I love people, they entertain me, and give me so much to write about. But sometime they leave me speechless.
When we look at cars, we always (or should) take it for a test drive. (By the way, I love the commercials for Subaru with the dogs. “Dog Tested, Dog Approved.”) So why do so many horse people buy horses that they haven’t taken for a test ride?
A friend told me that she was leasing a horse the 1st of the month (it was the last week of the month when she told me). Really? Have you ridden him? “No.” Seriously? As the dialog continues -“Actually the horse hasn’t been ridden in quite a few years.” Really? What are you thinking? “I’m going to go real slow, and do a little at a time.” Seriously? I was so shocked that my vocabulary became two words, Really and Seriously. I don’t like to rain on anyones parade, so back to my original thought. I really think you should ride him first. “Oh, I can get out of the deal at anytime.” Really? I was starting to annoy myself with the really and seriously, but I was so totally amazed that I was in a state of shock.
Time after time I have dealt with people who haven’t tried a horse before acquiring it. I can understand if the horse is injured (and you know it), a skin and bones rescue, in foal, or too young to be ridden, but before you seal the deal, please do try it. A second opinion is always a good idea (but only if you listen). Don’t commit until you know that you, and the horse are going to get along. I have several horses on my property that are just wonderful to be around, get on their back and they are going to change your mind in a heart beat.
Do you know where Used Car Salesmen came from, Horse Traders. People may have the best intention when trying to find a horse a new home, but I have seen disasters from that thought process. Sometimes they just want to get the horse off their property, and they will tell you what you want to hear.
The sellers need to have some compassion on the person they are unloading their horse on. They must be up front and honest about the horse. People who are accepting the horse, either for free or a sum, must be aware of what they might be getting themselves into. So many people I know get horses with the great expectation of working through the various problems, only to find that they bit off more than they can chew.
It’s not fair to the horse or the person involved. (If you’ve read my other posts you’ve heard this before.)
A name might also give you an idea of what the horse is about. A friend bought a horse by the name of Luna. My question was, is it short for lunatic? I was told, no luna, the moon. As it turned out the horse was more of a Looney Tune, than a Luna Moon.
When someone questionable would come up to me and my old dog, I would grab her collar and say “easy Killer.” She was a sweet thing, and her name was SuSu, but no one would respect a dog named SuSu, but everyone stood back from a dog named Killer. What’s in a name? It can be a lot.
Horses can be dangerous, don’t be naive.
Let the buyer beware, but more than that, let the buyer be smart.