Would you sell a horse if it was going to live at a yard you didn't like?

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My mum has got someone coming to see her horse on Saturday. The lady sounds really nice and it sounds like an ideal home for him r.e. what she wants to do with him. Only problem is she would be keeping him at a local riding school on full livery and said riding school has poor grazing and they do silly things like bring in 4 horses each along a long stretch of road and they have been known to get loose and gallop on to the main A road!!

So not our preferred place to live, but then he doesn't need a lot of grass anyway (and to be fair we have poor grazing too) and we aren't sure if it wouldn't be right for him or it's just us being a bit stuck up?

I can see why the lady would want to keep her horse there because it has the best hacking ever and you'd never have to go on a road ever again!

What do you guys think?
 
Nope, we refused a very good price for our old pony as she wnated him for working livery at a riding school and I said no. He was a bad doer and I think he would loose weight bad in the winter and would just get sick of going in circles all day.
 
Ultimately it is up to your mother. I know people who have refused to sell their horses to people because of where they were going to be kept, it is totally and utterly up to the vendor. Not helpful am I!
 
I would probably discuss it with the buyer, she might not be aware of the potential problems with the yard.
 
Hmm I can see where you are coming from but to be honest, when you sell a horse what happens to it with it's new owners is out of your control. There is no guarantee that any potential buyer will keep the horse at the same standard as you.

If you want to have a say in where the horse is kept then maybe you should consider loaning. I know it's difficult and we would all like to think that we sell our horses onto perfect homes, but unfortunately that's not always the case. So you either sell and say goodbye or loan and at least have a fair idea of where your horse is. Good luck though.
 
Something to think about, anyone you sell to can later move the horse to anywhere they like, doesn't matter if you like it or not.
 
Depends on what I didn't like.

For some things I'd just accept that people do things a different way not necessarily how i'd do things but if i felt the horse would be in danger then it'd be a different story.
 
We sold one of my ponies 4 times over for a very good price. We insisted on dropping him off to each place to check it out.
the first place was in london (3hour drive away from us) the lady said he would be turned out during the day on grass.
we got there, the YO greeted us to show us round. showed us a 1/2 acre mud pit and told us he would get turned out one day a week in there. So we took him home. all the others had their own problems.
I wouldnt do it if you thought your horse would be unhappy.
 
He is not going to be kept on working livery - no way would we let him be a riding school horse!!!

I guess you just have to weigh up the pro's and con's. She has an old horse who she's kept on the yard and it's now going into retirement somewhere in a nice big field so it sounds like he'd have a home for life (which is good because he's 15). But then do you wait for perfect owner with perfect yard??
 
My 2 horses are on working livery at the school where I work at weekends, but then its not your average riding school, its BHS approved and the horses dont go round in circles all day, they have cross country, jumping, games, hacking, moors rides and beach rides.
Alfie is on full loan to yard manager/owner for training and eventing.Not all riding schools are the same.
Ultimately its up to the seller, would seller think the horse would fit in at the yard, if its on full livery then it wont be used in the school will it. Dublin was on full livery for 4 weeks and then I saw he was so bored and getting fat I put him on working, and he does about 2-3 hours each weekend day, and the horses are all at grass sunday evening to thursday evening.
 
skewbald86 said:
We sold one of my ponies 4 times over for a very good price. We insisted on dropping him off to each place to check it out.
the first place was in london (3hour drive away from us) the lady said he would be turned out during the day on grass.
we got there, the YO greeted us to show us round. showed us a 1/2 acre mud pit and told us he would get turned out one day a week in there. So we took him home. all the others had their own problems.
I wouldnt do it if you thought your horse would be unhappy.
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That's what we are trying to figure out! They have a lot of land with big fields but they have a lot of horses on and aren't that well kept but I think they are turned out daily. They seem to be wandering up and down this road with their 4 horses each all the time pissing off the local drivers!!

On the plus side he'd be maga close for mum to go see him... but I think it would be hard for her if they were doing things she didn't agree with!

Another person is coming from the Quorn hunt where he'd probably be kept somewhere a bit nicer but I expect would have to work harder for his living!
 
ROMANY 1959 said:
My 2 horses are on working livery at the school where I work at weekends, but then its not your average riding school, its BHS approved and the horses dont go round in circles all day, they have cross country, jumping, games, hacking, moors rides and beach rides.
Alfie is on full loan to yard manager/owner for training and eventing.Not all riding schools are the same.
Ultimately its up to the seller, would seller think the horse would fit in at the yard, if its on full livery then it wont be used in the school will it. Dublin was on full livery for 4 weeks and then I saw he was so bored and getting fat I put him on working, and he does about 2-3 hours each weekend day, and the horses are all at grass sunday evening to thursday evening.
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Caffers would really not appreciate being on working livery!!! He thinks he's been badly done to if he has to work in a school a few times a year! Thinks he's far too good for that and doesn't need to practice!! We'll make double sure but I don't think it would be working livery.
 
