Recent News on Horse Trader Tricks
April 22, 2015- Read a story from a woman who worked around dishonest traders and knew their tricks in Experience is Wisdom.
April 22, 2015- Shadow of a Horse is another tale of a not-so-perfect horse hunt in Trader Horror Stories.
November 4, 2014- New story A Terrible Disease with NO happy endings.
July 12, 2014- The story A Cowboy Dream isn't always so fine...
July 10, 2014- A new Trader Horror Story with an interesting return policy here
March 16, 2014- Our stance on the subject of horse slaughter here
March 4, 2014- New Trader story All The Signs
March 3, 2014- A wise reader sends a new Trader Horror Story here
March 3, 2014- A shorty but goody in Trader Horror Stories here
March 2, 2014- After an embarrassingly long time without editing and posting new trader horror stories, here's one from a reader in England.
January, 2013- Look for lots of new funny ads on For Fun here
January 27, 2013- New Trader Horror Story When Appearances Deceive here
January 25, 2013- New Trader Horror Story Shelter Twist here
August 16, 2012- New story about traders pretending to be a rescue here.
July 24, 2012- New information added to the page Signs of Drugging
July 22, 2012- New Red Flags added along with a new page- Signs of Drugging
July, 2012- In the past few months, we've added the following pages: I'm a Victim, Help!, Horse Rescues, Craigslist, and For Fun. We've included several new Trader Horror Stories. We've also added information on the page Profile of a Victim. Hope you enjoy!
A reader sent us news that another dishonest horse trader was sentenced in April, 2011, for fraud. From the FBI website:
California Woman Who Sold Abused and Sick Horses Sentenced for Fraud
Trina Lee Kenney, of Wrightwood, California, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for using several websites to defraud would-be horse purchasers from across the nation with false promises about horses' health and temperament.
Here's a link to more information: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Trina-Lee-Kenney-119360604.html
Trina Lee Kenney, of Wrightwood, California, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for using several websites to defraud would-be horse purchasers from across the nation with false promises about horses' health and temperament.
Here's a link to more information: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Trina-Lee-Kenney-119360604.html
Also this month: A book every new horse owner should have- Horses Happen! A Survival Guide for First-Time Horse Owners, by Joanne M. Friedman. We found ourselves yelling, "Yes, Yes!" as we read this book. You'll find great humor and many profound truths and we're a little jealous of the elegance of this little book. Ms. Friedman also wrote It's A Horse's Life and Horses in the Yard. We'll be ordering them, and you should, too! Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Joanne+M.+Friedman&x=0&y=0
November, 2010- HTT just received this fascinating article from a reader:
Attorney General's Office Shuts Down East Texas Horse Sales Scam
E-Tex Equine Co. and owner Patricia Wilson sign binding terms
LINDEN – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today reached an agreement with a Cass County horse seller that misrepresented the nature and health of its animals. Under the agreed final judgment, the defendant must pay restitution to customers who purchased sick or unhealthy animals. The agreement also prohibits the defendant from continuing to engage in the horse business.
Today’s resolution stems from the State’s 2009 investigation and enforcement action against E-Tex Equine Co. and its owner, Patricia Wilson. State investigators found the defendant unlawfully sold horses that were blind, injured, sick and lacked up-to-date documentation proving that individual animals had been tested for infectious disease. Wilson conducted business with customers in several states without disclosing the animals’ true health conditions.
Media links
Final Judgment against E-Tex Equine Co. and Patricia Wilson
The agreed final judgment and permanent injunction requires Wilson to restore $65,300 to customers who were misled about the animals and her services. Wilson must also pay $10,000 in civil penalties and $15,000 in state attorneys’ fees under the judgment.
According to investigators with the Attorney General’s Office and the Texas Animal Health Commission, the defendants routinely posted advertisements on websites where horses were commonly marketed and sold. State investigators learned that Wilson falsely claimed that her animals were healthy, gentle, trained for riding, and suitable for children. In fact, Wilson’s customers actually received animals that were blind, scarred, underweight, barely trained and otherwise materially different from the horse they intended to purchase.
State investigators also learned that Wilson attempted to conceal her identity by relying on numerous aliases – including the names of actual people she knew such as Valerie Wilson, Patricia Ferraris, Trish Wilson, Patricia Gumm, Molly Duck, Tanja Hamilton and D. Murphy. The State’s enforcement action indicates that the defendant employed multiple names and used proper names of ranches in an effort to convince customers that they were dealing with several equine professionals rather than a single seller.
Wilson also improperly claimed that her horses were acquired from childrens’ camps. In fact, she purchased the animals from horse auctions solely for the purpose of reselling them.
According to State investigators, Wilson falsely claimed that her horses had been subjected to infectious anemia tests – which are also known as Coggins tests – and possessed the correct papers verifying the veterinary test results for specific animals. Many customers were given results for Coggins tests that were performed on different animals. That is, the Coggins documentation provided to Wilson’s customers did not actually match the age, gender, or hide markings associated with the horses they purchased.
The State’s enforcement action charged E-Tex Equine and co-defendant E-Tex Interior Solutions, LLC with common law fraud and Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act violations, including the sellers’ failure to sell the horses they described in their advertisements.
Here is the actual link to article, for anyone interested: https://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagNews/release.php?id=3541
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A letter from a small animal veterinarian friend, who also happens to be an amazingly talented horse woman:
October, 2010
To HTT,
Thanks for soliciting input. I definitely think there needs to be much, much more information out there about buying horses, and I think your website is a good start. It looks very professional and is easy to navigate.
