Back On The Shelf
Charlotte lives in an area of Indiana rich in equine activities. She’s been riding for 30 years, and her primary enjoyments these days are trail riding, paper chases and 2nd field hunting. Even though her husband Scott has ridden a bit over the past 10 years, Charlotte still considers him a beginner. A few months ago Scott expressed interest in joining in her horse hobby, so Charlotte started looking for a beginner-friendly husband horse.
An acquaintance of Charlotte’s knew a seller, Jordan, whom she described as a “good, religious, young woman.” Jordan was selling a gelding she called Lexus. The horse was an unregistered Lipizzan cross, quite an unusual breed in that area of the country. He was 6 years old, had been under saddle for 3 years, and was a stout 16 hands. Jordan described him as very docile, seasoned at trail riding and cross-country, and perfect for a timid or beginning rider.
Charlotte and Scott went to look at the handsome boy. Jordan rode Lexus in her ring while the couple observed, and he behaved nicely. They talked to Jordan about trail riding and fox hunting, and she was enthusiastic about Lexus being just the right horse. She said that her father, who didn’t even ride, took Lexus into the park a few days prior and had a glorious time, with the horse not missing a step. Next, Scott rode Lexus in the ring; he was calm and obedient. Charlotte didn’t want to push the horse by asking Scott to do anything too complicated. After all, she trusted Jordan, so she wasn’t looking for any problematic behavior or training holes. They asked if Scott could ride Lexus somewhere other than the ring, but Jordan said her trailer was broken. Without hauling the horse off the property, there wasn’t anywhere else to ride.
Since Jordan had been personally recommended to them by an acquaintance, Scott and Charlotte felt good about the big gelding. They scheduled a pre-purchase exam, including full radiographs, for the next day. Lexus got a clean bill-of-health, as well as confirmation from the vet that the gelding was indeed around 6 years old. Jordan added a “Praise the Lord, I knew he was a good horse, and God willing, you’ll have many years with him.” Happy on all counts, they bought Lexus and took him home.
Within days it was obvious the horse was much, much greener than they thought. The first time Scott tried to ride Lexus at home, the horse was very nervous and bolted. Charlotte got on and discovered that Lexus seemed confused by her leg aids. He had no understanding of direct vs. indirect rein. He was “looky” to the point of spooking at everything he saw. He also bolted several times with Charlotte, although she was experienced enough to control his direction and speed. Charlotte thought that lunging might settle him down a bit. They took him out into the field with just the halter and lunge line, and let him graze for a few minutes. When asked to move out on the lunge, he wasn’t very responsive, so Charlotte walked back to the tack room. When Lexus saw her returning with a surcingle and lunging whip, he reared back and broke away from Scott. With a wild look, the horse cantered down the driveway and right into the neighbor’s garage!
Charlotte’s trainer came out to see their new problem child. During the schooling ride, the horse’s reaction to all of her aids was to get rigid, speed up, stop, or swish his tail. She felt he wasn’t hurting anywhere; he simply didn’t understand a thing she was asking of him and he was obviously fearful.
Charlotte and Scott spent the afternoon considering their options. In the trainer’s opinion, it would take at least three months of regular work to bring the horse even close to his “as advertised” level of dependability. That is, if they were lucky and if the horse progressed as hoped... They decided they weren’t willing to gamble. They didn’t like the horse’s temperament enough to invest the time or additional money.
So, less than ten days after they brought the horse home, Charlotte called Jordan and told her that Lexus was not settling in; nor was he as described. She explained her trainer’s assessment, as well as their own observations, and asked Jordan to take Lexus back and refund their money. Interestingly enough, Jordan asked repeatedly if Lexus had reared up with them. Jordan seemed convinced it was the reason they wanted to return him. Charlotte wondered why. Did Jordan know something she wasn’t telling? Perhaps a habit of rearing was the reason Lexus ended up with Jordan in the first place. After all, Jordan purchased many of her horses at auction, and many auction horses have behavioral or soundness problems.
