Cheating sellers

[Mollymoo26]

I went to see a horse yesterday advertised in Herts as a school master happy hacker bomb proof. I bought the vet with me loved the horse but he felt very stiff under me and wasnt moving forward and to me he looked and seemed very docile the lady told me ohh he was ridden this morning. Now why would you ride your horse in the morning if you know someone is coming to try him later that morning. We did some flex tests and the horse was lame and had signs of artritus the lady's face was like thunder shame on her I felt cheated out of my petrol money and the £100 vet bill she made him sound so wonderful in the advert and on the phone and he was perfect in all ways.

Why are some people so corrupt in the horse world it always comes back to bite you in the bum.

:mad:

[Krissie I]

It's awful isn't it.
A friend bought a 'child's pony' from someone. A few days letter she sent it back as it had SO many issues. That poor pony has reappeared for sale EIGHT TIMES - always as a child's pony or first ridden pony. And one day some child may have a serious accident.

[eml]

Sadly the horse world is no different from any other. I actually prefer to use dealers as once you speak their language at least you know what level of problems you may face.

One of our more difficult projects was described by the dealer as 'a bit of a worrier' which rightly raised alarm bells with me...yes he did arrive lying on the floor of her lorry and took 18 months to get into a stable but is a fantastic horse now

[fairlady]

I honestly think these people don't give a monkeys about Horses.

We did the same recently, bought a Sec D for a friend, she already owned
his Sister, we were assured there were no problems re back legs, the
Girl came across as being sooooo genuine, honestly, there were 3 of us there
all been around a fair few years, lol, no pushovers. TBH I am usually quite 'on the ball' susssing people out, but if I am totally
honest I was so overwhelmed by this fabulous horse all sense of judgment went out the window !!!

Anyway, We fell for it hook line and sinker, within a week his stifles were slipping for
a pastime:eek:

Our fault, should have had him vetted, as it is he has been sold on with
full Vets Report to a lovely home who know that if he is kept fit and toned
its not actually a major problem, BUT, she, the previous Owner, obviously
didn't CARE about where he would end up, tragic, he was so
Magnificent he really didn't deserve an Owner like that.

Only reason he was sold on was that my Friend had already been thro' all
this with her other Horse. Anyway he has been sold to a lovely Lady who has more than been made aware of his problem as I said,
but not really the point, could have ended up so differently.

I remember when I sold Morse and put my Ad on here people were actually telling me I was being 'TOO HONEST' lol, and did
I really expect him to sell. He wasn't nasty, but very 'full on', lol, but what was the point in lying, IF I had sold him
to the wrong person, they would not have kept him long. IF you reach the decision that you are going to rehome a Horse the
least you can do is be honest about them so that they find the right home.

[vicki_krystal]

I went to see a horse yesterday advertised in Herts as a school master happy hacker bomb proof. I bought the vet with me loved the horse but he felt very stiff under me and wasnt moving forward and to me he looked and seemed very docile the lady told me ohh he was ridden this morning. Now why would you ride your horse in the morning if you know someone is coming to try him later that morning. We did some flex tests and the horse was lame and had signs of artritus the lady's face was like thunder shame on her I felt cheated out of my petrol money and the £100 vet bill she made him sound so wonderful in the advert and on the phone and he was perfect in all ways.

Why are some people so corrupt in the horse world it always comes back to bite you in the bum.

:mad:

To be honest im not in agreement with you!

You liked the horse enough to proceed with its vetting so you chose to spend the £100 on a vet.

A vetting is just that - to see if there is anything wrong and save future heartbreak which in your case problems were found so you could walk away.

I appreciate your disappointed but it seems odd you saying that you feel cheated out of petrol money and vetting etc when you say the horse didnt feel right at the start but YOU chose to still go ahead with a vetting?

[Krissie I]

Would you try and pass off a lame arthritic horse as sound?

I agree it's the buyers responsibility to take precautions, but responsible sellers tell the truth. Anyone who cared about their horses would want a lame arthritic horse to go to an appropriate owner, who understands & accepts the issues and who will therefore give it the kind of life appropriate to its condition - eg as a companion horse.

[happyhacker101]

Horse buying is a minefield - my husband likens it to buying second hand cars - but at least the cars parts can be replaced!! Well, I guess thats one way of looking at it.

Some private sales are ok as are some dealers - its a case of "buyer beware" and yes, I'd be fed up paying £100 for the vet plus petrol - but think of the poss future heartache that money has saved you.

[vicki_krystal]

No i wouldnt pass a lame horse as sound and i dont agree with the seller for doing so.
My point was that the OP could have walked away just out of pocket for the petrol.

It is a sad fact that there are more and more dodgy sellers out there and people have to watch their backs but moaning about paying for a vetting when the horse fails makes no sense - you have it vetted for that reason!

[s4sugar]

I think in this instance the vet was along for the ride and so at least there wasn't the £250 odd call out the OP might otherwise have had (I think though that enough alarms had already sounded and a vet wouldn't have been called)
In future going without the vet for a first viewing makes more sense and turning up at least half an hour early can be educational.
I agree about timewasting sellers who know the horse won't be suitable and / or sound.