A few thoughts: I don't know if your current website would be the place for this, but I think what is really needed is a "So you want to own a horse..." page or something like that. It amazes me that people who can't spend more than $1200 for a horse even try to buy one, when the average-average-cost of owning a horse per year is $2400. That doesn't include showing, training, lessons, or shoes, or allow for boarding them anywhere; that is just feed, hay, hoof trimmings, vaccinations, Coggins, etc. It's like the people that spend $400 on a puppy and then neglect to get the $20 parvo vaccination.
I have had a number of back yard buddy horses in my life. I have also had a number of valuable well-trained horses. They can all buck, and all of them need regular riding to maintain their fitness and attitudes. They are not bicycles. I don't think a truly "kid-proof" horse exists unless they are either ancient or so lame they can't act up. I know my pony proved to me more than once that he would not tolerate me asking things improperly, or riding unsafely.
I'm not defending the horse traders. I know there are unscrupulous dealers out there. I have been fortunate in my horse purchases, even the two that I have made sight unseen, one from halfway across the world! I think the biggest thing is never to fall in love with a horse until you assess whether or not it's suitable, and don't be a sucker for a hard-luck story. A horse that has been abused or mishandled is a job for a professional, always.
I do have people ask me about buying horses periodically. I will send them to your site for some good information.
Hope all else is well....we just got back from the World Equestrian Games in Lexington. Awesome, awesome event. A once-in-a-lifetime experience for sure.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Joanne+M.+Friedman&x=0&y=0
November, 2010- HTT just received this fascinating article from a reader:
Attorney General's Office Shuts Down East Texas Horse Sales Scam
E-Tex Equine Co. and owner Patricia Wilson sign binding terms
LINDEN – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today reached an agreement with a Cass County horse seller that misrepresented the nature and health of its animals. Under the agreed final judgment, the defendant must pay restitution to customers who purchased sick or unhealthy animals. The agreement also prohibits the defendant from continuing to engage in the horse business.
Today’s resolution stems from the State’s 2009 investigation and enforcement action against E-Tex Equine Co. and its owner, Patricia Wilson. State investigators found the defendant unlawfully sold horses that were blind, injured, sick and lacked up-to-date documentation proving that individual animals had been tested for infectious disease. Wilson conducted business with customers in several states without disclosing the animals’ true health conditions.
Media links
Final Judgment against E-Tex Equine Co. and Patricia Wilson
The agreed final judgment and permanent injunction requires Wilson to restore $65,300 to customers who were misled about the animals and her services. Wilson must also pay $10,000 in civil penalties and $15,000 in state attorneys’ fees under the judgment.
According to investigators with the Attorney General’s Office and the Texas Animal Health Commission, the defendants routinely posted advertisements on websites where horses were commonly marketed and sold. State investigators learned that Wilson falsely claimed that her animals were healthy, gentle, trained for riding, and suitable for children. In fact, Wilson’s customers actually received animals that were blind, scarred, underweight, barely trained and otherwise materially different from the horse they intended to purchase.
State investigators also learned that Wilson attempted to conceal her identity by relying on numerous aliases – including the names of actual people she knew such as Valerie Wilson, Patricia Ferraris, Trish Wilson, Patricia Gumm, Molly Duck, Tanja Hamilton and D. Murphy. The State’s enforcement action indicates that the defendant employed multiple names and used proper names of ranches in an effort to convince customers that they were dealing with several equine professionals rather than a single seller.
Wilson also improperly claimed that her horses were acquired from childrens’ camps. In fact, she purchased the animals from horse auctions solely for the purpose of reselling them.
According to State investigators, Wilson falsely claimed that her horses had been subjected to infectious anemia tests – which are also known as Coggins tests – and possessed the correct papers verifying the veterinary test results for specific animals. Many customers were given results for Coggins tests that were performed on different animals. That is, the Coggins documentation provided to Wilson’s customers did not actually match the age, gender, or hide markings associated with the horses they purchased.
The State’s enforcement action charged E-Tex Equine and co-defendant E-Tex Interior Solutions, LLC with common law fraud and Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act violations, including the sellers’ failure to sell the horses they described in their advertisements.
Here is the actual link to article, for anyone interested: https://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagNews/release.php?id=3541
***********************************************************************************************
A letter from a small animal veterinarian friend, who also happens to be an amazingly talented horse woman:
October, 2010
To HTT,
Thanks for soliciting input. I definitely think there needs to be much, much more information out there about buying horses, and I think your website is a good start. It looks very professional and is easy to navigate.
A few thoughts: I don't know if your current website would be the place for this, but I think what is really needed is a "So you want to own a horse..." page or something like that. It amazes me that people who can't spend more than $1200 for a horse even try to buy one, when the average-average-cost of owning a horse per year is $2400. That doesn't include showing, training, lessons, or shoes, or allow for boarding them anywhere; that is just feed, hay, hoof trimmings, vaccinations, Coggins, etc. It's like the people that spend $400 on a puppy and then neglect to get the $20 parvo vaccination.
I have had a number of back yard buddy horses in my life. I have also had a number of valuable well-trained horses. They can all buck, and all of them need regular riding to maintain their fitness and attitudes. They are not bicycles. I don't think a truly "kid-proof" horse exists unless they are either ancient or so lame they can't act up. I know my pony proved to me more than once that he would not tolerate me asking things improperly, or riding unsafely.
I'm not defending the horse traders. I know there are unscrupulous dealers out there. I have been fortunate in my horse purchases, even the two that I have made sight unseen, one from halfway across the world! I think the biggest thing is never to fall in love with a horse until you assess whether or not it's suitable, and don't be a sucker for a hard-luck story. A horse that has been abused or mishandled is a job for a professional, always.
I do have people ask me about buying horses periodically. I will send them to your site for some good information.
Hope all else is well....we just got back from the World Equestrian Games in Lexington. Awesome, awesome event. A once-in-a-lifetime experience for sure.
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