Would you?

inthesaddle

Member
Aug 29, 2008
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Just wondered what your thoughts are about buying from a dealer? Is it best to stay clear and buy from a private seller?

Any thoughts and advice appreciated
 
Depends really, there are very good horse "producers" out there.:)
 
:)I bought Beauty from a Dealer,i was told a few little porkies about him,but i have never regretted buying him,i think it depends on the Dealer you buy from,just be careful.:)
 
Watch out for boot polish over scars and horses on bute to keep them calm for the 'test drive'. Watch out for the indignation when you suggest a vetting too!

Nothing on God's clean earth would persuade me to buy a horse from a dealer.

That's my 2p!

Jane
 
It depends what you're looking for; if it's a good competition horse then yes, by all mean go to some dealers, but if you want a jo-regular sort then stay away as they are too easily disguised as being perfect. With competition horses you are in a different league where their reputation and livelihood depends on it - out of about 12 horses I tried, 9 were from dealers and yes, I bought one :)
 
NEVERR

I seriously wouldnt I went to look at 3 horses all at different dealers

One was okay but his front legs were too close together and he tripped alot; another, the worst, the lovely little man had fallen over a few days before apprently but fell over with me on him and he cut himself really badly, the woman whipped him and called him a dozy C**t and made me get back on to which i told her to get lost as the cuts where huge and bleeding down his legs so she rode him a galloped him over jumps and alsorts, the other one was suprosedly 12 but had muscle wasteage a 27 year old wouldnt have and had rainscald scars all over him, he was like a stick and he reared out hacking but was a champion in the school, he would have been a star in his day, but never ever again will I go to a dealer
 
I personally think you can get stung by dealers and private sellers alike; its up to you to decide if the horse is what you want from what you see yourelf, and to have it vetted as to suitability, soundness and age.
Caveat Emptor ...buyer beware !!
 
I think a majority of these comments are incredibly generalised.

I presume a lot of the people who would NEVER EVER EVER buy from a dealer would buy from a reputable, well-known, local event rider?

Well, that's what my friend did and the horse didn't exactly turn out as described.

You can get burnt by anyone, private sellers or dealers alike. You just need your common sense and your wits about you in general when buying any horse.

Go to any reputable, well-known dealer and I'd say you have more of a guarantee that you're going to end up with a suitable horse than if you went to a private seller. Private sellers have nothing to do with Trading Standards, and you have no comeback whatsoever if you buy from a private seller. As my friend unfortnately found out.

I bought my young lad from a dealer. He's an absolute angel 90% of the time (the other 10% he's just being a baby) but I was warned he needed bringing on and could be a bit green and fresh sometimes. I knowingly took that on and the dealer wouldn't have sold him to me if she didn't think he was going to be suitable.

I'm still in contact with her, she likes to hear what he's been up to and how we're getting on, and if it hadn't of worked out then I've no doubts that she would have done her very best to sort it out and help us out.

So, personally I think people are being very close-minded by automatically cancelling out any dealers. They're not all out to get you you know. Sme are just trying to make a decent living and know that to do that and gain a good client base you need to be honest. I'm not talking go off to some random yard in the middle of nowhere where they may just up sticks and leave at any point and no one ha heard of them etc. But try going to a reputable, proper set up next time you're looking for a horse. I can think of several I'd go back to in a flash if I happened to be looking for a new horse. You may just be pleasantly surprised. :)
 
There are good dealers and there are bad dealers. There are honest private sellers and there are sellers who will lie through their teeth. Theoretically you have more comeback from a dealer but it does mean going through Trading Standards etc. I'd probably go to a reputable stud if I was buying again.
 
There are some good dealers out there and obviously some bad but often private sellers arn't honest!! The good thing about buying from a good dealer is if you then decide the horse isn't for you a good dealer will take the horse back and find you somthing more suitable.. You can trade in a horse you already have within reason which can be a very good way to buy a horse that otherwise you wouldn't be able to afford without selling first.. A good dealer will try his best to match horse to rider and if you are a bit picky they enjoy the challange of finding you "the one" I think it's very narrow minded of people to say that they would NEVER buy from a dealer.. I'll post the link of this guy my sister has bought horses of him for years he is a good reputable dealer he deals in mainly showjumpers but does get in some nice alrounders as well.. :)
http://www.johnwhinnett.com/cgi-bin/CSV/csvread2a.pl?order_by=Key&order=321
 
My YO knew some dealers and really knows horses so I was happy to go with his recommendation of a local guy. Everything he told me about the horse was 100% and I was given a trial, probably because of the 2 being mates. The YO would have had to put up with me had there been any issues so I felt very happy using a dealer in this case. I was told to get a 5 stage by my YO, who also tried the horse and everything was great. I made up my mind virtually on the day and bought the horse 4 days later. Not all dealers are horrible: mine just happened to see Beau in a field, liked him and bought him. I was extremely fortunate to have my YO on hand to help.
 
Yes I would and have bought from a dealer a few times, I rather stupidly bought from a well known male scottish dealer a couple of years back and that was a huge mistake but, there's another different dealer that we've known for years and I would happily buy from him again if I ever needed another horse. we've also seen some very dodgy horses for sale through private sellers.

As they say "buyer beware"
 
You can get good dealers and good private sellers and bad dealers and bad private sellers. Word of mouth is a good way to find out who to go to as some people might know the horse for sale or know the person selling.

I have bought privately, from a breeder and from a dealer. I bought Ofeigur from a dealer and she described him well letting me know both good and bad points.
 
Despite people's preconceptions of dealers, theit businesses thrive on a good reputation so they must offer a quality service. If someone recommended one by word of mouth, then I would go have a look.
There are advantages - often, you can have the horse on trial and take it back if the arrangment is insuitable, and there are other horses to look at, too, if the one you initially went to see isn't what you want.
To be honest, I think private sales are far more dodgy, with the mantrum "buyer beware". It is far riskier and easier to rectify matters legally, this way I think.

x
 
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Depends on the dealer.

Some I wouldnt touch with a barge pole, but I am pretty sure they are dealers out there who are decent and honest :eek:

Or am I jsut being optimistic lol.

Seriously though, I would visit a dealers yard before making any definate judgement.
 
Most of mine come from dealers. I have found them more honest than private sellers really because they effectively say 'try it out and make up your own mind'. Yes you sometimes have to interpret, 'a bit of a worrier' means be prepared for anything from one of my favourite dealers!

I have been told enormous fairy stories by private sellers!
 
My lads from a dealer but i must admit i fell a bit lucky in that when i called up about him (not knowing it was a dealer at the time!) and found out where he was - i actually used to loan a horse from the dealers sister and knew the family well enough to know that they were very knowledgable horsemen and she was completely honest with me about any faults.

But - there are unscrupulous ones out there. But you could go to a private seller and be told lies about what you're getting so i wouldn't rule out buying from a dealer at all.
 
I've brought from private sellers and dealers and found that overall, the dealers were more realistic and objective than the privately owned ones. My pet hate is dealers who pretend to they aren't.
 
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