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wondering where this big city is in Arkansas is?
But we were in a similar plight being in Ft Worth looking for an English Pleasure horse so we went back to Kentucky looking for a proven aged English Pleasure horse but ended up purchasing a long yearling who, well ended being a champion western pleasure horse… the closest she got to English Pleasure was Working Hunter
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Little Rock Arkansas
So what do you think happened? Are you figuring all this was a scam to get $200 out of you?
I expect it was much more a case of cross wires and mixed signals. The seller did not want to let the horse go to a buyer they had never met and they wanted to be sure the horse went to a training program not just your farm. This actually shows that they care about the horse.
Its very common for English performance horses to only be sold into training programs because the sellers want to horse and rider to have as much support as possible.
It’s very different from Western world or lower value horses, where no one cares.
I doubt all this was a scam to get $200 out of you.
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I am shopping for a horse world wide and have sent contacts and trainers to try them for me and send video/report back. I pay them $250-350 depending on time/travel required. So far none of the 3 we have tried have worked out for various reasons - the ride didn’t go well, vetting issues, price negotiations. However, I still pay the trainers/riders for their time. You owed the $200 no matter what the outcome.
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OK i see were you are coming from, but the person I hired should have told her ‘‘friend’’ all of this BEFOREHAND. As she said she ‘‘talked extensively on the phone with her’’ before she set out. It shuold have been crystal clear I would not be going in person BEFOREHAND if that was the case. And if they wanted me to go in person, we would have to make arrangements to take time off of work and get kenneling for our dog, even if we could make the drive… It was very clear she was hoping to get me into HER SPECIFIC barn training board,…And if you want the horse to go to a training barn, it should be stated up front, before you start a long journey. And not leave it up to ESP. If she had talked up front, it could have been avoided beforehand, instead of wasting my money.
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I am not disputing the 200.00 . I am upset on the terms that were not stated up front (being in person, going to HER training barn, and so on). If I had known this UPFRONT, I wouldn’t have sent her…
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What credentials did this trainer have? Generally since you are not identifying her.
You say you found her through an ad for a horse she was selling. I’m just wondering how so much trust developed with so little joint experience.
Imo it’s good that you were communicating directly with the seller. I agree that it is odd that the seller seems to have stopped meaningful communication with you.
It does seem that something went awry in the three-way communication between you, your representative, and the seller. Because of the distance, I think it will be very hard to figure out exactly what. You have no way of knowing what the seller and your representative were saying to each other.
It seems that you are now doubting the integrity of the communications pattern. You have lost trust. I have no idea what happened, or if anything went wrong. But I think you should listen to what your instincts are telling you. Might be time to move on to another channel to find a horse.
Your title question is if people use a trainer to help them find a horse. Of course they do. But I do not think that is your real question.I think your question is not about trainers generally, but about this trainer in particular, and how this series of events played out. Again, I’d say trust your inner questions about what happened.
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Thank you for your answer. I have no intention of working with this lady ever again I was very clear on my end, . When I was on the phone with her discussing my offer and how to get the horse here, she specifically asked me was I wanted to move it to her barn in Arkansas, and I said no, i wanted it with me. And i could sense the disappointment and frustration in her voice (i heard like a tsk sound, like annoyed, on the phone) This is before she presented the offer to her friend/seller. If I had purchased a horse sight unseen (not recommended) but if I did, I would have sent it to her barn for riding and I would have rented a car/house out to be near her, since no one rode it If I bought a suitable horse, but it was green I would have sent it to her for training. But the horse in question was a moderate priced horse in the high 4s, and 16 and a schoolmaster type… I would never recommend buying sight unseen. With the rider’s buyer’s agent, I would think I could guard against a seller drugging or sedating their horses for sale, which is viral out here.
It sounds as if the trainer had unrealistic expectations of both you and of the seller.
Your expectations may have been a bit unrealistic as well.
The horse business being what it is, I think you came out a lot better than you might have.
I suggest getting to know your new local horse community better. I have a feeling there are many resources in the kind of riding that you want to do that are much closer than those you have located so far. Sometimes horse people aren’t very good at making themselves known outside of their own world. If you aren’t already an insider, you might never find them. Keep developing contacts and keep networking.
Last year I discovered there was an association for my riding interests located in my general area. I had been here six years and have been totally unaware of it. I don’t know how I missed it, but it is small, and doesn’t do much to promote itself. 
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So I have a questions on the process. So if you have a trainer who tries them out for you, and then in say, all is good with the horse, do you then go out and try the horse in person, in your case, before making the offer?
Let’s just say I take a very different approach than you did.
The trainer goes with me to see the horse. I ride, and am the first to ride. And so on from there, re horse evaluation. A lot of the trainer’s role is to advise on price as well as suitability, because the trainer has much more exposure to the market than I do.
