Let’s face it, there are a lot of people in the horse industry that are not trustworthy.
Unfortunately, horse people come with the territory of horses. I’m not sure if there are certain personalities that are drawn to horses or if it is just the nature of the business. It is hard to make any money, let alone a living off from being a professional horse-person. People also like to place unnecessary blame on others, and we (horse people) sometimes have a hard time accepting responsibility.
I’ve spent many years being a working student, professional, boarding, barn manager, and whatever else comes with the territory. I’ve also learned through the life of hard knocks how to spot an untrustworthy person. It is important to trust the person you are doing business with whether you are looking for a new instructor/trainer, boarding facility, or purchasing a horse.
Watching
You can learn so much by watching a person. Observing how they interact with other people around. If you spend enough time watching that person, eventually they will let their guard down and you will see who they really are. Are they the same person?
Under Pressure
If you are lucky, you will get to see them under a stressful situation. (Hint Hint: Go watch them at a horse show). Ask if you can go back to the stall area when they are tacking up for a class or after a class. Someone once told me that you will see someone’s true colors when their back is up against the wall (AKA under pressure or stress). We aren’t all at our best under pressure, but are you wanting or capable of dealing with that person when they are stressed? Do they scream, yell, or throw a temper tantrum? Trust me, if you see it at THAT show, it isn’t the only time it happens. Do they have a bad ride and take their horse back and “teach it a lesson?” Trust me, that’s not a one-time thing. It’ll happen again.
With Other People
I watched a person I had purchased a horse from try to sell another horse to someone else. I had questioned some of their truthfulness, but once I had witnessed them attempt to sell a horse to someone else, I knew I had been lied to. For example, the seller was trying to sell a 14.1 H mare to someone. This person was telling the potential buyer that the horse was 15.2 H. HA! There was no way. I listened longer, and the seller was going on and on about this pony-sized horse. If I had witnessed this earlier, I would never have purchased a horse from this seller. If the seller was lying to this potential buyer, surely, I had been lied to too.
Asking Questions
Here is a good trick! Ask questions you already know the answers to. Recently, I did something I tell everyone not to do, I bought a horse sight unseen. I never went to see him and bought him off straight from an internet post. Oops! The first time I went to see him he bit me. Like literally, just reached over and bit me. Thanks jerk! I asked the former owner if he bites. “No, he never bites,” he replied. Umm, let me tell you, the darn horse has bit me multiple times. He BITES!
The next time I saw him I asked him another question I already knew the answer to. It was easy to spot him being deceptive since I already knew the answer. Going through someone’s social media can tell you a lot too. Their posts and interactions with others can show some pretty revealing character traits if you look closely. Once again, this former owner lied to me. I should have done all of this prior to purchasing the horse, but I didn’t. So, take my life lesson and experience and learn from it!
Conclusion
Maybe someday psychologists will get together and figure out what is wrong with all of us horse people. If they already have, please send me the case studies!
Through my horse experiences I have met many great people as well. All horse people are not untrustworthy. There are many hardworking, honest individuals. It’s just good to have the skills and tools to weed out the ones that are deceptive.