It isn't just horses though. I'm helping a friend househunt and going along as second pair of eyes. In the past month we have viewed two houses with serious problems that she had missed on her first viewing - one quite obviously floods but was recently redecorated and the other had has a bearing wall removed and no RSJ/lintel put in (fixable but not the only bodge)

She was considering making offers until I pointed these out - both have since "sold" but are back on the market and the prospective purchasers are probably now out of pocket to the tune of £300 -£400 each.

[Krissie I]

When I was buying a horse I drove up to 2 hours away for viewings. I exchnaged detailed e-mails first with the sellers explaining that I was after a totally reliable family pony/small horse. I then had long phone calls stressing the need for sane sensible ponies. Sellers knew how far I was coming. And still I'd arrive, get bucked off by some nutty Sec D (for example) and go home again haing wasted 4-5 hours and loads of petrol. It was infuriating. But no, at least I didn't take a vet!

IMO the vetting should only show up stuff the owner couldn't really know about. But I know that's a naive hope.

[HJ]

She may not have known the horse was arthritic, I for one wouldn't without a vet telling me.

Maybe she did ride that morning, I would - what would have happened if you hadn't turned up? Then her horse wouldn't have got exercised?

[Krissie I]

That's true! Perhaps we are judging too hastily. But it would be interesting to see if the listing wherever he is being advertised has changed now that she does know.

[S_F_S]

Perhaps next time take an experienced friend along for the first viewing, then decide if you like it enough to get a vet to look. You pinpointed a problem yourself, within I guess minutes - you said he didn't feel right. Flexion tests have their own value, mainly in vetting horses for intense work like competition horses or hunters. Happy hackers are quite differet - and I suspect about 90% of them out there would fail a flexion test too!

[eventerbabe]

Wise words from S_F_S. A knowledgeable friend is a valuable tool when horse hunting! I know it is hard, i remember setting my heart on a chestnut arab when i was 9. Our RI said BIG no no. My parents walked away and i very nearly never forgave them! a year later my dream arab was PTS with liver failure and back issues. I too prefer to buy from dealer (or breeder). Had a bad experience with a private seller who doped the mare we bought. never again!

[Mollymoo26]

:eek:Hi all the reason I took a vet is because she made the horse sound so great and fab on the phone> All my knowledgeable horse friends were at work that day and I thought sod it he sounds to good to be true I will take the vet. I have been "done over" buying a horse before I am the naive type who falls in love with the horse and vets later my younger sister was almost scared out of her wits by a so called bombproof first pony that we over paid for and ended up selling for a fraction of what we bought him for and the lady had children of her own my little sister was only 6years old at the time. The pony has back problems, arthritus, and when I sold him I told the truth in my advert as I could never forgive myself if a child was hurt because I lied in order to sel him I rather keep forever then lie some people just dont care do they where are their conscience.

The worst thing was that when I asked the daughter of the owner do ride him? and she says no not any more because he bucked me off and I am too scared :eek:. I didnt say anything more but I was buying a horse that I was told was a safe bomb proof, sane an sound. My younger sister who is 12 would potentially ride this horse at the weekends and I explained all of this on the two hour telephone conversation.

After I had ridden the horse I asked the little girl again so when is the last time you rode him and the mother quickly interupted and said ohh this morning he is perfect and he is the safest horse you could ever find. Then I said so you havent fallen from him then and the mother shot her a look and she said noo never he is perfect.

When the vet did the flexion for me her face was classic I knew something was amiss she walked away and then had ohhhh sh8t look to her face.

Well sorry for ranting at least I didnt come home with him and ended up a wapping vet bill for a lame arthritic horse thankfully but I just wanted to have a rant :p my search goes on.

Maybe I will try a dealer :o)

[Mollymoo26]

Ps I got the vet to flexion on my own two as I am selling the welsh section D as I am now looking for a horse and I did want an andrulician but the buget has since changed and work commitments etc.

My two were both perfect and passed the flexion and wind tests with flying colours- one is 10 (Welsh section d)and the other 13 (Irish Cob) so no not all would fail a flexion test.

A vet cant make a sound horse go lame ;)

[eml]

A badly done flexion test can make a sound horse look lame. I only have one vet I would ever have vet a horse for me as I trust their methodology

[diplomaticandtactful]

when i was looking for a horse i saw one at a very nasty dealers yard, tb, ex racehorse, poor nick, rode beautifully, only 7yo. went with the vet when she vetted it, was so lame we never even trotted it up. had clearly been buted up to the eyeballs when i rode it.

atmosphere turned somewhat toxic at that moment, so vet and i legged it. horse was advertised next week, another local girl who was also looking rang me as we sometimes compared notes on horses we had been to see, if she saw one that wasn't right for her but thought it might be worth me going to see etc. she had rung up about him and been told that the potential buyer had messed them around, not had him vetted etc. total lies.

i often wonder what happened to him. i asked the vet if i could get him really cheap could i buy him and rest him but she said why buy a horse with three legs from the outset. of course she was right.

so i bought a cob, fully vetted, etc, written off and retired three years later as a complete dud. can't win can you!