Seeking information about Diane Marple in Street, MD. We are considering looking at a horse of hers next week. I know she gets her horses from a friend out of state and only has them a month or so for training before selling them. The videos and photos are good. Can anyone tell me if they have had experience with her? Either purchased a horse from her, or decided not to after seeing the horse or dealing with her? What about her health guarantee? Any experience with that? Any information would be appreciated. It’s a long drive for us and we want to be really sure before heading out. Thank you!
She’s a dealer and personally sold my friend a hunt horse that wasn’t suitable and put her in the hospital. Also was way off on age with said horse. I’d proceed with the same caution you would any horse dealer
My understanding is that many of the horses come from New Holland or similar places and have minimal schooling before being advertised for sale. I have seen nice horses that came from her, but I agree that she is a dealer and it is a gamble.
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It’s always “buyer beware”, not just with her as a dealer, but anyone.
I don’t know anything about her “health guarantee”–but you should do your own due diligence and get yourself a good pre purchase exam (and pull blood) in addition to trying the horse under saddle before buying.
I got Lincoln from her and Kelly back in 2008 when they were still partners. See the link in my signature for pictures. I hit the lotto. Seriously. This horse is the best thing that ever happened to me, and worth every single penny I paid them.
That said, she’s a horse dealer. I’ve seen all sorts of horses come from her barn - some sound, some lame, mostly steady eddie sorts but not all. I recommend quarantine for anything that comes from her - like Highflyer said, I thinks she gets some of her stuff from auctions.
One of the boarders at the barn bought a horse from her. He had a random sit and spin. He was not suitable for her. The sit and spin wasn’t consistent and he would do it with multiple riders. But it would be weeks in between. To be fair he went from 24 hour turn-out to 12 hours in a stall/12 hours out. Apparently now that he is back to 24 hour turn-out he doesn’t do it.
They traded him back to Diane about 9 months after they got him and got a fair price for him. They then used the credit towards another horse. The second horse has worked out wonderfully for the owner. He is solid, sane, sound and safe. Perfect for her.
ETA: They did not try to hunt either horse. Just trail riding, ring riding and some little shows.
[QUOTE=notanotherone;8089106]
She’s a dealer and personally sold my friend a hunt horse that wasn’t suitable and put her in the hospital. Also was way off on age with said horse. I’d proceed with the same caution you would any horse dealer[/QUOTE]
I really dislike these sort of question/threads when feedback is based on “here-say”. It can be really unfair.
“Suitability” is VERY subjective IMO and experience. In the end who makes the decision seller or buyer? Rhetorical question of course it is always the buyer. IME as a “seller” most of the buyers I have had to deal with WAY over think/state their riding abilities. Let alone their “horsemanship” skills.
I am not defending this person don’t her. I am from Maryland and made a coupe of calls to people who buy and sell. They knew the name but didn’t have a dealings nor have anything good or bad to say.
Having just had unpleasant experience with selling a nice horse. And countless unpleasant experiences dealing with “pony clubbers” I feel like I should start a thread called “Seller Beware” and list names and reasons why I wouldn’t do business with them.
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[QUOTE=Highflyer;8089205]
My understanding is that many of the horses come from New Holland or similar places and have minimal schooling before being advertised for sale. I have seen nice horses that came from her, but I agree that she is a dealer and it is a gamble.[/QUOTE]
A lot of nice horses have been bought at New Holland for give away money. Where a horse comes from is immaterial IMO. A person is buying the horse in front of them not where it came from.
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Nothing at all wrong with it-- but it means you need to accept that you won’t get detailed medical history, age/ breed is most likely a guess unless the horse has a tattoo, and in most cases the horses end up there through no fault of their own but in some cases they end up there because there is something really wrong mentally or physically . A dealer who has had the horse for a month may very well not even know about the issue. I personally prefer to have more information when possible even if it’s just a race record and pedigree.
