Trail idiots (that arent the Burglar!) and buyin' -n- sellin'

Rode Thursday night and over the weekend, Burglar seems to be coming along just fine. Maybe soon I will attempt to try the lead change my trainer is putting on him. Doing all these trail poles has gotten me used to not being left behind when the Burglar is launching himself into his poles, so maybe I can keep up with his lead changes. So the new client at our barn is turning out to be a bit of a nut, she has an aged mare, who isn't a bad horse, but just has learned to push this lady's buttons. Personally, I think this lady is WAY TOO timid to own a horse at all. She doesn't really want to learn to ride, she just wants her horse to be good, which it will never be for her. So what does a timid rider decide to do? Buy an arab! of course, it makes sooo damn much sense! Her other genius idea was to buy a weanling. Christ on a bike lady, why don't you buy a stallion while you are at it!

All of this would be none of my damn business, aside from being pretty funny, if the woman hadn't complained that me and another rider were in the arena during her lesson. WTF? bitch rolls in twice with her trail horse and is preturbed because what? the Burglar was going along so quiet? That he wasn't rearing and striking on the lunge line? That I wasn't jangling around and too loose to canter? hmmmmm. Nice way to make friends, idiot. You want a trail horse, aren't they supposed to be exposed to everything? argh. What a freak.

Anyway, my topic today is on buying and selling a horse. First, the buyers. When you are buying a horse, and I shouldn't have to tell anyone this, make sure you get your trainer's opinion.

Don't have a trainer? that must mean you are a trainer/breeder, right?

No?

STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND LISTEN TO ME!

If you don't have a trainer or instructor, and you aren't a trainer or instructor, you probably shouldn't be picking your own horse. I am sure plenty of people have picked their own horse, but I am guessing that in 75% of the cases, it was a total disaster. If you don't have a trainer, you are a juicy bone for the pickin', and you WILL be picked clean. Here is a clue for you, vet checks are largely useless especially if you are too cheap to pay for x-rays. Don't bother wasting everyone's time and your money. I trust 2, maybe three vets to do a vet check, the other ones are idiots or kooks, sometimes both, and that is if you are lucky and don't get a totally crooked vet who will fail or pass anything with a heartbeat.

Please people, stop expecting a horse in its 10+ year to vet clean, it isn't going to. That doesn't mean it is crippled, think of doing a vet check on yourself, you wouldn't vet clean either, but would you hold up to daily use? Yeah, you would.

If you come out and ride a horse five times, then watch it being ridden even more and it is sound everytime you have come out, it is probably o.k.. You ain't buying One Hot Krymsun here lady, you are probably getting what you are paying for, if you aren't stupid, that is.

O.K. Sellers, here is my beef with you. If your horse is priced under 10K, it is priced 2K too high. I can say that right off the top of my head. 5 years ago your solid paint, open show quality horse might, (I said might) have been worth $7,000. today, it is worth $4,000 tops. Anything you feel like pricing at $5,000 will get sold at $3,800. Them's the breaks, the depreciation catches up as soon as you reach the limit of what your horse can do.

Then there are the people who are really, truely smoking crack. We had one at my barn, thank god she is gone now. Had a rank-ass mare, 15.3HH on a good day, kinda cute in HUS but really, come on, she was too small and her front end was WAY too noisy for western pleasure. No mind for patterns. No points, finalist in showmanship at congress. (really this means nothing, any horse can do showmanship, come on...) $25K non-negotiable. Well turns out it was negotiable after all, by about $15,000 actually, which is what that puke was probably worth anyway. Not that I would have taken that horse if it was free, yuck!

So, that is about it. EVERYONE has heard that a horse is worth what someone will pay for it, this is one of the few true things a horseperson will tell you.

Ciao!