This has been BUGGING me....

[susanne]

Maryann,

I understand your concern about how someone who needs to make payments would be able to care for them properly, but here's a different perspective on that.

As a freelancer, my income is good, yet not always predictable...over several months it always balances out, but those checks don't just come in on a bi-weekly basis. After doing this for 13 years, I am extremely cautious about letting too much money go at any one time -- just in case we do have an emergency. I never commit to anything I cannot afford, but making payments allows me to spread out expenses and maintain my emergency fund.

But even with that in mind, you as an intuuitive person should never doubt yourself if you feel uncomfortable about a buyer. It may not just be the money that is giving you the heebie jeebies...

 

[Magic]

I've sold a lot of horses on payments, and at least a couple were in the $500 range. I don't have a problem with it, myself--- if I do get paid, and the horse has a good home (and the point that vets can be paid in payments is a correct one) then I'm fine with it. There are some awesome horse owners that just dont' have a lot of extra money sitting around, but who would go without themselves before letting one of their horses go without.

Those who don't feel comfortable with it surely don't have to do so though.

 

[shminifancier]

Well I have sold on payments, but the horse never left till the animals were paid in full... But I have Bought one on time a Purebred Arabian filly and took her home the same day as signing the payment agreement. and this was a $1500 one of which I took over a year to pay...But I wanted to show her and the sellers let her go and that is the filly I had in the house when she was 7 months old and that is the one that I had in the house and those 4 pictures were printed in a national Arabian magazine lol So bringing that Arabian filly home before she was paid for was a cool thing for me and got some neat oics because of it..

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

Well, to me the most important part of a sale is the home the horse is going too, and if I know the "buyer" will do everything to take proper care of the horse, I dont have a problem with doing payments. I HAVE sold many horses on a payment plan from Arabians to Saddlebreds to miniatures. I have always become very good friends with the buyers and we remain friends for years. Everyone I have sold a horse to with payments have made there payments right on time and keep up with every need the horse may have. It all depends upon the people involved, there reputation, and if you can trust everything they say. I have never had any problems, but I do make it clear that if I do have a problem with a payment(s)--I will be there with the trailer and picking up MY horse. Registration papers are held by me till paid in full. Remember, there are also buyers out there that will come across as a loving caring home and pay in full (after they talk you down some) and within a month or two the horse is up for sale only to be a "profit animal". I have always paid up front for all my horses but sometimes the best of people need to make payments. Corinne

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

I have taken payments and had others allow me to make them.

I kinda understandwhere MA is coming from however.. to me and for me.. i would rather someone put away a bit of money for a vet emergency for there horses and make 2-3 payments to me on a 500 dollar horse then give up 500 bucks and not have a savings for the horse fund.

I have seen very rich people give horrible homes and not so well off people do whatever it takes so i try to not let the need for payments be my first judgement and go from there

 

[Miniv]

Okay.....I'm going to vent again about a few posts. Please READ THIS COMPLETELY.

Did I complain about selling on payments in general? NO. I also have bought horses

on payments with a contract several times -- not many people can"t this day and age!

I do NOT consider "making payments" -- puting a deposit down and then paying the

balance off. (And I certainly am not talking about YOU, Marty! Wish you lived

closer!)

This is about people who cannot afford a $500 horse unless they are making $25 or

$50 per month payments and STILL DEFAULT! (One person posted about this

happening to them and when they went to pickup their horse it was sold already --

because they had sadly let the horse leave with the buyer.)

Now, please tell me I am in the wrong and why.

MA

 

[Magic]

This is about people who cannot afford a $500 horse unless they are making $25 or
$50 per month payments and STILL DEFAULT!  (One person posted about this

happening to them and when they went to pickup their horse it was sold already --

because they had sadly let the horse leave with the buyer.)

Now, please tell me I am in the wrong and why.

MA

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Well heck, ANYONE who defaults on payments makes me mad!!

 

[shminifancier]

Well the way it sounds by many posts on here that is what people are talking about IS buying horses under 1,000 under 500 and still making payments If you leave out the smaller people you just lost 60 percent ot more of your possible cliints...And lots of the people will want to do payments..But if that is what you want,, ok thats cool... But for the most part there are plenty of sales out there that are only 500 to 700 as the prices of these minis get lower each year as they also will do in the year to come with gas going out of sites with auction prices 75 bucks to 250 and average then in the mid 1,0-0s like 500 Ther eis a sale coming up in a few weeks in Eau Claire and I bet the prices will be a give away mark.. under 200 for lots of them..

