Ok, I have a question for all of you out there that have sold a horse in the past. I finally have someone who is seriously interested in Tux, but she lives out of state. I am completely fine with selling him out of state, but she doesn't think she can come down to try him out, plus she wants her vet to do the pre-purchase exam so instead she wants to ship him up to her and do a lease-to-buy sort of thing. She says she could probably decide in two weeks whether or not she wants to keep him.
She seems like a nice lady, her sister with whom she rides is an accomplished dressage trainer and she likes Tux because he reminds her of one of her first horses, a black pinto who she bought at 12 and trained to dressage, retiring him at Grand Prix at 26, then he lived to be 37!
Anyways, thoughts? She would basically just find a trailer that's going her way to hitch a ride, not a commercial shipper, it's only a roughly 6 hour drive. We would of course have a contract drawn up, etc. I'd probably ask for a couple references to talk to as well, then he would also need a Coggins pulled and a health certificate. I've just never had experience selling a horse across state lines, so is this something you would do or say no?
In addition, I had a comment the other day about his sale listing, so if anyone is interested, here's the link to the dreamhorse ad. And of course you have this whole blog to see all the pictures and videos of him :)
http://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?form_horse_id=1841327
Personally, I wouldn't be alright with it. What if the trailer driver is terrible, he could have a rough ride, or get injured. Or what if the woman does something stupid and hurts him? We know that stuff does and can happen. If her footing is poor, or she pushes him too hard. I can also understand it from her perspective too though. If I was going to spend that much on a quality show horse I would want to make sure that they were perfect.
ReplyDeleteI would be careful. I sold my horse out of state, and I took every precaution (although she came to see him)
ReplyDeleteI would first off get a reference- like a close friend or employer of this person. Kinda like a background check- see what kind if person she is.
Also- make sure SHE pays for the shipping, and if possible get it written in a contract.
Can never be too careful!
I don't think I'd be okay with it. If I was that interested, I'd drive out to ride and vet the horse myself. 6 hours is far, but paying to ship a horse out and back if he doesn't work out isn't cheap.
ReplyDeleteI would be very careful. There are a lot of scammers out there and it goes both ways. I nearly got scammed on an out of state deal not that long ago. Just remember if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is! Try to find out as much as you can about her (Google her) and don't necessarily rely solely on her references. I would hate to see anything happen to you or Tux! It would make me worry that she won't drive 6 hours to try him out, honestly if I found a horse I wanted that bad, I wouldn't hesitate to drive that distance to check him out!
ReplyDelete:)
Ugh i wouldn't ... agree with what if something happens to him while he is on his way there or while he is gone. I have had many people want to take horses on trial and I am not ok with it- but that is me.
ReplyDeleteCareful that the references aren't people that she has set up to tell you what you want to hear.
Hopefully you can find the perfect home for Tux, if that is this lady awesome :)
We took Oberon on trial, but it was in-state and only three hours away. I had to get insurance for the full amount of his asking price, including insurance for loss-of-use. I also wrote a check for half of his purchase price. I gave vet and farrier references, as well as trainer references. I also hauled him myself - I don't think I'd put any horse of mine or a trailer that wasn't a commercial gig, licensed and insured. I'd be super-careful about shipping across state lines though. In some states possession equals ownership.
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time believing it's THAT hard to come look at a horse six hours away - I mean heck, I'm looking at taking a weekend and *flying* to another state to try out a horse. And as for the vet check, my vet is going to email the other vet a list of what she/I want to see, and then she will go over everything once it's been sent to her. So it's totally possible to have her vet "do" the vet check without actually being there.
I dunno - I'd press really hard for her to come see the horse for a weekend. If she still wants to try him after that, then maybe you can negotiate, but be super careful!
Thanks for all the input everyone! And jenj - I really like the insurance idea. I'm not really wanting to do the whole ship him with someone random/lease to buy sort of thing. The only way I would go through with it is if she pays in full for Tux, then if he doesn't work out in two weeks she sends him back (and pays for transportation both ways) and when I get him back and he's in perfect health still, then I would refund her money. Anyways, it's not set in stone and ultimately it's up to my aunt. Part of the reason she'd like to do this is because she's having a hard time coordinating a date that works for me, her, her sister and one of her trainer friends to come down and see him.
ReplyDeletePersonally i wouldnt do that. If you did you have no control of what happens to him once they have taken him. They could do anything to him and you wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. Also even the people that sound the nicest can end up being now what you expect.
ReplyDeleteIn the end its your decision. But i wouldn't take that risk with my horse.
I would sell a horse out of state, but it would be a final sale, I absolutely would NOT do a trail personally.
ReplyDeleteIf you do then make the buyer insure the snot out of the horse. What if something were to happen and you're be stuck with a permanently lame horse and no money to show for it.
Also, for the contact, since you're selling to another state be careful. You could put something in there that could be upheld in one state and not the other, every state is different when it comes to their statutes in regards to livestock sales.