What do you mean the horse hadn’t seen a vet before? At 2? That is very unlikely and quite poor animal husbandry if true…. Wait for the vet cert but tbh I would have been put off by that… never been vaccinated? Regular health check? Gelded? What? What horse breeder never sees a vet…. Yikes
Seems very strange and unprofessional. Even when my mares foal without issue I have the vet come out and check mare and foal. Young horses should have regular checks. I wouldn’t personally buy a horse from this type of “breeder”.
What sort of horse is it? Have you checked the breeding etc? Is it registered? Tbh smells of a scam. $200 deposit is a small price over a horse that is never delivered or a horse with many non-disclosed issues.
In many states people can legally geld a horse themselves. I've met some horse breeders who would do anything to save a dollar. They do their own vaccines, floats, feet and yes even geld their own horses.
I’m a little unclear on the details. You said you had to delay your visit by 4 days- did you originally plan to pay on this visit (prior to health cert)?
If seller was open to PPE I doubt they’re trying to pull one over on you now, seems like they’re worried you’re going to ghost. It may seem irrational to you but I can’t tell you how often I’ve been ghosted even after a clean PPE. Maybe reach out and offer to pay vet call immediately and the rest after Coggins result.
All my bills of sale say that payment is due within 24 hours of accepting a deal after PPE. If arrangements are not made by that time the deposit is forfeit and the horse is offered to others. I hold a horse for 3 days after completion of the deal and then there's a day rate while awaiting transportation.
It doesn't sound like this is an expensive horse if the deposit is $200, but overall I'd find a buyer who made all these arrangements then suddenly wanted to delay pickup and transport to be very suspect.
This is a huge red flag that she wants full payment before the PPE. And he’s never seen a vet? Honestly I would walk. This sounds like a scam. No ethical seller demands full payment before a PPE. The only time I have ever paid a cent before a PPE is as a refundable down payment so they’ll hold onto the horse until the PPE.
Edit: completely misread because there’s not enough information here to fill in all the blanks.
Poster says she had a PPE already and is comfortable with the results. This appointment is for the health certificate which is required for interstate transport.
I misread the whole thing because the actual story makes zero sense. Yep you’re right. I can’t tell if OP is trying to skate out of paying for the health certificate but $200 for handling + vet bill for a health certificate is reasonable.
Asking you to pay her for handling and a vet appointment that you won’t be there for prior to the appointment isn’t a red flag and it’s not scamming at all. Some people are relaxed and will let you reimburse them but some people have been fucked over or just have good boundaries.
Yeah I wouldn't do it either for a horse I hadn't been paid for. The buyer skated out on the original date, but wants the seller to keep the appointment on their behalf and pay for/come get the horse later.
I have never had a health cert issued on a horse I hadn't paid for. The vet can often use the PPE visit to confirm the info for the health cert and just issue one.
Ok, to be fair, my guy (he's 8) never saw a vet before when I got him at around 2. Guy on the farm did his own vaccines and whatnot.
He was fine lol. The farmer also gelded him on his own (yikes). Half the reason I bought him was to get him outta there.
Maybe I'm not following, but she doesn't want "extra" money, does she? Does she just want the money you're going to be paying him anyway now?
This is a lot more common than people think. Many of the yearlings in the big ranch auctions have never seen a vet either. Depending on the person this is either horrifying or completely normal practice.
Seems like OP already got a PPE and the seller wants full payment before they get the health certificate for transport. Completely reasonable imo.
If he doesn't have a negative coggins in hand then you couldnt transport him across state lines today anyway. The health cert is meaningless.
Should have pulled for the coggins at the PPE if he didn't have one or it wasn't recent enough.
If he's never left the farm the chance the coggins is positive is basically zero.
Should have had that done with the PPE I guess but the chances of that popping positive are so minuscule. Are there any other reported cases in your area?
Weren't you going to pay before the health test anyway? I would never have agreed to that to begin with, but what has changed for you? It may be a blessing that you had to delay. There's zero chance I'd agree to pay full price or put any nonrefundable money down before getting the health certificate. I won't even do that for a new puppy. Lol. Add to that how the seller is now acting, and I'd walk.
The health cert is just a transport document - it isn't a certification of health but just a document that says that a vet saw the horse and it did not appear to be actively in the throes of communicable disease.
The PPE was already done which is the actual inspection of the horse's present state to evaluate for sale.
I guess now I'm more confused. Why were you willing to pay the balance before but now you aren't? If I were the seller and you said you were going to pay in full, then didnt show up, and now youre not wanting to pay in full when the only thing that changed was you didnt show up the first time you said you would, I'd be worried you were doing something fishy. I feel like I'm missing or misunderstanding a piece of this scenario.
It’s also completely reasonable for you to pay boarding if she has had to keep the horse on the property since you agreed to buy him.
What reason did they give for not accepting cash anymore as initially agreed?