Starbucks said:
My mum has got someone coming to see her horse on Saturday. The lady sounds really nice and it sounds like an ideal home for him r.e. what she wants to do with him. Only problem is she would be keeping him at a local riding school on full livery and said riding school has poor grazing and they do silly things like bring in 4 horses each along a long stretch of road and they have been known to get loose and gallop on to the main A road!!

So not our preferred place to live, but then he doesn't need a lot of grass anyway (and to be fair we have poor grazing too) and we aren't sure if it wouldn't be right for him or it's just us being a bit stuck up?

I can see why the lady would want to keep her horse there because it has the best hacking ever and you'd never have to go on a road ever again!

What do you guys think?
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Can't say I would TBH.
 
Do feel for you.
Maybe be a bit sneaky and get a friend to go look round as a prespective livery to see what they say about how they are kept?

It is difficult if you keep in close contact with a horse youve sold, as in your eyes no one will ever look after a horse as good as yourself.

We ended up selling our pony to a novice rider down the road from us. She had my old instructor so we were happy, unfortunately when the instructor moved the girl stopped having lessons.
When I was a teenager they used to pay me to look after him when they went on hols. It had only been 2 months since I saw him. he was a mess, feet falling apart, nervous wreck and skinny.
It sounds awfull now but I hacked him home and he stayed at ours for the 3 weeks they were away. We had to say something about his condition, which obviously didnt go down well. :mad:
The next day he was gone, they woudnt say where. We searched H&H mag on the next thursday and found an ad that matched his colour and age at a dodgy dealers 2 hours away. we went to go buy him back. only 6 months before they bought him for £6K, he was not being sold for meat money. We told the dealer who we were, they had got strict instructions not to sell to anyone in our local area.
10yrs later we traced him and hes got a lovely home now. I havent sold a horse since, will always loan to a v local home.
Good luck
 
skewbald86 said:
Do feel for you.
Maybe be a bit sneaky and get a friend to go look round as a prespective livery to see what they say about how they are kept?

It is difficult if you keep in close contact with a horse youve sold, as in your eyes no one will ever look after a horse as good as yourself.

We ended up selling our pony to a novice rider down the road from us. She had my old instructor so we were happy, unfortunately when the instructor moved the girl stopped having lessons.
When I was a teenager they used to pay me to look after him when they went on hols. It had only been 2 months since I saw him. he was a mess, feet falling apart, nervous wreck and skinny.
It sounds awfull now but I hacked him home and he stayed at ours for the 3 weeks they were away. We had to say something about his condition, which obviously didnt go down well. :mad:
The next day he was gone, they woudnt say where. We searched H&H mag on the next thursday and found an ad that matched his colour and age at a dodgy dealers 2 hours away. we went to go buy him back. only 6 months before they bought him for £6K, he was not being sold for meat money. We told the dealer who we were, they had got strict instructions not to sell to anyone in our local area.
10yrs later we traced him and hes got a lovely home now. I havent sold a horse since, will always loan to a v local home.
Good luck
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A couple of my good friends have done short stints working there so I can ask them. :)
 
This is of no help at all but i couldn't even contemplate selling my horse, and hope with all my heart that i never find myself in the position of having to sell him.
 
Tricky: you sell and you lose all control over what happens to the horse and you can never rely on what people say (remember that Shire mare for sale that was promised a forever home then promptly put up for sale again?).

If the hacking is to die for, the grass is poor and the horse needs poor grazing, then I'd be tempted to say yes.
 
I posted something a bit similar very recently about a horse i was selling he was a Warmblood buyer wanted him to live out i didnt really like place etc etc i was told by most people to get him sold. One poster did say wait to find right home, i think if you are asking the question then you probably have niggling doubts wait and see if the buyer clicks with the horse that should help you decide what to do.

I decided the buyer wasnt right person for my horse as i had a real feeling of dread in my stomach when i thought about him going there my friends told me it was because i didnt want him to go and because he was such a nice horse i was being silly. I had a lady come a week later who really clicked with him i really liked her and the home was just much more suitable for him,i am so glad i waited because i found a much better home for him and even though i blubbed when he went and it was sad the lady has been in touch and things are going well so i would suggest having a good chat with the buyer make enquiries about the yard and then go with your gut feeling there cant be anything worse than feeling you have sold your horse to the wrong home the money is not worth the worry and i really believe the right buyer always comes along in the end good luck whatever you decide.:)
 
Never. Obviously once the horse is sold you have no control where it ultimately ends up, but I couldn't knowingly let my horse go somewhere where I was uncomfortable.
 
I always think if you have to ask the question, then you know somethings wrong.

I would definately talk to the prospective owner....outline your concerns. She probably isnt even aware that they walk 4 horses down main A roads.
Not worth letting him go there to be honest under these circumstances, you and your mum will never rest again!

The lady may well look for somewhere else to keep him once you tell her all you know!
 
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