So we have a horse for sale. We paid quite a bit more for her as an unstarted, barely halter broke yearling than I am currently asking. She was everything we had hoped for except one big problem. Even though I had asked the breeder prior to buying, she came up positive for PSSM when we had her 5 panel tested prior to using her as a broodmare as we intended. (Not his fault - he was misled as well.) Now, you non horse people are probably wondering what that is. To be brutally honest, many of us horse people are wondering what it is too. I've researched about it loads, and the problem is there is conflicting scientific articles out there. The basic gist that everyone can agree on is that it is a condition that has been around forever. The old timers called it Monday Morning Disease or typing up. Horses were fed differently and warmed up/cooled down better and it was manageable. Then they figured out how to do genetic testing and called it PSSM. And it still can be managed with diet and appropriate turn out and exercise. Basically treat your horse like a horse and not a show beef steer and you're good. Especially one like Kenya who has been, to this point, asymptomatic (never shown a symptom). Some are never even affected by it and are simply carriers. But even those of us horse people who don't know a ton about the disease know two things:
1. You should not breed them because they have a 50% chance of passing it on to their foals. (Although this has been challenged by some breeders as they have said if the stud doesn't have it the chances go down even more.)
2. Said horse becomes harder than hell to sell and everyone treats them like they have the damn plague.
So when we discovered Kenya had it I went back and forth over what to do with her for MONTHS. Literally months. I did not want her to end up in a kill pen. I've put hours into her and she has grown to be such a sweetheart. But I could spend hours and days and weeks furthering her training for her to be worth no more as a resale project. We couldn't breed her as was our intention so I decided we should cut our losses. The difficulty with finding hay was definitely a factor. I wrote the ad and slapped a $600 price tag on her and posted it. Then the shit began. I'm not even exaggerating when I say, within minutes of posting the ad.
First people told me my price was wrong because she was worth so much more. Apparently they didn't realize how crazy people are about the PSSM thing. I had TONS of interest. Lots of people asking if she would be a good project for their kid. My response, "I do not know your kid. Could my kid ride her and continue her training? Yep. But I do not know your kid. That's a parental/trainer question that I can't answer. " I answered every single question honestly and tried not to lose my cool. Especially with the endless questions of "what is PSSM?" Let me tell you what I wanted to respond, "You obviously have the internet, use it." Or better yet, "If you don't know what it is and aren't willing to do research of your own to learn about it, I don't feel comfortable selling my horse to you with it." But I tried to keep my cool and just hang in there waiting for the right person to come along.
Then one lady posts on the ad, "Sold, PM me for pickup." I comment back that I think she has the wrong post to comment that on. I private messaged her and asked her what she meant. No response until two days later when she says "I meant I want to buy your horse, private message me for shipping information." Umm, sorry no - you sound like you live in Nigeria and want me to wire money or something. I smell a rat.
Then I had the gal who wanted her so badly but she lived out east and would have to arrange shipping. I give her the name of my favorite shipper. HE texts me back that he's got my horse on the books for this month, that the buyer is going to be paying board until he can get there. I tell him that's funny because she hasn't even told me she was buying her yet and I made no such deal. I message her and she says, "Yeah, she booked it but she's still thinking it over." Umm... You might want to let the shipper know that one. For the record, I haven't heard from her since.
Then I have a gal call me, a sweet older lady. We talk for about half an hour and I answer every question as honestly as possible. When she asked me specific questions I couldn't answer, I flat out told her that I wasn't qualified to answer those questions. She says, "would you take a little less to a great home? I have references." I say sure and we schedule pickup for the coming weekend. She says she is so excited to get her. A couple of days later I send her my address and she calls again and asks some more questions. Once again I answer them to the best of my ability and she says how she can't wait to get her home and start working with her.
Let me ask you this.... would you say said horse is sold at this point? I mean, I accepted her offer and we scheduled pickup. She didn't say, "When can I come see her and check her out?" She didn't ask me to hold her until they could try her out. She said she was COMING TO GET HER on Sunday. So I told other interested parties that she was "sold pending pickup". Because, yeah - I've been burned before on a cheap horse. Meanwhile I was disappointing people right and left that messaged me or commented on Kenya's ad. I even had one person comment, "Sold and I can pick her up on Monday." I responded that I would let her know how Sunday went but I thought she was sold.
