refused to use voice aids to guide him and then broadcasted on the internet that he was lazy! I can honestly say that I can't remember the last time I needed to use much leg on him so as for lazy...gr!

I asked this girl loads of questions and to be honest have noticed that some people claim to be good at riding when they can't even sit to the correct trot diagonal. I don't think I'm a great rider but I know I'm not a novice.

All you can to is ask questions and focus on finding him a good home. The market will pick up at the end of the month so I'm sure you'll have more interest.
 
ahh time wasters........................this can happen from both sides, like the time i went to see a 15.1 show cob and it morphed into a 16.2 chestnut mare, or the time we went to see a clean legged cob (when we got there it had a splint 1 inch which must have come up that morning) or the 15.1 which i re measured at 14.2.................
people will over estimate their riding ability or the horse i guess it humane nature. at least the last one was honest and said it was to much horse for her

by the way pm if you wish with what he is like and where you are:)
 
Trouble is people tell you the size of their horse & when you get there it can be a whole hand out. I got to asking questions like whether it felt big or small to ride as found that gave me a better clue to the real size. Eg advertised at 15.2 that feels big is probably 16 to 16.2, that feels small is likely to be 14.2. I never saw anything that was advertised as 15.2 that actually was 15.2! 15.2 is the top of my head so I can tell pretty quickly how close it is!
 
It worried me when I was looking that if I viewed a horse and didn't like it I'd be seen as a timewaster. More so if I went back a second time and then decided the horse wasn't right.

As it happened I tried two before I found my lovely boy. Both were lovely horses and really there was no good reason why I couldn't have bought either of them (well, other than a soundness issue with the first one). Except that I just didn't feel like I would click with them. But I felt guilty not buying them (and cried about it).

But when I tried my boy, even though he was fairly naughty and the owners used that dreaded line "well, he's never done that before" I just knew he was right.

So how do you define a timewaster??
 
Also, when you get to tall horses, there are BIG tall horses and just tall....I have been to see a horse advertised at 17hh and he was massive, and although he was 17hh, he was too big for me, big neck, big everything. My current horse is over 17hh, so it isn't always the height when people say *Gosh he is big*! And I did try him, and I loved him, but I did think I would be overhorsed out hunting on him as if he had ever tried to set against me there would have been no way in the world I would have been able to do anything about it, so I passed him up.
 
I do feel for you. But then when people are making such a huge investment, they want to make sure it's the right horse. That woman may well have thought she would be over horsed. There may not be that 'click' that people look for. I personally feel when you sell anything you have to be prepared for this. People will look, some will appear as timewasters, others genuinely may be timewasters. But I know i'd never buy anything that didnt feel right.

Just grit your teeth and smile :D
 
Buying a horse and giving it a good home is a huge long term commitment. It's only normal the buyer wants to make sure the horse is right for him or her. Act in haste, repent at leisure, etc.

If a viewer wants to look at a horse more than once before making up their mind, the seller could ask them to lay down a refundable deposit. That's what I did when buying mine.

Alas, you meet time wasters any time you're selling anything. Try selling your house or car. I was selling a car with an accurate description of said car. Someone comes to try it out, goes on the whole test drive, but then decides it's the wrong colour! :rolleyes:
 
Janah said:
In fairness a lot of people overestimate the height of there horses/ponies and it is easy to get the wrong idea of heights. Seeing the real height can be a bit of a shock. I have been guilty of this in the past. I did say straight away sorry too big. :eek:
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I agree, many folks over-estimate height and hardy anyone seems to own a proper measuring stick. I once veiwed a pony advertised as 14.1, he was more like 13.3 in the flesh and too small for me.
 
I don't think either were timewasters. They came and saw your horse and it wasn't for them, they told you promptly and went away again. You can't expect the first person to see your horse to think it is perfect.

A horse can seem bigger than it is on paper. Two horses of 16.3hh can be very different, I can think of a 16.3hh that I would classify as too big for me and a 17hh that is a lovely size. DH regularly competes a 15.1hh but has refused to ride a 15.3hh because it is too small for him.

Alternatively it could be an excuse, perhaps they just didn't like your horse or there was something that they spotted that they didn't want to raise and saying he is too big or that they feel overhorsed seems a polite way to decline.

They weren't timewasters though unless they never had any intention of buying, and if they were joy riders they probably would have strung things a long a bit longer.
 
I have had it on both sides. When we were trying to sell Charlie, we advertised him as a white grey. Woman turns up and said, 'he is very white, I wouldnt be able to keep him clean'! Didnt touch him!
But then when we were looking we travelled prob 75 miles to see one, loved him, organised to go back with RI, she reorganised her lessons, me and OH took a days holiday, for seller to text me an hour before we left to say she had decided not to sell!
 