By that time, Scott and Charlotte had invested an additional $800 in Lexus beyond his purchase price. This outlay of money included the vet exam and x-rays, vaccinations, trainer’s fee, transportation, and farrier’s bill. Charlotte very generously offered to send the pre-purchase results with Lexus, so that Jordan could sell him as sound, but Jordan refused, saying, “I don’t care about any of that. I’ll only take him back if you pay a 20% restocking fee.”
Charlotte had never heard of a restocking fee for a horse, and she’d bought many of them over the years. She tried to reason with Jordan, pointing out that the horse Jordan had described was not the horse Charlotte bought. She expressed some doubt that Jordan’s father, “who had never ridden”, could have taken Lexus to a park and returned in one piece. Jordan wouldn’t budge. It was pay the high fee, or keep the horse.
Charlotte and Scott didn’t want the burden of trying to sell Lexus themselves, and they weren’t willing to invest more money in the gelding. They paid the 20% “restocking fee” and returned Lexus to Jordan the next day. They ended up losing several thousand dollars in the ordeal and when they mentioned it to their acquaintance, she said, “Oh, I’m going to yell at Jordan for treating you like that.” It was hardly a comforting response as far as Charlotte was concerned, and didn’t reflect the magnitude of their financial loss.
One week later, Jordan flipped Lexus to another regional horse trader, who advertised Lexus as “Broke, broke, broke.” Charlotte has since talked to other people who have bought horses from Jordan. Some have had success and some got burned. Charlotte says she guesses that’s how it is with most brokers but she assures us that she wouldn’t even buy a goldfish from Jordan ever again.
Charlotte sums up her experience with the following observations:
These horse traders have no shame!
Always have a trainer evaluate a horse before you buy, even if you’re an experienced rider.
No matter what type of riding activity the seller claims is normal for the horse, test the horse yourself and verify that it’s suitable for what you’ll be doing with it.
Don’t believe hearsay (my father doesn’t even ride…) because it may not be true.
Don’t ever let a declaration of Godliness from your seller influence your trust because that may also be a lie!
An acquaintance of Charlotte’s knew a seller, Jordan, whom she described as a “good, religious, young woman.” Jordan was selling a gelding she called Lexus. The horse was an unregistered Lipizzan cross, quite an unusual breed in that area of the country. He was 6 years old, had been under saddle for 3 years, and was a stout 16 hands. Jordan described him as very docile, seasoned at trail riding and cross-country, and perfect for a timid or beginning rider.
Charlotte and Scott went to look at the handsome boy. Jordan rode Lexus in her ring while the couple observed, and he behaved nicely. They talked to Jordan about trail riding and fox hunting, and she was enthusiastic about Lexus being just the right horse. She said that her father, who didn’t even ride, took Lexus into the park a few days prior and had a glorious time, with the horse not missing a step. Next, Scott rode Lexus in the ring; he was calm and obedient. Charlotte didn’t want to push the horse by asking Scott to do anything too complicated. After all, she trusted Jordan, so she wasn’t looking for any problematic behavior or training holes. They asked if Scott could ride Lexus somewhere other than the ring, but Jordan said her trailer was broken. Without hauling the horse off the property, there wasn’t anywhere else to ride.
Since Jordan had been personally recommended to them by an acquaintance, Scott and Charlotte felt good about the big gelding. They scheduled a pre-purchase exam, including full radiographs, for the next day. Lexus got a clean bill-of-health, as well as confirmation from the vet that the gelding was indeed around 6 years old. Jordan added a “Praise the Lord, I knew he was a good horse, and God willing, you’ll have many years with him.” Happy on all counts, they bought Lexus and took him home.
