Vetting/Deposit Quandry - why is it never simple buying a horse?!

[Noodlejaffa]

I have finally seen a horse I would like to get vetted (I have been searching for 5 months). Having tried the horse (I drove 3 hours to see him), I clicked immediately with him, etc and after an hour of thinking phoned the owner and said I would take him, subject to vetting. Owner says she's never had a horse vetted, but happy for me to have horse vetted. An hour later, she phones me back and said she needs a 10% deposit from me as someone else wants to view the horse this week. 10% deposit equates to £700.

I can understand her wanting some form of commitment from me, but at the same time, I can't afford to lose £700 if horse fails the vet. I'm not mucking her about, but of course she doesn't know me from Adam.

I could be foolish and risk buying the horse without having it vetted, but I'd still need it vetted at some point for insurance reasons.

Am I being unreasonable to ask her to refund the deposit if the horse fails the vet?

 

[william99]

Refund should be refunded if horse fails

 

[Jemayni]

Nope, your not unreasonable. Just sold my horse and this is the exact same thing as what we did; needed to be a quick sale & to ensure that the buyer was genuine we asked for a 10% deposit which was fully refundable if the horse failed the vetting for ANY reason.

 

[Puppy]

[ QUOTE ]
Am I being unreasonable to ask her to refund the deposit if the horse fails the vet?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not at all, that is exactly how it ought to work IMO!

When I put an offer on Be, I did so "subject to vetting", and left them with a deposit of £500. I then went back a few days later for when the vetting took place, if she'd have failed I would have taken my £500 back again - her old owner didn't even bank the cash, she just kept it in her safe. As it was she passed and I came back the next day with another wadge of cash and a box!!

Best of luck with the vetting

Let us know how it goes.

 

[Smash]

Refund of deposit is pretty standard these days and I wouldn't expect anything less .

 

[Happytohack]

You're not being unreasonable at all. Just make sure that she signs something to say that should the horse fail the vetting, the deposit is refunded in full. I recently read the T&Cs from a dealer's website. In the small print they want 10% depost subject to vetting, they charge £100 per week grass livery and they don't class failing a flexion test as failing a vetting. Just make sure everything is written down before you part with any money.

 

[dieseldog]

What a good way to make money that would be, have a really nice horse that you know would fail a vet and keep taking everyones deposit!

I would have thought it was standard practice. Get her to sign the reciept saying that it is subject to vet.

 

[custard]

10% sounds a bit steep TBH but my impression was that if the horse failed the vet, deposit should be refunded. If you pull out for some other reason then you'd lose the deposit, at least that's how I thought it worked.