 

[runamuk]

Well now that is a bit more clear

people let people make that small of payments

ok for a kid buying their own horse with allowance I can see it maybe but geez that is such a puny amount I would be embarassed to offer it...of course I don't typically talk people down.....on anything

 

[Triggy&Blue&Daisy Too]

I am so glad I'm not in the horse selling business. Payments? No way for me either to buy or sell. Sorry I don't believe it would be a common thing, for someone whose making payments on an inexpensive horse to cough up $5000 for a colic surgery to save my horse because it's not paid off yet. Some might, but you never know whose got integrity util the chips are down.

The thing that irks me the most are those who get screwed because they took payments knowing full well the risks and then use the forum to do a hatchet job on them. Rarely does anyone know all sides and even if they do it's usually biased. Just bad business all the way around IMO.

 

[Marty]

This is about people who cannot afford a $500 horse unless they are making $25 or

$50 per month payments and STILL DEFAULT! (One person posted about this

happening to them and when they went to pickup their horse it was sold already --

because they had sadly let the horse leave with the buyer.)

Now, please tell me I am in the wrong and why.

Now, MA, this is put in a completely new light:

then in that case you are not wrong at all in my opinion. Defaulting over $25-$50 dollars a month would be a red flag to me. In that case, I would certainly be leary of that and would then tend to agree with you 100% that when the vet or farrier would be due, then it would be put on the back burner for lack of funds.

I am sick to death of kids that say thier daddy don't want no vet bills or people that just won't pay a vet.

I would most definately worry about the future of that horse and I would not cut the deal to sell to them under those circumstances. In many homes, when things get ruff, it's usually the horse that is the first thing that goes to the highest bidder just to raise some quick cash.

Now will you sell me the little horsey???

 

[Dona]

Well the way it sounds by many posts on here that is what people are talking about IS buying horses under 1,000  under 500 and still making payments  If you leave out the smaller people you just lost 60 percent ot more of your possible cliints...And lots of the people will want to do payments..But if that is what you want,, ok thats cool...  But for the most part there are plenty of sales out there that are only 500 to 700 as the prices of these minis get lower each year as they also will do in the year to come with gas going out of sites with auction prices 75 bucks to 250 and average then in the mid 1,0-0s  like 500  Ther eis a sale coming up in a few weeks in Eau Claire and I bet the prices will be a give away mark.. under 200 for lots of them..

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I don't think Ma, for one moment, was insinuating leaving out the "smaller people". What exactly do you mean by "smaller people" anyway??????

It's not always people who can't afford to pay, who want to make payments.

I have a very good friend who has been "taken" more than once, by people who "profess" to not having all the money & can they make payments". So, she felt sorry for them & allowed payments & even allowed them to take the horse home (since they lived fairly close). Next, she finds out they are spending BIG money left & right on "other" Miniatures. (NO payments) THEN....to top it off, they stop making payments & answering her phone calls. She had to repossess her horse! Of course she got the horse back...but it was in terrible condition...and she lost several months in trying to sell it again. These kind of things are what ruins it for others. Every situation is different also. If it were a good friend of mine that I knew WELL....of course I would take payments, and have.

There are always going to be good people who will put their horses's wellfare even before their own....like Marty!

But, unfortunately...there are also many out there who want to buy cheap & wouldn't spend a dime on their horses if their hoof was rotting off!

I always try to "know" who I am selling to, as much as I possibly can.

 

[shminifancier]

I don't feel like just because a person does not have 800.00 at that moment..( or 500.00 or whatever)....that does not mean they are poor and can not take care of animals....to me it just means...maybe they have savings they don't want to touch, as someone else pointed out, the wife had to pay with her money, or the kid, the list could go forever. I have made payments...(

Bingo~!! You said a mouth full Thanks

 

[Tabitha]

Well, I found the initial post very snooty, judgmental, and offensive...

Your original post said only that people that have to make payments on a $500 horse won't be able to look after that horse properly. You did not say "people who buy a $500 horse on $25/month payments & then default"...I guess in that case it doesn't much matter if it's a good home or not, if the horse doesn't get paid for it won't be going to that home. Or, if it did go to that home before being paid in full, I sure hope the seller would repossess promptly. And, from what I've seen, default isn't just limited to the low priced/low payment horses--it happens with the higher prices/bigger payments too....is the home that defaults on large payments on a high priced horse a better home than the home that defaults on small payments on a lower priced horse?