Within days it was obvious the horse was much, much greener than they thought. The first time Scott tried to ride Lexus at home, the horse was very nervous and bolted. Charlotte got on and discovered that Lexus seemed confused by her leg aids. He had no understanding of direct vs. indirect rein. He was “looky” to the point of spooking at everything he saw. He also bolted several times with Charlotte, although she was experienced enough to control his direction and speed. Charlotte thought that lunging might settle him down a bit. They took him out into the field with just the halter and lunge line, and let him graze for a few minutes. When asked to move out on the lunge, he wasn’t very responsive, so Charlotte walked back to the tack room. When Lexus saw her returning with a surcingle and lunging whip, he reared back and broke away from Scott. With a wild look, the horse cantered down the driveway and right into the neighbor’s garage!
Charlotte’s trainer came out to see their new problem child. During the schooling ride, the horse’s reaction to all of her aids was to get rigid, speed up, stop, or swish his tail. She felt he wasn’t hurting anywhere; he simply didn’t understand a thing she was asking of him and he was obviously fearful.
Charlotte and Scott spent the afternoon considering their options. In the trainer’s opinion, it would take at least three months of regular work to bring the horse even close to his “as advertised” level of dependability. That is, if they were lucky and if the horse progressed as hoped... They decided they weren’t willing to gamble. They didn’t like the horse’s temperament enough to invest the time or additional money.
So, less than ten days after they brought the horse home, Charlotte called Jordan and told her that Lexus was not settling in; nor was he as described. She explained her trainer’s assessment, as well as their own observations, and asked Jordan to take Lexus back and refund their money. Interestingly enough, Jordan asked repeatedly if Lexus had reared up with them. Jordan seemed convinced it was the reason they wanted to return him. Charlotte wondered why. Did Jordan know something she wasn’t telling? Perhaps a habit of rearing was the reason Lexus ended up with Jordan in the first place. After all, Jordan purchased many of her horses at auction, and many auction horses have behavioral or soundness problems.
By that time, Scott and Charlotte had invested an additional $800 in Lexus beyond his purchase price. This outlay of money included the vet exam and x-rays, vaccinations, trainer’s fee, transportation, and farrier’s bill. Charlotte very generously offered to send the pre-purchase results with Lexus, so that Jordan could sell him as sound, but Jordan refused, saying, “I don’t care about any of that. I’ll only take him back if you pay a 20% restocking fee.”
Charlotte had never heard of a restocking fee for a horse, and she’d bought many of them over the years. She tried to reason with Jordan, pointing out that the horse Jordan had described was not the horse Charlotte bought. She expressed some doubt that Jordan’s father, “who had never ridden”, could have taken Lexus to a park and returned in one piece. Jordan wouldn’t budge. It was pay the high fee, or keep the horse.
Charlotte and Scott didn’t want the burden of trying to sell Lexus themselves, and they weren’t willing to invest more money in the gelding. They paid the 20% “restocking fee” and returned Lexus to Jordan the next day. They ended up losing several thousand dollars in the ordeal and when they mentioned it to their acquaintance, she said, “Oh, I’m going to yell at Jordan for treating you like that.” It was hardly a comforting response as far as Charlotte was concerned, and didn’t reflect the magnitude of their financial loss.
One week later, Jordan flipped Lexus to another regional horse trader, who advertised Lexus as “Broke, broke, broke.” Charlotte has since talked to other people who have bought horses from Jordan. Some have had success and some got burned. Charlotte says she guesses that’s how it is with most brokers but she assures us that she wouldn’t even buy a goldfish from Jordan ever again.
Charlotte sums up her experience with the following observations:
These horse traders have no shame!
Always have a trainer evaluate a horse before you buy, even if you’re an experienced rider.
No matter what type of riding activity the seller claims is normal for the horse, test the horse yourself and verify that it’s suitable for what you’ll be doing with it.
Don’t believe hearsay (my father doesn’t even ride…) because it may not be true.
Don’t ever let a declaration of Godliness from your seller influence your trust because that may also be a lie!
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