12/16/2025
I’m sure this will be the last nail in my coffin but i dont really care. Everyone that knows me knows I don’t care at all what anyone thinks and I’m definitely not changing now lol.
And this doesn’t have to do with us specifically at all, just something I’ve noticed more and more and im annoyed so im posting about it.
All my life I’ve bought a lot of horses. A LOT. And I’ve had way more problems with individuals selling horses than with horse dealers. WAY more. People want to talk about horse dealers like they’re so terrible but really - everything is for sale, good or bad and you know that. When an individual is selling a horse, there is usually a reason why and it’s almost always to get rid of their problems onto someone else. Sure every once in a while they have a kid going to college or have a life change circumstance where they have to sell but that’s not nearly as often as they claim.
I have a business where I take horses on consignment/training for people, obviously we have the direct ship horses that we try to network out to give them a last chance, and we have this small non-profit rescue that has about 5 horses at a time for adoption. All together we move over 200 head a year. I’d say that’s pretty successful but I by no means have everything figured out. But what I do know I’ve learned from the best and I’ve worked in many different parts of the horse industry.
There is an absolute maiming on social media roasting people who sell horses - mainly dealers. First of all - these Facebook horse groups, 99% of them are infested with the most ridiculous drama loving creatures that either got way too much attention growing up or not nearly enough (I can’t decide which it is). I usually stay out of the groups but every time something pops up in my feed from one of these groups it’s the same story - so and so bought a horse and a week later its behavior changed entirely and it’s all the sellers fault for the Jekyll and Hyde behavior change. And let me say that there’s dishonesty throughout the horse industry near and far, top and bottom. Theres plenty of traders that will lie when it’s easier to tell the truth. But that is not by far the majority, not even close. Even most horse dealers won’t tell you a bold face lie to your face. I feel like what does happen a lot is there is a lingo amongst people who regularly sell horses and what’s said and what’s perceived does get intertwined.
But all these posts I see bashing sellers - most especially horse dealers is out of control. It’s like people are butt hurt that there are people out there who make money selling horses. Like no s**t, would you go to work if you weren’t getting paid?? Hell no you wouldn’t. It’s like when a horse is involved people lose their minds.
Another I see in these stupid groups is people bitching about “flippers”. If a horse dealer buys a horse at a sale and sells it the next day for double the price, people come unglued. Idk if it’s the money they’re making “easily” or what but I can tell you right now, they probably bought 10 head and they’re barely making money on 7-8 of those. Who cares if they’re making a profit. The entire horse industry needs to stay in their lane. It’s like they’re pi**ed off because they can’t do it. There’s no shame in not being able to do that, but don’t project your own failures and weaknesses onto someone else’s success. The FB horse groups are full of that.
Another sour point is auctions. (Not high end sales, the low end dump ones where everyone goes to get a deal). That’s often where dealers will dump what they can’t sell otherwise. You can get some real gems there for cheap but if you aren’t savy at buying at those places you shouldn’t have high expectations. Theres fb pages just for the purpose of s**t talking these sales and the dealers who sell there. You’re playing a game you know nothing about and when you lose your ass you get pi**ed off. I just don’t get the normalizing of putting your problems out there on social media. It’s looks and sounds like a deranged psychopath literally every time.
I’ve gotten to where if i see someone ranting like a fool in these horse groups, i block them from my page so i dont ever have to deal with their craziness - good or bad. 🤣
And do you think those of us that buy horses often don’t ever get burned? Sure we do. (Ive bought horses that I’ve had to euthanize after a few days) But you know what we don’t do - we don’t go cry on social media. You shut up and keep pedaling.
Horse dealers are actually a necessary evil (and that’s just a saying, I don’t think most are evil at all). They’re actually keeping affordable horses in circulation. And i personally have gotten some of my best horses from dealers.
Moral of the story - you only truly lose if you quit.
If you don’t have a good experience, shake it off, get back up and get back out there.
And if you’ve ever had to sell a horse, rehome a horse, adopt out a horse, and dealt with craziness of buyers - I see you and I’m proud of you.
