Buying Horses at Nationals or Worlds

[river]

For any of you that plan on picking up a horse at any of the shows or are having someone pick them up at a show. Please make sure that you make proper arrangements. Make sure either yourself, the seller or whoever is picking the horse up has reserved a stall. Also confirm when the horse transfers ownership and who is responsible for feeding and watering the horse the entire time it is at the show.

DO NOT ASSUME ANYTHING !!!!!

I know this sounds like common sense but unfortunately every year horses are left with no feed and water at these big shows. People leave at different times and everyone gets busy. Just remember it is the horse that suffers.

Thanks, River

 

[crponies]

Wow, that is too bad that horses get neglected like that. Thanks for the great reminder! You may have just prevented it from happening to some horses this year.

 

[Minimor]

Wow, sellers will actually walk away & leave their horse without making sure that the buyer has arrived & is aware that his new horse is there waiting for him to start taking care of it?

And buyers will actually arrange to pick a horse up at a show, but don't bother to make sure the horse is being cared for at the show?

Common sense would tell me that I should clarify with the other party who will look after the horse when....and regardless of which side of the deal I was on I would make sure that I had feed and water for the horse...just in case...and if I've got it the horse will soon have it. I'd have thought all sellers would be the same, and certainly buyers, whom I'd expect would be excited at the prospect of taking possession of their new horse.

I think that if I were selling, and buyer hadn't shown up by the time I was going to leave the horse....horse would go back home with me.

I once showed a horse for someone--a friend who lived 50 miles away. She couldn't attend the show so dropped her horse off at the show the night before--or actually had another friend drop the horse off. I got the horse ready and showed it. Friend was supposed to be there at the end of the 2nd day of showing to pick up her horse. We got our horses loaded up to come home & still no friend. Took ours home & went back to town to check. Sure enough, mare was still standing in her stall, everyone else was gone! We loaded her up & brought her home--kept her a month waiting for friend to pick her up, finally got fed up & hauled her home ourselves. Owner never once contacted us to find out where her horse was--I guess she assumed, but geez, you'd think she could have called to make sure????

So I suppose in view of that I shouldn't be so surprised that this happens with horses changing hands at Nationals.

 

[Lost Spoke Ranch]

Maybe we've just been fortunate. Our first AMHA World Sale the folks we purchased a mare from offered to take care of her during the show for us. We made contact promptly. At the sales when we offer horses we continue to take care of them until the new owners make contact with us. This way we are certain they are covered. We haven't had people not show up to take them, but if they didn't we would take them home.

I do have a suggestion that may be helpful. We always include our phone number on the stall if there are questions about the horse we are offering or if the new owners need to contact us for additional info. It would be helpful if more owners included their contact numbers on the sale horse stalls.

Dawn

 

[Julie/Azariah]

I think communication is key.

When I bought my mare and her colt at the AMHA World Show Sale a few years ago...it was just assumed that as soon as you bought the horse ... YOU were responsible for it.

You had til the next day to get it to a stall in the barns (out of the sale barn) and purchase shavings and resume feeding and care. if you didn't have an extra one... then you had to pay for another stall.

I talked to the seller as soon as I saw him at the sale about what kind of food and how much....but really, you are on your own.

The seller at an auction will typically not come to you with information.

As far as a transfer at a show... I would HOPE that buyer and seller would discuss care before the horse is being exchanged.

The big rule of thumb....NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING!!!

 

[Jean_B]

Happens more than you think. I was totally shocked when I went to watch at World one year - someone that is pretty well known here brought in a bunch of horses to either trade or had sold. Had not made any arrangements with new owners or arranged for stalls but stuck them in some stalls without paying for them. And then walked away. No feed, no water, no cleaning out of the stalls. People stalled in the vicinity gave them hay & water. Only reason the office got involved was because they were in stalls that weren't paid for. I think the horses were lucky to be going to new owners!

 

[Magic]

Whoa, Jean, that's awful!

I've gotten horses from Nationals many times, delivered sold horses a few times, and helped other people who couldn't be there to pick up their horse(s). As others have said, communication really is key. I've never had a problem at all, as both myself and the people I've dealt with have considered the horse's needs above everything else, and planned accordingly, right down to the details of who brings what feed and to last for how long. It's much the best if the horse is able to be *slowly* switched from their accustomed feed, especially with the stress of traveling and being at a show, etc.

These horses need to get out and get some exercise too. It's not as simple as it may seem at first, but it sure is convenient when one can pick up their new horse at the Nationals or World show!

 

[~Lisa~]

I have seen many a horse forgotten about at Nationals as well- not to the point of not getting fed but yes to the point of getting fed and watered once a day and not really let out of the stall. I think it is more of an issue when the horse is not stalled with the seller but with whoever the buyer is having bring the horse home. A great reminder this time of year- a lot of times the seller assumes buyers transport will care for the horse and buyers transport assumes seller will and well you know what they say about assuming

 

[Marty]

I am absolutely floored to hear these things go on.

Buyer or seller no matter my gosh, how could anyone just walk away and leave horses to fend for themselves without iron clad care arrangements in place? No excuse, none. Shame!