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HorseBliss
Posted : 12/2/2009 5:51:58 PM
Hi,
Our saddle club was discussing a scenario that one of our members went through a couple of years ago, and I#%92d like to get other opinions on it.
History of mare: Member (Seller) raised a foal to 4 years old, did all the training (not a professional trainer by any means). The horse did most of the Clinton Anderson ground work exercises with Seller, and was quiet on the trail (walk, trot, lope on loose rein, back up, sidepass, and do extra gaits). Seller took mare to her first show the summer of her 4[sup]th[/sup] year, where the mare was quiet, and placed in all of her classes. Seller didn#%92t really put lots of prep time into the horse, but the horse was awesome! Mare was kept in a pen with 5 other horses, and was in the middle of the pecking order. Seller has been giving the mare vaccinations/worming since mare was a foal, and mare had had farrier trim her feet since she was a yearling (no problems!).
Seller didn#%92t have to put mare on market this year, but felt that mare had some qualities that wouldn#%92t fit with their breeding program, so seller put high price on mare to see if someone would buy her.
Buyers came in to look at mare (and they looked at other horses in the area as well). Said that they had some experience with horses, but didn't know much about taking care of them. They came on day 1, close to feeding time, and observed mare in her pen. Got to pet her, etc. Day 2, they watched seller ride her in a club sponsored clinic for the day. After the clinic, buyers and seller went back to seller#%92s home, and buyers rode the mare (no problems, though the mare was tired). Day 3, seller brought horses out to an area to meet buyers for a trail ride. Buyers rode the mare (and another horse of the seller#%92s), and seller came along on another horse. The lady buyer rode the mare very nicely (Seller thought she and the mare did very well together)…mare behaved on the road, going through brush, up and down hills, and across the creek. Didn#%92t spook at dogs going in and out of brush. The lady even made the mare leave the herd for a while, to travel on a different path…the mare was great about that. Lady felt comfortable on the horse, and looked relaxed throughout. Lady buyer then brushed the horse, and was able to pick up her feet, etc. Buyers asked if price could be lowered—Seller said no, that they didn#%92t have to sell the horse, and that#%92s what it would take to buy her. Buyers left, then called back on Day 4, saying they would take the horse at Seller#%92s price, once vet inspection was done and everything was ok. A vet inspection was set up by buyers (ten days later), which the mare passed with flying colors. Seller was then paid. [size="0"]Six days later, horse transport showed up to haul the mare to her new owners.[/size]
Seller told buyers (who were novices) that they needed to do groundwork with the mare, to create a good working relationship with her. Seller also told/showed the buyers what bits the mare was used to, as well as the saddle type/tree size that would work. They had picked up a second horse that was already at their boarding facility. This mare was a few years older, and they#%92d bought her at a lower price.
Once the mare got to the boarding facility, it took the new owners a week or so to find the appropriate tack. In the meantime, they began working with the mare. It was ok for a few days, but as the mare began to sense the lady#%92s timid nature, the mare decided to take over. She became very disrespectful on the ground (was good under saddle). The lady had a difficult time picking up the mare#%92s feet. The Seller sent the buyers some DVD material from Clinton Anderson, saying this is what the mare#%92s been through…and that you need to find someone to help you create the respect that you need from the mare. The mare also became very dominant in the pasture, kicking at the other mare.
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The seller got a call from the buyer, saying that the mare wasn#%92t working, and for the price they paid, they felt that they#%92d been cheated. The lady wanted the seller to buy the horse back. Buyer said that seller should have known that buyer wasn#%92t up to handling the horse…but Seller witnessed Buyer handling the horse just fine when she was looking at the horse… The Sellers could have backed out of the deal at any time, before the mare was shipped out, but they didn#%92t (because the buyer was focused on a particular look).
Buyer#%92s trainer then called seller (under a false pretense), and then said that we should take horse back (because the mare might end up with an abusive owner. Now, if they had to sell her, would they really let the mare go to a bad person?). Seller said that they would, but they would only pay ½ of the purchase price, and the mare had to be shipped back in good condition. The Seller thought the reduced price was fair, as they would have to retrain the horse (anyone who works with a horse retrains them--for better or worse!), they would have missed out on that year's selling season, Sellers would have to pay for farrier/vet/health until horse was sold again (approx. $1,000/year to keep a horse at a minimum), association transfer costs, etc.
Next day, trainer called back, furious. Said of course seller#%92s buyback offer was ridiculous, and that they would end up calling the Seller#%92s breeder#%92s association to report them (To report what? That someone paid too much for a horse? That Seller didn't take horse back? Was there a return policy discussed?). Trainer then went on to say that all of the seller#%92s training methods were bad (So that#%92s why seller#%92s horses did well at horse shows). Seller wondered what were the trainer#%92s credentials were(did they go to a “horse college” or have years of training themselves?). Seller felt that buyer just gave up on the horse…didn#%92t want to take any time to understand horse#%92s behavior, just wanted to wash their hands of the problem. Seller had never been asked about a horse return policy by the Buyers, and it wasn#%92t in the contract. Seller had their hands full with the horses they had at home, and had never run into this problem before. Seller wants the best for the mare, but couldn#%92t afford buying her back at full price.
So, that was what our club discussed as the perils of selling horses at our meeting. We had views from both sides, but we#%92d like to see if there are any other good arguments out there.
My personal experience with this happened a few years ago. I sold a 12 year old mare (beautiful!) to a lady and her husband. The mare had been a good trail horse for me, but I#%92d had to put lots of work into her over the 4 years I had her, as she#%92d come from a home where they did nothing with her. She had fear issues, which we overcame together. I told the lady that the mare needed confidence, so I told her to start with groundwork, then get her familiar with your place before you ride. Well, a few weeks after they took her home, the cowboy husband put a heavy roping saddle on her, cinched up the back cinch tightly (she was NOT used to that), then fought her constantly as they rode around his property. The man freaked, and wanted us to take the horse back. I talked to the wife, and re-itertated what I told her when she bought the mare. A few months later, I got an email from the wife, saying that she began doing groundwork, and the mare was a changed girl! Very quiet, and loving. The lady was so happy to have such a sweet horse. Goes to show that sometimes a seller does know what the horse needs, if the buyer would just follow their directions (or get help, if they#%92re new to things).
Thanks for reading!
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