whats the weirdest horse viewing youve been to?

[Renvers]

saw a lovely horse - size, temperament etc exactly what we wanted, apparently being ridden by teenager and jumping 1.10m. It was in the field so thought great - can see it caught and brought in. All lovely, horse a lamb.

Asked to see it tacked up - "erm not possible", they had sold its tack ! Turns out it hadn't been ridden for a while (try a year), but when it was it had done all of those things, were we still interested?

No!

 

[fatpiggy]

Someone I knew had a horse brought to her by a not very local dealer (the would-be buyer couldn't drive so paid for this) to try. It was supposed to be 15hh and completely safe for a child to ride so should have been ok for her as a fairly novice rider. Horse, well pony actually, is ridden by dealers small daughter and is obviously green but seems ok. Would-be buyer gets on and it broncs like you've never seen. Dealer carries on saying diddy daughter rides it every day and it never puts a foot wrong. After a while of persistent questioning, she admitted it had only been broken in 2 weeks !!!!!!!!!!!! She also insisted it was 15hh and demonstrated this by producing a very knackered and bendy measuring stick which she put on the pony on top of its saddle (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and pushing the stick down into the arena surface. I produced my fractionally over 15hh horse, and another girl brought out her 13.3 pony and the trial one was no more than 14.1. Dealer still carries on that is is 15hh. Then the fun really started! The would-be buyer who when necessary could be as hard as nails and more than able to stand up for herself, accused the dealer of misrepresentation and wasting her time and money whereupon the dealer unleashed a volley of threats against anyone and everyone in earshot including all the horses on the yard and the two then had to be physically separated. It was the best afternoons entertainment I'd had in years! A year or two later I found out from someone else that the dealer's yard was worthy of the knackermans and the horses there were kept in squalor and starvation which didn't really come as much of a surprise.

 

[LaurenM]

Had some right weirdos come to view my gelding. Most turned up with no hat & one couple asked to be picked up from local train station. They'd been drinking all day & couldn't ride at all

I have been to my local dealer & been offered a 2yr old when I was looking for 8yr old & backed!

 

[spottydottypony]

I went to see a lovely Fell pony colt 2 years ago. It was about a 50 mile trip so off i went in a borrowed 7.5 ton lorry. On the picture he was a chunky hairy boy just what i wanted. We had to meet the owner at a nearby petrol station as the filed was in a housing estate and could not find it! Got to the field nearly dusk, the owner called the ponies to the gate and 4 small ponies galloped up the field. I couldnot see the colt so asked where is he? She pointed to a small skinny, un hairy colt totally not like the picture! I bought him anyway cos he was lovely and sweet. Two years on he is very chunky and hairy!!

 

[nicolenlolly]

Driving from Brentwood to Barking every day I pass a field on motorway that's full of horses (and ragwort). Back in January I noticed this one horse, steely grey with black mane/tail and fading to bay in the nose, sounds horrible but looked stunning. Every morning and afternoon I would look out for this beautiful horse and told hubby how in love with it I was, he laughed and let me do my own thing. I decided to google map area and find out how much it was.....Eventually I found the industrial area leading to yard and pulled into one to ask about who owns the horses, I was told "pretty young lady" through those gates! As I approached, a chap let me through and then padlocked me in (gulp) he pointed and grunted where I needed to go. There was an elderly rotund gentleman sitting outside the 'van who hollered at his wife, the "pretty young lady" was was a formidable looking character and about 60 and flanked by 2 very large dogs. At this point I noticed the 3 dead geese that were hanging from the washing line from the tree to the 'van. I eventually found my voice and trying to hide the trembling asked about the horse. Even tried to make a joke saying hubby and I had a bet on as I thought it had to be a mare...to pretty to be a boy.
They told me it was a 2 year old colt and if I wanted to see it to take their number and they could bring it up the the stable (looked more like a falling down shed) so we could view him. I thanked them profusely and told them that as soon as the wedding was over I would be up with the hubby, oh and the price was 2k. Did I want to leave a deposit? Uh oh, was this going to be the price to be let out? Oh and what a nice car I have, how much is that worth? Sh@t! I am a travelling sales rep so thankfully I was suited and booted, I told them it was a work car, that I had no money on me but I would come back that evening after being to the bank. They gestured to the other young lad to "release" me and I drove as calmly as I could out of the place.
Not surprisingly I never returned. I was thankful to be in one piece and I am happy with just the one horse for me, no more looking!lol

 

[claireandnadia]

I went to view a horse once, got there a bit early and the owners were not there so she told me that the lodger would let me in, just go and pick a saddle (there was a whole wall full of saddles) tack up and ride myself.

