Why is buying from dealers so popular?

Littlest Hobo

Littlest Hobo

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Having read the dealer threads on here with mounting horror I am genuinely nonplussed at why so.many people are buying from these dealers? Is it a modern Internet thing? Is it a novice owner thing? Is it a wanting to rescue thing?
Having bought most of my horses pre Internet, and even now with getting a new animal it would actually not be my choice to look for them on the Internet.

When I ask why people have bought dogs from puppy farms and dealers,it is always the "rescue" answer I get, so I wondered if that played a part with horses? I know more than one of my own horse sales purchases has had that as a part of it!

Of course it could be Im just yet again too old to 'get' the internet.
Mind you when I weakened and bought (an inanimate object) from an online dealer it was a very BAD idea so that was my first and only foray into Internet dealer territory!

It is obviously a thriving market with dubious folk making a lot of money, but why aren't more people avoiding dealers? And yes as I discovered I d realise that you often have to learn the hard way!
 
Not all dealers are equal.

The advantages for good dealers:

They have seen many horses and can evaluate them well and give an accurate assessment of jobs/riders they would be suited to.

They have trial facilities

They often have a number of horses you can try in one go

You are more protected legally buying from a dealer
 
When I was looking last year I enquired about horses from private sellers and dealers. I bought my mare from a dealer who I looked up and found had good reviews, had horses the type I wanted available and prices were within my budget. The positives of buying from a dealer was that the viewing was organised and didn't feel rushed, she was aware of the vetting process and available for it (where as a private seller may not be due to work/home commitments), communication was good, assistance with transport was available, I also found the dealer I bought from was very honest about the horses she had- good and bad points!
 
As long as you do your research as to whether they are reputable or not first and accept that you will likely be paying more as they need to make a profit too it can save a lot of wasted time & effort from viewing private sales where the seller has got their rose tinted glasses on with regards to their horses level of training or temperament/ doesn’t have a measuring stick / can’t see lameness even when they’re hopping on 3 legs.
 
Caol Ila said:
The people I know who have bought from dealers did so because the dealers had a lot of horses to view in one place, or they just had one which took someone's fancy.
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I did wonder if the seeing more than one at a time was a factor
EB83 said:
When I was looking last year I enquired about horses from private sellers and
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Red-1 said:
View attachment 172907
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This one was from a dealer.
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Right good ones and bad ones. I get that and above horse is v nice!
But with say,dog breeders it is very easy to tell the difference between good and bad by looking at the actual animals, environment etc at the premises. Is it not relatively easy to tell a good dealers yard from a bad one the same way????
(Fully admit I have been to places where horses come up for sale such as breeders, but not an actual dealer as such.
 
I went to a couple of dealers partly as they had more than one pony to see and a good local rep.

One dealer i went to and didn't buy from was very open and honest, suggested that one pony would be too sharp for me and was very understanding of nerves, multiple viewings, wasn't pushy in the slightest, I would go back again if I was looking.

This was after seeing a few ponies at private sellers that were not as described, people not answering the phone, not getting back to you at all, ponies being miles away and uncertain if it would be worth the trip, dealers passing themselves off as private sellers etc. I found 'dealing' with dealers was much easier than private sellers on the whole.

The Internet is a blessing and a curse, the dodgy dealers pages I felt at the time were very helpful but clearly that is not the case, almost all ponies even private ones are advertised online. I found one through word of mouth and the place I bought my girl from was also a recommendation. Hho remains a bastion of useful info.
 
Littlest Hobo said:
I did wonder if the seeing more than one at a time was a factor



Right good ones and bad ones. I get that and above horse is v nice!
But with say,dog breeders it is very easy to tell the difference between good and bad by looking at the actual animals, environment etc at the premises. Is it not relatively easy to tell a good dealers yard from a bad one the same way????
(Fully admit I have been to places where horses come up for sale such as breeders, but not an actual dealer as such.
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Yes, I would say that it is easy to weed out the bad dealers. Of course, bad dealers will sometimes have good horses, and good dealers will sometimes have bad. I've had more than these two horses from dealers. Some worked out, some did not, but I would say I have visited many dodgy dealers but not bought a horse from one.

I beware the ones where all horses have a similar advert and promise impeccable behaviour at all times. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is!

