Thinking of buying a horse? Read Steven's story and beware!
| Thinking of buying a horse? Read Steven's story and beware! Equines perhaps more than any other ‘pet' are bought and sold - countless numbers spending their lives being moved and traded between different owners, homes and environments. From the day they are born horses ponies, donkeys and to a lesser extent (in the UK) mules, become a traded commodity. The reasons for ‘sale' are as varied as the animals bought and sold and their fate just as uncertain as the guarantee of a "good home". From the outgrown pony, the retired professional, the naughty youngster, the geriatric, the unwanted foal, the cute, the not up to scratch and the victims of a ‘change of circumstances' - all without exception are the unwitting participants of a life lottery. |  |
Often an advert will say the animal is for sale "through no fault of their own".......so whose fault is it?
* Without doubt indiscriminate and irresponsible breeding is at the root of the problem, there are far more equines than there are homes. Then there are the middle men and women. The dealers and traders. Like breeders there are those who care, and try to ensure an equines future in a fashionable, fickle, competitive, emotive, economically driven industry. They take their responsibility seriously. But then there are those who don't.
 | Both buyers and equines are vulnerable in an industry that just like any other has unscrupulous individuals, willing to take advantage at any and every opportunity. Little compensation perhaps can be found in the sense an owner can fight for their rights - but what of the animals. Who protects them? Steven Booth contacted us about his story and has kindly allowed us to share it with you in the endeavour to help raise awareness. Steven tells his story in his own words....... |
"My wife was looking on the internet for a Horse suitable for myself, we wanted a "Bombproof 17hh Weight Carrier" suitable for a registered disabled male. I have secondary progressive MS (Multiple Sclerosis) and was going to use the horse as ‘Hippotherapy'*
My wife came across the website www.bomb-proof.co.uk and their sister site www.lazy-plods.co.uk we found a horse on there called "Samson" a 15yr Old, 17hh shire i.e. weight carrier. The horse was on their website for £3900, it looked exactly what we were looking for, the company also offered a "7 Day Statutory Money Back Guarantee" and a "14 Day Horse Exchange" we also had a DVD sent of Samson, being tacked up, ridden, brushed, tack taken off and in the stable. All looked fine, so we went ahead with the purchase. The horse was paid for by bank transfer, this took 4 days and he was delivered to us on the 23rd February 2007.
He was delivered in bad state, underweight, nasal discharge and matted. We signed the contract and the transporter went on his way, we stabled Samson and fed him, brushed him, we did this for a couple of days so that we could bond with the horse. Samson's health was still no better so we decided to call the vet out to him, the vet came on the 28th February 2007 and administered antibiotics but he also checked him over and found him to be nearer 20 than the 15 that had been advertised.
| Many E-mails pursued to and from Bombproof, they kept changing their goalposts to suit them, eventually they returned 5 days later with a horse that seemed to suit or requirements. They sent us pictures of a Young 17hh Shire that they said was "out of bombproof training". We eventually agreed to take this horse as a replacement, but we had to pay for Samson to be transported back and Preston [the exchange horse] to be picked up, this cost us £200. On the 9th March 2007 we took the horses for exchange, when we arrived the owner's were not there, the only person present was the transporter that brought Samson to us originally. |
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| We exchanged horses and headed back, literally within 2 minutes of the horse being unloaded at our stables, our Stable manager noticed that the exchange horse, Preston had an overshot mouth. Again as soon as we got home, we contacted Bombproof, we literally had no more contact with them from then apart from abusive phone calls and e-mails! They even hung up on our vet when she tried to ask her something! I did try to mount Preston a few day later, but the horse had obviously not been broken for Weight as he threw me off, I was hospitalized for a few days as the fall worsened all of my MS symptoms. Bombproof did not want to know anything about it, and all correspondence stopped after I text Bombproof and said "Your Company Is A Joke, See You In Court", to which they replied "Oh, Don't Frighten Me... Its Not Like I Never Been There Before" | |
Since all these problems, they changed their Terms and Conditions many times, and they have now even closed both www.bomb-proof.co.uk website and www.lazy-plods.co.uk and are now trading under a different name. I personally have had the worst twelve+ months trying to deal with this. It has made me ill and I think that Trading Standards should have greater powers to stop Dealers opening and closing businesses, they should be licensed and have strict rules they should adhere to.
