I feel very sorry for this horse.
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Yes. I feel that the OP is just as responsible for the well being of this horse as the buyer.
Thinking you were going to flip a horse-putting it up for sale in a couple of weeks still thin and not sound.
Selling it to just anyone to unload it-then refusing to take it back and refund the $$ is bad all around.
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I think this is (what the OP wrote) is not the same thing as you describe.
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To quote a Reddit judging abbreviation: ESH. (Everyone Sucks Here)
The scammer buyer is clearly a scammy human being, but as the âsellerâ youâre a horse flipper who couldnât be bothered to even ensure the horse was at a good weight before you listed him.
It doesnât shock me that the horseâs original owner was horrified. I would be too. Poor horse got flipped to one person who didnât give a shit, to a second, all for a quick buck.
The horse deserves better.
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I feel sorry for him too, but I feel like the buyerâs demand of expenses is absolutely unreasonable. And may be impossible for the OP to meet if sheâs in a financial tight spot.
I donât think attacking the OP is helpful, either. We donât know other peopleâs circumstances.
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OP, you say you adopted the horse? Was this through a TB agency? Or were you more accurately given a free horse?
If itâs the first one, you may be under contract to not rehome the horse without contacting the agency.
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I think the OP was clear about the condition of the horse.
Refusing to take it back is not unreasonable. She would need a place to put it and be able to support it. OP has no way of knowing what transpired on the trailer ride or upon arrival at the buyerâs barn. Buyer insisted on taking it with the information she hadâŠ
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I had the exact same thought re: ESH.
But I think less because the OP found themselves in a situation where they needed to sell the horse (letâs face it, it could happen to any of us and certainly has to many) and more because once that horse was in their care, as far as Iâm concerned, it was then their responsibility to make sure the horse got as soft of a landing as they could when they realized keeping the animal wasnât in the cards. Selling the horse to someone who wants to buy sight unseen off a sub-par ad, shows up with cash and doesnât even want to take a closer look at the horse should have set off major warning bells. Nothing good comes from a scenario that starts like that. The old adage âif itâs too good to be trueâŠâ comes to mind.
I wouldnât fault the OP for refusing to take the horse back given the details weâve gottenâŠbut I have to say I feel awfully sorry for the poor beast and certainly feel like the OP could have done a much better job of screening interested parties given it doesnât sound like she had a lack of interest nor did the horse need to go out the door immediately.
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The scammy buyer is not necessarily a grim fate for the horse. The horse is valuable to the scammy buyer only as long as it is fed and looks good enough for someone to want to buy it. Scammy buyer has an incentive to at least do the minimum. And to move the horse along to a new owner who is a more substantive buyer.
It reads as if the OP felt rather overwhelmed by this buyer. The buyer was far more practiced at pushing through the sale than the OP was at saying ânoâ to a buyer who did actually have the money asked. That is understandable, and OP is expressing regrets at how this turned out. There is no point in beating up on her.
The buyer now has all the control over what happens next, and doesnât have to bring the horse back for a refund. The OP has no control over that. Lessons have been learned â we have all been down that road in one way or another.
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OP said in her latest update she did offer to take the horse back for a full refund once she knew the person was cray-cray. She does mention checking a reference too- and that is must be her only good one. So I think OP did what she could. I mean, my spidey senses would have been going off, but sometimes, when something seems too good to be true, you might just have gotten really lucky. And if your situation changed recently, you canât always second guess yourself.
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I would stop all communications with the buyer.
This is a super strange transaction and Iâm sure you regret going through with it. This woman is nuts.
The horse is her problem now.
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I tried to do this. I had a bank draft for the full refund. She wanted compensation for her fuel and to be paid cash, I said no. She brought the horse and had a contract stating I would refund $2600 rather than the original $2500 and in cash also stating I misrepresented the horse and waive all right to legal action and to end communication. I would not sign it. She took the horse from me, forced him back into the trailer, with a large step up, only one door open, no lights in the trailer, on an icy driveway, with no protection on the horse and the blanket only partially done up and left. The horse was screaming as she drove away. Absolutely broke my heart, but at this point donât know what to do. Have heard nothing from her since.
I had fully intended to keep him for at least a year. I had arrangements with a trainer when he was prepared to be brought back into work. He had been off 3 months when I got him and had prepared to treat him as an unstarted horse, doing months of groundwork before even considering bringing him into any kind of work. It was a personal project for me to offer the horse the opportunity to start a new career and make someone a wonderful partner. I had absolutely no intention of making a quick flip when I took him. With this sale I was only trying to keep his best interest in mind and it seemed like a great fit, but as has been said, too good to be true. I had the horse 3 weeks, he was underweight when I got him and the stress of moving caused him to drop more weight. Even still he was not unhealthily thin. The previous owner agreed with this, and was not upset about the sale, only the slander of his horse. He had also been sound as far as I had known, I had lunged him days before and being unprepared to sell him, I didnât think to film it before hand which was my mistake. I have photos of him from 2 months before he was under my care, showing him on the thinner side, as well as photos from the day he arrived where he was also thin. Every person who has seen the horse has agreed he is just a thoroughbred and they do not winter well, but by no means at a concerning weight. I would never sell an unhealthy, unsound horse, unless I was certain the new owner was prepared to care for them, it is unfair to the horse.
So she brought him back, but then loaded him up and took him when you wouldnât pony up more money than was agreed upon? And she brought paperwork for you to sign? Just trying to clarify. Loads of crazy!
Whoa, talk about a steam roller. I wouldnât have signed any contract like that either. I hope it all turns out OK for that poor horse!
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For a $2500 horse, no less. She drove 3 hours and wanted an extra $100? Who has that kind of time?
I personally might have thrown in the $100 (only to get rid of her quicker) but no way would I sign a contract saying I misrepresented the horse.
I probably would have thrown in the $100 as well (if I were in a position to do so), just to have the nightmare over with and the horse safely back in my possession. However I would NOT sign any paperwork other than perhaps a bill of sale selling the horse back to me. Wowzers. Who has the time to drive 3 hours, and then quibble over $100 bucks that really isnât owed to you or agreed upon anyways?
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If I felt the horse were lame and misrepresented (which doesnât seem to be the case here but what she is claiming), I certainly wouldnât have argued over $100 bucks after driving 3 hours to return the horse (and I wouldnât have expected money for my time, gas, or anything else, either). Who does she think she is going to sell the horse to for $2500, as lame as she claims?
Poor horse! And what a rotten witch she is. Thatâs just blackmail what she did. Good for you for standing your ground. Iâm sorry this is not going the way it should but you are dealing with a real piece of work here.
