We just bought warmblood gelding named Eragon. He's the perfect fit, has great ground manners, I love him to death already!
because I wasn't sure exactly what kind of bridle/bit to look for at the tack shop and what size his bit was supposed to be, I emailed the previous owner asking what kind of bit and what size she used for Eragon as well as what size bridle he used. Instead another lady emailed me back saying that the previous owner just sent my email to her and that I shouldn't be asking the previous owner any questions (????) She did tell me Eragon uses a loose snaffle and a pelham. She was the only one who could take 30 seconds to type that. And my trainer later told me the previous owner called her and scolded her for telling me to contact her. Which she didn't, it was my idea, so I felt worse.
Am I crazy to think that the previous owner might happen to know the fricken kind of bridle and bit she used on HER horse?
/rant lol for now. This is our first horse,so i feel like the last thing we need is to be shunned for asking simple questions, especially since my mom and I are running around trying to figure everything out(Note he is being boarded, so hay twice a day, automatic waterers,turn out, and mucking are covered, so technically his basic needs are being covered)
I still had a couple more questions, like if he had previously been on pelleted feed or grain, as I was going to start him on some as he needs to gain 150-200 lbs according to the vet. but I guess I won't bother asking because god forbid I don't know every last detail about a horse I've known for 3 weeks. :twisted:
Honestly when a previous owner wants no more contact alarm bells start to sound.
I encourage people to keep me up dated with progress, ask questions and send a happy snap or 2. I want to know how they are doing, and it makes me happy to know the horse I sold them is bringing them joy.
Oh also he had a vet check. The one problem he had was an injury that looked like it was fully healed, nevertheless the price got knocked down, and we have 10 more payments left(since the price was still insane, w/the price drop), so perhaps they are ****** about that.
Most people that I have bought horses from want nothing to do with them after selling. The girl what we bought our gelding from made a huge deal about e-mailing her every once in a while to tell her how the horse is doing, how much she loved this horse and broke her heart to sell him. So I e-mail her to update her, and do you think I ever heard back from her? Ha yea right, she was just all show, she wanted nothing do with the horse. I still have contact with a woman that I sold an arabian to 12 years ago, she sends me pictures of him once a year. In fact, she gave him to a little girl about 2 years ago. And I am still getting pictures and updates on him from her that she gets from the current owners haha.
The reason really could be anything. My nastier side wonders if the previous owner lied about something or another. My nicer side says they are done with that part of their life and want to go on. You will know as time goes on and you and your horse build a relationship.
Oh my gosh that is crazy! I still talk to most of the people that I sold horses to. Heck, I have a good portion of them on my facebook. I couldn't imagine selling a horse and not knowing whether he went to a good home or not. The only thing I worry about is if the horse or person were to get hurt from lack of knowledge. I still want to know though so that if there is a way I can help I can do so.
I LOVE communication with buyers after I sell a horse. It's insane to me that she wouldn't have told you about diet/equipment.
I guess you learned a lesson, though...ask LOTS of questions before you buy!
All of my horses but 2 came from either relatives[very distant, and they were abusive] or the sale barn...one of the 2 was born at our house and the other one came from a very nice lady who i text sometimes and we talk about the mare. I think its insane for a PO to act like that.
I'm in contact with the girl who sold me Molly. She texts me every now and then to see how she's doing. The guy who I bought my Paso gelding from used to come on trail rides at our place.
That she won't contact you sounds very alarming. Ask her what you need to know, and don't be afraid to get in her face and make sure she tells you exactly what you need to know. I would be fuming.
That is ridiculous! I agree with others above, alarm bells should be sounding. I receive pictures from the people who purchased my old horse, and heck, we are even going to visit him this summer! I loved that horse to DEATH and didn't want to sell him, but I outgrew him (both physically and mentally) and I had to. The old owner of my horse now comes to watch me at shows and loves it when she hears from me how he's doing. I would ALWAYS want people to ask me something about the horse I sold them so that I would know that they knew what was going on. I would call the lady with a list of questions and ask them. It is for the welfare of the horse.
I'd be worried. I can understand her being offended if you sent her five emails in a day, asking about mundane things, or if you sent her weekly updates when she hadn't asked for any; getting upset over one question, and calling the BO to tell you to shut up?
Chinga's old owner and I are quiet good friends! Since she lives in a different state though she can't come and visit but when she is around she would love to come and visit and I would be happy for her too. I ask her millions of questions too. Posted via Mobile Device
Sounds alarm bells for me too! The only "sellers" I don't still keep in touch with are those who I "rescued" the horse from. Each and every one of the others is absolutely more than happy to receive an email once in a while saying exactly how the horse is doing and normally accompanied by a photo or 2.
