Buyers advice to a seller

[mydaddysjag]

I noticed the thread about horse sales, and since I'm currently in the market I thought I would give a few tips that I as a buyer do/don't like to see.

If you post on the LB sales board please post pictures, I usually won't even reply to an ad that doesn't have a photo. I like to know what Im inquiring on before I waste your time on a horse that is not the build I am looking for.

Do not list horses that you know are pet or performance quality as top notch halter prospects, It reduces the chances of me considering a horse from you in the future, since I generally think you don't have an eye for halter quality.

Break your weanlings to halter, lead, pick up feet, and tie. I will pay at least $200 more for a horse that has the basics of ground manners.

Do not advertise horses for sale without sale prices. I am looking for a halter prospect, and generally what I would like to have my barn is not what I could afford in my barn, and to save myself embarrassment of not being able to afford your $5,000 horse I wont even inquire.

Post pictures of both sides of the horse, front, hand with tail moved so I can see legs, and teeth. Those are always the photos I ask for, so it would probably be easier to just list them anyway.

Keep the vet records on the horses. I really look up to a seller who can give me all of the horses health information when I purchase a horse.

Offer show and gelding discounts. Do not offer a show discount that is only $100-$200 less than regular price, because you and I both know it is going to cost me at least that much to show the horse 1 time.

Offer payment plans, even on your cheaper horses.

Do NOT advertise your horse with a very outdated picture. For example, I went to see a horse who was being sold as a show horse, and the pictures used to advertised were show pictures, however when I went to see the horse it was not in the condition I thought it was in, and that was a bit upsetting as I drove pretty far to see the horse.

I know a lot of you keep your minis on turnout 24x7 so this isnt an option, but for those who can, doing a head and neck clip (not ears, etc) will get me a lot more interested. I'm a sucker for a nice head, but I find it impossible to see past the winter yack look. Give me an idea what is under that winter coat.

That brings up another thing, if you are taking sale pictures of a horse, please at least take the time to brush it, vacuum it if you can, and in general clean it up. If its warm enough, use the spot remover spray on the filthy pintos or palominos. If just gives a nicer presentation, and makes your farm look more professional.

There's a lot more I'm sure, but it's late and im getting tired. Maybe some other people will chime as well and we can help you guys out with getting those horses moving for decent prices.

 

[MiLo Minis]

You are making it a bit difficult for the seller. On one hand you say don't use outdated photos showing a horse that is ready to show and on the other hand you say you can't see past a "yak" coat. What are you supposed to do if you are selling a horse in the winter and it just isn't feasible to clip? I use my show photos to show you what my horses can look like but in the winter they are fat and fluffy and there is not a darn thing I can do about that!

 

[Marnie]

Some of your requests are good, some are not reality. One is that you would like people to post teeth pictures, leg, etc, can you imagine if every ad on the sale board had all of these pictures, what a cluttered mess it'd be. And just so you know, some people don't know how to post pictures. If you pass by the ones without any pictures, you could be hurting yourself but that's your decision, of course.

I don't think payment plans should always be offered or expected either, I have people in a couple states that owe me money and I'll never get it and the poor horses will suffer, never getting their reg papers. And if you mean to keep a horse at the farm until paid for, for me if I sell a horse, I'd like it gone as I don't want it here for one reason or another or I wouldn't be selling it.

One of my pet peeves is when people don't list their location.

 

[Anne]

I am more than happy to work with whatever a buyer would like to see in the way of pictures, however I do not put them up on an ad.

We are reducing our herd so am able to look at offers,. I have a couple of horses seriously reduced but have not needed to consider payments on the lowest priced horses simply because it hasn't been asked for. If someone does ask for payments we have a contract that will work and the horse needs to stay here until paid in full.

It's a hard learned lesson.

I do my best with pictures, I am not good at it really and the first comment I get usually is that the horses is SO much better than the pic. That's good and frustrating at the same time for me. Iit is winter in Wisconsin and I won't even clip heads and necks here until we get through the winter, so pictures from the recent past are the best I can do if someone can't see through the hair, I guess they won't buy from here but it's all I can do.

