Have you ever noticed when you sell a horse, the type of people who may come out of the woodwork to look at them? OMG we had some strange people. We had to 
ask SEVERAL of them to get off our damn horse due to their hellacious riding. We just put way too much training into this horse for some ass to screw it up. And yeah, people's pride may have gotten hurt, but too bad. I'm very VERY gentle on the mouth of my horses and when someone comes out to try one and just hangs on to my horse's face, I have a major problem with that...
ask SEVERAL of them to get off our damn horse due to their hellacious riding. We just put way too much training into this horse for some ass to screw it up. And yeah, people's pride may have gotten hurt, but too bad. I'm very VERY gentle on the mouth of my horses and when someone comes out to try one and just hangs on to my horse's face, I have a major problem with that...Plus, have you ever noticed that people come out to "check, interview, scrutinize" your horse? Well they have a huge surprise coming their way when I tell them straight up that THEY are under MY microscope with me, as I am VERY picky as to whom I sell my horses too.
When I tell and SHOW people EXACTLY how we ride our horse and they jump on with spurs and they're kicking and yanking... OY!!! No matter, you just need to tell them to get the 'F' off your horse OR you yank the 'F' off your horse!!!!!
So what are some of your horse buying/selling stories....
16 comments:
The only time I sold a horse, I sold him to some family friends for their little girls. I basically picked my buyers because I knew they were kind of looking for a horse so I had the girls take care of him for me one weekend I was out of town because I know they would fall in love with him. He is now old and fat and happily living out retirement. There is no way I would have sold him to just anyone.
When I bought the horse I have now, my budget was only $2,500, and he was listed as $4,500. He happened to be boarded at the barn I worked at, so I talked to the owner and told her my price limit. She agreed to sell him to me for $2,500 after she saw me ride. She said there had been a few people who have come out to see him and would have paid full price, but she was horrified at how they rode/handled him. She figured that loosing $2,000 was worth knowing that he went to a good home.
We ended up with my daughter's show mare in a strange way because she was staying at our house until she sold and each time the owner had someone come look at her she would beg us to buy her instead.
Finally we made a really nice deal and my daughter has a big beautiful Paint mare she does quite well on. I don't know how many times I told the owner I couldn't afford a horse like that but she didn't like anyone else who looked at her and knew she was happy at our house. So! now she's with us! :-)
Unless you count the loan horse we had to find a buyer for (we decided not to have him), We haven't really had much selling experience as all the horses we buy are lifers. I have loads from other people though!
The owners of my sisters loan pony, were selling their ex endurance new forest pony. Despite the fact he had been advertised as 'experienced ride only' and 'Very light to the leg' they had one woman come and veiw him even though she was a complete novice. Of course, when she got on, she kicked him an the horse bolted across the field. Not his fault-he was used to light squeezing.
Another woman came to try him out, left them waiting for an answer, then when they phoned she told them she had only veiwed him to get a free ride!
The lady who we were sharing Nell with, decided to buy her daughter a pony. Nell had been too much for her to handle, hence her selling the rest of Nell to us. Anyway. They go to look at a 10yr old 15hh TB type horse. Very sweet but also very sensitive. Despite being told he naps, they buy him that day for £1500. The daughter tries to take horse out on her own and the horse spins, dumps the child and bolts home. They just re-sold him for £500 'cos they wanted a quick sale.
I always say it is better to lose some money, and find a great home for the horse, rather than the person paying full price, and their a real peice of work. I also can't understand why people spur the shit out of horses, and hand on their mouths. If they did that, I'd be asking, 'Are you looking for a new horse, because you f*cked your horse up badly?'
I am just so glad TT now has a great home with a loving family and an adorable little girl who gets to grow up loving such a wonderful horse!
We will always be able to look back and laugh at the horrid riding of some of the people (Queen Ann Girl!! And the "Dressage" rider to name a few LOL), and the ones we turned down. I'm so glad we held out for J to come by. They are a great match for each other and will spend many many happy hours on the trail together!