I would agree with alarm bells if the OP was not still making payments on the horse. With 10 more payments (I assume that means 10 more months of payments, which is a crazy long time to be making payments on a horse) it is highly unlikely the seller is trying to hide anything.
It sounds like you bought the horse thru a trainer from a trainer or sales agent. If the horse was high priced and you bought it thru an agent I am guessing the owner was flustered to be contacted at all. Let alone by a kid (assume you are a kid) asking 'what size bridle do I buy.
The owner might not actually know the answer to your 'very simple' question about the bit. The question about what size bridle is so simple that they might be wondering what type of person they sold their horse to.
If you bought your horse off an ad from a private person by yourself then I could see why an open line of communication and all that would happen and alarm bells would be going off if that was rebuffed. But a professional buying a horse for a client from another professional, the seller does not expect to be bothered by a kid asking what size bridle. I am sure they are now wondering when the kid will call them back asking what the horses favorite color is.
Do I think you did anything horrible? No, not at all.
You are working with a trainer. Please work with your trainer. Ask your trainer these questions. If for no other reason you do not want to go to the store and buy a bridle and find out that your trainer wants you to have a different style/brand/color.
PS - Jordan. Two thumbs up for you. I love how you title your threads. A nice clear title makes it so much easier. High fives.
To begin with, I'm going to be contrary to everyone else. Over the past 30 years, I've sold a great number of horses. Most were purchased for resale, and some were horses that just didn't work out. When I sell a horse, I answer as many questions as I'm asked and give full details as I know them - including any faults or problems. I give my buyers ~20 pounds of feed so that they can slowly acclimate their new horse to whatever they are going to be fed. I'll tell them what bit I use and why. It's nice to hear back from the buyer once or twice but I don't want a "relationship" with them.
The questions you have are those that a novice horse owner and would irritate me to no end. I hope you watched the horse being ridden, and rode him yourself as well. I would expect that you saw the tack that was being used and know what and how it was used. You also have a trainer. I would expect your trainer to point you in the right direction as to tack. A good trainer should have a barn full of different bits and bridles that they could try on your horse to see how it goes.
Many many horses that I've purchased were ridden in tack that was wrong for the horse. I've purchased horses that the owner swore needed a double twisted wire snaffle yet when I put the horse in a simple Billy Allen, the horse went so much better. I always start a new horse in the simplest bit I have - no matter what the previous owner used. Your trainer should be doing the same thing.
My suggestion is to stop trying to contact the seller. It doesn't mean that there is something wrong - only that they sold the horse and that is that.
OP, those questions really are something that should have been asked at the time of purchase. However, I do understand that you're new to horses and might not have thought of it at the time.
I don't know how the transaction was accomplished but if the animal was bought through negotiations between people other than the previous owner, then your contacting them may seem annoying.
Since this is a high dollar animal I'm going to presume that the horse was sold through a sale barn or broker. If that's wrong, please correct me.
Not everyone has 'warm and fuzzies' for the horses they've sold. It's not right or wrong, it just is.
I actually didn't know my parents bought the horse until a week post. I thought it'd be another 3 weeks.
And yes I'm pretty sure he went through a sale/donation type thing. I didn't get totally clear information.
It was one simple email so I am still a bit in shock. IDK. lol, i just feel a little offended they couldn't do a better job hiding the fact that they woke up on some crappy side of the bed that morning.
Yeah, if they are being rude about answering some simple questiond, they have a serious problem.
Like just a few weeks ago I bought my first horse, Gracie. She all of the sudden started biting, kicking, and crow hopping when ridden. We called out the previous owners (Ray and Stephanie) and they came right away to help. Then a couple days ago, we took her to get shod thinking her foot was hurting on the gravel. They brought their horse trailer, and spent two hourse total with us that day. They then came back to our house and helped us ride her. Well, the shoes fixed the problem
Having a seller that will help you along is great, especially with what happened with us.
Why is that a serious problem? Serious is taking the money and running. Since the OP is on a payment plan, the previous owner is very much in the picture.
If the seller was looking for a new best friend, they would lease the horse out and retain control. As someone who sells very infrequently, it is not a decision we make lightly. It can be sad to constantly reminded that you no longer own the horse and a clean break is better than prolonging the relationship.
Honestly? I would be a little annoyed if someone purchased a horse from me and then started bothering me with all of these questions. Sure, I'd answer them, but they should have checked all of that before purchasing the horse. Now, with them asking all of those questions, I would wonder they were prepared for a horse or not.
I sell the horse for a reason. I don't want anything to do with it when it is sold. If I was that concerned about it, I wouldn't have sold it.
I don't really get that lovey dovey feeling with most horses. There are two horses that I love with a passion, but the rest are my competitive partners, and stay strictly that.
