Misrepresentation of horse - how to handle

[WildLittleWren]

I believe you should back away. Number one, not your circus and not your monkeys. Should a friend or close acquaintance mention wanting the try the horse, I would relate the entire story, including that the owner stated they were not allowing trial rides and stated they were sending the horse for training. It sounds like it might be a behavior that just surfaced, and she is trying to get to the bottom of it. There is absolutely no way you can police this. Nor should you. Be happy you didn’t go and try the horse out and get injured, but beyond that this is not something that should be addressed by you.

Honestly if I got a letter from a potential buyer, who hadn’t even come out to the see the horse, I would be extremely off put and well, offended. You haven’t laid eyes on the horse nor have you seen the horse ridden under saddle. Everything else is hearsay, and if you have a video, its still not your business. I’m not writing that to be mean, just I would find it extremely out of line if someone who had not even come to try my horse out, wrote me a letter about misrepresentation on a horse they had never even seen in person.

[WildLittleWren]

I also want to add, that there were plenty of red flags in your initial conversation with her. Broken ribs, sending horse to trainer, not allowing trial rides. Perhaps your pro can help you source some horses from trusted sources she works with, to help you in your search. Good luck OP. I hope you find what you are looking for.

[Mondo]

I am not a lawyer, but I’ve been in the horse business long enough to know that an unscrupulous seller will be the very first to sue you for slander if you go around telling them how to do their business and telling everyone that they are perpetrating a fraud. Your heart is in the right place, but DO NOT send that letter you’ve drafted. Throw it away and go on with your search. Don’t mention anything about the video and don’t offer any information. It sounds as though it’s all hearsay anyway, not personal experience.

The best advice you’ve received on this thread so far is: “To keep yourself safe, always watch the seller ride before you get on.” ALWAYS. And that’s in person, not just from the video. If the seller won’t ride the horse, I sure as hell ain’t getting on it! Words to live by. Best of luck in your search.

[WildLittleWren]

I agree, ALWAYS have the seller ride first. I trained horses for many years, can decently ride any shenanigans (bolting, bucking, spooking, rearing)…well not anymore because of my physical limitations with a bad back, but there is no way I would try a horse out without first seeing someone else up on it. Even if you are a super good rider, it’s not worth an injury or death on a horse you might POSSIBLY buy. Let the seller go first, or their trainer, etc. They want to sell the horse, they need to show what it can (or cannot) do. Before you swing a leg over. Good advice for everyone to heed!

That being said, of course I was always the first up on a horse in for training, but I also had worked with that horse extensively on the ground, knew their reactions and temperament etc. before I got on. Riding a horse that you just met, without someone else getting on, is a surefire way to get injured. There are just as many (if not more) dishonest horse sellers out there as honest ones.

[RhythmNCruise]

I’m just another voice echoing to not write/send this seller a letter. I mean, she DID admit that the horse is not suitable for viewing or trying out right now. She DID admit that he’s broken her ribs recently. She DID admit that he’s going to the “re-trainer” for some work before going back on the market. How much more honest can she be about the horse?

As we see all the time on this forum, sh*t happens with otherwise reliable, trustworthy horses that causes them to go bat-crackers. This horse may have vetted “sound” but that doesn’t mean he might not have some unresolved pain breaking through during certain times. Over the past year, my own “Steady Eddie” 12yo horse that I’ve raised and trained myself from a yearling went through a patch of being an unrecognizable fire-breathing dragon. I barely wanted to sit on him myself much less let anyone else sit on him, and he is usually a total plug that anyone can ride.

Or maybe this horse just has some big gaps in his training that the seller didn’t realize were so significant, and now she’s trying to fix that. If the story about the mom and daughter getting their arms broken is true (seems kind of outlandish, but whatever), then I’m sure the seller got a big wake-up call then.

Point being…it sounds like the seller is trying to fix the horse so he’s marketable. And that’s admirable, IMO. Better than just drugging him up and sending him off to some unsuspecting people who were going to be in for a real surprise when the cocktail wore off later.

[NSC_Los_Angeles]

I wouldn’t send the letter, definitely. I’ve had a few c&d’s over this kind of thing over the years but I’m super litigious so that stuff doesn’t scare me and I’m not really afraid of being sued for libel, it’s nearly impossible to prove damages in the horse world. I’ve definitely warned people about dangerous sale horses before, one sale fell through because of it, and what can the owner of that horse do? It’s free speech, delivered in good faith.

But, I sense that you may be feeling a responsibility to warn other unsuspecting ammies and that’s very understandable. If there is video just blast it out anonymously (fake email, fake Youtube account) with the name of the horse and the seller. But, if no video exists, I’d probably back away as others have suggested as there’s just not much you can do except let all your friends know.

[NJRider]

From your initial description I think “misrepresentation” is a stretch. There are a lot of red flags in what you were told up front. A misrepresentation would have said he was beginner safe or unflappable.

[FitzE]

I agree with everything said thus far. The only change I would suggest is that, if contacted by the seller, I would not say you have info that leads you to believe this is not the horse for you. I would simply say that, in the interim, you have identified a horse you are interested in and are pursuing that and thank you so much for getting back to me. That’s all. Too many unknowns here and too much of a downside for you if you get involved.