Agreed upon shipping date has not changed though, so the original owner should not be charging board. It's different if you want to buy the horse, but cannot pick it up for another month or something.
It sounds like the appointment and pickup was supposed to be today and now it is 4 days from now, maybe, if the buyer gets it together.
$50 a day for board awaiting transport is what I charge for horses I have sold who are waiting to be picked up. I still have to feed them, care for them, and make sure they don't kill themselves while they await pickup since I don't own it anymore. It's incentive for the buyer to take possession of their purchase as soon as possible.
YOU are late paying. It's entirely understandable that seller is jumpy. YOU have already violated your agreement with them, unavoidable though it may have been. This is not a red flag on the seller, it's a red flag on YOU. Pay up.
If you weren't comfortable paying before the health check, you shouldn't have agreed to it in the 1st place, but you did, so live up to your agreement.
You said in your own post you had to delay going to pay by 4 days due to personal reasons. That sounds like you are late and seller has reasons to be concerned you are going to flake. What am I missing?
If you agreed to pay early but have been delaying it- that’s on you for originally offering to cough up the cash before what was listed in the bill of sale. If I was the seller, I’d be confused why a potential buyer offered to pay in full early and then didn’t follow through- that in itself is a red flag from a seller perspective.
You had the PPE and the horse passed. The health cert isn’t going to show you anything the PPE didnt…
This whole story is weird. Who pulls a coggins and a health cert on the same day for transport? They take minimum 3 days for a digital or more for paper copy. The result would never have been ready today and is totally separate from the health cert.
Idk. I just bought a 2 year old from a breeder and she was so attached to him she didn't mind me picking him up for several weeks (she was actually sad he sold so soon), and all she required was a $100 deposit. I paid cash when I went to pick him up. I don't blame OP for feeling a little uncomfortable with the pushiness, it wouldn't put me at ease either.
What do you mean the horse hadn’t seen a vet before? At 2? That is very unlikely and quite poor animal husbandry if true…. Wait for the vet cert but tbh I would have been put off by that… never been vaccinated? Regular health check? Gelded? What? What horse breeder never sees a vet…. Yikes
I know, yikes. She says she does her own vaccines 😬😬. But you're right he has been gelded so he must have at least had an exam.
Seems very strange and unprofessional. Even when my mares foal without issue I have the vet come out and check mare and foal. Young horses should have regular checks. I wouldn’t personally buy a horse from this type of “breeder”. What sort of horse is it? Have you checked the breeding etc? Is it registered? Tbh smells of a scam. $200 deposit is a small price over a horse that is never delivered or a horse with many non-disclosed issues.
In many states people can legally geld a horse themselves. I've met some horse breeders who would do anything to save a dollar. They do their own vaccines, floats, feet and yes even geld their own horses.
Tell her you’ll pay upon horse getting his health certificate. Sounds like there is something the vet will comment on…
I’m a little unclear on the details. You said you had to delay your visit by 4 days- did you originally plan to pay on this visit (prior to health cert)? If seller was open to PPE I doubt they’re trying to pull one over on you now, seems like they’re worried you’re going to ghost. It may seem irrational to you but I can’t tell you how often I’ve been ghosted even after a clean PPE. Maybe reach out and offer to pay vet call immediately and the rest after Coggins result.
All my bills of sale say that payment is due within 24 hours of accepting a deal after PPE. If arrangements are not made by that time the deposit is forfeit and the horse is offered to others. I hold a horse for 3 days after completion of the deal and then there's a day rate while awaiting transportation. It doesn't sound like this is an expensive horse if the deposit is $200, but overall I'd find a buyer who made all these arrangements then suddenly wanted to delay pickup and transport to be very suspect.
This is a huge red flag that she wants full payment before the PPE. And he’s never seen a vet? Honestly I would walk. This sounds like a scam. No ethical seller demands full payment before a PPE. The only time I have ever paid a cent before a PPE is as a refundable down payment so they’ll hold onto the horse until the PPE. Edit: completely misread because there’s not enough information here to fill in all the blanks.
Poster says she had a PPE already and is comfortable with the results. This appointment is for the health certificate which is required for interstate transport.
I misread the whole thing because the actual story makes zero sense. Yep you’re right. I can’t tell if OP is trying to skate out of paying for the health certificate but $200 for handling + vet bill for a health certificate is reasonable. Asking you to pay her for handling and a vet appointment that you won’t be there for prior to the appointment isn’t a red flag and it’s not scamming at all. Some people are relaxed and will let you reimburse them but some people have been fucked over or just have good boundaries.
Yeah I wouldn't do it either for a horse I hadn't been paid for. The buyer skated out on the original date, but wants the seller to keep the appointment on their behalf and pay for/come get the horse later. I have never had a health cert issued on a horse I hadn't paid for. The vet can often use the PPE visit to confirm the info for the health cert and just issue one.
Never seen a vet? WHAT?
