Unsuitable buyer wants your horse

[Annetta]

If someone comes to your farm to look at a horse that is for sale, and they like the horse & want to buy....but while they are there talking about the horse & their plans & various other things they let slip some other things about how they care for their other animals (or rather how they don't care for their other animals!)--not horses, but other species of animals & in your opinion that lack of care amounts to cruelty (denying the animal veterinary care that it obviously needs because they don't consider it worthy of having money spent on it, so the animal is just left to suffer & slowly die).

I realize some people may still sell to someone like this, since they do say their horses will get the necessary care, but this question is for those of you that decide this person is not a suitable buyer for your horse. Do you come right out & say I'm sorry, I refuse to sell this horse (or any horse) to you, or do you make up some excuse?

This situation came up with my neighbor the other day; she made up an excuse, I said I would probably have come right out & told the truth, but then I got wondering if I really would have if I were the one in that position. Or would I have wimped out & made up an excuse too?

 

[backwoodsnanny]

I have never really had this happen exactly this way but I did have someone inquire about a filly I had for sale that had a bad bite that I personally would not breed and I put it in the contract that she should not be bred but I got a feeling from one lady that despite what I told her she would still breed her somewhere down the road and I guess I did wimp out as I didnt tell her that the reason I wasnt selling the filly to her was because I didnt trust her I simply told her that another couple had already given me a deposit which they did the NEXT afternoon.

As for the situation you describe it would come under the same heading Someone I wouldnt want to trust so probably I would wimp out in that situation as well.

 

[randy]

I am a very animal rights person an I deff. would just tell them or make something up! I could not or would not let anyone have one of my babies!!!! Expecially if they make comments that make you question their ability to care for them! I guess that is why I do not breed because in my eyes there are to many cruel people out in the world. I am not saying anything against anybody cause I am blessed with my baby that I got from somebody who sells them! If you have a feeling I would just act on it!

I help at the local no kill animal shelter and I mess with animal abuse cases all the time!!!! So I am very picky with people!

Hope I was of any help!

 

[carlenehorse]

This happened to me last week. I have a local ad for my 7 month old filly and 6 month old colt and she called wanting them both. I say no problem and than she started asking questions like "If i breed this filly this year when will I have a foal" :new_shocked:

Well needless to say I told her that if you breed a horse this young it will kill her. Her response was well we breed our sheep like that. I told her this is not a sheep it was a horse and I decided to hold off on selling them right not till the spring that they needed to be with there mother somemore.

 

[Marnie]

I never thought about this before but now that I do, I guess I make excuses. And it certainly does happen. This is just one instance. I was going to offer two of my old mares that are pregnant to this woman for a very reduced price as she said she'd give them a great forever home. But after a few letters, it became obvious that she was only interested in the foals so I told her I'd decided to keep the old gals. So I guess I wimp out but I think it's a small, small "mini" world and a person has to try to maintain a good reputation, if you get someone mad, regardless of the reason, who know's what they tell the next person and the next person. Next thing you know, you're the evil one when you did nothing so I wimp.

 

[Sanny]

I don't think it is "wimping out" if you make "excuses"....they are not really excuses after all....just additional reasons why not to sell to someone and usually the "excuses" are true anyway and you really always need to go with your gut instincts.

I did once sell a horse to someone that I wished I hadn't but not because of concern about care it would receive. It was a riding horse and I just wasn't sure the horse was a good match for the person and I did bring that up to her. The horse could be a butt head sometimes and I was very honest and she wanted her husband (who doesn't ride) to be able to ride this horse too and I didn't feel he was a beginner horse. She was going to be boarding it at a very nice barn and I knew he woul get good care that didn't have an opening for a month so I let her put a deposit on the horse and keep it at my house for a month and she came over and rode him and spent a lot of time with him and there were no red flags or anything I just had a feeling I couldn't put my finger on. I even let her and her husband use my other horse so they could go trail riding together and really get to know the horse they were buying before they made the final payment and took him. I really wanted it to work for them and I feel went the extra mile. I ended up including a nice saddle and bridle in the package so that the horse would have familiar equipment that I knew fit and he was comfortable with and we trailered him to his new home at no charge.

