Beware of Missrepresentation and Illegal Trading.
Not to long ago I had a very bad experience happen to me. I was trading a gelding who was green for a mare who was supposed to be trained well enough to be considered a kids or family horse.The owner stated that she'd owned the mare for over a year.  She was supposed to have been 15 h and was also supposed to have been bred. What possessed me to actually follow through with the trade is beyond me but this mare was only 14.3H, she hadn't had hardly any training other than ground work. She was headshy and as for the breeding, well that is just anybody's guess. I never recieved any proof of a vet check .  The papers on the mare stated that this person had only owned her for 3 months. She also hadn't been taken care of very well. Her Hooves were in terrible shape, You could see her ribs and she backed off whenever anyone came near her. I was lucky enough to speak to her original owner who told me that she was the most loving mare and had never been headshy. She'd been owned since birth by this person.

I was able to get my gelding back. He came back skinnier and his bubbly personality was gone. This is after only one week. Today he is recovered and much happier. He is a sweet gentleman.

I heard that this person who I traded with has done this type of thing with MANY OTHERS. The common thread is the lieing, missrepresented horse, weight issues of the horses, and their being headshy. There is even an illegal trading of a horse she didn't legaly trade. She is supposed to have a feedlot where i've heard the horses that are sentenced to that life are not in a good situation. Granted I haven't personally witnessed it but others have. I've only seen the effects of the mare and my gelding.

If you have had issues like this I urge you to contact the Humane Society and the place you saw the horse advertised on or any other place you think can help. DON"T KEEP QUIET You can save someone else heartache and pain. This has got to stop. People like this can't be allowed to continue missrepresenting horses or dealing with illegal trading. Think of what could have happened had I put a child on this horse...
Precations to Take When Trading or Buying a Horse
When you are trading or buying a horse make sure you visit the place the horse is coming from. Get References and not just from thier friends. If the person has no interest in where your horse comes from Be Leary about dealing with them. Take the time to veryify the references.

Put everything in writing (E-mails are binding). Get receipts for everything. Make up a contract that allows you an option of a trial period in which you can either get your horse back or return the one you've received. If there are transportation charges have it in writing what you are supposed to pay.

Have someone that is knowledgable see the horse and ride it to verify its training is what the buyer says it is. Get a vet Check. Have your farrier look at its hooves.

If the horse is not signed over make sure who is supposed to pay for the owners transfer plus your own on the papers. (this would have happened to me. I would have been responsible for paying both the previous owners and my own transfer fees). If the horse is pregnant get copies of the vets report and the papers for registering the foal before you sign the contract.

We would like to believe that people are basically honost but it is the few who aren't who ruin it for the rest of us.
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