S&D
I don't have a selling nightmare so to speak, but I did have one doozey of a chick come out to look at my BF's TNW once. She knew it was a gaited TNW, but once she came out to ride the mare she did nothing but whine and complain that she couldn't post the trot. She really really loved to post and wanted a horse that she could post on. She even tried posting a couple of times and looked like a sack of potatoes. She drove three hours to look at this mare and wasted a few hours of our time telling us how much she wanted a horse she could post on. I guess she had nothing better to do that day.
I had said so many great things about Thiss OTTB I had been working with for about a year, but had had for 4(dad owned while he raced) Well, I had put lots of time on him, he loved jumping and was very willing, at 16.2 he was a mountain of a horse and I told every he stood to be mounted, well, that was true. But of course, He only stood for me.
The lady came out to try him, wanted to buy him as an advanced lesson horse for the kids she trained, and of course he wouldn't stand for her to get on, after she does, she ask me to ride him and take him over some jumps, He stood perfectly, prooving that he could do it, and while my jumping position was probably horrendous, the lady loved how willing he was and bought him.
You've probably heard this one, TrexX.
the 40 year old lady one?
Never having touched a horse in her life, she decided she wanted a gray horse. She answered an ad for a gray horse,in the newspaper. She bought a 6yr old TB?x gelding, um, BAY, with thrush and a severe case of "I'm NOT for a BEGinner!!"-itis. He threw her, almost broke her back.
She calls me, I take horse over, get him sound and fit, just a grumpy ride he was. Showed him a bit, he was cute enough.
Sell him to a father for his 14 year old daughter, an intermediate rider. Horse got along well with her. I made them sign an agreement saying they would take lessons only with the horse, for the first few months. She was never to be allowed to ride him alone. They kept the horse on their own property. They had a good trainer, close by.
Well, she did ride horse alone, he threw her, the Father pts horse.
I'm glad he didn't hurt her, but he didn't deserve to die.
bright bay horse, y'know?
gah.
Hugs for the homes for the horses.
Great job!
I have never sold a horse (if I get 'em, it's forever :-))
My last horse was purchased from someone who kept trying to lay a guilt trip on me - "I have to pay my babysitter to be here with you to show you the horse" She was trying to get me to hurry up. Ummmm, this was her BUSINESS!!! Strange.....
http://paullinnthoroughbredcheater.blogspot.com/
I have a hard time selling horses. I had a Standardbred mare that was a rescue that I was able to re-train with the help of a good trainer. Unfortunately, her hind legs were severely bowed from her abuse (she was hitched to a buggy before the age of 2 and malnourished to boot). In realizing that I needed a horse that was capable of longer rides in the saddle and more intense workouts (I barrel raced at the time) I set out looking for a home for my girl.
I met up with a woman that wanted the horse for herself and her son that did walk trot level riding. I was very clear about the mare's dominance in the field, her ability to throw a good buck, and her sensitive sides and mouth. I expressed my concerns on letting the son ride a horse as strong-minded as this mare. The test ride went well and they liked her, so I let them have a one month trial with the horse.
I called every week to ask how they were doing with the mare. They always answered with a positive tone. I stopped by a couple times, but the mare was out of sight in a 90 acre pasture all the time.
So imagine my surprise when the month is up, and they call to tell me that I need to pick up the mare right away. I go over with my trailer to find the horse 50 pounds underweight. She was missing two of her shoes, her feet were cracked, and she had an upper-respiratory infection. Appalled, I took my mare home and got my vet and farrier out.
I did eventually find a new home for the mare. I gave her to a woman that used to ride rodeo and loved to ride bareback in the woods. In spite of her rodeo past, she rides with a soft hand and a quiet leg, and she sits the worst of the mare's bucks with a smile on her face.
I recently gave a gelding that needed to be retired to a little girl to do walk trot. He is in his late teens and was my barrel horse for many years but arthritis is starting to settle in. I found that I wasn't spending as much time with him, and he missed having a job. With the little girl, he still goes to shows and packs his rider around with care, and she loves the horse to death.
For a 5 year period following the horse's "sale" they must call me if they move the horse to another facility or consider another life-changing decision. If either horse is in unsatisfactory care, I have the right to take the horse back. They also must give the horse back to me instead of selling it. I have the contracts for both.