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Gumtree, person referenced above is a hunt master, an excellent rider, and has hunted for decades, so riding ability is not the issue and it’s not “hearsay” in my opinion. Certainly everyone can have a bad experience, but if someon is coming to public board to ask info, I will share what I know to be true and only the facts.
Gumtree, the person I was referencing in my post is a hunt master, has hunted for decades and is an excellent rider who knows exactly what a hunt horse should be. Not really sure how that is classified as “hearsay” It was a personal friend, I saw the horse, knew the situation. And the vet and our shared dentist both stated age was at least 6-8 years off. Those are facts, not hearsay.
Being through the ringer myself of buying horses who were not as advertised, I appreciate being able to offer honest feedback on a forum where someone felt the need to inquire. Does the situation I know of mean she’s a terrible horse seller, of course not, but it happened and if I were looking for info I would like to hear both good and bad stories if folks had them.
There are also stories on here of people who heard or know personally of good horses who came from her. Of course it’s always buyer beware, but IMO, it’s better to be even MORE aware when dealing with a dealer.
[QUOTE=Highflyer;8093706]
Nothing at all wrong with it-- but it means you need to accept that you won’t get detailed medical history, age/ breed is most likely a guess unless the horse has a tattoo, and in most cases the horses end up there through no fault of their own but in some cases they end up there because there is something really wrong mentally or physically . A dealer who has had the horse for a month may very well not even know about the issue. I personally prefer to have more information when possible even if it’s just a race record and pedigree.[/QUOTE]
Fair enough and I agree by and large. But most of these “types” of horses do not come with a big price tag. In the end “people get what they paid for” Yes there are some VERY tricky “re-sellers”. All horses coming out of NH are supposed to have a current Coggins at the very least. As to other “issues” due diligence is always a necessity when buying anything “used”. If a person is not WELL versed with buying horses I would like to think they know someone that is. Either for free and or paying a reasonable fee to inspect the horse. I always include in the purchase and sale agreement the right to draw blood and have it checked out. If anything is found out of the ordinary and or that was not disclosed it is a right of return and or rescind the sale and the deposit refunded.
[QUOTE=notanotherone;8093833]
Gumtree, the person I was referencing in my post is a hunt master, has hunted for decades and is an excellent rider who knows exactly what a hunt horse should be. Not really sure how that is classified as “hearsay” It was a personal friend, I saw the horse, knew the situation. And the vet and our shared dentist both stated age was at least 6-8 years off. Those are facts, not hearsay.
Being through the ringer myself of buying horses who were not as advertised, I appreciate being able to offer honest feedback on a forum where someone felt the need to inquire. Does the situation I know of mean she’s a terrible horse seller, of course not, but it happened and if I were looking for info I would like to hear both good and bad stories if folks had them.
There are also stories on here of people who heard or know personally of good horses who came from her. Of course it’s always buyer beware, but IMO, it’s better to be even MORE aware when dealing with a dealer.[/QUOTE]
Fair enough. Adding more detail adds credibility. What I don’t quite understand is why the person with the experience you have detailed would not know what they are buying. IME anyone that is given the honor of being named a Hunt Master knows horses. This is generally not a title that is handed out lightly. At least not in my neck of the woods. I would like to believe a person with that much background would know what they are sitting on pretty much from the get go. If not within a short period of time of working with the horse.
I am not an expert “teeth reader” don’t have to be I only work with TBs but I know enough to be within a reasonable age bracket. A 6-8 year difference is a big one. Though if someone were to look at my teeth they would guess I was around 90.
Again I am not defending the seller nor questioning your post per-say. Just pointing out how it “reads” to me and raises some questions. Just trying to be fair and balanced.
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[QUOTE=gumtree;8093078]
I really dislike these sort of question/threads when feedback is based on “here-say”. It can be really unfair.
