Viewing a horse?- turned out to the hilt or straight from the field?

nikCscott

nikCscott

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Interesting question.

I was speaking with someone the other day about how I'd been to view a few horses when looking for my boy and 2 were turned out to the hilt tacked up, whiskers trimmed, hooves oiled the works- which looked lovely but made ME question 'where they hiding anything?' and in the end I bought the one who when I arrived was still in the field and I caught him, then owner and I groomed him together and i tacked him up and chatted whilst we doing it. The actual ride was probably the one that needed the most work out of all the 3, but the fact that he'd been such an angel before won me over and i've never looked back. Now I don't know had he been ready when i got there i may (probably) still have liked him, but the straight from the field approach made me feel like the guy or horse had nothing to hide.

Yet the girl I was taking to said that if the horse was in the field when she turned up she'd have turned around and gone home and for asking £thousands£ she liked owners to make the effort.

And I just wondered your thoughts...
 
hi
whenever ive been selling one of mine or a friends ive always asked when people phone up if they want me to catch it or of they want me to leave in field for them to catch themselves/with me

the only time i haven't is when ive gotten the impression there in a hurry or are time wasters anyway

on viewing a horse i'd always want to at least see it caught ,after all it is no good at all to anyone if you can't catch it ;)
 
I had horses in all states when I was looking. The one I ended up with was in the stable the first time but was out in the field the second time.
 
I think it depends on the horse and what 'type' of horse it is and what type of owner its going to/aimed at, but I'm in your camp, I prefer to see (or do myself) the horse caught, groomed and tacked up etc.
 
I don't mind if it is out in the field or in a stable but I would be suspicious if it was already tacked up. I want to see a horse un-tacked and then if I decide to try it I prefer to put tack on myself.
 
When I went to view my boy I was incredibly pleased that he was in the field as normal when we got there. We actually got to the yard before the owner did (journey took less time than we thought it would).

We walk down to his paddock together, she showed me how easy he is to catch, then we led him back to the stable area, and chatted whilst grooming, where she showed me how easy picking out his feet was and had me do one of his feet as well.
Then she had her daughter with her to show me how he rides with someone more experience on his back (she had a bad back and knew I was a novice), then had me get on his back.

After him being almost an angel the whole time I was completely sold. And he hasn't changed a bit (apart from him being a bit bargy with food, but I've already sorted that out and now he backs up while I put his feed in front of him).

I wouldn't have been happy if he was completely tacked up and ready to go when I got there.
 
I'd like to see a horse being caught and led in, just to show that it was easy to catch.

When I sold my daughters outgrown Sec A, thats what I did, caught him up in front of them although I explained that he could sometimes be difficult.
I had loads of pics of him showing for them to see, so they knew that he was gorgeous when he was bathed and groomed :D

In fact I let them take him on a months trial so that they knew if he'd suit or not. I didn't want him being sold on God knows where if he wasn't the pony for them, Happily they thought he was perfect and he's been with them for 2 years now and I get regular updates and pics :D
 
Id probably just make sure the horse was clean and stabled. When we viewed my first horse he was in a horsewalker straght from the field as they didnt have a free stable. He was muddy, fat and his feet were cracked and flaired. We loved him no matter how he looked so bought him. Second horse we bought was hairy, feet out grown a bit but imaculately clean on viewing. Seen her tacked up etc loved her and bought her. I would find it odd if i went to view a horse and it was tacked up waiting.
 
Field for me. Boomerang was named for his inability to come back and I had to empty fields to get him in :(. Saying that, the owner told me they couldn't catch Beau when I went to see him and he had me try another whizzy pony, not my cup of tea at all.

We returned the chestnut (who was brought to my yard so we could use the school), we went back to the owner's place and Beau had been caught in and was filthy and soaking :)
 
I have been viewing (as the whole forum knows) and I insist I want to see horse caught from field. I tell the seller I dont care if its covered in mud etc I must see it caught. I dont want it brought in with any other horses just alone.

Saying that when I looked before a few years ago despite saying above I did arrive few times and the owners completely ignored my requests and had them groomed etc which made me suspicious.

I want to brush it pick its feet/tack up etc etc to ensure its good on the ground to handle.....then its usually all down hill after that bit....................urgh
 
If I am selling horse to experienced home, then I pretty much leave horse where it is, have a box of brushes ready and let the buyer get on with it if they want. Nothing to hide!

When selling to novices, I take more of an active role as I think it is reassuring. Am happy for people to come back and always make it clear they should go away and think about it. I rarely sell horses so they must only go to the right home
 
When viewing a horse i like to see it A - Z. So i ask for it to be left in the field so i can see everything from the beginning.
When selling i ask the person if they would like this or if limited time, i will have them in and groomed, but never tacked up.
If iwent to view a horse and it was already tacked up, i'd say right un tack and turn out, lets start from the beginning x
 
we've always wanted to see a horse in field first then brought in groomed etc etc
if someone came to see one of mine i'd ask whether they wanted to see it caught or already tacked and done. having said that i dont sell soo :p
 
I think, in the few viewings I've been to, they have almost all been turned out. My current horse was (because I remember the shock of seeing her for the first time walking over the crest of the hill with her old owner as she was totally not what I was expecting! Then 30 seconds later I was telling her, walking down to the yard from the field, that she'd be living with me soon :D )

I prefer turned out for the first viewing, because you want to see everything you can first time so you don't waste your time second time around. Also, if the horse is covered in mud and not sweat then you can be fairly sure it hasn't been warmed up or galloped about to calm it down / loosen it up before you ride ;)

To be honest though, I wouldn't mind as long as I got to catch it at least once before I bought it.
 
