tricky question...horse waiting to be sold by a dealer

jaynedoc

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Hi

What is your take on my situation

To cut a long story short had to get rid of my TB really quickly so I phoned around and found a dealer who would come amd collect....(i have had it comfirmed on this forum that the dealer I used is well known and reputable)

he picked him up November 08..i pay no livery costs as the daeler was to take a cut from the sale to cover this.

He phone me a few times with questions for possible potential buyers...the last I heard from him was May09...nothing since...

He it situated accross the other side of the country to where I live so I can't just pop round either

I know he owns a riding stables too...but I am thinking how long can this go on for..I need my money from the sale of the horse....but there was no mention of a timelimit in the contract or what would happen if he remained unsold ...

I am presuming that he is using him or at lleast working him.

What should I do..I don't want the horse back but I do want a resolotion...can I take him back?? I don't know. Sould I actively sell him myself on a the internet ..but the fact that he would be fully responsible for the sale of the horse means I expected him to advertise it.

I don't even mind putting him out on loan with view to buy but I am worried if I take the horse back..will he come after me for costs..my argument is that he has effectively had a free horse for the last 15 months and his aging may also affect the price now.

Sorry it's long but I could really use some sound advise on this one... thank you
 
Hi there i too am quite shocked that its been left so long - i imagine the horse isnt worth a huge amount hence you not chasing up the sale sooner.
Honestly you need to speak to the dealer - you say he charges no livery but takes a cut of the sale price - was there no time limit discussed or anything put in place incase the horse didnt sell?
If he is reputable im sure he will be fair in returning you the horse if he hasnt fulfilled his end of the deal by selling him.
 
It has been so long because I lost contact with him and had no address or telephone number

(husband put all his details in a safe place...and basically lost them)

I cam on this forum a short while ago to try and trace him and thank fully I managed to trace him through here. but I had no way before the last few weeks of getting in touch.
 
Is this a serious post
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a) Does the dealer still have your horse
b) When did you last see the dealer/visit
c) Have you even spoken to dealer by telephone
 
Gosh thats a long time.... you haven't seen him or heard anything about him for almost a year?! Quite difficult to believe that you haven't checked on him in all that time...
But I'd probably offer to give him to them if he is happy there after all this time....presumably they have been feeding him showing him etc etc?

ETA B_and_J on second thoughts I agree think this could be a windup?!
 
Do you not have anything in writing. I have to say, I know you are in a situation and it is difficult, but no matter how urgently I needed to get a horse sold I would have made sure that there was a contract or something in writing to do with the sale of the horse. The dealer hasnt really had a free horse for 15 months - who has been paying for feed, hay, bedding, farrier costs, vets etc? You should be able to take your horse back, but if there is nothing in writing then he may say that as the horse is unsold you will owe him £x from him caring for the horse. I think you could be in a difficult situation. Call the dealer in the first instace. Without meaning to scare you - for all you know he could have been sold last summer but the dealer just hasnt told you!
 
yes it's a serious post..

I have never sold a horse before..it was my first horse and I am sadly lacking experince in this department...

I have heard some people mention that it can take up to 2 years to sell a horse.

He is not an easy horse in the slightest and would need a very specific kind of rider so i did expect it to take sometime to find the right home.

I am presuming he still has him. I have left a message with him today to phone me back

last saw the dealer when he picked him up nov 08 and last spoke to him may 09.

I have to add I am scared shitless of this horse and don't want to have to handle him again .....he is a handful but in the right hands will do really well..I just over horsed myself.

Do i take him back?? or try to advertise him myself?
 
If this is a serious post... I've never known a dealer hang on to a horse for over a year, they move them on, that's how they earn their money - if the horse in the stable is worth very little they are still taking up staff time, feed, bedding, etc, and it is more economic to shift them at whatever price they can get and buy in a better horse which will have more money to be made in it. I don't think your horse is there.
 
Has he still got your horse???
Did you have any sort of written contract?
Only asking this as a similar thing happened to someone I knew a few years back.. She was in regular contact though and just wanted the horse sold. They had agreed a price but the price of the livery was eating into it so much she was worried in the end, she would owe the dealer!
Turns out the dealer had no intentions of selling the horse (which was special) and wanted it to end up that she gave him it in exchange for the livery.
It got nasty and she ended up going one night, taking the horse back when he wasnt there and moved it out of the area. She then sold it privately
 
To be honest a tricky TB is worth peanuts, £500-1000 on a good day.
The amount it would have cost to keep him over the past 15 months would way exceed that.
I suspect that this story might not have the outcome you are expecting/hoping for.
If I were you I would hope that the horse has found a nice caring home and that you and dealer are even on the money front. Hope you find out what happens.
 
Try calling the dealer again, if necessary from a phone number he does not know. If you cannot resolve this on the phone in the next few days, what about driving there on the weekend and try to speak to him in person?
Sounds like he will have sold your horse a long while ago - maybe you just need to talk to him to claim your money?
 
So you packed your horse off with someone you didn't know, half way round the country 15 months ago with the intention of them selling him for you and you have never, in all those 15 months been in contact, or even been to see the horse?

words fail me
 
I did have awritten contact ..but can't bloody find it..

