This…^
If the seller is close to sign a bill of sale, they should absolutely know how much they’re selling their horse for.
Owners need to hold agents accountable - same with buyers. Just because the Seller says “I’d love to sell Dobbin for 300K” doesn’t entitle the agent to any vig over that amount - unless disclosed in the contract and used to offset the commission. It’s not free money to the agent.
Amis- do yourselves a favor and make the appropriate calls/ emails before wiring/ signing contracts.
Your 250k horse may only cost 175 with the agents splitting profits and charging you 10-15% on the sale price 
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I’m not saying it’s right—just saying that it’s a thing that happens. Often.
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Yes, sad but true. Sellers and buyers need to be far less trusting and do their own diligence.
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This is exactly my point, and this is me doing due diligence. 
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And this is why my trainer’s policy is for her buyer to write one check directly to the seller for the price of the horse and another to the trainer for the commission.
In my case this led to the seller sending me all of my horse’s paperwork and a lovely letter saying she wanted to stay in touch.
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Here’s a link to the Hope Glynn podcast which is on Noelle Floyd.
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thank you!
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You don’t. They are either in high end barns known for sales and/or sold via word of mouth trainer to trainer.
I feel like the most accurate answer to the original question is that the described horse is in “if you have to ask you can’t afford it” territory 
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Yeah, well, the buck needs to stop with the people with the money.
One thing Glynn said was that CA law requires that all commissions be disclosed on the Bill of Sale.
Also, aren’t Bills of Sale ultimately signed by owners, not the owner’s agent? It seems to me that, sooner or later, a buyer who is trying will learn what they actually paid for the horse vs. what they paid for agents’ services.
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not necessarily as an owner (“the principal”) can legally transfer power of attorney to an attorney or agent to act in their behalf
As a seller, I have said “Anything over $x is yours” to agents. I set a price that I’m happy with and assume that if they really want to make a sale, they’ll put a reasonable price tag on the horse that can’t be all that much more than what I wanted to begin with. I don’t really need the details beyond that - I am using an agent in large part because I don’t want to deal with the details.
That being said, I did find out a few years later that my trainer had more than doubled the price tag on my junior hunter. No wonder he didn’t get her sold at that price 
It really depends who is acting as your agent, as buyer and seller. Sometimes compromises must be made 
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Very unlikely to find quality to win at WEF for 5 figures in Junior Hunters.
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Doesn’t the USA have any consumer protection laws? Isn’t a horse a chattel, same as a car or a boat?
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Yes, but… The equestrian world is highly unregulated and not many horse people are willing to speak up and demand what would be normal in other business.
often a horse sales contract contains a " As-Is clause,” which protects the seller from unexpected issues that may arise with a horse.
It means that the seller warrants neither the condition of the horse nor the horse’s fitness for any particular purpose.
Not a contractual relationship exchanging money for goods and services.
Have you tried Big Eq? It’s popular with the higher end barns in my area, although it has ads for a fair range of prices tags. Never shopped on it myself, I hasten to add! https://www.bigeq.com/
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I do think that for a 3’-3’3 horse that is green but fancy, and could step up to the 3’6 in a year, on the East Coast you can find a winner for $250k. Probably less. If you don’t need it to walk into the ring at WEF and win this winter, and a good enough kid willing to do some work this year, there are lots of nice young horses in the low six figures out there. I do think it’ll be hard to find a WEF-caliber winner for less than $100k with rhe way the market is now.
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It’s unlikely that you will find a WEF-winning junior hunter under $500K. I have friends who are having a hard time finding a non-WEF winner for half of that.
