How common is this practice in the horseworld in general?

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MelissaAH

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I have a horse for sale. Prospective buyers came yesterday and really like him. They left a deposit and are awaiting the vet check. This is what they want to do. They want to get a hauler to haul the horse to their vet about 64 miles away. I said my instructor hauls but I found out only on the weekends and only locally. Their vet is only available on tues and thurs because he is semi retired. I work during the week and can't haul myself. They would pay in full for the horse before they took him.

But my worry is if he gets hurt on the way there then the vet says he unsound and now I have a unsellable horse. And they get their money back. I know most people are honest but is this common practice?

I have about 90% of people telling me "do not let your horse off your property, if they want him bad enough, their vet can travel or they can use a vet locally"

Then 10% saying this is common practice.

I left a message on the buyers cell phone yesterday stating that my hauler only hauls locally and works 9-5. I told them I did not feel comfortable letting the horse go off my property without me present. Could they see if their vet could travel and if not maybe he could recommend someone closer that would or I would be happy to give them a list to choose from for vets I have not used.

Am I being unreasonable? I have never sold a horse before.
 
Not at all, you are being prudent - the horse is still yours and if he were to get hurt while hauling, you would still be responsible for any charges incurred. The list of local vets should be very fair. If there is something specific that her vet would be looking for I would think that her vet could consult with the contracted vet and ask that those specific things be addressed.

S
 
I wouldn't want one of my horses taken off of my property for a vet check if I weren't going with him (unless I knew the prospective buyers REALLY well). As you said, too much could happen. I know that sometimes full-size horses are allowed to go home with prospective buyers on a "trial period" but I can't imagine doing that either.

I say follow your "gut feelings"; if you don't feel comfortable doing it, then don't! Not unreasonable in the slightest, IMO.
 
I agree, especially if you dont know who is hauling your horse. I have seen some folks hauling horses that I would not even want to drive with, let alone be towed behind them in a trailer! And these are folks who have horses and should know better.

Everyone I know, and experience here over the years, will have a vet come to where the horse is located for a vet check- not haul it somewhere else....

Just edited to note, I know someone who let two horses go on a 'trial period' and one of them was seriously injured while at the other person's place.... so I have never offered that.. either you buy it or you dont.
 
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I agree with you Melissa. I would want the horse vet checked BEFORE they left my property.

Also, make sure you have a contract...
 
Thanks! He is my full size horse.....but he is not going for a trial period. I sell him and I get my mini....but I am not risking him being taken away. If I could go that would be one thing but I can't.

I guess I will wait and see what they say when they call back. I did leave a message in detain (not rude or mean) just what I felt. I usually would not leave it as a message but would rather talk on the phone but I am really concerned and if they listened to my message it will give them time to think it over.
 
No. Don't even think about it. Let them pay their vet to come to you or have their vet CONSULT with a vet in your area (of their choice).

If something were to happen to your horse I am sure you would be stuck with the bill. Hey, you could be stuck with a seriously injured horse as well. You know Murphy's Law....what can go wrong "can" go wrong. (well I changed the wording a bit but you catch my drift) I have had many vet checks done and my vet, if necessary, always works very closely with the other. Not a problem.
 
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Thanks again...you have all settled my mind. My friend said her husband who is a dressage instrutor and rider said it was common. I asked about someone about it and they said "In the Dressage world, most people are known to have big money so theft usually doesn't come in to play"

being that this is my first horse I ever sold I felt a little intimidated because the buyers are so experineced.
 
I think a lot of it depends on your location. Most people want to vet check a large horse so they can get x-rays.

I have found in some areas it is very common for vets to carry portable x-ray machines and in others it is simply unheard of and you must bring the horse into a clinic to get the x-rays done.

If this is the case then I would simply find a way to haul the horse to the vet yourself. You can more then likely call a vet clinic and they usually have people who will haul short distances (up to 100 miles) they can recommend. You can ask her to pay that as part of the vet check expense.

That said it is not all that uncommon in the large horse world for a horse to leave one show barn and go to another on a trial basis for a couple of weeks and be vet checked at the prospective buyers barn.
 
I would forbid a sale horse from leaving the barn without a significant NONREFUNDABLE deposit. They can select a vet closer to you or they can pay to have the vet drive to your place... there is no inbetween. The only thing they can not/should not do is have YOU select the vet. You can provide them with an UNBIASED list of vets in your area with yours highlighted (they should not use your vet) and they can do the legwork to find which vet is best for them. But the horse under no circumstances leaves the property in the hands of any commercial or otherwise shipper.
 
I have to agree with your husband on this. It is very common with big horses particularily performance horses.
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All the sales we do are as per a contract that says the horse is the property of the new owner from the time picked up. We also have them sign a release upon pick up that the horse is in good visible condition unless a notation is made on the contract.
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But with that said the sale is contingent upon the horse being vet checked within 5 days of transfer of possession, if an un-seen problem is found then the written instruction on the contract states they must contact us within that 5 days by phone and also provide a written description of the perceived problem.
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We then have the right to request inspection of the horse by our vet to examine the horse for verification. Transportation to our vet is provided by the new owner.
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The new owner is responsible for proper care and handling of the horse prior to return to our farm after verification of the problem. Or the entire guarantee is voided.

Then the new owner is entitled to a complete credit towards a new horse. So far in over twenty plus year we have not had one returned, except for one that ended up not being pregnant. Which ended up being a good thing as she later has had us a really nice show filly. LOL
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I too would be nervous about letting a horse off the property in a strangers care. However, I completely understand why they want to use their own vet, and I would want the same. Tough situation and not one I have encountered. I have never and don't picture myself needing a vet check done on a mini. I always did it with my eventers, but their work was much more taxing than what minis do, and I needed to make sure they could handle it. Plus, they were mostly TB's off the track, so you never know what problems they might have.
 
They would pay in full for the horse before they took him.

You stated that your prospective buyers would pay for the horse in full before they took him. At this point, I would consider the sale complete and they accept him as is without a vet check. Also, if the horse is paid for in full before he left your property to travel to thier vet 60 miles away anything that may happen during transit would be their responsibility, not yours. And if something did happen during transit, I sure wouldn't feel like you had to refund any money, since the horse was already paid for in full. I still probably wouldn't let them take the horse to their vet on a "paid in full" until the check cleared my bank.

Sounds like you may need to work with a contract.

On the flip side, I agree with everyone else on taking the horse just on a deposit to a vet that far away without you being along. When we sold our big horses, I always attended a vet check with my potential buyers, even with my own vet.
 

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