Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Recently bought my new horse over the internet from Moss Rock.  Actually, we 
traded horses.  We traded many e-mails before the deal was done, and traded 
horses for a trail period first.  I found they were very honest w/their 
assessment of their horse, and I tried to be very specific regarding my 
horse also.  We both ended up happy, with the horse we were looking for.

Lonnie


> From: "Karen Sullivan" <greymare56@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [RC]   buying endurance horses over the Internet....thoughts and 
> questions.
> Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 08:25:11 -0800
>
> Curious here how many folks are finding and buying their potential 
> endurance horses through  internet sites, and what kind of luck they are 
> having. Many breeders now have web pages and seem to be selling all over 
> the country.  People like Rocky Mountain Training Center seem to be selling 
> horses regularly; have videos to send out.  This brings up all sorts of 
> interesting questions; such as......do folks find horses over the internet, 
> get info and photos and buy the horse sight-unseen?.  How many people are 
> flying across country to look at horses?  I find this an extremely 
> interesting new way to market and buy horses, and see a resulting boom in 
> the horse transport business.
>
> For example..... I ran into an extremely nice looking mare in Florida.  
> Price much less than California.  I -could- have bought this mare, paid for 
> shipping clear across country, and still put out less $ than this horse 
> would have sold for in Calif......
>
> I have found two horses off the internet in the last 4 years that I bought. 
> Both were within a 3 hour drive for me.  Both were exactly as advertised. 
> One was a baby, and of course, seeing the baby at 5 weeks.....well, I 
> bought her.  The other was age 4...and physical attributes were actually 
> better than the ad.....training level was less, but oh well!   I also have 
> bought a critter way back across country (after many, many photos, and 
> questions answered).  He was size advertised, trainng was good, but he did 
> not end up having anywhere near the go I wanted....so I resold him over the 
> internet.
>
> What this internet exposure has done, and websites such as AGdirect, 
> Dreamhorse, Bay Area Equestrian Network and Equine.com, not to mention 
> endurance.net, is allow people to find exactly the size, age, color and 
> breed they have dreamed of, especially if there is nothing locally.  I find 
> the websites very compelling, and have found some neat horses....of well, 
> you only live once!!!
>
> And....here is another question to pose.....if you buy a horse over the 
> internet, take a chance...how often is the horse NOT what it is advertised 
> to be?  What would you do if you bought the horse based on description of 
> factual info (age, height, color), and turned out to be different?  Of 
> course, the obvious answer is to always do a vet check....but then 
> sometimes, you just take a chance.  I do know of a situation where the 
> trainer was selling a horse for a friend and client.  Photos and video were 
> sent out.  Horse was advertised as 15.2h......trainer was asked several 
> times to verify height (as height was an issue and horse was going to be 
> used potentially for a very tall person).  Trainer assured buyer several 
> times horse was "big", and only a little bit smaller than her 15.3 paint 
> mare.....but aparently never actually sticked her.  Anyway, a great deal 
> was struck....as in a done over the phone....road trip to pick up the 
> horse, transfer in the near dark....horse turned out to be under 14.3 when 
> sticked.  Is this misrepresentation?  I mean, training is pretty 
> subjective...height, and color are not!!!!
>
> And.....where do you determine the degree of flexibility on height?  To me, 
> if you stand a horse on a level surface, and have a rigid stick, and level 
> to go across to the withers....well, height should vary less than an inch 
> either direction (short feet, long feet, etc).  Some days horses just seem 
> to stand taller!!!  But, you sure don't expect a horse to be over 3 inches 
> than advertised!
>
> As the deal had been done, and my friend felt obligated to follow through 
> on her end, she accepted the horse (and nobody had a stick to measure at 
> that point).  Trainer has been asked to rebate some $ back since horse was 
> misrepresented....but has balked.....said horse was accepted, and a signed 
> bill of sale.  I find this somewhat unethical, especially since the 
> accurate height was requested several times.  What is the current opinion 
> here?  Trainer has offered to buy horse back (would be 12 hour trip for 
> current owner), so that is not really an option.....
>
> Here is another question....buyng a baby.  That does really seem taking a 
> chance, as you truly have no idea of future size or potential for endurance 
> horse.  I bought a youngster from the breeder who we got my daughters mare 
> from.  The mare was advertised as 15.2....well, she is just over 
> 15h.....bred to a 15.3 hand stallion.....first baby who I bought ended up 
> maybe 14.3 on tippytoe.  Now, the baby I bought at 5 weeks, picked up at 5 
> months....from a 14.3 Arab mare by a Paint stallion, how 16h...very likely 
> may hit 16h....and has turned out with great bone, feet and confrmation. 
> This is the one I have taken on the trail her whole life, and careful on 
> the feeding, etc.  My great experiment to create a future enduarnce 
> horse......and she is the laziest thing I have ever had....plus I am not 
> yet seeing any great signs of good recoveries, or even being able to keep 
> up on short rides (she is now almost 5).
>
> Now I know Heidi will pipe up here it makes more sense to buy a baby from 
> tested bloodlines, from performance parents, and to do agree with 
> that.....but hey, I got sidetracked by exotic color!!!!
>
> Just mulling over this stuff before hauling out lazy mare for lesson first 
> then trail ride.  Here in Northern Calif the sun is shinning, yes my 
> daffodills in bloom, and pasture grass up about a foot high!
> Karen

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Arabians were bred for years primarily as a war horse and those
requirements are similar to what we do today with endurance riding. 
~  Homer Saferwiffle

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

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