HorseBuyersBeware

Fugly Horse of the Day – Why I Love the Fugly Horse Blog!

2010-11-26T16:26:00.001-06:00

I stumbled on the Fugly Blog a few years ago. Love it or hate it the blog has great information on the dark side of our horse world. I personally love her honesty and writing style. I’m a sucker for snarky!

Like most horse owners I love all breeds but am only educated on the breeds I have personally owned. I have learned about so many abuses in the different horse industries from the Fugly blog. The blog does not pick on any one breed, but anyone that abuses horses is fair game.

Her posts on faux rescues have educated me on how a good rescue operates. I am amazed how many crazy people there are in this world, the abuse stories bring tears to my eyes. My favorite posts are the crazy for sale ads. Who needs reality TV with Bad Parent Du Jour?

The blog is not fully appreciated without reading the comments. The blog audience is very diverse and I really enjoy the different opinions from around the world.

Reading the Fugly blog is my guilty pleasure. It is better than a soap opera. You have humor, drama , and sex; what more can you ask for in a horse blog? It is as entertaining as it is educational and I highly recommend it to my horse loving friends.

And just for fun here is an adorable pony video I found on the blog.

Shetland Pony Grand National

Horse Trader Patricia Wilson Gets Shut Down By Texas Attorney General

2010-11-11T15:33:00.000-06:00

Patricia Wilson's Mugshot
Horse traders beware! States are finally going after scam artists that rip off unsuspecting buyers. If you haven't heard of the Patricia Wilson story do a Google search and you find pages of complaints. Here is the link to the story.

The story of Patricia Wilson is not new and she is not alone in scamming buyers. The internet is a great place to shop but buying a horse online is asking for trouble. There are so many ways for an internet deal to go wrong. The most common complaints I hear are buyers not getting what they expected. I would never buy a kid's horse without riding the horse myself. I would say 80% of the ads I see for gentle, kid safe horses are either clueless sellers or scams. I can't even count the number of ads I see where someone claims to have a horse perfect for a kid or beginner and the horse is either green broke or a young horse. Never will a green horse be safe for a child or beginner. A horse under 5 is not suitable for either situation. Only an older, been there done that, horse should ever be marketed for beginners. You get what you pay for and a reliable horse is not going to be under $1000 unless it has some kind of health problem.

Do your homework people. A simple Google search will help find out if you are dealing with a shady dealer. And please find an experienced person to help you.

And thank you Texas for going after the bad sellers. Patricia Wilson is just the beginning.

Conroe woman worries for missing horse

2010-10-01T11:08:00.000-05:00

Conroe woman worries for missing horse

The Ehrman family of Conroe is seeking help in locating Midnight Thunder, a 17-year-old quarter horse missing since February.

By Brad Meyer

Updated: 05.09.10

When the agent commissioned to sell a pair of horses didn’t pony up the cash and couldn’t say where the animals were, a Conroe woman launched a campaign to track them down.

While one has been found, Victoria Ehrman is still looking for Midnight Thunder, a 17-year-old quarter horse with a white star snip on his face and speckles on the front of his legs. The retired racehorse supposedly sold in February is missing and she fears foul play.

“Not getting paid is the least of our worries,” said Ehrman. “I am very concerned the horse might be abused or mistreated.”

When her daughters, ages 14 and 16, began to lose interest in the family’s horses, Ehrman said the decision was to find the animals a new home where they would be appreciated and exercised daily.

“They were wonderful horses with a great disposition,” she said. “Midnight Thunder loved peppermints, mangos and watermelon, he’d even sing for his feed.”

Ehrman said they commissioned Akidhorse.com in the Cleburne area to sell the horses. The horses were picked up in Conroe in December and sold in February, she said.

“We got suspicious when we didn’t get paid,” she said. “And no one could give us a straight answer about where the horses were.”

Ehrman said she discovered the company that took the horses operates under several different names. When the owner was contacted, she said she was told dishonest employees had sold the horses and stolen the money.

Indeed, the website for Akidhorse.com states the “north Texas facility is closed due too (sic) incompetent employees and advises past clients to contact the company with details of any problems they have.”