“Suitability” is VERY subjective IMO and experience. In the end who makes the decision seller or buyer? Rhetorical question of course it is always the buyer. IME as a “seller” most of the buyers I have had to deal with WAY over think/state their riding abilities. Let alone their “horsemanship” skills.
.
I am not defending this person don’t her. I am from Maryland and made a coupe of calls to people who buy and sell. They knew the name but didn’t have a dealings nor have anything good or bad to say.
Having just had unpleasant experience with selling a nice horse. And countless unpleasant experiences dealing with “pony clubbers” I feel like I should start a thread called “Seller Beware” and list names and reasons why I wouldn’t do business with them.[/QUOTE]
I agree with this, how in the name of heaven is the seller responsible for assessing the rider’s horsemanship level. Didn’t this experienced person have the chance to ride the horse? I have a friend who would like to add some names to that Seller Beware list.
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After a few heated debates on FB, “hunt horses for sale” now requires horses to be fairly hunted as well as sellers give the name of the hunt as well as the flights.
If you’re buying a hunt horse, you need to check references and have the horse vetted, simple as.
I have very little sympathy for people in the horse world who buy horses sight unseen based on pictures and no vetting. A fool and his money…
[ATTACH=JSON]{“data-align”:“none”,“data-size”:“large”,“data-attachmentid”:9722273}[/ATTACH] I just bought my Clydesdale cross from her and had a great experience. In my search for a horse, I spoke with dozens of people and visited/rode 4 horses before connecting with Diane. She was professional and prompt in communicating. She had 3 horses in my price/size/age range and was honest about each one’s attributes and limitations. I checked with her hunt club for a reference and spoke to two other horse trainer/dealers about her rep; everything checked out. Had a PPE done on the horse and now he’s home 
Don’t have a negative thing to say, and love my boy!
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That’s a nice looking horse, Poconos.
Thanks!!
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Been looking for a new hunt horse myself. But while I agree with “buyer beware” I do think a good seller, one with a conscience, makes an effort to assess the buyer’s horsemanship skills. Two of the three sellers I’ve dealt with so far have taken the time to talk with me about my experience and watch me ride. One concluded that his horse was not suitable for me because she was “too big” --that was a mistake on his part --size of the horse isn’t something I concern myself with, having ridden 14 hh to 18.2 hh successfully --the problem that he couldn’t (or wouldn’t) see was his mare was going with a hollow back, dead to the leg, and was light in the forehand (reared) when taken out by herself. The second seller was much more thorough. After talking with me he immediately took two horses off my list of horses I wanted to try --one was out of my price range, the other was known to buck when first taken out --I then rode three --one I didn’t like (again, rather hollow and a bit of a head flipper) the second was PERFECT, and he pulled out a mare he had (I’d said I didn’t want a mare) and suggested I try her. She was good! So I’m hoping to buy from him --he has one more coming in for me to try . . .so I do think a conscious seller --one who wants my business again --will take the time to assess horsemanship skills.
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A friend bought a pony from Diane who had a major issue that was not disclosed. That being said, I agree with others who say “buyer beware” when buying from these types of dealers. I have had horses majorly misrepresented and known issues not disclosed from several dealers in our area that market draft crosses.
One horse had cataracts in both eyes, seller acted surprised, I later found out the horse had been vetted at least once previously and the cataracts had of course been found. The seller found another buyer and a PPE was scheduled a couple of days later. Fortunately the new buyer heard about my PPE through a friend of a friend and I released the PPE records to her.
The horse in my profile picture was said to have “no issues” and suitable for a beginner. He has tons of significant issues and probably would have seriously injured a beginner rider. (That being said; I have no regrets and we have and are still working through his issues and he has been a wonderful horse for me.)
OP, I don’t know where you are but one seller I can recommend is Lori Garnant at Dundulk Sport Horses near Frederick MD (draftcross.com). Her horses are started/trained very correctly and she is honest to deal with. Her prices are going to be higher, but you get what you pay for.
Good luck!
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