I was selling a pony & hadn't even advertised when a friend at a tack shop called saying someone had come in asking about a pony to buy & he'd told them about mine. They then phoned, I asked them to come down & when they arrived they obviously asked where the pony was. I pointed to him in the paddock & handed them a head collar. They thought this a little strange but I said they needed to see if he was easy to catch. I went in with them but they 'caught' him, well actually he walked over to them.

The brought him to the yard, they groomed him, helped tack him up, daughter rode him initially & they they rode him. I was up front with them about everything. Answered any question truthfully. They said they wanted to think about it all & I told them that they'd have until 6.00pm that day because we were having another pony then & he would go as part exchange with the dealer. I even showed the pony we had on trial for the day. Again I was being totaly up front. They walked away around to the carpark & I turned to my wife & said 'It would be nice if they had him'. Two minutes later they came back from the carpark & said they'd have him. There was no arguement over the price, a week later I delivered him to their place & everyone was happy.

I think it's best to be totally honest with the buyer & answer everything truthfully. Don't hide anything. Depending on the type of horse you are selling don't over prepare him as it could be conceived you are hiding something. They could see exactly what they were getting & they were very pleased :)
 
When I bought my daughters first pony she was in the stable the first time I saw her, but they tacked her up etc when I was there. When I went back with daughter to see her again I asked for her to be left in the field so we could see how she was to catch etc.
The first time we saw Murph we actually met his owners at somewhere with a sand school as it was mid winter and the ground anywhere else was too hard to try him. Second time he was in the stable, never actually saw him caught out of the field but he is not a problem to catch. His old owner was very crafty as she just left him with rope thrown over his neck for everything, including bloods being taken for vetting, we were very impressed by his temperament. What we didn't realise was the little sod pulled back and broke ropes on a regular basis, but there are worse vices and he rarely does it now.
 
Depends on the customer and the horse. I don't give a jot if a horse is bad to catch as having had three that I was told were a nightmare to catch I never had any trouble catching them. I like someone to take the time to turn out a horse, they are taking pride in their animal. Maybe I have just spent too long on pro yards but catching/handling has never been an issue really in terms of trying horses. If they do the job then thats what we want and the rest comes with routine. I can honestly say we have never ever had issues with horses being turned out/caught/tacked up/handled etc. Even if they are a bit iffy to start they settle into the routine. Equally we turn out our horses as a matter of course. Everything gets a full groom, hoofoil and is regualarly trimmed up etc so depending on what kind of day someone comes to try a horse then it will be turned out....not necessarily for the trial just because!!
 
The only time I was weary was when the 'safe and sensible' horse was in the horse walker. I really liked him but didn't trust the seller so we didn't go for him.
 
Again it surely depends on what horse will be designated for. If showing then it may be most appropriate to dress it up. I have never bought a posh enough horse, but I do like the idea that they get delivered suited and booted :)
 
Once took a pupil to view a horse and we got there early. The horse was dripping wet - covered in sweat and still blowing from the lunging workout it had been receiving prior to our arrival.

We had been able to see the horse on and off as we were on our way down the side of the mountain before their property.

Horse was a nutter and was being worked hard to calm it. As you can imagine we didn't stay.

I like to see them groomed and looking smart as a first impression counts a lot. See them ridden and then may ride if I like what I've seen. Then will ask to see the horse a second time, catch etc - ride on road in traffic etc before making any decision.
 
First time I saw my girl she was in the stable, and after that on second visit was able to go and get her from the field, groom tack up and ride, so that I could see for myself what she was like.
 
Evelyn said:
I like to see them groomed and looking smart as a first impression counts a lot. See them ridden and then may ride if I like what I've seen. Then will ask to see the horse a second time, catch etc - ride on road in traffic etc before making any decision.
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The above is what we assume from the other end of the coin, don't work for a dealer but for a stud. When we sell broken in horses we always have them in and clean unless the potential buyer has expressly said not to - OR somebody has come for a general look to see what we've got. Purchaser tacks up etc though, and is then welcome to turn out and so on. Sometimes they might hack out on the first viewing anyway but if they're happy with all that and don't want a 2nd, that's their choice.

Put it this way, we've never had somebody not buy a horse because they hadn't caught it. We have had people see the horse tied up well turned out on the yard who instantly go 'not for me' (too small, too large, whatever), and at least if the horse is already in it hasn't taken half an hour of changing boots, walking, catching etc to reach that deicision.

Eta - younger stock are generally seen in the field, but may have previously been seen in the ring or have photos showing what they look like scrubbed up.
 
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I bought a pony that the first time I went to see him he was out, second time he was tied up being groomed. Being a fool I didn't think any more of it, he was an angel. Got him home and he wouldn't go in the stable, competely panicked and freaked. Now I want to see them in the stable first!
Happily though I am never going to buy or sell another horse in my life so never need worry again. (Everything crossed.)
 
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