Sure enough....just a few months later I saw him for sale on equine.com with a comment "spirited horse that could probably use more training". I felt bad that I didn't go with my gut feeling. I just would rather have found him a long term home rather than go through a mismatch and being sold again so soon.

 

[Sue_C.]

We had a guy just last spring, who ticked me off without my ever having met him. In his e-mails, he was like a "Dr. Jeckle/ Mr. Hyde", kidda person; and he came across as someone seriously off his meds... I point-blank refused to sell to him. I actually come right out and told him, after one of his rampages, that I would sooner put the mare down, than sell to him. After that...he even sent me one last e-mail, telling me he'd pay the asking price, and to send the mare. Not LIKELY! :new_shocked: He never heard from me again.

: :lol:

Nope...he wasn't a scammer...he really exists, and eventually bought a couple of horses from someone "up-country".

:

 

[RJRMINIS]

I have had people call me to come look at foals I had for sale, knowing fully what the advertised price was.....They had decided they really liked one, and talking to them they did have good intentions, but I had told them I will hold them till weaning with a deposit and would accept payments until they are weaned.

They thought that sounded like it would work for them, she was wanting one for her daughter to show in 4-H, etc. Well when she asked if I would accept $10 for a deposit cause that was all she had........ :new_shocked: ( I explained I required at least a 25% down)I thought how are they going to feed this baby if they got her.....after talking awhile I found out they pretty much lived from paycheck to paycheck..........I just thought they should be more financially stable before they would buy a horse to take care of, I explained how expensive vet bills, shots, feed, etc. were and she had done research and *acted* as if she knew-it-all.................Needless to say I told her to keep her money and Maybe in the future when things where better for her I would have something. She had drove 2 hours to see this filly, and all I could think was you better keep what yo have to get back home!

I hate to be this way, since she was trying to make a dream come true for her daughter, but I really wasn't comfortable with the situation at all!

*edited* to say....... That I feel if someone cannot afford even the deposit on the horse, how are they going to afford the care.

I have lowered my price for people that show me their interest...but if they can barely afford gas in their cars, then that is not a home that should take on an animal to care for....IMO

 

[Marty]

I"ve said this before and I'll say it again, I'm not about the money, I"m all about the horse. Sounds corny maybe coming from someone on a fixed income that sure could use some ready cash, but that's the way it is with me. The horse's future comes first and the money be darned.

Lower my price to the right home?

You betcha.

Lower my standards of whom I sell too?

Never.

I know I'm going to win the prize for this one, having the most "un-suitable" people come up here trying to buy a horse from me and also some of the emails I have recieved would just knock you over.

I don't call it an "excuse" persay. I call it "plain fact".........and believe me, I have gone through people like water who have been trying to buy a horse from me that i have had to turn down.

I have said things like:

"This horse is not for you"

"I'm sorry, this horse isn't used to being cared for like that"

"The horse would not be happy like that"

"I don't think that is a good idea"

"Sorry but I don't sell my horses to anyone on a whim"

"I don't sell horses to people for an experiment to try to see how it all works out"

Then of course last month, one of my son's with the BIG MOUTH went and blurted out to some people that he knew something like

"My mom's too particular about these stupid horses and she'd never sell one to you guys, cause of how you treat your dogs"

It's taken me months and months for the "right kind" of people to approach me, and yes I finally sold my horse. You have to just wait it out and the good home is out there, and sometimes it take a long time.

 

[Fred]

:aktion033: I'M WITH YOU MARTY! THE LAST HORSE I BOUGHT CAME HERE SPECIFICALLY SO SHE WOULD NOT END UP IN THE RAT HOLE OF A BARN NEAR US. ANY HORSE IS TOO NICE A HORSE TO END UP THERE BUT THIS ONE SPECIFICALLY. SHE WILL HAVE A LIFETIME HOME HERE AND HER FORMER OWNER KNEW THAT. I STILL HAVE THE THREE GELDINGS I BOUGHT FOR RESEALE AND I WILL NOT SELL THEM IN THIS AREA BECAUSE THEY MAY LAND IN HER BARN. WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW BAD IT IS, AND SHE IS SUPPOSEDLY A TRAINER! THIS WOMAN IS MENTALLY UNBALANCED AND CAN BE VINDICTIVE AND ABSOLUTELY HATES MY KIDS. THE TRUE STORIES I COULD TELL AS I HAD TO WORK WITH HER FOR A WHILE AT A NOW DEFUNCT MINI FARM NEAR HERE! LINDA B