 

[Hippona]

Someone I knew had a horse brought to her by a not very local dealer (the would-be buyer couldn't drive so paid for this) to try. It was supposed to be 15hh and completely safe for a child to ride so should have been ok for her as a fairly novice rider. Horse, well pony actually, is ridden by dealers small daughter and is obviously green but seems ok. Would-be buyer gets on and it broncs like you've never seen. Dealer carries on saying diddy daughter rides it every day and it never puts a foot wrong. After a while of persistent questioning, she admitted it had only been broken in 2 weeks !!!!!!!!!!!! She also insisted it was 15hh and demonstrated this by producing a very knackered and bendy measuring stick which she put on the pony on top of its saddle (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and pushing the stick down into the arena surface. I produced my fractionally over 15hh horse, and another girl brought out her 13.3 pony and the trial one was no more than 14.1. Dealer still carries on that is is 15hh. Then the fun really started! The would-be buyer who when necessary could be as hard as nails and more than able to stand up for herself, accused the dealer of misrepresentation and wasting her time and money whereupon the dealer unleashed a volley of threats against anyone and everyone in earshot including all the horses on the yard and the two then had to be physically separated. It was the best afternoons entertainment I'd had in years! A year or two later I found out from someone else that the dealer's yard was worthy of the knackermans and the horses there were kept in squalor and starvation which didn't really come as much of a surprise.

Whereabouts are you? Anywhere in Yorkshire by any chance?

 

[dizzydoo]

I rang a add saying perfect lead and 1st ridden so sweet and never ever put a foot wrong I turn up there the owner saying we have no saddle for her but we will find one they said put my 7 yr old on which I replied can you get you child on first as I always see the horses ridden first so of her child goes in a club saddle (didn't fit) the pony was napping in walk Bac to the gate I asked the girl to trot she said to her mum please run with me in a worried voice the pony just napped straight back to gate in a real hurry I was telling the lady I don't think the pony is for us they said in return this pony never does this wait they said I will get it going with that the pony double barrelled towards me with sand flying in my face that was to close for comfort I got out lucky my little one was out already after that the pony did a few buck the child cried I told them enough is enough all they kept saying was I don't understand the pony didn't do this ever right I thought so I went to talk to the girl to say are you ok she said yer I'm use to it he does this all the time after a few pony views similar to this I gave up lol I lost faith and started to think everyone is a liar

 

[s4sugar]

Travelled 60 miles to view a 4yo 15.hh quarter horse.
Green but ready to do more which was not a problem.

I knew the sire and explained I need a weight carrier & was told this lad was like his dad & up to weight.
I'm 5'4 & a smidge. I should not be able to put my chin on the withers of a 15 hand horse. I don't know how they had measured but he was 14.1 /14.2 at most and not well built.

I ended up buying a 12 year old, hardly handled, broodmare who 4 years later is easy to do and ridden now & then.

Looking with a friend we turned up to see a TB x ID mare - full TB with lip tattoo, each foot pointing a different direction and advertised as a dressage prospect.

 

[Blitzen]

I went to see a 16.2 gelderlander "schoolmaster", sweet enough chap on the ground, the owner trotted him round the arena twice (plenty of spooking at jumps, shadows, pretty much everything) and said "do you want to hop on?", I thought "sod it" and rode him round for 5 mins in walk and trot then asked for canter, inciting an almighty buck and bronc-bronc-bronc down the long side. She then screamed at me not to canter away from the arena gate as he won't do that, to get off her horse before I "ruined" it and accused me of wasting her time by just coming to joyride! Not to mention that this was a second horse I was looking for - why would I drive for an hour to ride someone elses horse when I have anotherr of my own at home?! Psycho woman!

