Whats the most stupid question you have had when selling a horse??

Ollie's Mum said:
Overheard by a friend at the New Forest pony sales as a foal came into the ring;

Wife "oh that's so cute, let's buy it." Husband "where are you going to keep it?" Wife "We can give it a basket next to the Aga" :eek:
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Friend couldn't keep her mouth shut and gave them some (tactful!) advice!
 
Sold my hano baby about a year ago. He was 5 by the time we sold him, but only 4 when he got put into the market. Ad clearly said that he had been under saddle for 6 months and that his owners (my family) couldn't afford to keep him, and that he was extremely strong and needed a very experienced rider (stood 16.2hh at the age of 4 and we expected he'd grow to be 17hh). Behold, I got stalked by a 13 year old girl and her mother for about a month - they tried to convince me to swop my 4 year old green horse for their 22 year old basutho (native south african breed) pony mare by telling me how experienced she was and how much she had to offer and they promised that the 13 year old girl would school my hano for me for awhile and then maybe we could even consider swopping back. The worst part is how people don't know what no means!

This was the photo on his ad:
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^ maybe I'm mistaken but it doesn't scream 'put your novice daughter on me' - he's in the lunge, walking, busy being backed :p

But now I'm looking for a horse to buy, and it's just as bad on this end. I've seen so many ads advertising Apeulusas, Walsh ponies, and 17,8hh Wbs:D

The joys of the horsie world
 
God, where to begin - so many!

The woman who wanted to buy a shetland from me, who said it had to be really good natured, as she intended to travel it regularly in the back of her 4 x 4, in the boot with her dog - in fact that was how she intended to pick it up. And she also wanted to know if it was trained to come to call, as she regularly took the dog to the local common, and let the dog off the lead, and she wanted to do the same with the pony.

The girl who turned up with her wide boy non-horsey boyfriend to see my luso filly. Absolutely super filly, but rising four and unbacked - and quick as you'd expect from her breed. The girl got out of the sports car in her black velour playboy bunny jumpsuit and burberry patterned wedge heels, looked at the filly while I held her, refused to lead or handle her, touched her with her fingertips at arms length but was clearly terrified to go closer, then informed me she loved her & wanted to buy her. Funnily enough I didn't take her up on it.

The girl who came to trial my pony with a view to a loan. Pony, while small, is definitely NOT a novice ride! Never nasty, but a little excitable & wicked! Girl told me she was very experienced - ridden all her life, jumped, etc. First off girl tried to get on from the right hand side, by putting her left foot in the stirrup - I had to point out that probably wouldn't work. Then she could not steer and rise to the trot at the same time! Pony began to get very arsey as she banged about on her back - pony is used to nice quiet riding. Then took her out for an escorted hack (not sure why I did - it was pretty clear this wouldn't work!) with me on foot - half way down the bridleway, pony just decided to go her own way, and went up a bank at the side of the path. I escorted girl back down, and said she actually had to steer, not just sit there, or pony would choose her own path. Thirty seconds later, same thing happened. Again, I didn't take this girl up on her kind offer of exercising my pony!

It goes on & on - I really ought to keep a record of them, some of the things people say to you are amazing!
 
Horse belonging to one of my grooms, very sweet but had obviously been rushed in Ireland so was a bit cold backed so selling as a project.

I wrote the ad for her and vetted all calls. Trouble was she was a rose grey and very beautiful.

One of the best was the woman who told me all about her last horse she had lost 18 months previously and not ridden anything since.

I was asked... "I'm very nervous so do you think she will be ok?"

No love I don't! I replied.

"but she Looks lovely!"

Words failed me at that point!
 
When we had out NF advertised for loan as companion/light hack only due to injury we had people emailing can he jump etc um no thats why its says companion/light hack :rolleyes:

The other we had in advert to stay within 30 miles & people where emaileing over 100 miles away asking if we would let him go that far as he is perfect for what they want, um no if you re read the advert it says to stay within 30 miles, one lady emailed & she was over 200 miles away, it's so annoying we put these things for a reason :mad:
 
@Natz88 (sorry on phone so can't quote)
I understand how you would find those questions annoying, but if I was looking and found something perfect, I'd ask. Might as well. What is there to lose?
 
People viewing my 13hh fine welsh sec b:

Oh he's not as big as our current pony

Me: he's 13hh like his advert says

Them: yes but i thought he would be bigger than my 14.2.

Thank you for completely wasting my time!!
 
HeatherAnn said:
@Natz88 (sorry on phone so can't quote)
I understand how you would find those questions annoying, but if I was looking and found something perfect, I'd ask. Might as well. What is there to lose?
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I no there is no harm in asking, but it's not like they were 10 miles more then we put it was over 200 miles away :p
 
When advertising my 15.1hh TB x CB mare, I had some very young children msg me about regarless of the fact I stipulated she was sharp and fast and all of them said something along the lines of "I can walk, trot, canter in the school and jump a 3hole cross pole". I was polite and redirected them back to their riding schools.
 