Well, I can see both sides. Frankly, I would be a little annoyed with the bridle question. You are a novice owner who has just purchased a high priced horse. I certainly would hope that you did not do this without consulting your trainer, and I would hope the trainer went with you to see the horse and perhaps ride it. I would agree that your trainer should be able to guide you as to bits, etc, and that is the appropriate place to start. First, you are paying them to help you. Second, they know how you ride, so would be more apt to use appropriate bit, etc.
I also agree with the people who say you most likely bought this horse through a broker/agent. They buy and sell many horses, and that is a different situation than from an individual. However, given the fact that you still owe them a substantial amount of $$, I find it a bit strange that they are not making nice!
Over the years it has been a mixed bag for me-Some I stay in contact with, others not, and one-well that was the only one I could not have cared less about.
The good news is that if there are going to be "surprises" with your purchase, you still owe them $$, so you may have some recourse, but only if it is something blatant (like drugging, etc) since you had the horse vetted and recieved a reduction based on the results.
Remember, all horses have some idiosycracies, just like people. The key is to figure out what it is for that horse and then decide if it is something you can deal/live with.
I can also see both sides of things. You don't know what her relationship with the horse was. Maybe she loved him to pieces and is so depressed about his sale that she wants nothing to do with you. Maybe he annoyed her half to death and she's glad to be rid of him.
In any case, your trainer is the best person to ask about those things mostly... and I agree that just because the previous owner used a certain bit does not make it the right bit. I always like to start simple with a three link snaffle and then progress to stronger bits as necessary (and it has to be really necessary).
I don't find that "crazy" at all. If the owner adored the horse, it's possible that knowing they sold the horse, it's easier for them to detach themselves if they hear nothing from then on. Now that the horse is a new owner's hands, they know they now have no control over his/her fate, so its easier to ask to hear for no information.
Plus its possible they might have been stalked by a buyer in the past which in their case, i would also ask to have nothing to do with the new owner.
One situation I have seen happen to is that horse might some issues that you just don't know about yet-and she knows it might cause some issues, it which case she wants no contact with anyone. Something that sucks for the buyer, but it unfortunately is now your problem(the problem with the horse business...not everyone is honest).
Asking for no info or contact is a lot more common.
Okay, so the sale was brokered, which means the owner provided the horse to be sold, and nothing more.
Could this person have been a little less snarky to you? Yes, they could. But since you e-mailed them out of the blue with no prior contact, I'm not sure what you expected of them.
People use brokers and sale barns so they don't have to be involved with the buyers. Besides that fact you're a minor, and any questions should have been fielded by the adults involved in the transaction.
I'd be a little annoyed too if some youngster with whom I'd never had any contact started e-mailing me, asking me questions about a horse I'd sold through a brokerage. You're a stranger to them. They don't owe you anything.
My mom has been trying to catch my trainer and she just wants to have a sit down and pour out all her questions and concerns but
my trainer is so busy with hacking her student's horses when they aren't there, managemiing lessons, etc etc, that we haven't been able to catch her and are starting to get kind of frustrated.
Luckily we were able to get out of them what his hacking schedule would be(how many days a week my trainer can school my horse since I can only get to the barn so many times weekly, like 3-4 days per week). But we still haven't been able to pin them down to ask them about his grain/pellet regime, etc.
so, We still haven't had that 1 on 1 time with my trainer that we need to just clear everything up.
To email them I clicked his profile and clicked, "Contact the seller. If the owner C.B.B with us, why does this link go to her email and not the person that's supposed to be selling him.??
Well said. I know your parents bought the horse for you, and I am sure hoping the trainer was involved in that purchase. I would also guess that since you have now had the horse for 3 weeks, someone has figured out what to feed him. If your trainer will be working your horse I would venture a guess he probably knows what bridle and bit he will start with too.
Have you even ridden this horse yet? Do you have lessons set up on him? If so that is a great time to ask your questions. You are then also paying him, and it is on your nickel so to speak.
Most trainers I know can talk and ride at the same time, or in between lessons or rides at the very least. Just a thought.
I have a big mouth, I already replied but I have to agree with my 2 geldings. I raised a colt from 4 mos to 3 yrs had him quite trained. I sold him and regreted it before the day was up I called and begged for him back I hadn't touched the check . She wouldn't sell him, although she did sell him to somebody else maybe 8 months later. Anyway the point is to this day I do not want to hear his name, I did not want her talking about him I sold him to a "best" friend." If it was like a foreclosure sale the owner could be heart broken I doubt it but it is a possibility.
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
The Horse Forum
3.4M posts
92.6K members
Since 2006
A forum community dedicated to horse owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, grooming, reviews, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!