yankee_minis
Well-Known Member
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, especially since I have new foals on the ground. So I thought I’d give some food for thought on selling your babies.
Take care and steel your heart to potential pain.
I sold a horse to someone that I shouldn’t have. I paid dearly for it. And so did the horse.
A couple years ago I sold a weanling colt to a buyer. For the sale of that colt I had asked a ton of questions, even talking to another person in the home once I learned more about the buyer I was talking to. Okay, it seemed fine. I delivered the colt and the set up was decent. I felt better.
Then later I found out they traded the colt and when I called to ask about it they told me that they couldn’t handle him. That he had attacked a police officer. I called the new owner of the colt and it was a very experienced home and she described what he was doing and said she knew how to handle his behaviors. I felt better.
Then the buyer wanted to buy a 6 month old filly from me. I wanted to feel assured by this buyer that they were able to handle a young filly. The buyer had all kinds of experience halter training a horse and working with young fillies and told me no problem. We talked food and worming and all the stuff I normally talk about with a buyer. Talked to the other person in the home again.
The filly was still nursing some (and eating grain, which mine start nibbling on at about a week old anyway) so in this case we weaned her cold turkey. Not something I like to do, but it’s been done before and you just have to watch for ulcers and make sure they are eating and thriving afterwards.
Delivered the horse.
The buyer called me after a short period of time and said she wanted to return the horse because she didn’t respect the electric fence. I explained, as I had before, that my horses don’t have electric fencing and you have to teach a horse what electric fencing is. (I swear some of my piggy mares would plow right through it no matter how high the voltage, if it meant a meal for them. Which is why I don’t use it.)
She also said the horse was thin. I went through the usual questions, trying to help. Have you wormed her since you got her? Are you feeding her something like Mare & Foal or Equine Junior (which I had already recommended). Is she getting free choice hay? Is she being bullied off her food?
I didn’t take her back then.
This buyer was not happy with me. I experienced the worst harassment in my life and I was publicly slandered and defamed.
Then I saw this horse advertised locally and she was described as neglected, etc. I suspected she wouldn’t sell to me so I had friends make the contacts. She turned them all down for the most absurd reasons—doesn’t get along with fillies, or geldings, or mares, and you need a dog not a horse. The other person in the house said they loved this filly and wouldn’t sell her and didn't know about the ad.
Not too long ago I heard that this young horse got loose and subsequently run over by a car and killed.
Why didn’t I listen to the little voice in my head?
Next time I sell a baby I will see the image of that little filly in my mind and hope that the home is a good one.
Listen to the internal warnings.
Take care and steel your heart to potential pain.
I sold a horse to someone that I shouldn’t have. I paid dearly for it. And so did the horse.
A couple years ago I sold a weanling colt to a buyer. For the sale of that colt I had asked a ton of questions, even talking to another person in the home once I learned more about the buyer I was talking to. Okay, it seemed fine. I delivered the colt and the set up was decent. I felt better.
Then later I found out they traded the colt and when I called to ask about it they told me that they couldn’t handle him. That he had attacked a police officer. I called the new owner of the colt and it was a very experienced home and she described what he was doing and said she knew how to handle his behaviors. I felt better.
Then the buyer wanted to buy a 6 month old filly from me. I wanted to feel assured by this buyer that they were able to handle a young filly. The buyer had all kinds of experience halter training a horse and working with young fillies and told me no problem. We talked food and worming and all the stuff I normally talk about with a buyer. Talked to the other person in the home again.
The filly was still nursing some (and eating grain, which mine start nibbling on at about a week old anyway) so in this case we weaned her cold turkey. Not something I like to do, but it’s been done before and you just have to watch for ulcers and make sure they are eating and thriving afterwards.
Delivered the horse.
The buyer called me after a short period of time and said she wanted to return the horse because she didn’t respect the electric fence. I explained, as I had before, that my horses don’t have electric fencing and you have to teach a horse what electric fencing is. (I swear some of my piggy mares would plow right through it no matter how high the voltage, if it meant a meal for them. Which is why I don’t use it.)
She also said the horse was thin. I went through the usual questions, trying to help. Have you wormed her since you got her? Are you feeding her something like Mare & Foal or Equine Junior (which I had already recommended). Is she getting free choice hay? Is she being bullied off her food?
I didn’t take her back then.
This buyer was not happy with me. I experienced the worst harassment in my life and I was publicly slandered and defamed.
Then I saw this horse advertised locally and she was described as neglected, etc. I suspected she wouldn’t sell to me so I had friends make the contacts. She turned them all down for the most absurd reasons—doesn’t get along with fillies, or geldings, or mares, and you need a dog not a horse. The other person in the house said they loved this filly and wouldn’t sell her and didn't know about the ad.
Not too long ago I heard that this young horse got loose and subsequently run over by a car and killed.
Why didn’t I listen to the little voice in my head?
Next time I sell a baby I will see the image of that little filly in my mind and hope that the home is a good one.
Listen to the internal warnings.
