Alltid när jag hör sånt här vill jag skriva lite råd, men sen kommer jag på att min kompis uttryckt det mycket bättre så jag citerar hennes blogginlägg istället:
"I recently moved to the countryside and was asked to source a horse for my boss's daughter, C. I looked at all the usual avenues and ended up seeing a lovely horse online, ticked all the boxes and was little under half an hour from me. When I called I discovered the guy was a dealer and he also had some other horses which may interest me. Here we found 'Table' a lovely young Irish horse who schooled beautifully and felt as safe as houses. I remember trying to get a nice picture of him to show C - no plastic bag waving/key jangling or sand throwing could make him prick his ears or look remotely interested I told my boss to forget the mare she had her eye on and that Table was the one, hands down. After another visit with C herself and some negotiations - Table was ours. He flew through a 5 stage vetting and X-Ray's - the vet told me we had a lovely horse.
Table was dropped off for us a couple of days later, he arrived covered in sweat and extremely tucked up, a bit odd I thought for such a short journey and such a 'chilled' horse. We put him in a paddock next to his new friends to let him settle down.
Later that day he pranced onto the yard, almost knocked me flying as I took him into his new stable and I later found him with his front legs over the stable door. I couldn't pick his feet up, let alone pick them out. He dragged me across the yard so many times and barged through his door as I tried to go in I lost count. He even escaped and had me running after him for half an hour around the perimeter of the house.
After two weeks of the same problems I started to wonder how on earth the farrier had managed to get shoes on him.
The builders working on the house were local men "Oh he's got a bad reputation" "He dopes his horses" "My friend ended up with a rogue horse from him, almost killed her"
Did I immediately demand a refund and for Table to be returned? Had he been doped? Had I fallen victim to one of the many 'dodgy dealers' of this country?
No.
I had bought a YOUNG horse who's last trip on a Lorry was all the way from Ireland. He was boxed up alone and brought to live with strange people and horses, a new yard with barely any horse smell yet and a completely different routine. We gave him TIME to settle in, worked on the ground with him EVERY DAY, got him settled in a ROUTINE, kept his handlers to a minimum. The only thing we immediately changed was his name!
A few weeks down the line he is such a kind horse with a big heart, always tries his best and always keeps you safe - He is once again the horse I originally viewed.
I see far too often on these sites lovely looking horses being sold then appearing a few days later on the market with claims of the seller lying, the horse being a nut case and the owner has done nothing wrong. These are invariably youngsters or finer, more blooded types. The general horse owner is NOT an experienced Horse(wo)man. You CAN'T expect to buy a youngster and ride around exactly like you did when he was in an environment he felt safe.
When buying a horse TAKE AN EXPERIENCED PERSON WITH YOU, view the horse a couple of times, go early in the morning so you are the first to sit on as horses often have a few appointments in a day. Give your new horse TIME. I have worked with horses all my life and it took me a week to pick Apollo's feet out without getting squashed or catapulted across the stable GET LESSONS, take advice from qualified, experienced people - not the keyboard warriors.
If Apollo had gone somewhere else with less experienced owners who knows where he would have ended up, going through the same unsettled cycle and his behaviour snowballing until someone gets hurt.
If a dealer says the horse is good to hack, they have hacked the horse and he has been good. Horses are sensitive, if they can't take confidence and sound advice from you you will have problems. Dealers should offer advice and help if you're having issues, but they are not there to teach you and hold your hand every step of the way, that's what your instructor is for.
I have purchased horses from some of these dealers who keep popping up as dodgy - I can't condone the money going missing or rudeness some clients of theirs have experienced however I have never had any problems with any of these horses. Was I just lucky, or is it because I know what I'm doing and always took somebody to give a second opinion?
Before everyone thinks I'm showing off about my amazing horsemanship... On the flip side I have had foot-perfect horses for 6 weeks then one day they explode. Your instructor isn't a mind reader, but they will definitely help you make better choices so there is less of a palava because in the end, it's the horses who suffer."