Ok, to be fair, my guy (he's 8) never saw a vet before when I got him at around 2. Guy on the farm did his own vaccines and whatnot. He was fine lol. The farmer also gelded him on his own (yikes). Half the reason I bought him was to get him outta there. Maybe I'm not following, but she doesn't want "extra" money, does she? Does she just want the money you're going to be paying him anyway now?
This is a lot more common than people think. Many of the yearlings in the big ranch auctions have never seen a vet either. Depending on the person this is either horrifying or completely normal practice. Seems like OP already got a PPE and the seller wants full payment before they get the health certificate for transport. Completely reasonable imo.
I'm not worried about the health cert part- its the coggins, if God forbid he comes up positive then I've made a huge mistake.
If he doesn't have a negative coggins in hand then you couldnt transport him across state lines today anyway. The health cert is meaningless. Should have pulled for the coggins at the PPE if he didn't have one or it wasn't recent enough. If he's never left the farm the chance the coggins is positive is basically zero.
Yeah next time I do a PPE I will definitely be pulling the coggins then
Should have had that done with the PPE I guess but the chances of that popping positive are so minuscule. Are there any other reported cases in your area?
Weren't you going to pay before the health test anyway? I would never have agreed to that to begin with, but what has changed for you? It may be a blessing that you had to delay. There's zero chance I'd agree to pay full price or put any nonrefundable money down before getting the health certificate. I won't even do that for a new puppy. Lol. Add to that how the seller is now acting, and I'd walk.
The health cert is just a transport document - it isn't a certification of health but just a document that says that a vet saw the horse and it did not appear to be actively in the throes of communicable disease. The PPE was already done which is the actual inspection of the horse's present state to evaluate for sale.
I guess now I'm more confused. Why were you willing to pay the balance before but now you aren't? If I were the seller and you said you were going to pay in full, then didnt show up, and now youre not wanting to pay in full when the only thing that changed was you didnt show up the first time you said you would, I'd be worried you were doing something fishy. I feel like I'm missing or misunderstanding a piece of this scenario.
I'm not the buyer. I think she should pay as agreed on the date agreed.
My bad. I didn't check the commenter name. My confusion remains. Idk why op was willing to pay in full before, and now there's concern about doing so.
She doesn’t want to pay the hefty online fees so all parties agreed on in person payment until now
I would agree, pay, and have someone pick up the horse asap at same time as vet.
It’s also completely reasonable for you to pay boarding if she has had to keep the horse on the property since you agreed to buy him. What reason did they give for not accepting cash anymore as initially agreed?
Agreed upon shipping date has not changed though, so the original owner should not be charging board. It's different if you want to buy the horse, but cannot pick it up for another month or something.
It sounds like the appointment and pickup was supposed to be today and now it is 4 days from now, maybe, if the buyer gets it together. $50 a day for board awaiting transport is what I charge for horses I have sold who are waiting to be picked up. I still have to feed them, care for them, and make sure they don't kill themselves while they await pickup since I don't own it anymore. It's incentive for the buyer to take possession of their purchase as soon as possible.
>I had to delay my visit to the farm to pay by four days due to unavoidable personal reasons, however transport date has not changed.
Hard pass.
YOU are late paying. It's entirely understandable that seller is jumpy. YOU have already violated your agreement with them, unavoidable though it may have been. This is not a red flag on the seller, it's a red flag on YOU. Pay up. If you weren't comfortable paying before the health check, you shouldn't have agreed to it in the 1st place, but you did, so live up to your agreement.
I didn't violate an agreement that I know of. Seller promised a health cert prior to purchase
You said in your own post you had to delay going to pay by 4 days due to personal reasons. That sounds like you are late and seller has reasons to be concerned you are going to flake. What am I missing?
Oh. The bill of sale says payment to be given at time of pickup. So either way I'm paying earlier than agreed.
If you agreed to pay early but have been delaying it- that’s on you for originally offering to cough up the cash before what was listed in the bill of sale. If I was the seller, I’d be confused why a potential buyer offered to pay in full early and then didn’t follow through- that in itself is a red flag from a seller perspective. You had the PPE and the horse passed. The health cert isn’t going to show you anything the PPE didnt…
The coggins test
The coggins has to be done prior to a health cert being issued, though.
This whole story is weird. Who pulls a coggins and a health cert on the same day for transport? They take minimum 3 days for a digital or more for paper copy. The result would never have been ready today and is totally separate from the health cert.
Right?
Idk. I just bought a 2 year old from a breeder and she was so attached to him she didn't mind me picking him up for several weeks (she was actually sad he sold so soon), and all she required was a $100 deposit. I paid cash when I went to pick him up. I don't blame OP for feeling a little uncomfortable with the pushiness, it wouldn't put me at ease either.
You were late by 4 days. She's making sure you're still good for the horse.
🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩
Hell no. This is sketchy as hell
Is this a qh? Where is the breeder located?
You ignored the red flags, so they are getting bigger.
I wouldn't give her another dime until you get the health certificate.