ComplaintsforBenchview Equestrian Centre Inc

• Initial Complaint

  18/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  On February 13th, I purchased a horse from Benchview Farms. I thought I was dealing with a reputable equine business, but unfortunately the sale from start to finish was a terrible experience. The purchase price was $4800, and they did not supply me with a hst# on the bill of sale. Deanna did orginally mentioned that they were selling the horse on consignment for a boarder in their barn that they said was difficult to deal with. This was the first red flag and I should have walked away, but I wanted to believe that the answers she gave me to my questions about the horses demeanor were truthful and that her owner would not get in the way if the sale was being facilitated by Benchview Farms. Once I had enough info and asked all the questions needed, I offered Deanna $5000 for the horse. It was not until after I had made the offer that she then disclaimed to me that this horse had reared under saddle. This was not originally posted in the ad and came as a surprise to me considering the answers she had given me regarding the horses behavior under saddle and in cross ties. I had specifically asked if the horse was good in its stall/on cross ties, to which she responded that it was. I had also asked about any quirks or dirty habits she might have under saddle, and Deanna did not bring up the rearing. I felt comfortable making the offer, and then was suddenly told conflicting information about the horse. I decided to proceed cautiously with the sale, and had a vet check done to see if the problems were potentially health related. Deanna provided me with the vets contact considering I do not live in the area, and I was assured by this vet that the horse did need its teeth done which could be a factor in the rearing issue. I took the chance and shipped the mare to my barn. All that aside, the horse came and is a full-on weaver that needs major chiropractic adjustment. Her teeth were also way worse than Deanna and her vet made them seem. When I received the horse and noticed the weaving behavior, I contacted Benchview Farms immediately and they admitted to knowing about it, but said that they had trained the horse out of doing it and that it didn't do it all the time, so they didn't think it was worth mentioning. Any horse owner or professional knows that this is a behavior that is not fixable and is considered a vice that should have been disclosed while selling the horse. I requested they take the horse back as this vice is a huge deal breaker for me, and also that they refund me an additional $1500 back to cover my trailering and vetting. I also suggested that I would keep the horse, but that they discount that amount to decrease the loss on my investment over undisclosed information that would have deterred me from buying the horse to begin with. The barn owner agreed that was fair. Then, after discussing with their business partner, they said the horse was sold at a fair value, and that they weren't going to do anything for me. This was over a period of weeks because they would not respond to my messages, or would tell me that they were waiting to hear back from other people. If you do not know what weaving is or why this should be disclosed, here is some info off the internet so you get an idea what were dealing with. This behaviour disturbs the rest of the horses in our barn, and can also lead to others mimicking the bad behavior. While the act of weaving itself doesn’t usually create any short term problems for the individual horse, over a long period of time it can create abnormal hoof wear and stress the horse’s joints which increases the possibility of lameness. Some studies have linked long term weaving to weight loss and uneven muscle development. Although Deanna insists that they trained the behavior out of the horse, weaving is not something that ever goes away completely. Often, if the horse is stressed or bored it will display. Like most vices, weaving is a very difficult habit to break, and may not disappear even after the original problem has been resolved. Thus, if previously disclosed I would not have bought the horse based on this issue alone. * **** **** a Canadian article that overviews the laws for the required information that must be provided while selling horses;

  Customer response

  25/04/2023

  I am requesting 1500 $ back from the sale and mare returned plus board and training, vet and chiro (3000), or I keep the mare and request 1500 back for vet and trailering. 

  Thank you ******* ****

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