 

[cretahillsgal]

I agree with most everything that you have said, except for the head/neck clipping in the winter. I have summer pics of all of my horses to show if you want to see them without all the hair, but right now they are hairy little buffalo and I would be worried about them getting sick by clipping their hair off in the middle of winter.

I also want to add that I don't think it is very nice to advertise a horse as AMHA/AMHR and then when you pick up the horse you are handed the registration application along with a signed transfer. I have purchased a couple foals where I had to fill out the application, transfer to me, take the pics and PAY for all of this myself! I don't think that is good business. I can understand if the papers just haven't been sent in yet on a young foal, but at least offer to pay for the initial application. These were some of the very first minis that I purchased and I know better now.

 

[Riverdance]

I think you are being unreasonable regarding pictures and clipping heads and neck on horses in the winter for pictures.

First, show pictures show you what the horse looks like in show condition, when it was showing. Do you have any idea the work that is needed to keep a horse in show condition? Plus how unfair to a horse to be in show training 365 days a year. They need breaks too. Now if a farm has lots of horses, it would be impossible to keep all of the horses in that condition. Surfice it to say, that if the horse looked that good when conditioned, it can look that good again. Most post show horses take on weight and do not look the same as they did while showing. Stallions get cresty necks if not sweated, Broodmares get heavy looking too. Just look at yourself and your mother. Look what she looked like in her prime, does she still look that way? Now she may have been beautiful, and you may be too, but one does not always stay that way. Age takes us down. But, if your mother was beautiful, the chances are you will be too. So why can not a beautiful mare who produces beautiful foals, not be worth buying because she herself is not longer as beautiful as she once was?

Many farms show horses, and while they are in condition and being shown, they can get top dollar for those horses, especially the ones that are winning. You say you can not afford the higher prices, but want a horse all ready to show. One can not have both.

I personally would question a farm that is willing to clip the heads and necks of horses during the winter months. Would you like to get a horse who's ears fall off because of frostbite? Just so that you can see what the horse looks like now? I have seen it happen. All it needs to do is have the temperatures get below freezing. That takes care of a good portion of of the US.

Also, would you only shop in warm climates, forgoing cold climates because you want to see what a horse looks like NOW? You are missing out on some really FINE horses. Take First Knight for instance. They live in Canada and have some of the finest horses. All of Canada is under snow right now.

As a seller, it drives me nuts when someone wants updated pictures of the horses I have for sale. I take the time to get pictures of them during the summer months when they look pretty good. Since I live in Minnesota, these horses now have more than 4" of hair on their bodies. Now the horse has not changed it's looks since August (especially mature horses). But many buyers want us to take more pictures, saying that " you can see through all of that hair" NO YOU CAN'T.

As a buyer you have to do your homework better. Are you looking for a show horse to show? One with a record? Then you have to pay the price for such a horse. Are you looking for a show prospect? Do you know what a show prospect should look like? Many sellers will say they have show prospects, but their horses have never won anything. Or have won only a local backyard show. You need to do your reasearch too!! You also have to decide what you want. Show or breeding prospect? See pcitures of what the stallions and broodmares have produced if that is what you are looking for. Bloodlines do not mean much at all. Many a top bloodline has produced garbage and many an unknown horse has produced something beautiful. KNOW WHAT A GOOD HORSE IS SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE BEFORE YOU BUY!!

Most of all, do not be ureasonable with the sellers. They want to sell, and those that show, want their horses in show homes. Many times the asking price may not be the selling price. I will give a good discount to a show home, as I am sure many show breeding farms will. But, if I have put the time, effort and money into showing a horse, the price on that horse will be higher than ones just starting out.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

Ok as a buyer I do like to see horses in current condition, even if they are fuzzy and yes maybe a little bit more plump. It does give you an idea at what they currently look like and as a smart buyer I know they aren't going too look their best in winter, but it does help to see what their current condition is. Especially if you can't see that horse in person.