Fast forward to Sunday. These people are driving from over 4 hours away. I rearrange my day so that I am home over the noon hour when they are scheduled to arrive. They pull in and as I greet the truck they ask to use the bathroom. We head up to the house and right away I get a bad vibe. Actually, on the way home from Rochester that morning I turned to Sophie and said, "I just don't feel like Kenya is leaving on a trailer today." She laughed and said that they wouldn't drive all this way and not take her home. Oh just you wait young grasshopper. How much you have to learn about the ways of the crazy horse person.
I'm going to spare you all the details, but we spent roughly over an hour putting Kenya through her paces. We picked up feet, lunged, they did some showmanship (which Kenya knows nothing about but tried her darndest to look like she did, you name it. Kenya did everything we asked of her and was the sweetest, kindest, calmest little mare. I just love that girl. She tries so hard. At this point things were getting kind of crazy because Soph had to leave for volleyball and the buyers went back to their vehicle to talk it over. At this point I was super confused. Talk what over? She's sold right? She's not lame, she didn't do anything wrong, she couldn't have been better actually. Literally the only comments to the negative they made were that they didn't like her mottling around her eyes and worried she would get whiter; both things that anyone with Appaloosas will tell you are 100% what an Appaloosa is. And these people had reassured me they knew about Appaloosas. I'm trying to help Sophie get to volleyball and putting her pony away when the buyer comes back in to tell me that she just isn't going to take her. There isn't anything "wrong" with Kenya, but she (the buyer) just didn't feel it in here (as she tapped her chest). I know I wasn't the kindest and friendliest as I kind of cut her off and thanked her for her time and sent them on their way. But I'm still reeling from this folks. What does sold mean to you? When I comment sold on something, that to me means, SOLD- as in any buyer's remorse is my problem, not the seller.
All told, I'm glad they did pass as obviously my gut was telling me something was off even before they arrived. I also do not want any horse of mine going to a home where the people aren't thrilled to be bringing them home and excited for their future together. But here's where it gets real folks. I wasn't worried about Kenya finding her own home as I had already had someone post on her ad, "will take if still available." Then they private messaged me to ask if she was still available and they could pick up on Monday. Sound sold to you too? So I messaged these folks minutes after the empty trailer pulled out of my driveway (along with the 3 or 4 other people that were also waiting to hear if she got picked up). Their response, "do you have more information, pictures and would you take $400 since you're 3 hours away?"
Let me give you a buying 101 course here folks. It's called buyer's etiquette actually and applies to so much more than just horses.
1. Don't post "sold" or "will take" unless you will actually take said item for the price listed. If you want to dicker on the price or need more info try responding with "Do you have more pictures?" "Will you accept an offer of .....?" "Does said item do this or that?"
2. Private message the seller this "sold" comment, don't post on the ad and convince everyone that you are actually purchasing the item and therefore telling others that the item is no longer available WHEN IN FACT it still is.
3. If you agree to buy an item, buy it. If you have buyer's remorse later, such is life. Don't be so quick to impulse buy if you're not prepared to purchase.
4. Do not agree to buy and THEN dicker on the price. Sold means SOLD.
5. Do not ask a million questions about the item and then be frustrated that the seller was dead honest and the item does not in fact have some secret cool feature that they just didn't mention.
6. KNOW the item you are buying. Do not state you are an expert on said item and then become angry when the seller points out what you don't know.
7. Do not low ball offer on the item because you live so far away. It is not the seller or the item's fault that you don't live in their back yard. Don't make offers on items if you're not willing to drive to get them. Do you call Walmart and ask them to drop the price because you had to drive half an hour to get the crackers?
In case you're wondering where the Kenya saga is headed, she is currently "sold pending pickup" again. This time for next weekend. I will have to keep you updated, but after chatting with these folks on the phone, a couple times, I feel a lot better about this new prospective home. Fingers crossed they are serious buyers and not just the next in the line of tire kickers.
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