I know poor people who go without food for themselves before they'd let one of their horses go without feed and veterinary care. I know some wealthy people who won't spare a few extra dollars to feed their horses. Are the abused/neglected horses always owned by poor people? Noooo. Far from it.

One of my first minis I paid only $250 for & I paid for him in 2 payments--the lady needed a good home for this little gelding & I thought he was cute. I had not much extra cash on me, so I wrote out 2 checks, one postdated....if you think this little gelding doesn't get well cared for....if you think I wouldn't get veterinary attention for him if it were needed....well, that would just go to show how wrong a person can be. Only a fool would suggest that I'm not a "good home" for any horse.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

But my fear will always be -- if someone can not afford $500 for a horse how can they afford a vet bill for colic?

I getcha, MA. And I'm not offended. But for me the answer to that lies in one simple question: "The vet takes credit cards...do you??"

I reserve my credit cards for exactly those type of purchases- the large ones that I don't have a lump sum sitting around ready for but can afford to pay off over time and in accordance with my budget. For me that would be horse, cart, harness, emergency vet bills, etc. And I'll have you know I'm darn careful about how much I rack up and how fast I pay it off. But since most horse breeders (I assume) do not take credit cards, if I can't give them a time payment then I will lose that $500 animal to someone else who can pay in full this month even though I could easily have afforded two $250 payments.

Just my .02, and I admit I've only read the first page so far so I'm sorry if I repeated something someone else said. But I wouldn't have Kody if my dad hadn't been able to step up to the plate with a loan to my mom and I; I simply did not have $800 sitting around at that time and the seller was determined to get rid of him. Now if we'd been planning on purchasing a mini then shame on us. But he fell into our laps as they so often do, and that's when some of us need payments even for small amounts.

Leia

 

[Triggy&Blue&Daisy Too]

But my fear will always be -- if someone can not afford $500 for a horse how can they afford a vet bill for colic?

I getcha, MA. And I'm not offended. But for me the answer to that lies in one simple question: "The vet takes credit cards...do you??"

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Well you could take a cash advance from that credit card as well

Edited to add: Actually most of my transactions revolve around me getting credit from those set up to lend. A seller is not in the banking industry and will have a heck of a time if you default. A bank will chase your sorry butt down for eternity (you in the general sense

) Life happens but often you will hear of someone who won't pay their payments and think it's perfectly fine to make the seller wait but wouldn't dare try it if it meant bruising their credit history.

 

[DakotahMoon_Ranch]

Well, that is your choice if you don't want to do payments. Totally up to you, and I think anyone would be fine with that.
As to people who make payments being somehow bad, or unable to afford proper care etc, that is simply not true in all cases. Everybody I know has a budget. Maybe a person could be so rich, they would not have to have a budget, and obviously it would be great to sell to those people. It's just that I personally don't know many people like that. Now, if a person DOES have a budget, it does not mean they also don't have a savings account etc. or other means to take care of the horse. It just means they are on a budget - smart thinking, in my estimation. So - they have a budget, you have a horse for sale, they can only pay X without going over the budget. If they don't make a down payment on the horse you will sell it to someone else. If they DO make a down payment, then maybe they can afford the horse by next month, or the month after, etc, depending on the price of the horse and the budget involved. I personally have done this before, yet my horses are not out there starving to death because I can't afford to feed them.

Are there con artists out there? People who make promises they can't keep, even though with good intention? Of course. You must carefully screen people that you are selling to - I know in my heart you do it anyway - and then only do payments with someone you trust. All I am saying is that not EVERYONE who makes payments on a horse, can't take care of it. There can be some very legitimate reasons for making payments.

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You said this better than I could, I agree with you 1000%

 

[Cathy_H]

But my fear will always be -- if someone can not afford $500 for a horse how can
they afford a vet bill for colic

That is a valid concern.............. I want to know what the reason is for the need to make payments. If the person is living from paycheck to paycheck I honestly feel that person does NOT need to buy an animal. If they are also putting money aside for future vet bills,ok - if not, then they need to buy a carousel horse instead.

 

[Crossbuck Farms]

I've bought all my minis on payment plans over a 6 month period. I thank these generous people because if they did not do this I would not on my minis.

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

yes MA that makes more sense to me. I do see a HUGE difference in buying a 500 dollar horse and paying it off in 2-3 payments as opposed to 50 buck a month payments