I will NEVER make money off horses due to this exact problem. I am honest almost to a fault when selling a horse. I suppose it comes from never having sold anything but rehabilitated horses or pets for re-homing.
My worst nightmare was finding a home for my older lamanitic Arab gelding. The minute people see the word "FREE" it's a feeding frenzy. I had to shuffle through SO many ridiculous e-mails, everyone is convinced the right horse for them is the one that is free. Keep in mind, he was free only because the re-homing contract is very strict about me retaining technical ownership and the right to pull him out of there anytime I'm unsatisfied with conditions. It also means I have personally taken him back and found a new home each time he didn't work out (he's on his 4th home, no fault of his own, just kids losing interest again and again). I think I've finally found his forever home, he's been with a wonderful family for a couple of years now and doing great.
Anyway, bottom line, I had people getting downright offended. Even though my ad specifically stated strict terms, everyone thought they were the perfect home. I mean, what horse isn't happy in a 40 acre pasture after I specifically tell you he CANNOT free graze or he WILL founder and die? What horse doesn't want to do barrel racing after I tell them his coffin bones are severely rotated and he'll be nothing but a walk/jog/lope pasture pony for the rest of his life? Surely I can't believe the 200lb woman yanking on his mouth and telling me I have a bad trained horse with no giddy up is an unsuitable home, can I?
Sorry lady. If I was a heartless bitch dumping my Buy And Sell pony, HE'D BE LISTED ON BUY AND SELL.
My Equine Rat Race
How about someone try talking to this person selling their horse?
http://richmond.craigslist.org/grd/1042663323.html
A buck that can't be fixed?
And he's can't be put in a field with paints, appaloosas or ponies? WTF?!
There's a notorious horse trader in this area....she picks them up at sales and then resells them. I had a really nice couple who were looking for horses, they had looked at a mare the trader had. I show up, the mare has a soaked saddleblanket and sweat running down her legs. The trader keeps harping on how much 'go' the mare has, I thinks to myself "wonder what her whoa is like!" Rode the mare around a bit, she's flighty, anxious, has no understanding of aids. When I asked her to stand still she blew! Oh yeah, that's why she wound up in the sale ring. Gee, lets put an amateur on her and see if they live through it. Yikes!
Patricia - are you willing to share your contract?
If so please contact me at
happykat at playful dot com
Thank you so much!
Had a nice older couple come look at a levely Quarter Pony mare. They seemed so normal. Asked if they could lead her around and I said sure. A few minutes later they are running after her, flapping their arms, trying to get her to lunge on a 5 foot lead rope. I told them to wait, use my lunge line, she doesn't understand what running and flapping on a short line means. They say NO, and continue to chase after her while she's leaping away and rearing. Just as she starts to move forward, they set back and whip her head 90 degrees towards them. Then, they flap after her again, and again rip her head off for moving forward. Then said, "She's being to get it." I stopped them right there. They were ruining my good pony. She said that she was beginning to catch on that the monemt they LOOKED AT HER BACK FEET she was to stop! Apparently, they were followers of some yahoo clincian and apparently that is what they picked up from his clinic. Did not sell to those nut jobs. Pony later sold to a little girl.
Before I went off to college I came to the sad decision to sell my coming 3-yr-old Appy Gelding. I knew that with 4 years of school ahead of me that I wouldnt have the time to spend with him, especially not to train him. We posted him for sale on several sites and were very open about what he was and who he was. With his dam being a petite 14.1 and his sire being a refined 15.3, he was not going to be very big, and was built very leggy and refined (not your stocky appy type).
Well, I was HORRIFIED to find that the first lady to come see my boy was VERY overweight (OMG, VERY). Since she had her younger daughter with her, we assumed she was looking for her. No. Not so. The daughter was just along for the trip, didnt even ride, and the horse was for the "heavyset" woman. When she told my mom that she was pretty much a beginner just looking for a trail horse, we politely told her he was not the horse for her. I have never been more relieved. He ended up going to a super nice home with a lady and her husband who enjoy competetive/judge trail riding who was looking for an eventual replacement for her current horse. They still have him and we get email updates a few times a year. The best part; he wasnt made into a pancake.
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