I do look at horses on the sales page with photos only. I'm sorry thats just the way I roll. If your ad does not have a photo, that doesn't me I won't look at it, but you better give me a reason to look at your ad. Their are so many ads on the sales page you got to find a way to get attention. As far as putting every single picture on their, I don't think the sales board is the best way to do it. Yes I like to look at all those pictures too, thats why as a seller I try to put it on my website. I like halter posses, movement pictures, head, leg, and bite shots. Videos are even nicer, altho I have dial-up, but I'm sure its nicer lol. I also like clean horses too look at, just brush them out a little bit. What also drives me nuts is sometimes people is selling a mature horse but they only advertise with a baby photo, or just a photo where you can't even see the horse.

I appreciate payment plans, I like gelding discounts, I also like show discounts. However I don't expect show discounts on a horse that person doesn't even have their farm name on the horse.

My horses I sell will know the basic ground work. They will leave with current negative coggins test and health papers, and be givien health information on that horse. They will also leave with papers in hand and those papers will be UTD.

I do like the seller to be honest about their horse. What do you see about its best or worst conformation fault? What do you see this horse's potential in? If I get a horse and they don't do anything like the seller had said more then likely I will not go back to that person.

Also please give an honest height, and a current measurment. Please list your price, please list your location.

As far as clipping their heads is concerned, I agree with everyone else Winter time is the worst time to ask sellers to do that. I won't do that. I will give nice head shots, but they will be fuzzy. Now I don't see it a problem with it during the other seansons but winter, the horse is meant to be fuzzy. Thats why it is most difficult IMO to sell a horse during winter.

Oh also I like to see pedigree information. I want to know that horse's background.

 

[mydaddysjag]

I wanted to clarify a few things. I don't expect ANYONE to do all of those things, they are just things that I really appreciate as a buyer, for any horse not just a miniature. Maybe one thing on the list is feasible for you to do, and is greatly appreciated by a buyer.

As far as posting all around pictures of the horse, I'm mostly talking about those who have web pages for their sale pages. A lot of times many sellers have many poses of the same horse, when if feasible It would be better for me to see all around photos.

As far as me seeing recent photos, I'm currently looking at young prospects, which go through a lot of changes while they are growing. I didn't mean that brand new pictures need taken every month, but I would like to know what condition a horse is in before I purchase it. I will point out though that some of the horses I have looked into were horses that I would have to have shipped, so I would not have visited them in person before purchasing.

As far as performance or pet quality horses being sold as halter prospects, Im not talking about horses who are slightly off balance, I was more talking about horses with obvious faults like cow hocks.

As far as advertising a horse with outdated pictures, the specific horse I was speaking of was advertised as a show quality horse, and had pictures that were over a year old. When I went to see the horse it had an eye injury that made him unshowable. That was never mentioned until I got there, and it was a long drive to see a horse that wasn't suitable for what I wanted.

Also as far as the head and neck clipping, I do not expect anyone who is not capable of keeping the horse warm and out of elements to clean up any hair, but even on my own horse I at least cleanup his winter hair. I do a short bridle path, and I also trim some of the hair down on his head. I don't head and neck clip him by any means, but I do take scissors and trim the unkempt hairs.

I am sorry if I offended anyone, I didn't mean to at all. I just thought that I would point a few things that set sellers apart from others for me.

 

[whitney]

Mydaddy THANK YOU. I've been looking for a mare for over a year now so believe you me I have been to every website known to man in the hunt.

Sellers take a lesson from Martys website if your SERIOUS about selling have pictures BEFORE you say I want to sell, can't tell you how many times I've waited for pictures. If your selling a driving horse GET A VIDEO someone interested in a driving horse is NOT going to buy off the internet without it. Know the COLOR of your horse, if you don't know post a picture here and get opinions FIRST.

I KNOW its hard to take good pictures but the sale of your horse DEPENDS on good pictures and video, so keep trying until you get them.

If you take what Mydaddy stated to heart I BET you would have MANY more horses sold, and for more money.

I've done a video of my mare Tweet and pictures that I could use to sell her just in case something happens to me and it has to be done. It shows her driving, a showmanship pattern, jumping and liberty. I've also done a collage of pictures. I plan to do the same with Dusty and Trystan just as soon as they get their driving STEADY.

