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My Heelers are Heroes
Posts: 4685
   
| For several reasons I decided to sell my 19 year old youth friendly horse. He's sound, healthy and has so much to give a kid. I have him priced at what I'd be willing to pay for a horse his age even though his knowledge is worth so much more.
First people show up with no trailer but bring their expert with them. Horse works perfect until expert gets on and she doesn't know how to cue a horse so he just kindof stands there not knowing what to do. But over all he rode good. They call back 2 days later and want to come back and set a day. They never show back up.
Second people show up with no trailer and also bring a expert. I had explained we'd need to go to the town arena as it is super muddy here. Not a problem except for the mud here which involves me getting my trailer out since they did not bring one (which tells me they are not a buyer) but the hardest part is getting my trailer back in when I get home. Plus, this cost me gas.
He rides even better for this little girl and their expert rode better than the first one. I really liked these people until Mom says they think it is good for girl to go around and get on different horses and they'd like to come ride him again. I told her I'd be happy to show him to a buyer but I didn't have time to just let people ride hm for free.
Third person has the gall to want me to bring him to them and they live out of state. Who does that?
Even though I don't need him and he's going to waste I'm ready to pull his shoes and just tell anyone else that he's not forsale or don't bother coming if your not bringing a trailer and money.
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | I don't put up with any crap.
I've never put an ad up for a horse that I wanted to sell.
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My Heelers are Heroes
Posts: 4685
| He's not advertised. These 3 people came from word of mouth.
I can't send PMs but can recieve them. Send me your email or number I can text to.
Edited by cinch 2013-12-28 12:47 PM
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Not bringing a trailer doesn't equal tire kickers. I RARELY take a trailer to look at a horse. The first 2 potential buyers are just part of it. And I would want to try a youth horse multiple times in different places and circumstances. The third one was ridiculous. |
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 Georgia Peach
Posts: 8338
Location: Georgia |
Well, I understand your frustration but ill be the first to tell you I wont bring a trailer with me when im looking at horse to buy. Why? Because sellers lie. Im not wasting diesel to drag my trailer up the road when the horse could be junk. If I decide I want the horse, then i'll bring my trailer at that point. Also, why would you even allow the potential buyers to come out when your house was unfit to ride at. Im sorry, but i'm not going to allow people to come to my house to ride a horse when its too muddy. They can wait for a better day.
Not bashing because I know its hard selling horses. Just pointing out a few things.
Good luck! Hopefully you get better potential buyers.
Edited by Runninbay 2013-12-28 1:01 PM
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| I didn't bring a trailer when I bought my last horse. I did put a down payment on him before I left the guys house though.
To take him out of state is simply ridiculous. No chance I'd do that! |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I don't bring my trailer when trying out a horse. If I am selling if my barrel patch is not safe, I will haul my horse to an agreed upon place. As the horse is my responsibility till money changes hands, what happens if the horse gets injured or killed while they are hauling him.
As a horse owner I also want to make sure the horse fits the rider. I want the new owners to be his forever home, I try and get info on the prospective buyers. I have also told buyers that said horse is not for them.
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 Chicken Chick
Posts: 3562
Location: Texas | I don't take a trailer when I try a horse. The last horse, my dad and I drove a couple of hours away in his girlfriend's little car. I decided I wanted the horse, and my husband brought the truck and trailer to pick her up. There have been quite a few times I didn't take the truck and trailer and was glad I didn't waste all the money on diesel to look at a horse that wasn't as advertised.
Just because I don't bring a trailer doesn't mean I am not serious. It is usually things like going to look at a kid horse and the horse bucks the seller off before I even step foot on him. I'm sure they thought I was a "tire kicker" but the horse just wasn't what I was looking for. |
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I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | I understand cinch's comment about a trailer since the horse was word of mouth, most people probably already know what the horse is and trying him is not seeing what he is but seeing whether the youth can get along with him or not. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 678
Location: Canada | I wouldn't say they're a tire kicker because they didn't bring a trailer. I will go look at local horses without a trailer simply because if the horse isn't what I'm looking for it costs more in fuel and time to hook up my trailer and haul it there. If the horse is more then an hour or two away then it's worth it for me to risk hauling the trailer then going back and getting trailer later if the horse is what I want.
