A Tale About Craigslist

A friend of mine pointed me toward a post on Craigslist where someone was selling a bunch of tack, including a bit exactly like the one I tried on Arya the other day (just standing around--haven't ridden her in it yet) and she seemed to like.

I contacted the seller, and the bit was still available, so we arranged to meet.

At just part dark, I drove down a long and winding dirt road, then a long and not as winding driveway.  I knocked on the door.  The seller greeted me, and told me the bit was in the barn.  I followed.  The barn even darker than it had been outside.  And of course, the seller told me that the light switch was on the far side of the dark interior.

And then...she turned the light on, gave me the bit, I gave her money, we shot the breeze for a little bit, and I left safe and sound.  The end.

(Turns out she recognized my name from my e-mail I sent her, and asked if I used to ride at Flyspur Ranch, which I did, and she had a brief stint as a wrangler there.  I didn't really remember her (I'm terrible at remembering people), but also googled her name and she's a local vet tech, and a woman, so I felt okay meeting her at her house, even though it was after dark.  All's well that ends well, but every other time I've met someone from Craigslist has been in public, I promise.)

Craigslist Follies

I was poking around on Craigslist, and saw a headline that made me wonder if the person doesn't speak English as a first language:

      Clubs and you wanted for horse riding and training clinics

The text of the ad:

[Name] is available for training lessons and sales. Do you want to excel suceed and become a great rider trainer for your money spent? See for yourself that [name] is one of the top riders trainers clinicians you will ever find from beginner to world class rider. We all know how many people think they are such great barrel racers reiners , western profesional trainers... ALL welcome who are honest and want to join a team to suceed by riding a great world champion producing system that you will know is [name]s [no apostrophe in the original] God given talent. Do the right thing and call today. Available for clinics lessons training and more! Older rider? Do you want your kid safe and riding great? Do you want your horse treated wonderfully nd trained to the highest levels possible? Trainer of National title horses in Appaloosa ,Paint, Quarter horse, Arabian and morgan. [Name] wants to train you!

There are a lot of links to the trainer's website, which is a scary-looking homemade site with just photos of horses he's supposedly trained.

The clincher, though, is the photo.  I know it convinces me that he's an expert (or even that he's the same person pictured in any of those photos).  Oh, and his name is a totally American-sounding name, so it doesn't explain why the only public mention of his skills, apparently, is in a foreign publication.  

Okay, different ad.  The description of the horse is nothing notable, but the photos leave a little to be desired:

A different ad, presumably the same seller.  Seriously, people, can you not SEE what the photo looks like when you post it?  Do you have cataracts and this is what you always see?

Someone is advertising that they have a blue-eyed buck (i.e. male goat), but these both look like does (i.e. female goats) to me.  Dontcha think?

Oh, here's a good one.  Yeah, good luck with that:

I am just starting out in my horse 4-H project, and I need a well trained mare or gelding that gets along with other horses, trained preferably English, and is 5-10 years of age. The horse must be 15+ hands and have a jumper build. I don't have much of an income, so i'll need the price to be under $1000.

This person wants a well-trained jumper horse for under $1,000.  Wonder how she'll be paying for the horse's upkeep and lessons and show fees on her limited income.  I looked on DreamHorse and within THREE HUNDRED miles and with her other search parameters, I got five results.  One is already sold (not sure for how much, but was listed at $1,000 including tack!), and the other four are leases or part leases, which is probably what this person should be looking into anyway, but of course (especially for the part lease) she'd need to look a little more locally than that.  :-)

Oh, man:

Free to good home to Parakeets. I bought them for my friends son and he couldnt take them back to montana! Also have a nice big cage for sale for 100.00 with all of the toys and food and extra parakeet items. birds must go together

Who buys LIVE animals for someone without making sure they'll be able to KEEP them?  Crazy!  Also, parakeets themselves are pretty cheap, so depending how nice the cage is (or isn't), this probably is a really crappy deal, considering you won't get to pick out the animals yourself.