Just my opinion but if I saw this photo, and then was immediately sent the video it would sell me.

This collage also shows her offspring

 

[Carolyn R]

As a seller, it drives me nuts when someone wants updated pictures of the horses I have for sale. I take the time to get pictures of them during the summer months when they look pretty good. Since I live in Minnesota, these horses now have more than 4" of hair on their bodies. Now the horse has not changed it's looks since August (especially mature horses). But many buyers want us to take more pictures, saying that " you can see through all of that hair" NO YOU CAN'T.

I agree with most of what has been said. In regards to the comment above, I don't mean to single it out, it is just my general thought on the matter. I like to see picture of the horse now as well as any a seller may have from previous months with a horse in a summer coat. My reason, a horse can look like a yak, but you can still tell if they are brushed, feet trimmed, if their coat looks to be somewhat healthy, if there are any shaved areas that just shouldn't be there (as if the animal has had a cath put in for dehydration/colic, but the seller forgot to mention this). As much as I always want to trust a seller, it is buyer beware. What I dislike as a buyer is a seller that won't even attempt to take a current pic, send both old and new. I know people that will spiff a horse up in June, and not touch it again till next year (feet and all

)

Shaving in the winter, besides clipping the whiskers and a bridle path, I don't think that is a reasonable request. What I can say for myself is, I don't expect any more from a seller than I would expect of myself.... a horse that is clean, without wads of mud in their hair, a brushed mane and tail, clean clear eyes without goop, feet that are trimmed, I am sure there are other things I notice in a picture, even in a winter photo. And there are tons of things a picture can't tell of course, soundness, integrity of the seller, vaccination history, temperment.......

One more thing I need to add is, if the ad doesn't have a price, check their website if they have one. I for one am running 20% off their listed price untill Christmas. I have my horses listed for sale on my site, I may post one pic of a horse that is for sale, then state that others are available on my website, which I think is reasonable to direct a buyer to a site rather than repost everything on a salesboard or internet ad. Most sites have pictures of the sire on the stallions page, and the dam on the mare's page (I know mine does) easy enough. I do personally hate sites that have NO prices listed,

Carolyn

 

[Riverdance]

I wanted to clarify a few things. I don't expect ANYONE to do all of those things, they are just things that I really appreciate as a buyer, for any horse not just a miniature. Maybe one thing on the list is feasible for you to do, and is greatly appreciated by a buyer.
As far as posting all around pictures of the horse, I'm mostly talking about those who have web pages for their sale pages. A lot of times many sellers have many poses of the same horse, when if feasible It would be better for me to see all around photos.

As far as me seeing recent photos, I'm currently looking at young prospects, which go through a lot of changes while they are growing. I didn't mean that brand new pictures need taken every month, but I would like to know what condition a horse is in before I purchase it. I will point out though that some of the horses I have looked into were horses that I would have to have shipped, so I would not have visited them in person before purchasing.

As far as performance or pet quality horses being sold as halter prospects, Im not talking about horses who are slightly off balance, I was more talking about horses with obvious faults like cow hocks.

As far as advertising a horse with outdated pictures, the specific horse I was speaking of was advertised as a show quality horse, and had pictures that were over a year old. When I went to see the horse it had an eye injury that made him unshowable. That was never mentioned until I got there, and it was a long drive to see a horse that wasn't suitable for what I wanted.

Also as far as the head and neck clipping, I do not expect anyone who is not capable of keeping the horse warm and out of elements to clean up any hair, but even on my own horse I at least cleanup his winter hair. I do a short bridle path, and I also trim some of the hair down on his head. I don't head and neck clip him by any means, but I do take scissors and trim the unkempt hairs.

I am sorry if I offended anyone, I didn't mean to at all. I just thought that I would point a few things that set sellers apart from others for me.

I do not think anyone is offended, but it is just as hard for the sellers as it is for the buyers. Many buyers are unreasonable. I have had buyers ask me for updated pictures of mares that are 7 ,8 years old. I send them pictures that were just taken a couple of months before fall. The pictures are usually only about 3 to 4 months old and they want updated pictures. Now my mare is very hairy and it is hard to tell their conformation. I have buyers ask me to take pictures over and over again.

