Why can't people be honest when they're selling horses?

C

CastleMouse

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A friend asked me to come along and view a horse with her earlier, the horse is kept about 20 minutes from me so it was convenient enough for me, seeing as I had to cancel my original plans for today. She saw the ad in the Buy & Sell (Irish trade newspaper for everything from gym equipment to cars). Friend rung up, and the guy said he had done SJAI, RC, and hunted with X & Y Foxhounds, and was a "show quality animal". We arrived bang on time to see a pretty run-down yard, he brought out the horse and by god it was far from show quality
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He had a hideous giraffe neck which was completely out of proportion with the rest of his body, he didn't have much muscle on his hindquarters either, far from show quality, we both agreed when we left that even with lots of hard work it's doubtful he'd look anywhere near show quality. And he was asking €6000 when his breeding is unknown, he has no points at all with the SJAI, and he just did a bit of showjumping at AP Riding Club level. The guy says he knows nothing about what he did previously competing wise, as he bought him from Cavan sales, tbh I doubt it's much, we didn't want to waste his time or ours so friend kindly said he just wasn't what she's looking for. What a waste of time... Why can't people just be a bit more honest when writing their adverts?!?!?
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That's why photos are increasingly popular, I think...one man's quality (especially if it is for sale) is another man's old nag!
 
it's the same with people who advertise "mint" cars etc, you turn up and they look like something that's been dredged up off the Titanic - these people are just hopeful that eventually someone will turn up who is a complete numbskull and not know any better.
 
Why can't people be honest when they're selling horses?

Because there are a lot of unknowledgeable people out there who are perfectly willing to take the owners word as gospel and pay over the odds for a complete donkey.

Some just want to make money, some may be trying to recouperate costs. Then there's those that know there's no way the horse will sell for a reasonable price because of it background or temperament if they tell the truth.

As long as people continue to buy horses without doing their research, these chancers will continue to lie because they get away with it.
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Barely anyone who advertises their horse in the Buy & Sell puts a photo with their ad as it costs quite a lot I think.

[/ QUOTE ] But you can still ask sellers to email you a photo! Plus try and get as many answers over the phone as possible - ask when and where it has competed SJAI and RC and what were its results - and then go away and see if you can find confirmation of those results on the internet.

Lots of lessons to be learned for next time your friend rings up about a horse!
 
I know when I ring up about a horse these days, chances are that a pro photographer has taken pics at an event they have attended. This really helps weed out the less attractive horses! Most riding club events as well as the bigger shows now seem to have pro photographers who post the photos on line and it is incredibly helpful.
 
I've been miles to find a horse has a splint the size of a bantams egg on each foreleg, has huge curbs, has a parrot mouth, bucks like a bronco (owner declined to ride it), potential eventers that were lethal over small showjumps, a lovely TB that had been 'broken' by teenage daughter and was totally ruined - I could go on...........................Ive learned over the years to ask loads of questions (better by email as you have it in writing if something goes wrong), get pics and/or videos and ask around locally if its being sold in this county, it still doesnt completely save going hundreds of miles to see a horse completely not as advertised but it does help!

Buyer beware!!
 
The guy didn't have an e-mail address, so that couldn't have been possible, we also searched his name on the SJAI site and nothing came up, he most likely competed on a day ticket a few times... And you can't find RC results on the AIRC website unless it's national or festival results, she's off to view another one tomorrow she saw advertised in the local co-op, and he looks to be of show quality from the photos!
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