Wow.  Seriously, people, if you can't figure it out yourself, borrow a friend to help you (a) spell, and (b) rotate your photos:

     Mini horse studd & through bread - $400

Through breed mare , great as a first horse great with children and teenagers. Won racing ribbons. Mini studd horse. Needs a little work. Both for $400.00 OBO

Oh, here we go again.  Unrideable horse, but want someone else to pay to feed it:

8 year old quarter horse. She is a very gentle horse. I can touch/brush her all over. She would be good for kids to pet/brush. Not sure on the ridding I would say no. I can catch her...getting better about that. She does fine once on lead line. Once caught she just stands there and lets you do whatever.
She can only be used as a pet for someone or a buddy for other animals.No ridding or breeding period.
Her leg seems to hurt her...she does alot of touch toe weight. However she is all over the pasture and can move if she wants too.
I have had her feet trimmed and wormed.
The farrier thinks she hurt her leg got a bone spur and arthritis has set in. The home she came from said she hurt it over a year ago...they were giving her bute.
Perfect situation for her would be to just be out in the pasture forever with a buddy/ or for kids to give her attention. Someone not worried about feeding another horse.

Maybe, and this is just a non-expert talking, you should get an actual VET to take a look at her, possibly X-ray her, and give you an actual diagnosis and prognosis.  If she's in pain and would need drugs to keep her feeling good, but in such copious quantities that it would cause other issues, maybe the kindest thing to do would be put her down.  If there's something you can do to make her actually rideable (even if it's slow walk-only trail rides), then do that and sell her to someone with full disclosure of her limitations, but at least fully read to do the job she is capable of.  Don't just pawn her off on people with a "think it might be" comment from the farrier and no other knowledge of what's wrong with her.

Okay, this is one I'm actually not going to bitch about.  This particular one is for all the people who say they can't keep weight on a thoroughbred or an older horse.  This is a 19--year-old TB, apparently:

Wow, these are GREAT conformation photos:

Huh.

So, I was poking around on Craigslist, looking for the ad Trigger's trainer posted so I can post it on a few online forums, and found this ad:

You can click to enlarge it, I think, but here's the text:

Yeller is 10 years old and stands 15.1 hands tall he is really broke and in the bridle can really turn around and spin has a big stop on him as well i bought him in Texas 5 years ago where he was used in a feedlot for a couple years he is to broke for beginners to ride but not for advanced riders he is 100% guranteed sound as well he loves working cattle and has been branded on as well please call 541XXXXXX or email thanks 

Ignoring the run-on sentence(s) and spelling of "guranteed," what on ear do they mean that he is "to" broke for beginners but not for advanced riders?  Do they think broke means UN-trained?  As in, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"?

There's another ad that's not worth screen capping, because it doesn't have any photos, but they are careful to describe the horse as "black bay with a small belly spot."  I know when I'm looking for a horse to buy, I don't care about its conformation, or actually even looking at its color with my own eyes, I just want to be sure it has a little spot on its belly.

More Fun with Craigslist

I was just going through all my posts, tagging them, and found this one that was still a draft.  I thought I'd posted it long ago. 

I was going to post actual examples of ads from Craigslist and then pick on them but (a) I'm a chicken that the posters of said ads will end up seeing my snark and being offended and (b) it all boils down to a few points anyway.

As you might have deduced, I've spent a TON of time browsing horse ads on Craigslist an other places.  I've come to conclude that people, especially on Craigslist, need a lesson on how to place an ad for a horse.

Include, at a MINIMUM, the following information on your ad with a horse for sale:

1. Photo - preferably at least one photo from the side, no tack, horse on level ground, etc., and so on, to show conformation; photos showing front, back, and under saddle for bonus points; video under saddle for extra-super-bonus points
2. Age of horse - some of us don't want to have to train a baby, others don't want to have a horse that will need to retire within six months
3. Height of horse - some of us are quite tall and would drag our heels on the ground riding a short horse, others are of shorter stature and wouldn't be able to mount a 17 hand horse without a stepladder
4. Sex of horse - some people don't care, but many, many people do.
5. Training level, discipline(s), and vices - I lumped these all together, but basically just tell us what the horse has done, what it can do, and what it does but shouldn't do.  And don't use the word "prospect" without an actual discipline in front of it and the knowledge that the horse has both the conformation and temperament for that discipline.  There is no such thing as a "quarter horse prospect," a "filly prospect," or a "palomino prospect."  Those are dumb phrases.
6. Price - I don't want to "make an offer" unless there's already a starting point.  You must have some idea of what you think your horse is worth, and what is the absolute lowest you would accept.  Plunk a number somewhere between those two (or at one end or the other) into your ad, and indicate whether it's negotiable or not. 
7. Breed - I put this last, because some people put too much emphasis on breed stereotypes, in my opinion, but plenty of people DO care, so it should be included in the ad.  