One asked me 12 times for more pictures

. Then she says she wants to wait till the mare has shed out again.

An 8 year old mare is not going to have any different conformation then she had the summer before. I had a woman from overseas ask me for pictures of one of my stallions. I sent her summer pictures (by the way, I have bite ,front and rear shots handy of all my sale horses). She liked what she saw, but wanted updated hairy shots. Knowing better, I took some (after cleaning up the boy) and sent them to her. She still liked them, but then wanted a video. She was not looking for a driving horse, just wanted to make sure he had motion. I sent her shots of him trotting too, showing he had motion, but she wanted a video. Well, you can imagine a small stallion with 4 " of hair on him trotting around calling the girls. She loved his motion, but decided not to buy because he had no neck. SAY WHAT? He had plenty of neck in all the still shots, but when he was trotting he threw his head up to call for the girls and with all the hair, looked like he had no neck. THEY CAN NOT SEE THROUGH ALL THAT HAIR!!

I have never sold a horse on a hairy picture when the buyer wanted more. I have had some come up to me at a show later on and say they should have bought the horse as a weanling, as they really like him as a yearling, but now I am showing that yearling and he is winning and his price has gone higher.

The seller who sent you pictures and did not tell you about the eye injury should be shot!! That is unfair and only setting you up for dissapointment. Did she really think you were going to buy? I am sorry you went through that. I can understand wanting updated pictures to make sure there are no injurys with the horse, but you should not be judging conformation with a very hairy horse. I do not feel anyone can tell total conformation on a horse that has 4" of hair.

I would also suggest that if you see a colt or filly that you like, but do not like the price, to at least try. You may be surprised. A seller may come down in price to where you can afford a good quality show horse. As long as you are showing the horse, sellers tend to be more rasonable with their prices. They want their good horses out there showing. They can not show them all. The farms that have big names, they do not have to come down in price as they have many buyers coming for their good horses, so look to the smaller farms that have winning horses. You may be pleasently surprised.

 

[allaboutminis]

[SIZE=12pt]yes that seller should be shot...[/SIZE]

i would not head or neck clip in the winter either just to cold for that. as far as payment plans i do know a lot of farms do it. i can think of one that gets 5000. for a unborn horse all that breeder guarantee is a live baby and you have 13 months to have it paid in full. and i would buy one in a hart beat because i love that blood line and i do know what is behind it..

you do have some good points but in the same token be for real in it comes to a horse that is a 5 year old they are not going to change but one that is 1to 3 will change.

yes in the summer i would like to see a up dated pic too. i would not like to see one that is a year old pic.

you can also go to some sales where people is selling and get some good horses too that has been showen. and you can start there. please dont judge a horse by there winter coats. i do think that is when they are the cute.

if you do go to a rep. breeder you will have to pay.

am sorry i hate when i have some one to come to my farm and looking for a gelding and they find one that they like and they want that horse so bad when that buyer wants to know the price they b!tch about it because it is a gelding they are just as good a stud or a mare.

just be careful do your homework. check the seller out. and the farm. ask around and some people will tell yes that horse is a good one or not that horse is not.

there are alot of breeders that will help you out

missie

 

[Reble]

Well, I guess I am feeling a bit like you do.

Now, you guys sound like my husband, get a hair cut get a cold..sorry just had to say that.

Well, I did clip my geldings that where for sale just in November just face and part neck, and legs to the knees. Other wise they did look like little buffalos.

They where getting groomed once a week and handled.

Well, here in Ontario they just sold, they had already grown enough hair to keep them warm in the winter and growing in pretty fast. I believe mother nature knows best.

All my minis I try to keep a bridle path clear and whiskers down especially under the chin and feet around the hoofs trimmed all winter long. Easier for the farrier to trim hoofs without all the mud and ice forming.

Well, my geldings did sale, so maybe it did help... only up for sale for a couple of weeks.

Oh and the price was right.

Needed to think of selling before keeping them through the winter, need to keep in mind if sold before winter reduces the cost of vet bills, trimming feet, grooming and feed etc.

