What are people's opinions on it?

I personally just dont get it & its becoming a real niggle of mine at the moment. I dont get how you can expect to get a suitable horse & good personality match for yourself when you dont try it before hand or try it properly in a variety of situations...

To put it into context for you, I am seeing more & more people around me & known to me buying blind & then either having problems & complaining about them, sometimes under horsing themselves but more so & increasingly dangerously in my eyes over horsing themselves. It always seems to be simple glaringly obvious things that would have been realised if they had tried the animal. Ok being in Jersey to try a horse on the mainland is prob going to cost you £150-£300 but still ...

Obviously the situation varies slightly if your the type of person or in the situation where you can be a bit open as to what the animals really like as you are in a position to sell it on etc & that you are just looking for a good stamp of a horse & will cope with the rest etc. That you are buy a proven show animal etc, or if you have enough money not to really worry

But for me, its novicey type or unconfident riders that seem to being doing this & the type where money IS an issue & they want a decent horse on decent budget. To me it seems illogical that you shouldnt be able to spare a bit of money in order to travel to try a horse if they are seemingly that right for you? I just dont get it. Im so quietly sick of people complaining & most of the time blaming the horse when really they should be kicking themselves i think.

My question is, do you think you can ever truely & safey buy blind in that situation? Would you ever risk it? What do you think ..

[NB: Above is no relation to any forum members ]

 

I would buy unseen from a person I know and would certainly buy blind again, but at a price that would warrant taking a chance.

I think if a private buyer goes down the chancy route, they should make sure they have some form of a warranty to fall back on

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, the true novice is much more easily swayed as they probably don't really understand what the potential problems are.

It is also very very much easier to say 'I can't afford the extra expense' when you're cutting it fine financially anyway. I used to begrudge an extra £5 cost on anything when I was struggling to pay the household bills, let alone an extra £100+ (I wasn't looking to buy another horse at that time though )

But he was almost too safe! I love Morgan for her unpredictability - it keeps me on my toes & suits me much better. I couldn't have known that without owning a horse that wasn't the right match for me first. Even if you're lucky enough to get a trial for a couple of weeks it still isn't enough to truely know what you're buying.

I really think that a loan with a view to purchase is probably the only safe way to get the right match! (that's just my thoughts anyway )

I went over and tried both horses and I have bought and both realistically were unsuitable even on both occasssions I ticked all the right boxes for having done right thing. Ie trial in different situations vetting knoweledgeable friends.

But I have dealt with/dealing with the issues that have arisen and love every minute of it (ok that's a fib but you know what I mean). And I haven't been too proud to ask for help in the areas I cannot resolve alone (i have an instructor once a week as well as a lovely yard of supportive people).

I was just thinking earlier I cant remeber the last time I genuinely turned to Jelly thinking about or doing something with Bob which is fantastic really as the mere thought of hacking a few weeks ago made me litearlly freeze in my tracks and the tummy churn.

But because I tried him I knew he was a nice little horse and even though not entirely suitable we are achieving what I want to together

Oppss sorry finished yapping now

ETA sorry also meant to say buying blind saves you money at the time but always costs you more in the long run!

To climb a mountain you have to cry a river

first time I got it totally wrong I am the first to admit I was stupid for believing the dealer and I was wrong to allow them to talk me into buying Ellie, however I will say if I had gone to view her I probably would have bought her as her personality traits only emerged as she grew more confident in her surroundings and was worked less, I think if I had been a mad keen competitive rider and worked her hard on a daily basis and was on a busy yard I don't think I would have had half the problems I did but I did learn from the experience

Freya was my babe and my 2nd bought unseen buy although I approached this one differently. JV kindly viewed her and tried her for me and gave me a good picture of what freya was like as a person. I had my ups and downs with that mare but I wouldn't change a thing and just wish she were still here today,  it took her a good 12 months to settle in properly and I was warned of this before I bought her but our bond at the end of it was something I will never forget

Now I have Mo, I spent over a week researching this mare before agreeing to buy her! I quizzed her owners, I spoke with her vet practice and insurance company, I spoke with the instructor that taught Mo and her owner every week for the last year, I found an old HM member that was on the same yard they went to for lessons and quizzed her about the horse (thanks again for your help sam! ) Her owner gave me all the prior owners details and I spoke with them, I got Mo's passport details and even managed to find the person who originally bought her over from belgium I scruitinised video taken of her and loads and loads of photos and all that remained to do when she arrived was sit on her I don't expect everything to be rosy but so far so good and she continues to surprise me everyday in a good way

I actually did want to go and view Mo but the costs were horrific! Flights alone were £300 then train fare and somewhere to stay/food etc would have taken the costs up to £450+ add to that the cost of the 5 stage vetting which was £260 plus her travel costs home and I would have paid out her value again I settled for a money back guarentee from her owner should mo turn out to be anything but described which was good enough for me

I would normally tend to agree with that BUT a friend of mine was a new rider and wanted a horse, she had money to spend and went to a person to source her horse for her. She had an extensive list of what she did and didn't want in a horse and she ended up buying a horse from the person in question, the horse was perfect for her and what she wanted and has done his job so well she has now gone back to the same person who has just sourced her her first competition horse and she is due to arrive on Friday

I think you are right in saying you wouldn't buy a car from a photo, but you may be more inclined to buy the car if you had a reputable mechanic go along and test drive it for you before hand I think in all cases, viewed/not viewed the old saying buyer beware comes into it and if something doesn't seem right walk away

Yeah i would say its different for you TH however i was really interested to get your opinion on this. Do you get many people buying blind? or not really trying them out very much before agreeing to buy?

Tigs (12/03/2010)

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.... It is also very very much easier to say 'I can't afford the extra expense' when you're cutting it fine financially anyway. I used to begrudge an extra £5 cost on anything when I was struggling to pay the household bills, let alone an extra £100+ (I wasn't looking to buy another horse at that time though )

I completely understand that people have to think about money & try to save pennies. I for one have never had a lot of funds to spend on horses & doubt i will be able to in he next 5 years. Harley cost me £1500 & Westie £500, but i tried them as much as could & knew they were going to come with quirks & it was going to be a huge gamble & challenge to get them to come good. If i had a decent budget though theres no way i'd be skimping on trying a horse, i'd save until i could cover it & then go looking. I dont know ...

Zychrono (12/03/2010)

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.I really think that a loan with a view to purchase is probably the only safe way to get the right match! (that's just my thoughts anyway )

I agree, ideal situation thats definately the best & safest way to get to know whether the horse really is a good match

True in my eyes. Someone can try for you but at the end of the day everyone rides differently & horses go differently for different people plus sometimes you just dont 'gel' together. I have experienced that on a few occasions

As much as i'd hate to agree with the last bit JG from what i have seen so far... generally this is the case in one way or the other. Perhaps i will be pleasantly suprised if the latest two work out when they arrive/settle, hmmm, watch this space.

xoclairexo (12/03/2010)

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Her owner gave me all the prior owners details and I spoke with them, I got Mo's passport details and even managed to find the person who originally bought her over from belgium I scruitinised video taken of her and loads and loads of photos and all that remained to do when she arrived was sit on her I don't expect everything to be rosy but so far so good and she continues to surprise me everyday in a good way

I hope things go to plan & it works out so that not viewing her in the initial stages wouldnt have made a difference etc. Let us know in 6 months time & give us your thoughts on your buy? i'd be very intrigued to know how she compares when settled etc