I'd suggest advertising the horse by putting together a comprehensive ad including everything about the horse. The basics (including age, height, breeding, etc) the personality trait, the history (shows placings and medical and farrier) and of course videos this will help eliminate many of the questions you may get and will help prospective buyers make more informed decisions before contacting you.
If prospective buyers want you to haul the horse to an arena discuss this before hand and decide on the cost for fuel. If they decide to buy the horse later you can refund the fuel cost if you please but it should help weed out the tire kickers who just want to ride your horse.
Don't be upset that you have to haul the horse somewhere. Remember this is still your horse. What if you load up the horse and the trailer is unsafe, or the driver causes an accident that injures the horse, or it doesn't work out and now you have the awkward drive home with them.
If they bring a trainer suggest that the trainer ride before the clients. I often look for horses for my clients and I always ask the owner to ride, then I get on, then my client gets on. I'm not talking an hour of riding but I want to try the horse before my clients get on to see if I think it will fit them. I put them through their paces and if I think it's a fit they ride it, if I have concerns we discuss before they get on. This also gives you a chance to watch the trainer/coach ride.
When people call to set up an appointment ask questions and interview them. You can flush out a lot of people by finding out what their history is, what they want the horse for, their needs and wants. If you are selling a solid 2D horse and they want something that will be 1D eventually you know your horse won't fit what they need.
No matter how hard you try you may still get someone who is intentionally is wasting your time (just wants to ride with no intention of buying, or no intention of spending the money you have the horse listed at) but that's what happens when you sell horses. Don't let that one person ruin it for the right buyer who will come along.
Good luck.
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 Grandaughter of a Champion
Posts: 2956
Location: left field | If I'm going to bother someone enough to go try their horse, I'm taking a trailer and buying the horse ONLY as long as the horse is what they said it is. I'm not going to waste my time and someone elses if I'm not seriously going to write a check that day and take the horse home. If I'm just sort of interested, I'll tell them so and if it works out for me to meet them somewhere and not inconvenience them. I think its rude to ask someone to try their horse, use their time and money and then pass on the horse if it did everything they advertised. Once I had someone ask me to haul a horse to an arena 2 hours away, she showed up with no trailer, rode my horse, he worked great, her husband rode him, they both loved him and then she offered me half my asking price. I was mad, loaded up my horse, paid the rental on the arena and left. Now that's a rude buyer. |
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 The Bird Lady
Posts: 6440
Location: The end of the Earth, SE AR | In situation #1 I have learned to get their cell number and explain to them that I had committments later that day and would need to be called if they were running late. Then when they didn't show up on time, I would call them. If they didn't show up or return my call after 30 minutes from our meeting time I'd write them off and go do some thing else. And lock the gate to the barn.
In situation#2, I would have explained on the phone that the ground was bad at my place and suggested that they bring a trailer if they wanted to ride somewhere other than the mud or if they seemed truly interested in the horse and if it sounded like them hauling a trailer was a problem, I would have arranged to get my trailer out and been ready to haul the horse to local arena and written it off as part of the cost of selling a horse. You really can't expect someone to buy a horse if they can't ride it on halfway decent ground. I can also see that after their girl tries other horses she would want to come back and try yours again. However I would not allow it to become a 2 hour trail ride. I would arrange for a time for her to come ride, hopefully, your ground had dried out and I would explain I had to leave a X time due to prior committments so they only had 1/2 hour to ride or whatever time period you feel is fair.
As for #3, I would have laughted into the phone for about 5 minutes and told them that was the funniest joke I had heard all month.
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 Strong Willed Woman
Posts: 6577
Location: Prosser, WA | Do people really expect the first person to come try your horse out to buy it? I very seldom take my trailer the first time. I like to go home and think it over. If the horse sales in that time I guess it wasn't meant to be. |
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8555
Location: sunny california | Maybe you should get someone else to sell the horse for you |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| Like others have said, I don't bring a trailer the first time we look at one. When shopping for kids it is about if they fit too. We always try at the house then ask to run at a show. Horses can be totally different in the arena. Our next step is a vet check-that is when we take the trailer.