While Akidhorse is not listed with the Better Business Bureau, Texas Horse, at www.texashorse.org, includes the same phone number as Akidhorse. Texas Horse is rated “F” by the BBB for reasons that include Texas Horse’s failure to respond to complaints, and the BBB’s lack of sufficient background information on the business.

Ehrman was able to track down one of her horses to a facility in north Texas, but the fate of Midnight Thunder is still unknown. She was told he was sold to an Australian man in Cedar Hill for $1,100, but has been unable to verify the sale or the identity of the buyer – if he exists.

“My biggest concern is I’ve heard many of the horses that were sold have not been fed for weeks,” she said. “We just want to make sure Midnight Thunder is being taken care of.”

Robbie Jones, owner of Akidhorse, said the two women he hired to operate his horse sales operation in the north Texas town of Godley, allegedly defrauded the company and sellers by failing to fill out paperwork and pocketing the money for horses sold.

Jones said he has filed suit against the two women and is attempting to locate information on transactions that occurred during their employment. A notice on his website asks recent purchasers to contact him so he can document their sale. Several complaints about the women are also are allegedly listed on www.ripoffreport.com.

“This has been a disaster for all concerned,” Jones said. “I feel bad for the Ehrmans and am doing everything I can to rectify the situation.”

Documenting the location of the horse and his well being continues to be a challenge. Ehrman said she just wants to know that Midnight Thunder is being fed and cared for in a good environment.

“It’s just so frustrating,” said Ehrman. “We tried to do something good for the horses and we are afraid we might have made them worse.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Victoria Ehrman at vve389@yahoo.com or at (713) 419-1789.

Brad Meyer can be reached at bmeyer@hcnonline.com.

Link for this article http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/05/10/conroe_courier/news/horse050910.txt

How Many Names Does One Seller Need?

2010-10-01T11:03:00.000-05:00

First let me say that I personally know people that have purchased great horses from Texas.org. I also know people that have been lied to and are very unhappy. There are numerous negative comments about this operation. In talking to people I have found that the happy customers were experienced and knew what to look for when buying a horse. They were careful and checked the horse out thoroughly before buying or found a project horse they really liked and knew it wouldn't be perfect. Great horses are everywhere. For the inexperienced buyer having someone help you is important no matter where you buy your horse.

Texas.org has websites under many names. I really can't think of a logical reason why someone would have so many names for their business. It gives the impression that the operation is shady. It is very easy to look at the different sites and know it is the same place. The names are similar and the websites are all set up the same way. Here is the list I have.

texashorse.org

akidshorse.com

aranchhorse.com

roman forest stables

I inquired on a horse last year and received an email that said the employees had ripped off people and coggins were faked. She advised me to contact anyone I knew that had purchased from them to contact them. At best this business is simply a horse trading/flipping business using the words rescue and adoption as a sales pitch. At worst they are shady and untrustworthy. If they had a horse that I was interested in I would certainly take a look. Private sellers can be just as dishonest so using common sense when buying a horse and having experienced help will save you a lot of heartache.

Horse Internet Scams - Buyers Beware

2010-08-18T18:14:00.000-05:00

Internet scams are common in the horse industry. There are three common scams that buyers need to be aware of.

First is the Friesian Horse Scam.

Here is how it works. A scammer will have ads in popular horse classified websites. He or she will list a Friesian horse for a really low price and sometimes free to a good home. An unsuspecting buyer will see the ad and think 'Wow! What a great deal!' The buyer may be suspicious but makes contact with the seller and their heart overrides the warning signs and before they know it not only are they heartbroken but they are out money that they will never see again. We should all listen to our mothers because if it sounds too good to be true, it is a scam. No one would ever give an expensive horse away or sell it for a low price. A horse worth $15,000 will never sell for $2000. Other breeds targeted are Gypsy Vanners. Always do a search of the seller's email before purchasing a horse. Also add scam or complaint at the end of your search words. For instance: "So and So Farms Complaint..."