 

[Blitzen]

I went to see a 16.2 gelderlander "schoolmaster", sweet enough chap on the ground, the owner trotted him round the arena twice (plenty of spooking at jumps, shadows, pretty much everything) and said "do you want to hop on?", I thought "sod it" and rode him round for 5 mins in walk and trot then asked for canter, inciting an almighty buck and bronc-bronc-bronc down the long side. She then screamed at me not to canter away from the arena gate as he won't do that, to get off her horse before I "ruined" it and accused me of wasting her time by just coming to joyride! Not to mention that this was a second horse I was looking for - why would I drive for an hour to ride someone elses horse when I have another of my own at home?! Psycho woman!

 

[HeatherAnn]

I'm new to the horse thing, but am smart enough to know when something's not right.
I used to work on a yard that my friend owned, she had liveries there and she also bought horses from dealers to sell on, break or re school.
I don't want to name names or go too much into detail incase anyone knows the horse/people involved.
Anyway, she bought a horse from a dealer, this mare had a passport. She was the strangest looking horse I've ever seen, like she just didn't look like her breed. The girl I worked for mentioned that the horse's passport was wrong, I had a look and basically, all the markings were correct and any whirls she had were right but the freezemark was different to the horse's freezemark. To cut a long story short, the girl tried to reschool the mare and found she was awful to ride and sold her to a family, who within 3 days brought her back complaining about the passport and they had done research on the horse's freezemark rather than the one on the passport and had found out that the horse was about 19 years old. They gave the horse back and threatened to take legal action, so my boss sold the horse on as quickly as she could. It was so bizarre.

 

[vickyb]

I had been asked by a friend who was not horsy to help look for a pony for her 9 year old daughter. I went to see a pony advertised locally, parked outside and knocked at the door. The woman who answered looked at me suspiciously and said "Have you brought your mummy with you?" I was 22 at the time, so young enough to be truly insulted! I don't know how she thought I had got there! Anyway, we went to see the pony, stabled in the back garden. No facilities to try it, but I asked to see it trotted up in hand on the road. The minute the woman's daughter got it out in front of the house it took off with her down the street. As they were disappearing down the road you can guess what the mother said. "Oh, its never done that before." So that was no good. The next one I saw was advertised as 14.2, but when I got there it was closer to 12.2. The owner (who knew horses and should have known better) argued the toss, and just wouldn't have it that it was not as advertised. I love these stories that other people have put - make my experiences pale into insignificance!

 

[abina]

Went to view a 11.2hh sec A mare - lovely pony no problems at all, and when asked why pony was for sale - expecting the usual Child outgrown story - was told that the daughter had said to mum that she didn't want a pony anymore and could she have a rabbit instead !!

It did make me giggle


Hippy Dippy is a fantastic story - I would be tempted to have gone back the next day just for the crack !!

 

[Cobiau Cymreig Wyllt]

I went with a friend to view a horse in Ireland...advertised as 'riding quiet'...horse was tied up and visibly shrank away from the man showing him to us as we approached. (Not so much headshy, more whole-body-shy...). He then spent ages desperately trying to scan the microchip to show us that he was indeed the horse in the passport..we then passed rows of sad looking ponies and sadder looking kids..the whole family took us in the school where the 9 year old boy proceeded to hare round a set on jumps on the poor horse which was not so much forward-going over the jumps as bloomin'well in fear of his life...(after first screaming at his mam to 'get that dog out, get the dog out' - hmm, perhaps the horse didn't like dogs?). Horse was also not so much a careful jumper as desperate to get his legs as clear as possible over the poles (rapped at all??!!). They then asked my friend if she'd like to ride him and boy was that a different story..my friend can ride and has ridden many a problem horse..this thing was a whole heap of handful underneath her...she declined to jump him unsurprisingly, we made our excuses and left...despite this the sellers phoned us several times on our way back to the ferry and begged us to buy him! We've overused the phrase 'riding quiet' with heavy irony whenever a horse has misbehaved since!

 

[H's mum]

OMG too many to even contemplate but the funniest was the one where I travelled 2-3 hours to see a potential show cob... and when we got there we couldn't get within 20 yards of the horse because they'd just concreted IN FRONT of it's stable! LMAO! They then tried to sell us something else, my friend dutiful rode it but I didn't even get on it as it was a hat rack and nothing like what I was looking for!
Kate x

 

[spookypony]

Well, not so much a pony-viewing story as general dodgy circumstances...person I got the Spooky Pony from had bought him from a dealer as "well-schooled child's competition prospect, 6yo", for rather silly money. The child in question never rode him, and I took him on loan after he'd been hanging about a field unridden for about a year or more, and hadn't been caught in some time. Got dumped in a mud puddle the first time I sat on him. All vets that have looked at his teeth since, suspect that he's rather younger than his passport claims...it was filled out just before the lady bought him, and claims he's an inch taller, too.