I agree if you want to sell, must make more of an effort, I do understand what you are saying.

 

[Katiean]

How about if you are going to use the show pictures, include a winter woolies or current pic so the buyer can see what the horse looked like in the ring and what it looks like the day you list it? That way the buyer can have an idea of what is under the wollies and not be dissapointed when they get to your farm. Also list AMHA or AMHR or both and their height.

 

[Marty]

Ahhhhhhh Whitney, you remember that ad I had on my website.

Whitney is referring to a horse I had for sale in the past. On my website sales page I showed serious close ups of legs, feet, and yes the bite. All these pictures were taken from different angels. I showed the horse in show shape condition complete with eye goop and slicked mane, then also field photos of her looking natural. Needless to say that mare sold to a perfect home in record time.

I realize I now have old pictures of my horses on my websites and I think that is fine as long as they have not changed at all in appearence. That's because I don't have help getting pictures taken. I don't see anything wrong with it as long as I am not misrepresenting any of my animals. If anyone requested new pictures, I'd bend over backwards to do it.

That being said the only thing I would ad to this thread is for sellers not to buy a horse based on professional pictures at all. Photographers know their business is to make a horse look terrific and they have the expertise on how to do this. Be sure that you always ask for recent pictures without the goop in a natural state so you won't be shocked when your horse gets delivered to you.

 

[HGFarm]

Yes, a pet peeve is no price, no height, no registry listed and a horse being advertised that is now mature but the pic is a weanling or yearling pic!

I do not send show type pics to folks.... I try to send lots of 'every day' pics, so there are NO surprizes about what they are going to get and look at every day. I've known of sellers who will not do this, will not provide pics of the horse's dam, though they own it, and will advertise with one or two 'gooped up, clipped out, perfect' show type pics- and that is all you're going to get. No pics of bite, legs, sire or dam, etc...... or just an every day pic to just see them as they are.

If you like them in the 'every day' pics. you will love them in show shape in a show pic.

 

[River Wood]

What I would like to add is....

to those who are looking to purchase, and who have requested the seller to send info, photos etc, PLEASE please at least be polite enough to reply back to the seller sending this information to you, to at least let them know that you did receive the information.

I will always bend over backwards to send any photo that a perspective buyer may want, I have absolutely no problem with that and am always glad to do it. An email however, just stating that, I received your photos thank you, would be nice.

 

[Riverdance]

As a seller, it drives me nuts when someone wants updated pictures of the horses I have for sale. I take the time to get pictures of them during the summer months when they look pretty good. Since I live in Minnesota, these horses now have more than 4" of hair on their bodies. Now the horse has not changed it's looks since August (especially mature horses). But many buyers want us to take more pictures, saying that " you can see through all of that hair" NO YOU CAN'T.

I agree with most of what has been said. In regards to the comment above, I don't mean to single it out, it is just my general thought on the matter. I like to see picture of the horse now as well as any a seller may have from previous months with a horse in a summer coat. My reason, a horse can look like a yak, but you can still tell if they are brushed, feet trimmed, if their coat looks to be somewhat healthy, if there are any shaved areas that just shouldn't be there (as if the animal has had a cath put in for dehydration/colic, but the seller forgot to mention this). As much as I always want to trust a seller, it is buyer beware. What I dislike as a buyer is a seller that won't even attempt to take a current pic, send both old and new. I know people that will spiff a horse up in June, and not touch it again till next year (feet and all

)

Shaving in the winter, besides clipping the whiskers and a bridle path, I don't think that is a reasonable request. What I can say for myself is, I don't expect any more from a seller than I would expect of myself.... a horse that is clean, without wads of mud in their hair, a brushed mane and tail, clean clear eyes without goop, feet that are trimmed, I am sure there are other things I notice in a picture, even in a winter photo. And there are tons of things a picture can't tell of course, soundness, integrity of the seller, vaccination history, temperment.......