As far as them bringing the trailer to haul I wouldn't let anyone else haul my horse till bought and paid for.
A few years ago we traveled 6 hours to try a horse. Thought we wanted it and asked the seller to meet us at a race. It was a 3 hour drive, daughter decided she didn't want the horse so we gave the seller $$ for her fuel. |
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Member
Posts: 9
| I'm new to this board so hello everyone! :)) I find it a bit offensive that saying if you don't bring a trailer the first time you look at a horse you're a "tire kicker..." I have been out of the game for a few years due to kids, school, ect but I have bought and sold my share of horses in the past. I'm getting ready to get back in the game so I have been looking. I have never brought a trailer the first time period. Even when I have looked at associates horses. Sellers BS sometimes just as much as tire kickers.  |
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  Texas Lone Star
Posts: 5318
Location: where ever my L/Q trl is parked | I only take a trailer with me if it's more than 3/4 hours away and with the info I get over the phone.
I have one mare I've been trying to sale for a long time, sound anyone can ride rope horse.... now she is in foal and due May.... I only had 2 people inquire and both never showed up after setting up a time and date.
Hate selling horses, but this spring she'll go up again and then if she doesn't sale guess the auction will be getting her. |
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Fire Ant Peddler
Posts: 2881
| The last two that I bought off the internet, I had paid for before traveling to get them. I would not go look at a horse without taking the trailer. Several years ago some people drove about 4 hours to look at a horse a friend had. The showed up with their trailer. They also had their "expert", who rode English, with them. Obviously she knew nothing about a barrel horse but she said there was not point in her riding as the girl was going to ride the horse. Well, the horse threw the girl because her saddle had a back girth and the horse wasn't used to it. We took the back girth off and the horse rode like a dream. I got on the horse and ran her through the pattern. She made me look good. The parents and the expert discussed the situation and bought the horse. I should have bought that horse myself. Around here we look at no trailer, not sale. |
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 Lady Di
Posts: 21556
Location: Oklahoma | Depends on what the horse is and how much it's priced. If it's a $20K rodeo horse I'm going to put up with more crap than usual. If the buyers are spending a lot of money, I expect them to take their time and want to ride the horse more than once and possibly in different places. That's pretty much a given. If it's a youth horse, I want to make sure it's a fit, so I will allow a couple of different tries in different arenas, but I always haul there and meet them. I won't go a long ways, but we have lots of local arenas I can meet them at. If it's a horse that I have on "fire sale", and I know it's already cheap for what it is, I don't put up with ANY crap. I tell them, here he is; he's cheap for what he's priced and if you don't want him, I have 4 more waiting that do (or however many are waiting). Most of the time, those kind sell pretty quickly so I DON'T have to take any crap. I am always willing to meet someone somewhere if the fuel is paid for and I will deliver if they've already paid for the horse and pay my fuel. |
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Location: MT | I don't remember the last time I took a trailer to go look at a horse (except to an auction sale). Sometimes I have left the seller with money down and gone back to pick the horse up. Sometimes I left the seller and horse and went home to think about it, and then sent the money if I decided to take the horse. Of course other times the horse wasn't what was advertised and I didn't buy the horse at all.
As far as selling my horse, I have met buyers at arenas that were fairly close to my place if riding conditions were not good at my place, or to allow them to see the horse away from home. I definitely haul the horse to that arena as the horse is my responsibility. I am willing to give a potential buyer some time. I want them to be happy with the horse if they buy it.
Hauling a horse out of state for a potential buyer is BS... I would never consider asking a seller to do that. If I am serious about their horse, I go look. I have traveled long distances without a trailer to go look, purchased the horse, and then gone back with a trailer to get it.
And my most recent adventure is to purchase a horse on the other side of the country based on many photos, multiple videos, about 500 questions answered by the seller, and have a transport company ship her. She will be here in about a week. I pray the seller was fairly honest and she is half as nice as she appears to be.  If the seller had not been willing to put up with my constant questions and devote some time to providing me with photos, videos, and information, I would not have bought the horse. |
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