Wanted ads - looking for the impossible?

only_me

only_me

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Reading last weeks H&H ( or the previous weeks) and a wanted ad caught my eye.
Basically, the person wanted a confidence giver - 15.2 to 16.1 10years plus & 3/4 or 7/8 tb with breeding recorded (not sure how relevant in a gelding but anyway...) actually says proof of breeding but I assume means recorded

Normal enough I thought, and then I read on!!

Must be calm kind but bold with good manners. Must have correct confo & action, forward going and easy to train. Jumps 1m easily and enjoys doing so. Can deal with rider mistakes.
Not spooky, bombproof in traffic when alone. Perfect to handle by one person in every way - ie. Clip bath groom plait shoe load lunge turn out (these are actually specified). No blemishes or vices, clean limbed and enough presence to show in its category.

Should be schooled to medium dressage, with established changes, snaffle mouthed. Oh and must be a bay gelding!!

Although my personal fave is


"Must not get fat"


:p


Are wanted ads getting a bit demanding? I understand that people want certain qualities, but surely they have to compromise on somethings?

Weird thing is I was reading it thinking billy fits all these wants apart from the colour and height lol. But he'd never be for sale, I'd never find another like him!


What do you think? Are Wanted ads becoming too demanding?
 
This is the problem with the 'modern' horse world - people want perfection and it simply does not exist.....and if it did it certainly wouldn't be for sale!
 
Interesting that people think this is very demanding - most for sale ads make their horses out to be all this and more!

While I agree the stuff about breed and colour is a bit daft, hey this is what they want so why not ask for it? As for the rest sounds reasonable - straightforward horse, well schooled, pops 1m with confident novice. At least they have put a sensible age on, some people want all that at 4 yrs old and under 1000 including tack!
 
The ads that get me are the wanted to loan ads which have a long list of requirements , usually unrealistic-and expect it all for nothing :(
 
I think she is just being specific about what she wants, which is basically a correctly trained, well mannered animal of quality tb type - and why not?
 
I don't think the requirements are unreasonable and bay is quite a common colour and with that much TB breeding it more likely to be a poorer than good doer. If she has a big budget then hopefully the right horse will be out there.
 
In my experience, virtually every wanted ad I have answered (and I don't waste anyone's time with horses that don't fit the criteria) have been posted by dreamers and timewasters. Some of the most unsatisfactory viewings have been from wanted ads, and some of the most peculiar people I have ever come across.

Most of these wanted ads don't have the budget necessary for what they're looking for, which is why they can't find it, and put the ad up (if you had a horse like that, would you sell it??)

The number of times you see people posting on here that they were looking for a horse with X qualities, but they bought Y instead as it was perfect for them - I think it's a bit like looking for a boyfriend. You "think" you would like Brad Pitt - who will cook, clean, muck out, ride with you, bring you breakfast in bed, tell you you're beautiful and make you feel like a goddess in bed. Instead, you end up marrying the guy who makes you laugh, makes you cry and who may not be the best looking man in the world, but he is the best looking man to you in the world...... sometimes compromise makes a better life for you than dreams.
 
What would concern more about this ad is the following. I would question as to whether that person had the budget for a horse trained to that level. This is because a lot of the requirements sound a bit fluffy. Also, with a list that specific..if they bought this horse and it didn't tick all the boxes ..would there be a legal comeback on the vendor if say, the horse pulled back when tied up? Or changed behaviour which they can all do? The breeding would be interesting to me normally as there are definite "quirks" in some well known lines which I would avoid.
 
You do see a lot of ads looking for the paragon of virtue but for peanuts, that's what bugs me. But I am also surprised that quite a few get replies where people appear to have what they want (whether they do or not is obv another matter!), so that would lead the poster to think they were being reasonable! Huge mismatch between what people say about their horses when they're not for sale, and what you read on sales ads too!
 
If I had a horse close to that description and it was for sale I would not sell to them. To me that ad reads like a novice. Someone who does not know how to train a horse and does not want to learn. A person with no understanding of how even a perfect horses behavior is going to deteriorate with someone who does not know what they are doing handling it daily. My experience is that horses with tons of presence for the show ring or other types of competition tend not to be the ones who are a total dope on a rope. Which is what it seems the buyer is looking for. Unrealistic ad I think.
 
Firefly9410 said:
If I had a horse close to that description and it was for sale I would not sell to them. To me that ad reads like a novice. Someone who does not know how to train a horse and does not want to learn. A person with no understanding of how even a perfect horses behavior is going to deteriorate with someone who does not know what they are doing handling it daily. My experience is that horses with tons of presence for the show ring or other types of competition tend not to be the ones who are a total dope on a rope. Which is what it seems the buyer is looking for. Unrealistic ad I think.
Click to expand...

This. I agree the spec doesn't sound that far off (though happily jumping 1m and schooled to medium plus show quality may push most RC types out of the frame). BUT specifying must be good to plait/bring in/out etc suggests they may not have the skills to deal with something that might ******* about on the occasion. Now I want to know what budget they have though...
 
The person posting the advert seems to be casting their net rather wide. They don't seem to know what they want to achieve................ or do they want to achieve everything? They want to show jump, do dressage, show or possibly working hunter, hack out, have a perfectly mannered horse who will allow them to do anything & everything & never argue with them?

If I had a horse like that for sale I doubt if I would contact them because if they did buy you can be sure that the first time he tossed his head whilst being led she'd be on the phone demanding a refund & that you took the horse back. There'd probably be the threat of court action as well?

I could be well wrong, but it's a feeling I get from this advert. As others have said I also wonder what her budget is for the highly trained saint she's looking for.
 
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