One more thing I need to add is, if the ad doesn't have a price, check their website if they have one. I for one am running 20% off their listed price untill Christmas. I have my horses listed for sale on my site, I may post one pic of a horse that is for sale, then state that others are available on my website, which I think is reasonable to direct a buyer to a site rather than repost everything on a salesboard or internet ad. Most sites have pictures of the sire on the stallions page, and the dam on the mare's page (I know mine does) easy enough. I do personally hate sites that have NO prices listed,

Carolyn

Carolyn,

In some parts of the country it is really hard to keep the horses clean. Depending on the time of year, it could be raining for days and mud inches deep. Or snow feet high. It is too cold to clean coats and brushing coats that are 4" long does not take out the mud, just spreads it around. One has to be careful of doing bridle paths if horses are outside all winter long. I have a heated barn, where my show horses and foaling dams are, starting in late winter. But otherwise, all of my horses are outside. I have very large run in shelters for all of the horses and have no more than 8 to a paddock area. Wind knots are a given (very windy on the plains), muddy coats are not unusual if we have had a thaw or a lot of rain. Brushing will just spread the mud around and washing the horse is out of the question in the cold. That is why pictures are taken in the summer when the coats are clean and short and we do not have days and days of mud and rain.

to those who are looking to purchase, and who have requested the seller to send info, photos etc, PLEASE please at least be polite enough to reply back to the seller sending this information to you, to at least let them know that you did receive the information

Riverwood, well said. I will also try to accomodate anyone asking for extra pictures, please understand that it is a lot of work in this part of the country during the winter and early spring, to take them, so all I would ask is that you at least let me know that you got them.

 

[Kitty]

HOLY COW OH!

After reading this I have a feeling most of you hate my ads then

because I'm the one with the NOT SERIOUS ADS EVERY WEEK

OH well. I have fun writing them

And yep my horses have a easy 4-5 inches of FUZZIES and I am the world's worst photographer

. Ask anyone that come here and I have heard said " Really that is the same horse she looks really good, your picture is awful". THANK YOU JODIE for coming here every year so I don't have to do pictures anymore.

 

[MountainMeadows]

I would also ask that potential buyers be understanding. Taking pictures is really a 2 person, sometimes 3 person job in order to really get a decent picture - for some of us this just isn't possible when the spouse is on opposite shifts -- add to that a work schedule and winter hours when it is dark at 4 pm, throw in some cold weather, horrible rain & mud and you are left with a very limited amount of time when pictures can even be taken - as in the weekends.

I usually prefer to send videos to people - for me they are easier to do than pictures, the buyer gets to see every aspect of the horse - and trust me they are NOT edited, professional videos - the horse is as it is, and the movement is not "cropped" to show a few short seconds over & over. We video the horse walking up and down the aisle, set up from both sides, usually show the sire & dam, give a close up of the head and bite - and we give a lot of footage of each horse - we try to get the horses outside to allow them to show their movement since our farm has a decent reputation for producing "moving machines" - they don't always cooperate for us when it comes to that task, but at least the buyer gets an honest look at the horse moving and can see lift, rotation of shoulder, neckset, hock & knee potential action, attitude, etc.

After the video is done, there is the copying of the original so that I can keep the master and not have to bug my husband too frequently to help me with new footage - again, time, time, time -- all in all it is a lot of work for a potential sale, work that we breeders/sellers are willing to do, but only ask that the potential buyer not lead us astray with outlandish claims and false promises - these are taken seriously by those who are doing this as a longtime breeding program, and to have one of my "show babies" end up grazing away in a pasture after having been given a hefty show home discount is truly devastating to a breeder (both economically and also for the purpose of trying to get those show babies out there to be seen) - granted, things happen, but just as often the buyer knows right up front that they have no intention of showing and are just looking for a price break.

I won't even go into the broken promises about payment, care, etc - just suffice to say that being on the selling end of a "deal" isn't always the best place to be, frequently the buyer takes advantage of a seller knowingly and with intent and absolutely no guilt or remorse whatsoever -- so for all that claim: "Let the Buyer Beware" -- there are also those of us who have sadly taken to feeling: "Proceed with Caution - Curves Ahead!"

All in all, I truly believe that the world of miniature horse people is one of the best, and have made countless wonderful friends all over the world because of these special little equine animals - I feel truly honored to be part of such an evolution.

Regards,

Stacy