Angelrose, making all kinds of things public is a baaaad idea.


Aquintances of mine have traded a 12 yo 16.2 hh danish warmblood gelding, quiet, reasonable ground manners, low level dressage, sweet itch, old injury that prevents him from jumping (and currently moderately unsound because he had been laid off and walked really badly on his turned-in fronts) with a 10 yo trakhener mare, bucks under saddle, very thin and moderately unsound until the farrier trimmed her.

In my eyes, they dumped the horse because she had gotten another one she liked more and he was a little strong for the BF to learn on (plus being unsound, obviously, which he wasnt in July when she bought him), and got another one. Well, this mare has been passed around like crazy, IS crazy right now, and the lady had only had her for a month. They create a giant ruckus on the net about how she had been mistreated and how the lady was a horse trader and treated her horses like crap, how none of the former owners of Tavella should write because the poor mare had not been treated right since "insert a previous owner who managed to convince them she loved the horse", like 6 owners ago.
It all blew up and the police was involved, numerous forum people have got their panties in a wad, other people are forever stamped as idiots etc.

Now, if my aquintances had just either priced the horse appropriately (but no, she needed the money back she had paid for the horse, fit, sound... uhm) and sold it fair and square, nothing would have happened. Had they just kept quiet, accepted that they traded to the first to show up wanting to trade... Nothing would have happened. They could have spent time and money on the horse and nothing would have blown up, and both horses might have been better off.

I think that is what you need to do. KEEP QUIET. When things blow up, dont feed the fire. If things start to shake, retreat and concentrate on your horses. Rely on your gut. It may sell less horses if you only deal with people you feel you can trust, but it saves you A LOT shit, drama, and heartache (Nemo to slaughter = heartache). Forums = Shitstorms.