I have looked at some adverts from the dealer this thread is about, but have never been tempted to enquire. I have thought the horses were well presented on the videos but thought that often they didn't look or ring 'right'. I have bought privately too, and sometimes had a complete wasted journey for that too.

I used to buy commercially for a large organisation and had many a wasted journey. I think that often people get sucked in when their gut feeling is that something is wrong, but they don't want to appear impolite. I would never critique the horse when turning the horse down, just say that I am rubbish and too nervous or something. Saves a nasty situation of you saying the horse is in pain and them declaring that you are wrong.
 
And at least in theory, the buyer has more protection when buying from a dealer (regarding unsuitability, right to reject and so on). They have reputations to lose (whether or not they care is another matter). When buying privately it is a case of 'buyer beware' unless they can be proven to have lied, and even then difficult to do anything about it.
 
Red-1 said:
Yes, I would say that it is easy to weed out the bad dealers. Of course, bad dealers will sometimes have good horses, and good dealers will sometimes have bad. I've had more than these two horses from dealers. Some worked out, some did not, but I would say I have visited many dodgy dealers but not bought a horse from one.

I beware the ones where all horses have a similar advert and promise impeccable behaviour at all times. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is!

I have looked at some adverts from the dealer this thread is about, but have never been tempted to enquire. I have thought the horses were well presented on the videos but thought that often they didn't look or ring 'right'. I have bought privately too, and sometimes had a complete wasted journey for that too.

I used to buy commercially for a large organisation and had many a wasted journey. I think that often people get sucked in when their gut feeling is that something is wrong, but they don't want to appear impolite. I would never critique the horse when turning the horse down, just say that I am rubbish and too nervous or something. Saves a nasty situation of you saying the horse is in pain and them declaring that you are wrong.
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Also a good dealer should ask prospective buyers questions. Experience, facilities, support system, activities etc. I’d almost go as far these days to ask for riding video if I had my doubts about a caller! Honest dealers can be so exposed legally by buyers that don’t know what they don’t know!
 
Littlest Hobo said:
Thank you for those pics, cheering me up a bit!!
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It is awful, looking for horses. Like dating for the first time. I don't mind the ones that are 'wrong' but hate when I ride one that ticks all the boxes but doesn't excite me enough to want to actually buy. When buying commercially, ticking all the boxes was enough. For me, it has to be more.

BTW, my current horse H, he was not only bought from a dealer, he was bought unseen off video from Ireland!!!

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He's an all round good egg, is teaching my BF to ride and isn't that interested in competing. But, he is fabulous!

There really are good ones out there. I think the gut feeling is all important. Plus, I have had 2 failures in matching, but I don't blame horse or seller, it was just a mis-match and I sold on through a sales livery as life is too short.

They went on to make someone else very happy.
 
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ihatework said:
Also a good dealer should ask prospective buyers questions. Experience, facilities, support system, activities etc. I’d almost go as far these days to ask for riding video if I had my doubts about a caller! Honest dealers can be so exposed legally by buyers that don’t know what they don’t know!
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With H, buying unseen from Ireland, I did have to send videos, photos and my competition record! He is a good egg but would not have been for a novice as a recently backed 4yo.

I thing many of the dodgy ones sell 4yo's to novices.

TBH, I've had him since 2021 and I would still not sell him to a novice. My totally novice BF rides him but I keep things in order between times. He has a bit too much engine for a novice to be in total control. That is also something I see a lot of, dodgy dealers selling horses with an engine to novices. They are cheap as they have failed at something and are often physically weak specimens.
 
I suppose technically I bought my pony from a dealer as legally she buys and sells ponies but she has a pretty unusual business model that is mostly conservation grazing and breed conservation, some ponies stick around for years are ridden by many different people and and known inside out. There was no pressure to buy and riding as much as you liked was encouraged.

My ponies not been the easiest but that was definitely my confidence her general aversion to change and being quite unsettled by the move. I cant fault the seller. I get that feeling riding her and had to buy her and her fluffy leg warmers. 24031.png
 
Important to consider that horses that ‘tick all the boxes’ for most buyers rarely come up for sale privately or make it to the Internet. They either have a home for life or are moved on through word of mouth. Several horses on my yard who, if ever put up for sale, wouldn’t make it down the drive.