I'm sure me and my mum asked some ridiculous question when we bought L, the first horse our family had ever owned. My mum knew absolutely zilch about horses, and I was 11 and had one year of loaning a pony under my belt, so obviously thought I was the bees knees. She certainly got short shrift from a few people she rang up asking if the horse they were selling was suitable for an 11 yr old. One person just went "NO" and put the phone down on her. It is tricky buying a horse sometimes - it's easy to miss information or sometimes the seller thinks it's obvious from the ad that their horse isn't suitable for a "novice", but it depends on your definition of a novice. I didn't think I was one, but I suppose a lot of people would have said I was - I was a good enough rider but not a lot of experience of the size/ type of horse I was looking for. And my mum hadn't a clue :D. Luckily we ended up going to view a sweet Arab mare owned by a lovely woman who talked us through all her good and bad points, and ended up falling in love with the horse. I do have hilarious memories of my mum ringing the seller up after the vetting and trying to get the price down because of the mare's mud rash/ rain scald/ sand crack, and knowing that the seller could tell she had no idea what she was talking about :p. Luckily she was keen for us to have the horse and happy to accept a bit less.
We were definitely the sort of customer who would have had sellers rolling their eyes, but luckily this was before online advertising and emailing was particularly common, so at least we weren't pestering harried sellers with our silly questions :p
 
When selling my very sharp and very quirky jumping pony we had so many mothers calling up for their daughters who were complete beginners! We stated very clearly in the advert that she wasn't suitable for a novice at all but one mother was insistent that she would be fine for her daughter. When asked why she said "well she can't be that naughty she's so small"!!!!! (My pony was 14.1)
 
Remembered a couple more:

The woman who came out to see my very solidly built 8.2hh shetland - 'goodness, isn't he big! I thought he'd be smaller. I'd really rather something about a hand smaller'. Bear in mind he was advertised at his height, and the ad also stated he was a solid lad with lots of bone.

The woman who came out to see my NF 2 year old - 'I would rather have a yearling'. Well why come & see a 2 year old then? Same NF filly was estimated to make approx 14 - 14.2hh, and be relatively well built - not the heaviest forester, but enough bone to be reasonable. I had one woman come out to view her - she was less than 5ft tall, and looked like a gust of wind would blow her away - couldn't have been much over 7 stone! She said that she thought she would be too big for the filly when she was fully grown. Crazy.
 
I've not had any really dumb questions (I've had dumb comments like AFTER someone came to try my chestnut out, they then said "lovely horse, shame he's chestnut though I want a bay"!). I've had a few silly people calling though. Two recent ones were a lady calling on behalf of her friend who was a novice rider (my horse is an experienced eventer/showjumper but definately NOT a novice ride type as he's a sensitive responsive ride and anyway I cant imagine many eventers would suit a novice rider!) and a girl who when I asked her how experienced she was, she said "very", so I asked what level she jumped as she sounded quite young, reply was "well I'm just starting to learn working hunter"... ERM, what?!
 
I know my mum was one of the idiots on the phone a few times when I was a horse mad kid from a non-horsey family and she wanted to help me. I cringe now when I think of her ringing up an ad asking for someone to help exercise a big stallion when I was about 11 - but I also thought I could probably do it! I remember the man was very nice but firm that no, he didn't think it would be a good idea.

I wonder if the class names cause some confusion with competition horses. After all, you are saying this horse does novice classes, pre-novice, preliminary etc etc - if you are a novice yourself (so by definition won't know what these really mean) it's easy to assume they are classes for people like yourself! So it's a horse for a novice because the ad says 'competing in novice'.
 
would he be suitable for teaching the enquirer's 18 stone boyfriend to ride? FYI I'd advertised a 14.2 part bred arab show pony for loan - couldn't pick my jaw up off the ground!
 
An eventing yearling advertised, call from young (sounded about 10-13) girl. Is she a good hack? How is she being ridden in traffic? How high is she jumping? Just said she wasn't right horse for her.
 
Telephone enquiry about a mare I was selling asked me whether she'd been neutered.

A super 14hh 5yr old gelding was tried out by Mum and 2 daughters aged 13 and 9. They spent an hour swapping around in the school and then Mum hacked for 20mins. He didn't put a foot wrong, was responsive for Mum and looked after the girls, even stopped when the youngest lost a pedal as the leathers were a bit too long for her to start with. The Mum umm'ed and ahh'ed for what seemed like ages and then finally decided that as he was a plain bay they'd better carry on looking despite the fact that he was advertised as such and she was told on the phone.

A woman turned up with her own tack. Pony was being sold with fitted tack but she said that whatever she rode had to wear her old horse's tack because it meant that he was 'watching over her and keeping her safe'. The saddle was completely the wrong shape for my table top NF but she was adamant, as was I.
 
I have had a few phones calls of the 'concerning' type when I have sold ponies, one was a 2 y/o filly, I had a very young sounding girl ask if she was ridable. I dont think she understood the term unbroken as she then asked if she hacks out quietly and would she jump a small course... I do have a little compassion towards the younger caller... probably summed a quite a bit of courage to phone someone up about a pony when you are that age.

I think the worst was when I had someone come and see a horse I was trying to loan, and just before stepping on the mounting block she asked which foot shouold go first to mount.. :eek: She then wandered around the paddock on a buckle, when coming to a clump of nettles didnt even try to steer around them, so my chap used his brain and went around them, I dont think she was expecting a slight de tour, lost balance and landed straight on the floor... Horrific!! :(
 
When I waqs expecting my first child I decided to sell my very nice young 6 year old gelding. I dont do jumping as such but will pop the odd log out hacking sort of thing.

People arrived to view horse and asked me to ride him, then asked if he jumped to which I said yes he does but I don't, but they wanted to see me jump him over some poles.

A couple of fences were errected and the horse jumped them no problem. They asked me to jump him again and as I came into the fence a second time I noticed that somebody had slung their coat over the jump. I was more surprised than the horse who sailed over the fence but the people decided they didn't want him because they said he ' had a look' at the jump before going over!!! FFS

I sold him 2 days later to a lovely family who had him for the rest of his life.
 
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