It specified that my return would be a minimum of £1000.
Sale to include tack and saddle

I bought him as a dressage horse for £3500.
 
Blimey. I'm not entirely sure what to say. I think its pretty rare to spend 2 years trying to sell a horse unless looking for a totally unrealistic price....
I would honestly imagine that the horse is either long since sold and he has kept the money as didn't hear from you....or he has kept it and is using in the riding school but if as tricky as you say then that would seem unlikely! I'm afraid most dealers I have ever known would have passed them on at whatever price as otherwise they are losing money....and that is their business.
Still a little shocked (know you said how you were inexperienced etc) that you just abandoned the horse with someone you barely knew and didn't follow it up at all any sooner....
 
Sorry, but think you may just as well forget it and give up on this one. You say you have flagged his passport, but I assume the passport went with him, so dont think you would have any chance of getting either him or the money if he was sold. With nothing in writing you probably could not prove that you still own the horse anyway.
 
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So you packed your horse off with someone you didn't know, half way round the country 15 months ago with the intention of them selling him for you and you have never, in all those 15 months been in contact, or even been to see the horse?

words fail me

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I would appreciate it if you read my post and updates properly.

I was incontact with him until may 09 , but I unfotunately lost his details. I have been trying to trace him...now I have.

I got rid of him quickly because...when a horse nearly kills your daughter and I am not exagerating and also I nearly lost the use of half of my right hand...you tend to want to get rid asap and at the time I was just thankful my daughter escaped with her life I really didn't care a bloody hoot who took him or where he went at that time..but I can't afford to loose all of the £3500 I paid It was very clear from the begining that I expected a sale.
 
Hmm, doesnt sound too promising does it. Hope the horse has gone to a good home, but I cant see that you can expect to get anything back, if the horse hasnt sold yet.
 
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I did have awritten contact ..but can't bloody find it..


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You can't find the contract... you lost the address and phone number... you let him take the horse, having never seen where he was taking it too - to be honest this is the most irresponsible thing I have ever heard. I could tell anyone I was a dealer, I was going to keep their horse for free, and they would get at least £1000 some day... Then disappear into the night with a horse worth £3k never to be heard of again.

I think your chances of getting the money are pretty slim, and if he does pay up, then he needs a pat on the back.

If you are that worried about your money, drive over and see him. If you can't be bothered, or "it's too far away" then you can't be that concerned about your horse or your money.
 
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It has been so long because I lost contact with him and had no address or telephone number

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You must be flippin joking - I'm gobsmacked. And suspect you can kiss any money you think you may be owed goodbye
shocked.gif


But equally, as we all know it's the keeping of the horse that cost the money not really the buying. So as your horse possibly has little value anyway - I'd put the whole sorry episode down to experience and hope your horse is being well looked after and cared for.
 
Dealers will do this, hang onto it as long as they can as im assuming he is charging you? if not is using him to make money somehow? if not he will have sold him
 
I would imagine that if this dealer still has your horse, whether he has been using it in the riding school or not, if you were to remove it and sell privately, he would expect you to pay the livery bill?

At a conservative full livery price of £400 a month, this would equate to £6k, more than the horse is worth.

I think in the first instance, you need to speak to this dealer and find out whether he still has the horse, whether he has sold it and when, and then discuss the financial side of things.

Maybe it's as simple as that he has lost your details too, and hasn't been able to give you the money until now?

In a similar situation I would've expected the horse to have been sold in 2-8 weeks, not 2 years!

He must think it ultra strange that he has not heard a thing from you for nearly a year.
 
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I did have awritten contact ..but can't bloody find it..


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You can't find the contract... you lost the address and phone number... you let him take the horse, having never seen where he was taking it too - to be honest this is the most irresponsible thing I have ever heard. I could tell anyone I was a dealer, I was going to keep their horse for free, and they would get at least £1000 some day... Then disappear into the night with a horse worth £3k never to be heard of again.

I think your chances of getting the money are pretty slim, and if he does pay up, then he needs a pat on the back.

If you are that worried about your money, drive over and see him. If you can't be bothered, or "it's too far away" then you can't be that concerned about your horse or your money.

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No not irresponsible at all ...my responsibility is to the safety of my daughter.
 
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I know he owns a riding school and I suspect he has been using him for the riding school

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Yes I agree. I would book a lesson as you may get to ride him again!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I know he owns a riding school and I suspect he has been using him for the riding school

[/ QUOTE ]

If he almost killed your daughter and seriouly hurt you, I doubt he would be suitable would he?

The only thing you can do is keep contacting him and if he doesn't answer the phone, drive and see him. No one on here can really help you, and all you will be told by this sympathetic lot (myself included) is that it's your own fault for losing the details/making excuses for not checking up earlier etc. Really you only have yourself to blame. Saying you wanted shot of the horse as it almost killed your daughter etc will get you no sympathy I'm afraid - we choose to have these animals, and it is our responsibility to ensure their welfare, regardless of what goes on.
 
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