Private sellers are just as capable of shady behaviours and lying on the internet as dealers - but, unlike dealers, are almost impossible to research beforehand.
 
I always buy the young horses i produce from a particular dealer. He has an excellent reputation and a fantastic eye for a raw young horse. He is Irish but based in the uk so has masses of contacts to find good horses. Both of these super stars were bought from him.
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I’ve had far better experiences with dealers than private sales. Dolly, Jenny,Amber & Lottie came from dealers. All awesome! Myka came from the breeder. Mylo was bred by me. Private sales have been very hit and miss. I’m hoping I never buy another horse hit if I did it get them from a dealer.
 
There are plenty of decent dealers, particularly if you're buying younger horses.

I always like the idea of the legal protection, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll get your money back.

There are obviously bad dealers but I do think some get a lot of heat for no good reason - if you sold several horses a month how many could have issues you don't know about or go lame a week later?

Its also often quite hard to find the horse you're looking for. My latest was bought from someone named as a dodgy dealer. I know what I'm looking for, vetted the hell out of him and took AND TESTED bloods before buying. He's been perfect.
 
If you're wondering why people keep buying from bad dealers, then I would say it's because people want cheap horses, and convince themselves that the cheap horse with a dealer is fine and other horses are over priced. They soon find out why said horse is cheap.
 
U.N.Owen said:
If you're wondering why people keep buying from bad dealers, then I would say it's because people want cheap horses, and convince themselves that the cheap horse with a dealer is fine and other horses are over priced. They soon find out why said horse is cheap.
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TBH, when I've bought from a dealer, I have been prepared to pay over the odds. I appreciate that they have taken time to assess the horses, brush up some training, they have excellent trial facilities and a selection to choose from. For that, I have paid.
 
I bought my horse from a dealer because I saw his ad, liked him and he happened to be with a dealer.

Buying and selling horses is a job like any other equine profession, not all dealers are inherently dodgy.

My other half buys a sells used cars. He’s a mechanic so he can pick them up cheaper than market value as he has the skills to fix them himself. He gets them at trade price from an auction or people who want a quick sale, does any work needed, gets them valeted and sells them on for a profit.

I don’t see the model of an honest dealer being any different. They provide a service for people who want to sell a horse out the field or simply want a quick sale without the hassle of viewings and dealing with buyers etc.

IMHO there’s no higher risk buying from a dealer than a private seller. In either case I’d view the horse, try the horse and get it vetted. Once you’ve ticked all those boxes it pretty much is what it is once the horse arrives at your yard, regardless of where it came from.
 
Jambarissa said:
There are plenty of decent dealers, particularly if you're buying younger horses.

I always like the idea of the legal protection, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll get your money back.

There are obviously bad dealers but I do think some get a lot of heat for no good reason - if you sold several horses a month how many could have issues you don't know about or go lame a week later?

Its also often quite hard to find the horse you're looking for. My latest was bought from someone named as a dodgy dealer. I know what I'm looking for, vetted the hell out of him and took AND TESTED bloods before buying. He's been perfect.
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And there are umpteen private sellers who are utterly clueless, probably never should have owned a horse in the first place, without the first idea how to accurately describe or present a horse.
That level of cluelessness features often enough on here, should anyone doubt it!
 
Red-1 said:
TBH, when I've bought from a dealer, I have been prepared to pay over the odds. I appreciate that they have taken time to assess the horses, brush up some training, they have excellent trial facilities and a selection to choose from. For that, I have paid.
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Yes, which you would expect from a good dealer, I was answering why people keep buying from the known extremely dodgy dealers.
 
I have never bought from an actual dealer, but two of my horses were found through the internet. One was gifted to me as a companion through a friend of a friend after a FB ad. The other was bought as an 18 month old straight from her breeder. To be fair, the main job of both these horses is to be companions, but I hope the 18 month old will also make a useful riding horse in time.

My other horse was purchased as a 9 year old from my riding school (where she was born) after 6 months share and the final one was bred from her at home.

Internet is just the first point of contact and can be used for looking at ads (like we used to do in magazines or tack shop notice boards) or putting word out to all your contacts a lot faster than having to contact them individually. After that, you have to evaluate the horse (and seller!) in front of you and decide weather to risk purchasing or not.
 
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