Color isn't necessary for most of us, but should be obvious if you include photo/video (I say should, because some of those photos in dark barn aisles could be of anything from fleabitten grey to a dark bay, and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.  If you're not including a photo, you should probably describe the color so people who DO care don't bother if it's not the right color.

Also, palomino isn't a breed (though there is a registry) and not all pintos are Paints (as in the breed, though there is also a registry for pintos regardless whether they are also Paints).  Not all dark brown horses are black, and nor are they bay, not that it really matters when it comes right down to it.

Contact info would ideally include a couple methods, but mention which is preferred, and timeframe for phone calls.

What you should not include:

1. The word "prospect" just because it's a discipline you wish you'd done, or barrels because the horse is a speed demon, or western pleasure because you can't make the horse go.  A horse isn't a "prospect" unless it truly has the ability; it's not just some word you can throw around to make it sound like your horse knows stuff it doesn't.
2. That your 28-year-old horse has "a lot of years left."  No, it most likely doesn't.  You can't guarantee that, and if it did, you wouldn't be selling it.  Nothing ticks me off more than people selling their old horses.  You ride it till it can't anymore, then want someone else to pay the feed bills and be there for its last days?
3. Breeding potential of random horses.  It's a mare, and you can't figure out how to train her to ride, so sell her as a broodmare.  Or it's still a stallion because you can't afford the vet bill to geld him, so sell breedings to him, or sell him as a breeding stallion.  Uh, no.
4. Blurry, dark, or far-away photos.  Photos that only show the horse's body with a saddle on.  Photos only of the horse's face, however cute it may be.
5. Tri-color paint.  No.  Unless it is extremely rare, your horse is a bay (or possibly buckskin) paint.  While they are different colors to your eye (brown on body, black on mane/tail), that color of horse is a bay.  Add splashes of white, and it's a bay paint.
6. Terrible spelling.  Your castrated horse is neither a gilding or guilding, it doesn't neck reign, it doesn't have smooth gates (unless you've been sanding the gates to its paddock), you don't work it in the round pin.
7. Crooked pictures - I'm sorry your camera doesn't have a tilt sensor, but they make software for that, I promise.  Meanwhile, my neck is getting sore and/or my arms are getting a workout from tilting my laptop.
8. "No scammers or spammers."  Because if I'm out to scam people on Craigslist, and am trolling the horse ads to see who I can work over, and see this warning in someone's ad, I'm really going to tell myself, "Oh, they said no scammers.  Better be moving along, then."  No one wants scammers, save yourself the keystrokes and just use your brain when dealing with random strangers from the internet.

Unrelated to horses, but still in the Farm & Garden section, I've seen quite a few ads on Craigslist lately for people offering things for sale, when really, they're hoping someone will do yardwork for them.  Rocks, stumps, trees still in the ground (you dig), random wood piles advertised as aged barn wood...  Not just offered free if you'll just come get them, but often actually CHARGING people to come remove their unwanted yard debris.

Okay, I lied.  Here are some actual Craigslist ads, because I just can't stand it:

WTB: begginer horse - $500

hi im looking for a broke horse that wont buck or try to throw me off. spunk is ok but not to much im looking for a western pleasure horse or one that knows any of these things they don't have to but would like them to know like barrels, reigning, cutting, etc. must be under 500 or free and under the age of 20. and above 14.2 hh i dont care if they neck reign as long as they can wear a bridle (last person i wanted to buy from said she took the bit like a champ wrong she didnt know what it was let alone take it) i would preffer not high strung breeds like thoroughbreds or any gaited horse. I wouldnt mind a stocky Qh, Arab, Mustang, Appaloosa etc.Your Mare/Gelding will have the greatest home with food and a clean stall 24/7. if you would like to know more about me or they way i ride and take care of horses email me i also have references

1 year old Black Lab - $75

I have a full bread black lab that will be 1 year next month. He is a very friendly and good dog however I do not have the time and space to accommodate what he needs. This dog has tons of energy and needs to be with someone who can take him for walks, play, etc. Also someone with a large fenced yard. He is fully potty trained. He is very friendly to other animals and kids. But let me say it again, he has A LOT of energy so please only contact me if you are a absolute dog lover and willing to take that on. He has had all of his shots but is not yet neutered. I work mon-fri 8-5 so if you are going to contact me during those hours a text works best. Please only contact me if you are serious about taking him. It will also include a kennel and about a weeks worth of food.