KristmasKatt said:
I don't think either were timewasters. They came and saw your horse and it wasn't for them, they told you promptly and went away again. You can't expect the first person to see your horse to think it is perfect.

A horse can seem bigger than it is on paper. Two horses of 16.3hh can be very different, I can think of a 16.3hh that I would classify as too big for me and a 17hh that is a lovely size. DH regularly competes a 15.1hh but has refused to ride a 15.3hh because it is too small for him.

Alternatively it could be an excuse, perhaps they just didn't like your horse or there was something that they spotted that they didn't want to raise and saying he is too big or that they feel overhorsed seems a polite way to decline.

They weren't timewasters though unless they never had any intention of buying, and if they were joy riders they probably would have strung things a long a bit longer.
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I agree I wouldnt call these timewasters either. I am currently looking for a horse and dont bother even seeing it tacked up if I dont like it on first impressions but then again I never sell anything so they have to tick all my boxes including my first impression. I am certainly not interested in going joy riding and I dont think a lot of serious buyers are..
 
Iv'e had both timewasteing buyers and sellers.

Helping a friend sell her foal and mare at the momment, and honestly some of the people that turn up....OR DO NOT TURN UP are fusrating.

12.2hh pally arab mare, worn tack and had few small kids sit on but not small enough jokey to break. Parents come along armed with kids wanting them to canter about, explained on ad not broken and on phone and they seem to understand. One came and said she had too many dapples.
Or the annoying people who don't turn up, rang one to double check 3hours before she was ment to come, yes coming, hour before arranged time had a text to say stuck in traffic, no problems I can give mine a good groom. 10mins before took a wrong turning, no problem. Never came, tried ringing phone turned off. Next day had a text would you take £100 less if I bring my trailer tomorrow.

Foals causeing even more problems as shes cremello and small, amount of people qho come and then say her eyes freak them out.

Have been to see fair share of misdescribed horses so always 150% on what they are, like and make sure they realise they can't be ridden etc etc and that.
 
benson21 said:
I have had it on both sides. When we were trying to sell Charlie, we advertised him as a white grey. Woman turns up and said, 'he is very white, I wouldnt be able to keep him clean'! Didnt touch him!
But then when we were looking we travelled prob 75 miles to see one, loved him, organised to go back with RI, she reorganised her lessons, me and OH took a days holiday, for seller to text me an hour before we left to say she had decided not to sell!
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Yes I came across a few time wasting sellers when I was looking to buy! The ones that change their mind about selling the ones where the horses aren't remotely as described and the owners clearly selling because they are terrified....

There have also been some lovely and understanding sellers, including one lady who talked to me on the phone twice for ages because she didn't want us to have a wasted trip and who said that if we did want her horse she would be happy to give us lessons etc to help us get used to her etc. We didn't follow that one up, although the horse sounded fab we decided it was more horse than we needed and would probably be wasted on us!

And the owner of the mare we have on trial now, who has been lovely and understanding at every stage and even offered a trial when we were unsure. I think we visited 5 times in total, three times for viewings to ride one of which was with instructor in tow, once for the vetting and once to see her being shod.
 
So anyone who comes to try your horse and decides they dont want him are timewasters??

That second lady souned fine IMO. I would rather people be honest and straight up and and at least then you can be sure your boy is going to a good home!!!
 
I had someone come to see my TB for loan. I'd been 100% honest on her ad on Project Horses (surely if you are even looking on that site you know it's not a sit on and go horse???) but woman asked 1000's of questions before coming, sounded like the right person for Jade. Turned up, lunged her, took her for a walk then text me later saying 'I think she'll be too much for me...shes a TB and I'm not sure I can cope with one'...ummmm yes she always was a TB and the pictures I sent you were of a TB...she hasn't changed breeding overnight!!!:rolleyes: Apart from anything she's the quietest TB I've ever met and the 16 year old who now has her can rider her perfectly and has even commented she might to need up her feed to add some bounce!!! :rolleyes:
 
I once went to look at a horse, it was a 2 hour drive away, I took my very busy instructor with me who had re-organised all of his lessons for the afternoon.

Got there to find his owner was some kind of ageing Dippy Hippy who had dabbled in Parelli, horse was bad tempered which was hardly surprising as she insisted on leading him on a 12 foot rope (no problem with this) constantly prodding a stick at his leg and occasionally waving it in his face (do have a problem with this!).

