I buy and sell horses on the Internet. In this time of electronic technology, most of us use every tool that we can in order to maintain our business. And with increasing frequency, there is someone who is determined to acquire assets without paying for them in the coin of the realm.
The e-mail that always interests me is the one that wants to know my lowest price, has funds coming from someone else and a shipper who will handle everything. I have never got beyond that point. They imply that the check or money order is good because it is in US funds.
I have sold horses out of the US and it is not inexpensive. The board for the waiting period is a huge cost plus the veterinary expenses of quarantine here and abroad. The air freight bill will make most astute buyers think twice before importing or exporting a horse.
But the scam has been around longer than the Internet. It has been presented to me in the past. Once, I received a letter from a person in different part of the US wanting to buy a stud that I was standing. During the ensuing period, the letters became more insistent that I ship the horse to them and the payment would be forthcoming. I resisted, figuring that as long as I had the horse in my possession, that I would not be out of the property and the funds.
Another time, the potential buyer told me that he had just purchased a horse property and was on his way to pick up and pay for the animals that we had agreed to sell him. First, he had to pick up his new trailer and he would be right down. And then, the story started. He broke down and had to go back. His sister was ill but he would be down in two weeks. And on and on. It went on for six to eight weeks before I set some deadlines. You know, he never did show up. And the horse property showed up as being for sale again. He forgot to pay for that as well.
One of ventures, I got into was to take on a barn in exchange for half of the gross income. I was approached on how to turn it around and presented them with what turned out to be a very lucrative proposal for every one. The other person had bought a horse at high priced sale when the other party didn’t show up to outbid him. He went out and bought a horse facility for $10,000 down and very high payments. He then hired a manager, who brought in his own horses and trainer. The manager paid the trainer handsomely and the place went into a downhill slide because the manager’s horses were trained and no outside income was coming in.
In six months, we were grossing around $10,000 a month but the need for more income than the place was capable of producing began to drain the participants, physically and emotionally.
The other party decided that he should receive an exact amount each month, much more than he would have received under the original agreement. I refused politely and moved out all the horses and clients. One thing led to another and eventually the original owner repossessed the barn.
Certainly, the tale I hear most often is the one where one party tries to take advantage of the other using various means to accomplish their personal agenda. The object seems to be on acquiring most of the assets of the other party while investing little of your own assets in the way of self, time or money.
For whatever reason, they may have, it boils down to this. You may have the talent and ability to be successful in the horse industry. They have neither but they do have the desire to be perceived as such. One of my business associates in a venture wanted to be involved in the business but was unable to move on beyond the local level. They just could not get out of the box that was so comfortable for them and expand the business using new techniques and methods. They were successful as long as someone else made the horse, the classes were small, the judges knew them and the breed they showed was not high on the popularity list. They could not understand why beyond the small area where they were situated, that they were just another person involved in horses.
This is an industry where you have to learning all the time. You have to willing to adapt to other training methods or types of horses in order to be competitive. If your mind is made up that a certain breed or type is the only animal that people should invest in, you will succeed on a very limited basis.
Good horses and good people come in all shapes and sizes. There are more good than bad ones so it is a waste of your time, ability and money to deal with the few bad ones in hopes that they will change. You must realize that the deal or animal (human or horse) will not do any good for or to you and move on.
Mr. Bain has been a horseman all his life and a professional trainer since 1955. He is an owner and breeder and has been employed as a breeding and stable manager. His intent on writing these articles is to educate horse people on how to operate a successful horse business. You may contact him at MRBAIN@msn.com with your questions and comments. Also, look for his upcoming book, The Business of Horses--Creating A Successful Horse Business Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ralph_Bain |
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