7month kitty

I have an awesome 7month old kitty named Cozmo, He is the best cat ever. A real cuddle bug, he comes to his name. Indoor cat OnLy.
A new landlord took over and now we can't have cats anymore, I can't afford to move so I need to rehome him.
Cozmo is a very loveable kitty, great with kids, smart.

His favorite things to do - Cuddle, he LOVES the bath tub after its been used and does ok while taking baths, Lay in the sun next to the sliding glass door (I live on the 3rd floor of an apt so he does great on the deck as well) idk how he would do out side other then a deck he can't get down from.. No he's not fixed I just recently lost my job and get it done any time soon. He's free so the $25+ u would spend on any other re homing fee, You could go get him fixed at the humane society for $25.
He'll come with the rest of his food & litter
call or txt
I can send pics upon request.

Major needs a forever home

Major is a 23 year old gelding that needs a forever home. He has done a great job as a trail horse for us, but now he needs to retire. If you can help him out please call. Thank you.

AMAZING DEAL FOR THE HARD 2 STOP HORSE - $20

I am selling my 2 bits cause I sold the horse and don't need them any longer,

***10 inch shank twisted mouth combination type bit [$20]

***8 inch shank bicycle chain nose-copper twisted mouth [$75]

SPECIAL DEAL!!! Both bits together for $65!

Both bits are in excellent shape! I used them on my barrel horse that had no breaks and they worked miracles! 

Nibble 2

Oops...my sister reminded me I didn't finish up my prior post with the second nibble.

A week or so ago, someone e-mailed me about Trigger, and I was completely honest with her, and she said his hopping wasn't a problem with her--she's used to working with "problem" horses and is finally getting her problem bucker under control.  I told her I'd take better conformation photos of him, and we chatted a bit more by e-mail, including me asking if I knew her, because her photos that she sent to show she was a real person looked familiar.  I think I'd looked at one or more Craigslist ads she's posted over the past few years, plus she apparently posts on some of the same forums I do.

Anyway, the next morning she e-mailed me that after some thinking and discussion with her husband, she realized that she had enough "problem" horses, and really needed a horse that would be safe for her husband to ride as well, and he recently broke a leg coming off her bucker, so she wanted something DEAD broke.  Bummer.  But we've chatted some more, she also suggested I have his teeth checked, and recommends the chiropractor I already have an appointment with, so that's reassuring, anyway.

Nibbles

I've had two nibbles on Trigger's ad on Craigslist so far.  Unfortunately, they didn't end well.

The first person contacted me last week, and after much texting and one e-mail, I met mother and 20-year-old daughter (who the horse was for) at a local Starbucks, and after deciding they probably weren't rapists or murderers, led them to the barn, where Sweetpea was kind enough to meet me so she could be the demo rider.  She had a friend along with her, too, so the barn had a five more people than it usually does.

I got Trigger out and groomed him, along with the daughter's help and observation.  I lunged him so she could see his gaits and behavior while relatively at liberty prior to tacking him up.  He was a good boy, and while interested in a spot outside the pen, was obedient and didn't buck or do anything too "scary."  Then we tacked him up.  He was a little cinchy, which seems to be normal for him, but she didn't seem too put off by that.  Sweetpea wanted him in a snaffle, even though most of his experience to date has been in a hackamore, and he was NOT a fan of having the bit in his mouth.  He kept mouthing the bit, but wasn't TOO obnoxious about it.  Until I started lunging him with tack on, and he bucked.  I chalked it up to the stirrups hitting his belly and surprising him, and lunged him both directions until he seemed accepting of all the tack, and Sweetpea decided she was ready to climb on.

Sweetpea mounted up, and he seemed okay with the process and with just standing there, but as soon as she asked him to move, he crow-hopped.  AAAAaaaaaaargh!  She persisted so that he wouldn't see crow-hopping as a way to immediately dismiss the rider, but he was clearly not happy, and was swishing his tail.  When she did dismount, I lunged him both directions with the tack on, and while I don't have a good eye for it, Sweetpea said he seemed stiff in his hind end, and suspected his back is out again.  I can't SEE things like that well (I think horses' hind ends always look stiff and awkward), but could hear that his footfalls weren't even at the trot.

So...I told the mom and daughter that they were welcome to stay in touch if they were curious to hear how the chiropractor visit goes, but I wouldn't blame them if they didn't contact me ever again.  I haven't heard from them yet, and that was over a week ago.  I'm usurprised.

