Hello. Recently i have been looking at "For sale" ads online and found one that i really like. Its an 8 yo gelding. Not to flashy or anything just a plain horse. But how can i tell if its a scam? Please help. Thanks in advance!
Buying a Horse Online?
- Thread starter For the Love of Horses
- Start date
Arrange a viewing, if you like the horse view a second time and get the horse vetted before committing to anything I guess. Most people will advertise online these days as it's convenient and a wide audience. Maybe ask your instructor to come with you to see the horse?
Yep as toffle suggests, I would never buy unseen (in the flesh) unless it was a youngster or from someone I knew and trusted, even then, I drove 6 each way to see my girl as a yearling.
Do you mean a 'scam' as in there is no horse at all and you'll pay for something that never appears or a 'scam' as in 'not as advertised'? If the first, well it is highly unlikely! It's normally the other way around - scam buyers try to buy a horse you have advertised with some sort of over-payment scheme.
If the latter, you need to go and view the horse with someone experienced. Don't try and buy alone unless you know what you are doing. (I thought I DID know what I was doing and have still been bitten badly a couple of times). Never, never, never buy a horse unseen unless you are VERY VERY VERY experienced, know the breeder/producer/dealer, can afford it if the horse turns out unrideable and unsellable and can iron out any quirks or education/training gaps yourself.
If the latter, you need to go and view the horse with someone experienced. Don't try and buy alone unless you know what you are doing. (I thought I DID know what I was doing and have still been bitten badly a couple of times). Never, never, never buy a horse unseen unless you are VERY VERY VERY experienced, know the breeder/producer/dealer, can afford it if the horse turns out unrideable and unsellable and can iron out any quirks or education/training gaps yourself.
I would phone up and ask lots of questions. In reality, there are many horse ads that are totally fictional. The horse will be real enough, but how it is described can be open to huge interpretation. For instance 'suitable for a novice', could mean that it is suitable for a complete beginner or it could mean that it is suitable for someone to take round a novice event course! 'Live in or out' could mean that the horse is happy to be stabled, but could also mean that the horse will physically go into a stable but box walk and kick the door all day! People lie all the time when selling horses, the only way to find out for sure is to ask a million questions, take someone very experienced to view, NEVER be the first person to get on (get the owner to ride first) and never take anything at face value. For example, if the seller says the horse loads fine, don't take their word for it, ask to see it load.
Not sure if you mean just buying a horse off the internet without seeing it? Don't do that! You've got to try whatever horse you're interested in - and if you can't or won't get on, don't even think about buying it.
As far as 'scams' are concerned - a lot of horses are absolutely NOTHING like they're described in their sale ad. This isn't surprising, as the owner wants to sell, so may decide not to mention habits such as for example tanking off on hacks or rearing if you put your leg on. Unfortunately, the only way you can tell if a horse is as described is by going to see and ride it yourself - or even better, taking an experienced friend with you who'll be able to tell at a glance if it's too dangerous to ride, or drugged to make it rideable (which is something some unscrupulous sellers will do.) Buying a horse is a minefield! Good luck!
As far as 'scams' are concerned - a lot of horses are absolutely NOTHING like they're described in their sale ad. This isn't surprising, as the owner wants to sell, so may decide not to mention habits such as for example tanking off on hacks or rearing if you put your leg on. Unfortunately, the only way you can tell if a horse is as described is by going to see and ride it yourself - or even better, taking an experienced friend with you who'll be able to tell at a glance if it's too dangerous to ride, or drugged to make it rideable (which is something some unscrupulous sellers will do.) Buying a horse is a minefield! Good luck!
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