[Rita22]

Hi Everyone,

I am looking for my first horse or pony to buy and I have just realised how tough this process can be. All I want is a nice, friendly horse and I have been looking at adverts and visiting various horses only to find that the description of the horse is completely wrong or the picture provided is different to what it looks like in real-life. I have been warned of various scams etc. that people pull in order to sell their horse which has left me quite wary and slightly disturbed, especially to hear of the lengths that some people will go to in order to sell an unwanted horse.

Has anyone else come across any scams or bad experiences when trying to buy or sell a horse or pony that they would like to share??

I would very much appreciate any feedback that will prevent me and hopefully others from buying the wrong horse :-)

[JumpsxGlory]

When I went to look for my first horse I had the owner set up a jump for me so I could try the horse out and they ended up setting the hump up wrong so if the horse hit it, it wouldn't fall. Well, I jumped her twice and then the third time the horse tripped on the jump fell forward and launched me side ways and I ended up with a T4 compresed fracture in my spine and was out of the saddle for 2 months and was in a brace for 6 weeks. My advice is set up the jump yourself because sellers have been known to set the jump up so it doesn't fall if the horse hits it.

Also bring an insturctor or an experienced horse person with you. They will be able to tell you if the horse is right for you and if there is something not right about the horse.

Oh, and stay away from brokers! They will do anything and everything to sell a horse!

[Simon Says]

i got scammed about a year aog, i lost $3500, i had no idea that this scamming thing was out there, my family was furious with me, i learned a lesson the very hard way!!!

[JumpsxGlory]

Also, ask questions over through e-mail and when you go to see the horse ask the same questions. I ran into a man who said that the horse I was interested in was very well trained and can jump 3' but when I got there his story changed and said he was justs started in training.

If you have any doubt in your stomach that something is fishy go with it. It most likely is right.

Hope I helped!

[Asfaloth]

Nothing like this has happened to me but here are some experiences of people I have met.

One lady went to a horse dealer and bought her very first horse, a cute little Arab welsh cross. Very prety horse with one exception. Somewhere along the line he had had major damage to one front leg and he was over at the knee to an unbelievable degree. She did not know enough to recognise the problem and brough him home. When the vet came to do his shots he told her the horse would never be able to be ridden and she had him for 10 years never riding him untill his leg got to the point he need to be put to sleep.

Another Family had bought a nice 7 year old gelding and liked him so much they went back to the same person to buy another. The man showed them a pain that was really prety and said he was a 7 year old since that is what they wanted. When they got him home the vet said the colt was barely a 2 year old! Green broke and not suitable for the children to ride.


Another friend wanted a palomino. Well she got Rusty and he is a sweet horse but not at all good looking. The man tod her he was ridden by his father and he was supposedly about 10 years old. Rusty turned out to be in his 20's and had obviously been ridden roughly although his sweet temperment kept him from becomming unsuitable for her to ride.

Advice:
Get the horse you want to buy vet checked before you bring him home. Use your own vet and not the one used by the seller. If the seller does not agree to this they are probably not someone you want to buy from.
Ask the sellers vet about the horse's health history.
Have the seller ride the horse befroe you do.
Go back several times at diferent times of the day to see the horse. Arrive at least once unexpectedly. If they know you are comming a dishonest person may do something to make a problem horse behave like an angel.
Take a friend with you who knows something about horses and have them also ride it.
Arrange to take the horse for a one month trial.

[Moostang]

The best thing you can do is take a person with a lot of equine experience with you. Someone that can give you an outside opinion.

[3WishesDun]

Have your vet, or someone who knows a reliable vet to recommend one to use look the horse over, a trainer, and someone with lots of experience. All will be well worth the time or money when investing in the initial $$$ to buy a horse and the subsequent care and emotion you will pay for in the future.

[Shotgun93]

Take someone tht is very knowledgeable with you, ask the owner to do everything that you wold like the horse to do, i.e. catch, load, groom, tie, tack up, ride, and so on.
I have known people that have gone to look at horses and the owner already has them caught and tacked up, buy the horse only to find that he can't be caught, or saddled with out being twitched or drugged. Make sure that you see the owner do everything. Also, make sure that have the horse vet checked and have a ferrier look at him.
And always document everything, sales receipts, vet receipts, brand inspections, ect.

[Lou3]

I always think the best way to buy a horse is word of mouth. Go to some shows that are pitched at the level you want to compete at and have a look around. A lot of the time there will be at least one or two horses at a show that are for sale. Making contacts is always useful either way.
Other than that follow the advice above and you wont go far wrong. When you have your vet check make sure you are THERE and you ask them to draw blood to check for dope and other personality altering substances.
I have always found the internet to be the LEAST reliable way of buying a horse, your local paper is much less likely to yield scams, purely because it doesnt have a big enough circulation for the big-time scammers to be bothered with. There may be fewer horses advertised - but you only want one!
Lou

[MyBabyTex]

Ouch, how did you lose 3500??? Had to sell the horse after buying it?

I just went through the whole buying a horse thing, and I knew I was being scammed once. She wouldn't let me bring my own vet up there and I just walked away and had nothing to do with it.