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Been there done that. I get alot of local folk who can barely feed themselves and they want a horse. Amazingly they usually have cash! :new_shocked: But I talk alot with most folks no matter their appearance cuz hey, many is the day I look pretty grubby too. IF I get bad vibes I smile, say how nice they love it, BUT I have another person also interested and I'll have to call them first to see about their decision "first" then get back to them. Works every time and no one's feelings get hurt.

 

[Sterling]

To me it would depend....of course if we have already discussed the sale and then the cat is let out of the bag...then I will be up front and tell them I do not agree with their methods...etc...and say sorry, see ya. If not, then depending on what mood I'm in either an excuse or the blunt truth...but it will still be sorry, see ya. Bottom line for me would be that the horse go nowhere with these people...I would go with however I feel at the time with that person.

 

[northernmi]

I had this happen one time and just had to come right out and tell the people, I"m sorry but I really dont think you are right for this horse. They were, to say the least really peed off but the more I talked to them the more I realized I couldnt live with myself if the horse was sold. In the long run I found the perfect home for him and they e-mail me weekly and send pics. They are just tickeld pink about this guy and I will never regret my decision. :no:

 

[Charlotte]

I think anytime you are selling live animals you will run into situations where you are not comfortable with where the animal will be going. I sure don't see anything 'whimpy' about backing out of the sale. I also don't see anything wrong with presenting the truth in such a way that it is a big deterrent to the prospective buyer. You don't have to be harsh to the buyer, but saying 'I dont feel you are quite ready to take on the responsibility of caring for this animal at this time. Perhaps I can help you get more information (suggest publications)' something like that.

We have backed out of several sales because of things we learned as time went along....refunded deposits. ("I don't think this horse is going to fit your needs at this time")

We have bought back 2 that we weren't happy with their circumstances. Another is out there that we can't get back.

You know, it's really a dilemma. We have to sell our foals to support our little herd...each one of which we treasure (they are NOT livestock!)......So what do we do? We just do the best we can to assure a good life for those precious babies and we will refuse to sell where we feel isn't a good situation.

Charlotte

 

[Wally]

Just had that very problem, We are selling one of out competition Icelandics, very forward going, very sensitive, fast, willing and a darling.... in the right hands. She is not a novice kid's plod. Her price reflects this too. Sadly parents of novice child are blinded by the horse in action and think it is the horse for the daughter. The kid has been riding 2 years, never ridden a gaited horse and certainly not one as sensitive as Randalín.

We tried to put them off with the price, didn't work, tried to hint that it wasn't the right horse for their daughter. In the end we had to tell them that we couldn't sell them the horse... sorry!

 

[nootka]

Well, I am a wimp, too, and I usually make something up or whatever. I've had this situation several times with different people.

There are many people in this area I would not sell to. Some of them don't "abuse" their horses by any means, but they will likely turn right around and sell the horse right away, or put it in training with someone I DO consider abusive.

So I basically make up a lie or stretch a truth enough that they go elsewhere.

Liz M.

 

[Shari]

Just had that very problem, We are selling one of out competition Icelandics, very forward going, very sensitive, fast, willing and a darling.... in the right hands. She is not a novice kid's plod. Her price reflects this too. Sadly parents of novice child are blinded by the horse in action and think it is the horse for the daughter. The kid has been riding 2 years, never ridden a gaited horse and certainly not one as sensitive as Randalín.

We tried to put them off with the price, didn't work, tried to hint that it wasn't the right horse for their daughter. In the end we had to tell them that we couldn't sell them the horse... sorry!

Wally I did not know you had Icelandics?

Your Randalin sounds like my Dyfra. Had her for sale for awhile, but all I would get is beginner people.

They even told me all Icelandic's makes good beginners horses because they had read all the web sites.

Ah gee... :no: :new_shocked:, like I haven't been around Icelandics for 15 years.

