Caveat Emptor

Since the beginning of civilization, buyers have been warned to be careful when making purchases. "Caveat emptor" - Buyer Beware - is advice that still holds true in today's marketplace. While most people in the USA who sell horses to overseas buyers are honest and honorable people ... it is always wise for the buyer to be careful and make sure that they are being treated with fairness and honesty and respect.

We had an experience some time ago in which a breeder in the USA was going out of business. She sold the last of her remaining horses ... not of the highest quality ... to an unsuspecting buyer in another country. The horses arrived at our facility in poor weight, with health and behavioral issues. One mare in particular arrived with a serious health issue that went from bad to worse and became life threatening. The new owner needed to be made aware of these issues.

When we suggested to the seller that we should communicate directly with the new owner, the seller refused to give us her contact information. Her excuse was that the new owner did not speak English, so she insisted on doing all the communicating herself in the new owner's native language. What we suspect was really going on was the seller was misrepresenting the horses that she had sold and she didn't want the new owner to learn the truth about what she had bought until they arrived at their new home.

When we insisted that the sick mare be treated by our veterinarian for her life threatening illness, the seller chose to provide the least expensive treatment option. We followed up with a great deal of labor-intensive after care - provided at no extra cost. We were delighted that we were successful in keeping the mare alive and nursing her back to good enough health to ship on schedule.

However, when the horses arrived, the new owner was unhappy with them and held us responsible for their condition. This could have all been prevented if the new owner had contacted us in the beginning of the quarantine. We always take photos of horses when they first arrive and are more than happy to send them to the new owners ... but we need to know how to get in touch with them in order to do so.

So, if you are shipping a horse from the USA, regardless of language barriers, get in touch with the quarantine facility and ask for current photos and information about the horse's condition, behavior and health. There are plenty of translation programs on the internet that can help us overcome language differences - and prevent the new buyer from being misled by a dishonest seller.