Anyway, took the wee guy on loan, and learned rather quickly that he's a) possibly the smartest equine I've ever sat on, and b) completely green. Oh, and terrified of jumps to the point of being dangerous. Bought him anyway, for silly money, because he has a soft nose with a little white triangle on it, and, well, he's my wee basket-case.

Then sometime later, went to an auction at the dealer's yard. I asked her in passing about said pony, and she claimed that he'd taken complete novices round 3-foot courses of jumps! Interesting.

 

[I*HM]

I went to see a horse and pony (3 hour drive). It was a riding horse so assumed I would be riding it. Arrived to find horse and pony turned out in a mahoosive field (try 20 acres). Owner could catch neither horse nor pony so after half an hour phoned his daughter to drive down and help. Eventually caught the horse. In fairness, he was a lovely looker, the ideal age/size for me and very correct confo/movement but turned out he hadn't been ridden in roughly 6 months. I asked why he was for sale and was told that the daughter had moved from ponies to him, but he was too big for her (he was 15.2hh) and she'd just bought her new horse (16hh) so needed to get rid of him for space (because 20 odd acres isn't enough for 3 horses?)

Went to see a horse that reared over herself twice, but it was only because she was used to a flash... not the grackle she was in

Tried a quiet horse - ie green 5yo cob who couldn't canter, but was well able to gallop.

 

[Chavhorse]

Hippy Dippy is a fantastic story - I would be tempted to have gone back the next day just for the crack !!

Had it not been a 2 hour drive we may well have done, it was actually a lovely horse who desperately needed saving from the madness Two years later the poor thing still pops up on the for sale pages periodically! I can only assume it has not as yet agreed to a test ride)

 

[OldNag]

Blimey reading all these I realise how jammily lucky I am. I've only ever bought one (so far!) - bought her from the livery yard where she had been for the last few years and where we are now keeping here. Soooo lucky to know she's genuine.

 

[charleysummer]

I have a bit of an embarrasing tale to add,
I was looking on horsemart (was about 13 at the time) and saw a lovely bay arab x welsh called rupert, so i rang up the number and asked the lady on the phone if she could tell me a bit about her pony 'rupert' she had for sale..

she replied 'what? i have a pony called rupert but he's not for sale...'
me 'but i'm looking at the advert on horsemart at the moment, a bay arab type called rupert?'
her 'that sounds like my boy! oh my gosh is somone trying to sell my horse underneath me??'
me 'oh dear... i don't know, im not sure what to say now"
her '" he's not even old enough to be taken from his mum yet"
me- "what? *checks phone number and sees the last digit is wrong!* oh sorry i think i actaully dialled the wrong number!'
her- 'oh at least nobody is trying to sell my foal!"

chatted for a bit longer after apologizing and felt very stupid ! i mean.. what are the chances?!?!

 

[maree t]

just thinking about a pony i ended up with. Had gone to a dealer who wanted the pony that was too much for my daughter. She said she had the perfect swap. Off we go, she had only collected the pony in PX 2 hours before. He was climbing the walls of the stable and a right little sod. Couldnt find tack to fit as he was a lw sec a and she deals with jumpers normaly. Ended up with bits of tack tied on and banging round his legs. I was very doubtfull at that point but went up to the school and put daughter on. He went beautifully. When he first lifted into canter I thought he was going to rear but lovely smooth rocking horse canter. Went up following day for another test with better fitting tack and took the other pony with us. Swapped there and then and loved him. Fantastic character and now sold to my best friend for her son.