We got a lecture on how shoeing, clipping, bitting, the dentist, being in a stable rather than out in acres of luscious grass were totally evil, even though the horse had feet that desperately needed a farrier and was approximately 100 kilo's overweight.

My Instructor by now had a visible pulse in his temple, but I was feeling sorry for the wretched animal and asked if we could see him ridden the response was a classic;

"I will have to ask his permission"

She then placed the flat of her hand between his eyes and kind of hummed

She then turned to us and said;

"he says no not today maybe tomorrow can you come back?"

We drove home in silence apart from one or other of us occasionally saying "that did just happen didn't it?"
 
Chavhorse said:
I once went to look at a horse, it was a 2 hour drive away, I took my very busy instructor with me who had re-organised all of his lessons for the afternoon.

Got there to find his owner was some kind of ageing Dippy Hippy who had dabbled in Parelli, horse was bad tempered which was hardly surprising as she insisted on leading him on a 12 foot rope (no problem with this) constantly prodding a stick at his leg and occasionally waving it in his face (do have a problem with this!).

We got a lecture on how shoeing, clipping, bitting, the dentist, being in a stable rather than out in acres of luscious grass were totally evil, even though the horse had feet that desperately needed a farrier and was approximately 100 kilo's overweight.

My Instructor by now had a visible pulse in his temple, but I was feeling sorry for the wretched animal and asked if we could see him ridden the response was a classic;

"I will have to ask his permission"

She then placed the flat of her hand between his eyes and kind of hummed

She then turned to us and said;

"he says no not today maybe tomorrow can you come back?"

We drove home in silence apart from one or other of us occasionally saying "that did just happen didn't it?"
Click to expand...

that is hilarious!!:D:D

I better just nip out and ask Java if its ok to take him to his lesson at the weekend.......
 
Chavhorse said:
I once went to look at a horse, it was a 2 hour drive away, I took my very busy instructor with me who had re-organised all of his lessons for the afternoon.

Got there to find his owner was some kind of ageing Dippy Hippy who had dabbled in Parelli, horse was bad tempered which was hardly surprising as she insisted on leading him on a 12 foot rope (no problem with this) constantly prodding a stick at his leg and occasionally waving it in his face (do have a problem with this!).

We got a lecture on how shoeing, clipping, bitting, the dentist, being in a stable rather than out in acres of luscious grass were totally evil, even though the horse had feet that desperately needed a farrier and was approximately 100 kilo's overweight.

My Instructor by now had a visible pulse in his temple, but I was feeling sorry for the wretched animal and asked if we could see him ridden the response was a classic;

"I will have to ask his permission"

She then placed the flat of her hand between his eyes and kind of hummed

She then turned to us and said;

"he says no not today maybe tomorrow can you come back?"

We drove home in silence apart from one or other of us occasionally saying "that did just happen didn't it?"
Click to expand...

You couldn't make this stuff up.......
 
I dont think those people sounded too bad tbh.
A lightweight 16.3 can ride much smaller than a stocky, uphill 16.3.

I've never sold a horse, but I've been equally frustrated while trying to buy.
 
Chavhorse said:
I once went to look at a horse, it was a 2 hour drive away, I took my very busy instructor with me who had re-organised all of his lessons for the afternoon.

Got there to find his owner was some kind of ageing Dippy Hippy who had dabbled in Parelli, horse was bad tempered which was hardly surprising as she insisted on leading him on a 12 foot rope (no problem with this) constantly prodding a stick at his leg and occasionally waving it in his face (do have a problem with this!).

We got a lecture on how shoeing, clipping, bitting, the dentist, being in a stable rather than out in acres of luscious grass were totally evil, even though the horse had feet that desperately needed a farrier and was approximately 100 kilo's overweight.

My Instructor by now had a visible pulse in his temple, but I was feeling sorry for the wretched animal and asked if we could see him ridden the response was a classic;

"I will have to ask his permission"

She then placed the flat of her hand between his eyes and kind of hummed

She then turned to us and said;

"he says no not today maybe tomorrow can you come back?"

We drove home in silence apart from one or other of us occasionally saying "that did just happen didn't it?"
Click to expand...

:D Ha, brilliant! I don't even want to know what mine would say if I asked how he felt about doing some dressage today instead of jumping or hacking... I'd probably get banned if I wrote it here :p
 
Im currently horse hunting and Ive seen a few horses that werent as described and Im serious about buying. One horse was supposed to be suitable for a novice. I couldnt get this horse going and Im not a novice.
 
I don't think either of those two in the original post are time wasters. They came to view the horse and said there and then that he wasn't for them. What's the problem? Not everyone who views a horse will want to buy them.
 
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