I am soon to move to a new country and have the sad task of selling my two geldings. One was listed online yesterday and soon after the ad went live I had a flurry of calls. Two of the callers sounded genuine and a good match and I have agreed to let them come and see my gelding. But the others - oh my goodness! I am shocked at the cavalier way some people approach the buying and selling of horses. One person sent me a text message to say that he looked just like a pony she had 20 years ago and would I be prepared to accept instalment payments as she couldn't afford the full price (which is not that high), and could I put him on a horse transporter to her home town. Another man wanted a horse for his daughter to ride around the farm on and was prepared to buy him over the phone without having seen him - I explained to him that this particular gelding is not very happy riding out on his own as he was a trekking horse for a long number of years. His reply was "Oh well, I'm sure if she uses a whip on him she can get him to go out on his own". Another lady wanted him for her young daughter, but wanted him for free. It made me feel quite depressed for all the poor horses that get passed from pillar to post because they are unsuitable or people cannot really afford them - if you cannot afford to buy a horse then it is unlikely you will be able to meet his needs in terms of vet care, feeding and other requirements.
Has anyone else been in this situation and had to turn down potential buyers? There is no way that my two boys will be going anywhere unless I am happy with the new arrangements.
I'm just glad that your two boys have a really responsible owner!
Cruelty isn't the worst threat to horses' well-being - it's ignorance!
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Haven't had to sell any horse myself, but I have friends who have, and I've heard nightmare stories from them - as well as fairytale endings, so don't give up just because there are so many nuts out there.
Best of luck!
Kicki - you are so right, ignorance is the big problem. I have been around horses for over twenty years and I still consider myself a student of all things equine, there is so much I have to learn. I just turned down another phone offer for one of my boys from a very offended lady - it is proving to be a real eye opener! But fairytales can happen, the pony I had when we lived in the UK ended up having a wonderful last few years on a farm, enjoying a peaceful retirement. I think gut instinct counts for a lot and I will hopefully know when the right people come along.
When I was a little boy I badly wanted a horse but could not afford one. When I was six years old I approached a horse breeder and ask him for a free horse! The looked at me and said: "Son if you can not afford to buy the horse, then you cannot afford to keep horse." In hind sight that guy was right.
Several years ago I had a 3 year old, green broke mustang filly with youth saddle for sale. The first caller asked, first thing, if I couldnt do better on the price. I said yes, I can raise it. He hung up. I ended up selling her to a very nice man who invited me to come and see her anytime, which I did, and found out that she had her own herd of pygmy goats to take care of, and his granddaughter to love her, as well as 450 acres of good pasture to run in. The man and his wife loved her, and she loved them, so that worked out quite well.
Good luck Emlaw. I am sure there will be someone out there who will be perfect but it is a hazardous game for owners and horses and I guess for buyers too. Your horses are lucky to have you. Pity you can't take them with you. It is very hard in Australian to know whether the seller is genuine and honest too as well as the buyers. It would be so nice if the world was made up of Monty students and followers!
Update - I sold one of my geldings today. Turned down four other offers for him, he is going to a really nice couple who he just seemed to click with. They seemed kind and no nonsense and he is going to be a riding companion/paddock mate/trail horse which will suit him down to the ground.I watched how they interacted with him and I could tell he liked them - horses don't lie. You can never be 100% certain but I am as sure as I can be that he is going to the right place. Just need to find a home for the second one now, he's going to be a bit more tricky as he has a few issues!
Great news - well done!
That's great that one of your horses are going to a good home! :) It's good that you are checking people that want your horses.