Just don't understand people sometimes. Have turned down a lot of sales for her just because I know she was/is too much horse for the people that have been interested in her so far.

She is going to take a very special person, so she will stay here until the right person comes along.

 

[Wally]

She is going to take a very special person, so she will stay here until the right person comes along

Quite right too, we have...maybe 2 which a novie could ride......in company, with me riding shotgun on them! My own horse is so sensetive it it got him a bad name, I had him on 6 months trial as he was so nervous. It took me 12 months to teach him to walk! he'd tölt like a nutter everywhere. Now I trust him with my life, I cannot let anyone else ride him as if he gets mixed signals he bolts.....like he used to which got him a bad name!

Because Icelandics are small and hairy, folk think they are kids ponies, they are most certainly not. Like Shetlands they attract total novices because they are not scary like a HUGE Dutch Warmblood. Then they get spoiled by being treated the wrong way.

I say, go with your feelings every time, I NEVER sell a horse to someone I think is not the right person. It only gets me a bad name.

How many Icelandic s do you have?

 

[slaneyrose]

I say ALWAYS go with your gut feeling!! The first thing I do when someone enquires by phone or whatever, I ask LOADS of questions about what animals they have, experience with horses, if the horse is to be kept alone (never sell them in that case) etc etc.....If that doesnt put them off I reckon they are in with a chance, then I say I would want to visit once the horse is settled blah blah and if they dont agree to that, or suggest it themself, its no sale. I recently bought back a mare that it took me a year to do so and I had no reason to be concerned, she even had references...but I had a teeny tiny niggle.......she decided the mare was AWFUL the day she arrived, ran her down in every way possible (she was an export) but she refused to let me buy her back...wanted the foal and a profit is my guess.......she sold the mare to a breeder who knows me and she sold her back to me (thank goodness) coz this mare had trust issues which i had thrashed out with her before agreeing to sell her and she sounded like the perfect buyer.....so ALWAYS listen to your gut as well as as much info as you can possibly get then If they are not out and out bad I make an excuse like "already kinda spoken for, will have to get back to you" or I have been known to say I`m not deciding till all viewers have been then i will pick the best home for that particular horse......or in the case of the dealers and knackers that we have here that are unbeilably cruel to their horses I say...."sorry, I dont sell to you cos Ive seen the state of your horses" Depends on each case really. Bottom line is: finding the forever home is the last thing i can do for my animal be it horse, dog or even the rescues i sometimes rehome.....so it has to be the best I can find and if I`m not smiling as they leave...then they dont.

 

[Minimor]

I've learned to go with my gut feeling too. I turned down a sale on a taller gelding that was just coming 2 at the time. I know the lady wanted him for a riding horse for a lesson/camp program, & I know she meant to have kids riding him that spring even though he was just going to be turning 2....and I knew she was going to have her son do the saddle training(?) and the son was MUCH too big to be riding Minis and when she called back to say she would take him I said sorry, someone else got in first.

I don't necessarily have a problem with someone buying a horse if they don't have a lot of money--after all, around here there's never enough money it seems--I go by the person's attitude overall. Here, the biggest reason there's never enough money is we spend too much on looking after our animals well! They never go without feed or vet care--there are times when I'm just sick at the thought of another vet bill, because there is no money to spare for it, but in spite of that, the animal gets the vet care. We go without something for ourselves if it comes down to anyone going without something. If you talk to someone for a bit--say someone that is here looking at horses--you usually get a pretty good feeling for how that person looks after their animals, be it the horses or other pets. If the person can't be bothered with proper care for their animals--or maybe the buyer would put out the money but the spouse has little use for animals & won't go along with spending any extra money on them (I've seen that too!)--then no, I'm not likely to sell. Not likely--let me rephrase that! There's not a chance that I will sell a horse into that home!

Most times I'd probably make up some excuse--prior offer, changed our mind about selling just now....something. If it was an especially bad day & the person really rubbed me the wrong way, then you never know, I might come right out & tell him/her that she simply wasn't suitable for this particular horse. All depends on how annoyed I happened to be by the person...

I'm like Marty, fussy, fussy, fussy about where a horse goes. When the right home comes along, the horse will go, but until then, nope.