I also start as close to home as possible, and work whatever network I have in search of what I want. I’ve certainly found horses that were a 4-hour drive away. But given the density and diversity of horses of every kind in the midwest, I’d like to support the community that is as local as possible to me. People ready to sell suitable horses do have to make an effort to make them known, of course.
Not to say there aren’t other equally valid approaches to the horse search. People on COTH have described a wide variety of ways to find a horse that suited them well.
Have you had much previous experience searching for and buying a horse for yourself? For those of us who don’t own many, and tend to keep each one for much of its natural life, horse searching-buying may come only once in a span of years. I definitely want professional advice and help when the pro is much more in touch with the kind of horse I’m interested in.
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I don’t read that the OP thinks it was a scam to get $200 but that this trainer just did not do what they said they were going to do. The trainer fee was not contingent on a horse working out, but it was contingent on the trainer trying to find them a horse that checked the boxes that the OP wanted.
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This is all very strange. I would never use a trainer I met on the Internet and had one lesson with to shop for a horse for me. Why did you pick this trainer from a long distance away you don’t even know well? Why not use the trainer you take lessons from locally to find a horse? Why did you make an offer on a horse sight unseen by you, without riding it, based on the word of a trainer you barely even knew and had met once? I would be cautious about selling you the horse too, honestly. It’s fishy all around.
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^
THIS!
If you are taking lessons, are none of the school horses adequate for your needs/wants?
Is your local trainer not able to help you find a suitable horse?
Maybe try a lease or shareboard before buying.
I don’t think you got scammed, just poor communication on all 3 sides of the deal.
Consider yourself $200 wiser.
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I have had a trainer who knew me go to look at a horse to screen it. I have worked the son of a trainer who knew me (well) to look at a horse that was across the country from me. I’m not sure I’d hire someone I didn’t know, although the fact she wanted to see you riding was a good sign.
It sounds to me like the trainer thought this was an opportunity to have a horse in training, which was a big jump on her part from what you’d asked her to do. The fact that you were uncomfortable with the logistics was a red flag. If you were paying her for her time, she should have accommodated you more.
I would absolutely go see a horse that I was going to buy even if a trainer gave it a thumbs up. Especially if it was drive time from me.
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OP, it’s a shame this didn’t work out for you, always disappointing when a horse sale falls through. I didn’t read through every response, but 2 things stand out to me. First, you’re used to another country’s way of doing things regarding horses. Often in American sales ads, you do not see “fine print” details. Second, paying someone to ride a horse you’re interested in is not the same as representing you as an agent. You paid her to ride and give an opinion on suitability only, not dig around in the weeds. I would consider myself lucky the seller came forward and mentioned they wanted you to ride the horse and it’s best if he stayed in training. Just think if you purchased the horse and found out you were in over your head. Good luck with your search.
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I understand your frustration, but honestly these things just happen sometimes.
Like Scribbler said, it sounds like a case of some serious miscommunication, but not anything nefarious.
It’s quite possible the trainer that you paid thought that you would go see the horse if her trial went well. And even if that trainer didn’t think that themselves, they might have accidentally indicated it to the seller just by omission of details.
It’s also possible that the seller changed their mind on the terms of the sale at some point during the conversations. Or changed their mind on selling to a training/show barn vs someone not in a training/show barn.
It’s also possible that there was a disagreement over commission or something between the seller and the trainer that you don’t know about.
It is not uncommon for sellers to change their minds in the middle of the sale. It is not uncommon for sellers to be unwilling to sell a horse sight unseen.
Lesson learned, shrug it off and approach the next horse trial differently.
I would have a hard time going with a trainer that I didn’t have a relationship with. By that I mean, either actively taking lessons with them or a trainer that has seen me ride (whether at clinics or shows) and the type of horse I ride.
I’m not sure that either the trainer/broker or the seller did you wrong. The trainer went and rode the horse and gave you a report. The seller wanted to be sure the horse was a good fit for you (in order to protect the horse and I’m sure their reputation).
Your reluctance to travel, even if it’s a good reason, will make it hard to find something outside of your immediate area, especially if the type/style of riding you do isn’t prevalent where you are located.
According to this website, there is one certified USDF trainer in MO. You may be close to the border with another state and could search for one that way. I would call the nearest ones and ask for their help either in locating horses nearby or in locating a qualified trainer near you that may be able to assist.
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Honestly, this. I think it’s weird that you’d have a trainer who doesn’t even know you essentially buy a horse for you. I can see why the seller thought you were sketchy. And you’re getting upset with the trainer because she lives in(? Near?) a big city and you’re afraid of big city driving? What’s she supposed to do about that?
Why don’t you find a trainer in your immediate area, take lessons or lease from them so you have an actual relationship with them and then go shopping? Your expectations in this out of state trainer situation were really out of line, I think.
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