I do have a chiropractor appointment for Tuesday evening.  We'll see...  I'm hoping she'll be willing to stick her fingers in Trigger's mouth, because it's also been suggested to me that his issues could have to do with his teeth/mouth.  I stuck my fingers in up to the first few molars on both sides last night, and the surfaces and edges felt fine to me, but I'm not an expert and also didn't feel all the way back.

Response to "Fun With Craigslist"

A "fan" of mine...  (Okay, it was my mom, but she doesn't want me to name her.  So, no names here!)  Anyway, a "fan" of mine, sent me an e-mail in response to my previous post about the scammer who responded to my Craigslist ad.  Here's her response:

Howdy!       

Just outta the gate and about piaffed myself, again, after just reading your blog about the scammer.  Laughed so hard I cried!   Poor [husband]...he's had his suspicions on my mental state confirmed, again, after hearing all the snorts and whinnies from this corner of the barn!  

Well, that guy doesn't have a leg up on you, that's for sure, and he better not horse around any more!  He needs to rein himself in before he steps in it royally!  How lame!  He made himself sound so crazy, and not just tack-y!  REALLY hope he doesn't show up at your place, whether Bend OR Mars...you just might make a lunge at him with an apple-picker!

I gotta hand it to you...you hit all the points in your reply!   And then some!   :)   Guess you can always hope for a bad case of worms for him.   He needs to be put at grass permanently!

Great job!

Ride on!

Then another follow up shortly after:

And I dare you to send your reply AND to post the reply on Craigslist!

:-D

s'cuze me...just read it again...need to find a towel and some clean undies!!!!!

Maybe I'm tanking...I can't stop laughing!    H E L P !!!!!    :-D     :-D     :-D

And her response when I asked if I could post it:

Just don't put my name with it!   I'd get locked up for sure!

I'm so glad Gary fell asleep in his chair last night...I laughed myself to sleep last night...just could NOT stop thinking about YOUR response -- and you know I see movies when I read stuff.

 Did Nathan like your answer??!!  He's got a great sense of humor!

Anyway, Gotta head to work.

Love you guys!  And keep me laughing!!!

Thanks for the early-morning laugh, Mom!

Fun with Craigslist

So, I finally sucked it up and posted an ad on Craigslist for Trigger.  I posted the first one Saturday, then renewed it yesterday.  I received my first reply this morning:

Hello,  is still available for sale? if so can you please send the
pics to me ....  Thanks

Not very good English, but I know that most Craigslist-ers don't have the marvelous grasp on the English language that I do, so I didn't discount it just because of that.  However, when I hit reply, the full e-mail address showed, which tipped me off that it might be a scam--does hjjdvjjnofsjknfskojfs@gmail.com look like a legitimate address someone would choose on purpose to you?

But I figured I'd humor them just in case it wasn't a scammer, and replied back with some pictures.  Seven hours later, I received this reply:

thanks for getting back to me.....Just asking about it to make sure it’s in
  good condition. So can you assure me i will not be disappointed? Well am
  buying this for myself but presently am not around due to the nature of my
  job (OIL RIG) But i will arrange for the hauled agent which will be coming
  for the pickup at your residence location for the pick up once the payment
  is cleared...  I will be glad if this transaction can be done via PayPal so
  the PayPal charges will be on me,If my offer is accepted send me your
  PayPal email and your name including your phone# so i can pay you as soon
  as possible i can but




  Are you the first owner of it?
  Why are you selling it?
  Where do you live?
  When have you been using it?
  And does it has any dent on it or anything?
  How much will you re duct from your advert price?


  Hope to read from you soon.

Um, wow.  Clearly a scam, especially since it's calling my horse an "it" when the ad heading says gelding, and I use "he" and "him" throughout the ad, and the oil rig and PayPal pieces don't help the sender's case any, either.  But I love that they ask when I've been using "it" and "does it have a dent on it."

I should reply that I am not the first owner, am selling because of all the dents, I live on Mars and am loving that the rover finally came to visit, I have been using it constantly, and it does have some dents above its eyes that move in creepy ways when it chews, plus numerous other dents all over, usually exactly where they should be, and that I'll deduct the entire advert price if they turn out to be a legitimate person who comes to visit me on Mars in person, and that I hope to read from them soon as well.  Dare me to?

Oh, and I guess I should have included "No spam or scams, please," in my ad as some people do.  I bet they never get e-mails like these.  ;-)