The second popular scam used on the Internet is for horse transportation. This scam can be combined with the above scam. You find a horse for free or really cheap but then they suggest a shipper and when you pay the shipping you find out later the shipping company does not exist. The seller/shipper are the same and you are out your money. Always use a recommended shipper. Your horse friends can usually help with reliable shipping companies.

The third scam is not for a horse but for the next best thing in my world...the horse trailer. I have seen these ads and the first one I saw I almost emailed the seller about it. The ad was for a horse trailer with full living quarters for $5000. Anyone trailer shopping knows that a LQ trailer will cost many thousands of dollars, some more than my house. Do NOT be fooled. These cheap LQ trailer do NOT exist. The ad is a scam.

Here are a couple of links for more information.

http://www.theequinest.com/friesian-in-texas/

http://www.theequinest.com/friesian-in-texas/

What Is A Horse Trader?

2010-08-17T14:25:00.002-05:00

My definition of a horse trader is someone who buys horses for a cheap price and immediately resells them for more than they paid for them. Rehabbing a horse is when someone that puts time and money into training or spends months rehabbing a horse that was sick or starved. The difference between being a trader and a rehabber is that the trader usually does not know much if anything about the background of the horses they sell. They may feed a skinny horse but they usually do not spend extra on training, vet bills, or special farrier work. It is possible to find some great horses from the trader. An honest horse trader is a valuable tool. They know where to find good horses, they are helpful in finding lost or stolen horses, and they know who the creeps are and can direct you to other honest horse sellers. My problem is with horse traders that lie, cheat, and drug horses. My advice is to always bring several people with you when looking at a horse. You need to have a person experienced with the breed you are considering. You should also bring someone that can be neutral and will not get caught up in the excitement of buying a horse; a non-horsey spouse or relative is great for this. A pre-purchase vet exam is a no-brainer. Use your own vet or someone your vet recommends. Never use the seller’s vet. Make sure you have the seller show you the vet records before you purchase the horse.

A simple Google search can save you a lot of heartache. Make sure you search the name of the farm, the name of the seller, the name of the horse, the seller’s phone number, and the seller’s email address. Each piece of information may show different results.

Here are several websites that have information on bad rescues and complaints.

http://www.amnestyhorserescue.org/news.html

http://www.ripoffreport.com

http://www.complaintsboard.com/

http://www.complaints.com

www.dreamhorse.com/fraud.php

www.fuglyblog.com

You can also check the BBB of the location in which the seller resides. Just remember the BBB only has detailed information on their members so a seller might not be listed.

If you have any questions feel free to email me.

Coming Soon!

2010-08-15T20:27:00.001-05:00

  I am researching my first horse trader. There are so many complaints that I'm surprised they are still in business. They go by numerous names. They not only have websites but advertise on Craigslist. So any additional information on these people will be helpful to buyers.
  The website names I've found so far is texashorse.org akidhorse.com and aranchhorse.com
  These sites are so similar it is obvious they are run by the same people. There are numerous complaints and I personally received a strange email when I inquired about a horse. I will have a full report in a couple of days so send me your stories, good and bad.

Introduction

2010-08-15T18:42:00.002-05:00

  Have you ever been to a website and loved everything you see? The horses look safe and beautiful, you drool over every picture and video...and despite the fancy website you either go to the farm or have your new horse delivered and find out the hard way...you just got SCREWED!

  I have nothing against horse traders, as long as they don't pretend to be breeders, rescuers, etc. Have some pride people! Everyone needs to feed their family and if you buy and sell horses just be honest about it. If you don't know crap about the horse you got in last week, just tell me.

  The worst of the worst is the losers that claim to have a "kid safe horse" and either know nothing about that horse or purposely deceive buyers and drug a horse just for a sale. That is lower than low.

  Send me your bad buying experiences. I will gladly tell the world your story. I will not publish gossip. If you have a friend of a friend that got screwed, I cannot publish hearsay. I will try to include any evidence available. Remember, this blog is opinions only. I am not responsible for submissions or comments on this blog. I am just the messenger but if you think you can rip off horse buyers and get away with it...think again. The horse world is smaller than you think.