 

[MagicMelon]

Went to see a pure bred Andalusian for £3,500 which I thought for a pure bred sounded like a bargain and it was nearby. Turned up to find a very scruffy looking creature in a small back garden... They actually kept it in their garden! It was a mother and daughter who must have been about 16. She clearly didnt want to sell the horse but I dont think they could afford it anymore. The daughter was awful, she had hacked its tail off to just below the bone just because "it annoyed her", she then tacked this poor horse up (who looked grumpy and fed up with life) with tack that was just the oldest badly fitting tack you've ever seen. She tacked up, got on and then the horse had no clue what to do (it was 7), the horse really didnt understand any aids - she'd boot it in the ribs hard until it eventually fell into a trot then would haul it about (it didnt understand how to turn even!). You would have thought this horse was newly backed but the mother assured me they'd taken the horse over with them from Spain, and the daughter had ridden it to school every day for 2 years! The daughter then told me how the horse napped like mad when hacked out and that only last week, it had bolted with her. I was mortified! But the mother stood there and didnt seem phased at all, so I think it was true! Whilst the daughter was booting and yanking the poor horse around, the mum actually said "I just love watching her ride" - I laughed! I wanted to buy the horse out of pity so offered them £500 for it afterwards, she said they would only take £3,500 for a horse who doesn't know basic aids and would have had a million bad habits caused by the horrid daughter. Poor thing, I hope they did sell it for its own benefit!!

 

[FairyLights]

I have 2. one was viewing an arab which didnt belong to the person selling it! the other was a Sec D which wouldnt let anyone touch it,wouldnt lead or anything. The owner had bought it as a weanling and at 4 years old had done nothing with it til the week before when she decided to advertise it,,wierdest thing was she really thought I would buy it and that it was wonderful and special. unbelievable. Sadly I had spent ages on the phone asking all sorts to both sellers as both horses were quite a long way away and i wanted to be sure before journeying to view. You just cant trust anyone, or believe what they tell you.

 

[flump]

Have had loads of dodgy viewings! Here is a few favs!

Drov 4 hours to see a lovely mare only to be told that I couldnt see or ride it because it was going to derby sales the next day I had text her the whole way up! She then pulled out the 'perfect horse for me' a 11hh 25 year old pony who has done it all...im 5'7 and the wrong side of 12 stone!

Next was a viewing of a freshly backed 4 year old coloured cob, 14.2hh. Go there and he was on a horsebox as no stable, didnt think much as there were no stables and it was raining. I got on him and he was fab, reason for selling was because they had to move and were loosing land. Left a deposit. Went back 2 weeks later to collect and he had about 50 horses there! All of which were for sale! Picked little pony up, got him home and turned him out...couldnt catch him for 3 months!!

Last one is we wnent to a notorious dealer in dartford to see a shire horse (didnt realise at the time who it was!) got there to find emaciated horses We picked 4 minis who we couldnt leave and 2 bays and a coloured ( worst of bunch, couldnt leave them) Went back the next day with box and took the 4 minis and one of the bays, told him we would drve back to get the other 2, when we got back he had completely new stock In the space of 2 hours?! at leats 20 horses had gone..anywya took the 2 horses back.
Sadly 5 out of the 7 had to be pts and the 2 bays found a lovely home!

 

[Lila]

I went to see a "15.2 5yr old bay perfect gentleman, broken and working well" and basically a load of other b*ll S**t got there to find a very skinny atleast 17hh black hose wind sucked, very dipped back was a terrible grump not been rode for god knows how long and judging by his teeth was alot older than 5.

We had spoke to a man since first ringing up about this horse and when we got there (2 1/2 hour drive ) the fella said im just selling it wouldnt have a clue what the advert says and you cant ride it because i know nothing about it. Buti hae got a few others you can look at but there well out of your price range. The were a disgrace. 3 had ring worm and the rest i wouldnt look twice at. SO we got in the car and drove te 2 1/2 hours home! We were peed to say the least!

 

[MadBlackLab]

I've had experience from someone I use to ride for when she brought another horse (i had no say in it I was just hired help). She had a lovely bay 14.3hh perfect in all ways (expect clipping) and could be pulled out field and ridden after 1 month of but sadly she was getting too old. Owner went to a dealer to by a bigger, younger verison of this horse, I don't know who she went with.

Anyway she came back with a skinny 15.2hh bay mare who was turning herslef out in the box. When it came to riding it I was the first idiot on when i asked it to canter it reared up and went round school like a motorbike and i had no control. I had to wait till she wanted to stop. Also in stable it would kick and bite and tied up it would rear up. Hacking it out was a nightmare. It ditched me on a car bonnet then cantered home. Owner was on her old mare who just stood there. I left after that incident due to breaking my leg (I was freelance and didnt want to go back) and from what I herd the mare been sold to experience person and going very well