Do not be afraid of the court system, the dealers pray on this fact and this is how they keep getting away from their responsibilities."
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If anyone wants to speak to Steven please let us know as he has kindly said we can pass on his contact details.
Steven has told us that Sampson was sold on again the day after being returned to the dealers. His new owners have also perused court action. Steven is in touch with Sampson's current owners who have given him a safe home where he can see out his days in peace as he is seriously ill with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Steven did not return Preston, instead he went to the trouble of finding him a home and giving Preston to a new owner who in Stevens words "could look after him with the time, money and expertise."
If you think Steven's story was just a case of bad luck sadly this in not so..........
Dear VFH
"I bought a horse called Kazmir with a months exchange warranty, but he was so naughty and no one could get him to hack down the lane, we tried everything but had to exchange him for a big grey called La Rue. La Rue had been starved and came with a passport not worth the paper it was written on, he was the sweetest horse you had ever seen and had the kindest nature but the kept falling over due to suspensory ligament problems, unfortunately we had to also send him back. When it came to swapping him, the dealer would only let us have a big 16.2hh blue and white mare called Blue. We couldn't even try her out properly because they said she had been ridden already that day, but it was the only one we could have. There was also a problem that she sold her to us without a passport. We took her home and she was very sweet but it turned out she had kissing spine and had to be put down several months later."
PLEASE NOTE: The same people who set up www.bomb-proof.co.uk and www.lazy-plods.co.uk are now currently trading as: www.crack-on.com
Below is some undercover footage taken at a UK equine market this year. We have not shown the worst of the footage, because we DO NOT want people to switch off. We have released this video to start to raise awareness and give you an idea of some of the conditions, horses, ponies, donkeys and mules can be subjected to at markets here in the UK. This difficult undercover work Voices for Horses' undertakes is just one of the projects we are involved with, in relation to equine welfare in the UK.
As you read this, it is currently possible for anybody to set themselves up as an equine dealer or trader. There are no standards to maintain, no licence to acquire and certainly no regulations. If you wish to make a complaint against a dealer or pursue legal action you are on your own! We do not believe this is good enough so Voices for Horses is currently running a petition to change the law so that equine dealers and traders must be licensed. Please sign the petition here.
If you would like to share your thoughts or experiences relating to this subject please visit our community and join the group ‘Fight for Change'. If you have had a bad experience with an equine dealer or trader we want to hear about it - please email emma@voicesforhorses.co.uk
As you can see by our own market place we let people advertise horses and ponies for sale. We do this because we would rather people advertise with us and look for equines with us because we WILL and DO act if we receive a complaint about either a buyer or seller. We have a disclaimer on the bottom of our market place that clearly states we will not publish adverts from Trade without first seeing and following up at least two client references and we stay true to this. If we find out a trade advertiser has declared themselves as a private seller we take the matter very seriously and again we act. People will always buy and sell equines so our aim is to provide a facility that is constantly monitored and policed keeping true to our philosophy that we work in the best interest of the equestrian community and all equines. For example, we were recently asked to include an advert for someone who wanted to raffle their stallion with the genuine belief this was a great way of finding a new home. The owner was contacted and told we do not condone such actions and also passed on information regarding the law when it comes to offering animals as prizes and advice on alternatives. The website the owner created to facilitate this raffle has to our knowledge now been taken down, which is credit to the owner. Unfortunately the owner did not continue communications with us but we hope a more suitable course of action has been taken in securing a new home for her stallion.
If there are dealers, traders or sellers you believe should be on our black list please let us know. If at any time you have any concerns regarding our market place please do not hesitate to contact us.
Hints and tips on buying horses, ponies, donkeys and mules.
1. Avoid buying unseen at all costs. Not only for your sake but the animal. You cannot judge genuine temperament, health or ability to do what you require on someone's say so and film clips alone.
2. Always ask for references and testimonials from a dealers or breeders previous clients. Do not be fobbed off with references posted on their website. You need to talk to the previous clients. Ask if they were happy with the service, professionalism, contract terms and the horse/pony they were sold etc. Genuine dealers and breeders will be happy for you to contact previous clients.
3. Always have a potential new horse or pony vetted preferably by your own vet. If this is not possible let the seller know you would like your vet to speak to the pre purchase vet before you make any decisions.
4. Before you start searching the classifieds or internet looking for a new horse ask around, you may find a horse close to you who is perfect.
Here are some more tips kindly supplied by a trade advertiser who has exceptional references and who uses our market place. June Garnett of http://www.voicesforhorses.co.uk/admin/http;/www.paryshorses.co.uk
1 Check their reputation (word of mouth is usually best)
2 If inexperienced always take a knowledgeable person with you.
3 Be wary if the horse is tacked up when you get there, it could be cold
backed or has been worked before you try it. Do your best to watch it
being tacked up.
4 Always ask to see it ridden before you get on.
5 See horse in the stable and ask if it has any stable vices, e.g.
wind-sucking or weaving.
6 Have the horse vetted and age confirmed by professional, if they have breed papers check the description fits the horse.
7 Ask if a week's trial is possible.
As an example of what you want from someone who sells equines here is a copy of a letter we received when we asked June for references. We wish to thank AL ARYAM ARABIANS for letting us publish this letter.
To whom this may concern
Mrs June Garnett from Parys Horses has asked me to contact you Re giving a reference.
We have found June totally honest about each horse we have purchased, all horses have come in top condition and at the level of training far exceeding what she tells you. We have gotten a mixed bunch from ponies to 17'1 young event horses and we are over the moon with all of them. If we are to buy any more horses in the future His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed has said we will always go to June as he now trusts that she will give us what we need at the correct price.
Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact meWith kind regards
Jennifer Jennings
Stud Manager
Al Aryam Arabians
By making the effort to ensure you are only seeing horses available from reputable dealers you not only protect yourself you protect countless numbers of horses and ponies being used and abused by people only interested in lining their pockets. The undercover video footage gives you an idea of the kind of place unwanted equines can end up and where many disreputable dealers will buy your new horse from. If we the equestrian community stop buying horses unseen and follow up references we will begin to slow the demand. Over time this will have a knock on beneficial impact on equine welfare and start to make it a less lucrative industry for those who will tell you what you want to hear purely to secure a sale.
 | Help Yourself, Help the Horses and be Preventative! Please pass this information on to anyone you know who is thinking of buying a horse, pony, donkey, or mule and help Make a Difference! If you would like to be kept informed of the work Voices for Horses does please join our community or register with the main site and you will receive our news letters. |
Article and Video by Voices for Horses
* We will be launching a petition to licence Breeders soon.
* (TAKEN FROM THE MS TRUST WEBSITE PUBLICATION)
Hippotherapy literally means treatment using the horse, from the Greek word ‘hippos', meaning horse. It uses the three dimensional movement of the horse's hips, pelvis and shoulders at the walk to provide a movement challenge to the rider. The motion of the horse transfers movement patterns to the rider's lumbar (lower) spine and pelvic regions. This movement is very similar to the movement produced in ‘normal walking'; per minute a full sized adult horse at walk transfers 110 multidimensional swinging motions to the rider.
Related Articles:
Buying a Horse - Without Being Taken for a Ride
Know your rights and obligations when buying horses advises Consumer Direct Scotland
Read what others are saying HERE
Sign petition to licence equine traders and dealers HERE
Added on: 31/05/08.
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