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| Working with trainer to buy...etiquette & compensation? | |
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| Topic Started: Oct 21 2009, 12:11 PM (280 Views) | |
| Trialbyfire | Oct 21 2009, 12:11 PM Post #1 |
It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure!
  ![]](http://209.85.48.14/static/1/pip_r.png)
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OK, so now that I have officially enlisted the assistance of our lesson trainer to help me find a horse, I want to make sure I know the basic etiquette. Even though we haven't discussed it, I am aware that usually there is a fee for this sort of thing. Can you tell me what is typical? I would imagine a % of the payment price? I will definitely talk to her about it as well but it's useful to know the industry standard. Now that she's on the job, if I were to find a horse that I thought was a good option to try, do I get her input before making contact with the seller? I think that she's be annoyed if she found me a great horse somewhere and I had already gone out and tried horses and decided not to try the one she found. [I'd be mad if I were her, anyway!] Again, I will ask her, but I'm inclined to think that I should at least give her a couple of weeks to make some calls before I start looking at other horses. ?? Any other tips to make sure I am a good buyer would be appreciated. It's possible nothing will come out of her search; but it's also possible that with her help I might end up with a much nicer horse than I ever anticipated owning as well. |
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| OpticalIllusion | Oct 21 2009, 12:46 PM Post #2 |
Guiding your way to Candy Mountain, since 1873.
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10% is normal. However, pending on how much work she does, and what your price range is, you may want to increase. If she talks to a ton of people, and travels all over to look at ones, and you end up spending $3500 on a horse, 10% isn't going to be much. What my clients do when were horse shopping for them and they find something they think might be interesting, they forward me the info and I contact the owner/ trainer/ sales agent. As a general rule, I can explain how well someone rides better then they can themselves. |
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| Delia | Oct 21 2009, 12:59 PM Post #3 |
Is the meadow on fire?
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At my trainer's barn, if she or any of the assistant trainers assist in a purchase, they get a 10% commission. I think, however, that percentage is negotiable. It's fine with them if a client searches for/finds horses on their own that they want to try, but they expect that a trainer will go with the client to try the horse. Since the horse would be living at the barn and they'd have to deal with the repercussions of an ill-advised purchase, they want to be directly involved in the purchase. But since you'd be keeping the horse at home, your trainer may have a different feeling about that. |
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| gunnar | Oct 21 2009, 02:02 PM Post #4 |
It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure!
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10% seems to be standard or a minimum of $500. I wen to BC to buy Bodie, without the trainer. I did bring a video home but I had left a nonrefundable deposit. In that situaion the seller paid a commission to the agent in BC and I actually paid my trainer her 10%, even though she did not represent me or find the horse for me. She spent a year looking for horse with me and I felt she deserved compensation, even if she could not make the trip. |
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| Trialbyfire | Oct 21 2009, 02:23 PM Post #5 |
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It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure!
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Perfect; just the information I needed. We are in a bit of an unusual situation as we won't be keeping the horse at her barn; I'm not sure if she'd be interested in going to try horses that weren't found by her own network...we'll see. Probably depends on how busy she is (which is extremely!) but I will ask. I think I will sit tight for a week or two and check back with her. She was thinking that some of the barns shipping horses to Florida for the winter shows might be contemplating who stays and who goes, and we might find something awesome. Thanks for this information -- very helpful! |
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| gunnar | Oct 21 2009, 02:29 PM Post #6 |
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It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure!
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In my experience if you find a horse you go look and then if it seems appropriate the Trainer will make the trip. That is what video is for! |
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| Jersey Fresh | Oct 21 2009, 02:45 PM Post #7 |
Shunnnnn the unbeliever. Shunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.
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I agree with everyone else here. I paid 10% to my trainer when I got Ty. She actually had to send me on my own first and then saw a video but never sat on him. She watched him lunge before I bought him. She didnt do a ton with his sale but she looked for me for a while so I had no problem paying her comission. I didnt pay a lot for him, so she prob deserved more too. |
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| Kikki | Oct 21 2009, 04:32 PM Post #8 |
Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
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Most of the commissions I see are actually 15%, 10% on anything over $100,000. But I also don't have much knowledge in the short of horse you are looking for, mostly just nice quality A show hunters and jumpers. At the various places I have been (of course remembering I'm in a little different side of the industry) there could potentially be a fee for going to look at horses (I think the current place I am at is $200/day plus expenses, but you aren't talking about all day trips, so I would think whatever trainer charges for off property lessons, or at least lesson price plus expenses such as gas) on top of the commission. When horses are brought on to the property to be tried, then just standard lesson price (plus any board incurred while the horse is there). As for you doing your own shopping, since you have a trainer working for you, I would say if you find something you are interested in, I'd have the trainer talk to trainer/owner about the horse instead of you contacting directly. I would confer with your trainer before you go and try anything and see if its ok with her if you go and look on your own or if she would rather be there. She might be ok with you going on your own and bringing a video back and if you like the horse then you all going back, or she might feel she should be there the first time. But I think the best thing to do is to talk in depth with your trainer and get a firm understanding of what is expected of both parties while you are having your trainer actively horse shop for you. |
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| Trialbyfire | Oct 21 2009, 06:23 PM Post #9 |
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It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure!
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Thanks everyone!! Kikki, that's helpful information. It is entirely possible that we could end up trying a horse that has been brought to her barn; I hadn't thought about that yet but you make a great point -- that board while the horse is there and obviously lesson and/or trainer riding time would be costs to her. It's hard to know yet what to expect; this barn does not routinely do big shows although they go to some....but I do know that she is personally friends with trainers from around our region so while *I* will probably not be paying much for this horse, it might come from a barn where some of the horses are quite fancy. So I certainly don't want to stick her with any costs associated with me trying a horse and definitely do not want to negatively affect her reputation with other trainers. So I'll be planning to go with the flow for now....and I'll let you all know how things work out! |
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| Ibex | Oct 21 2009, 08:35 PM Post #10 |
Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
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My trainer does 10%, or on a "per horse inspection" basis. What she does not do as part of the process is step into the deal itself. She will advise and support during the negotiations, but at the end of the day you write two cheques: one to her and one to the seller. It keeps everything transparent. My barn is not a $$$ type barn; mostly nice but mid-price horses aimed at eventing or dressage. I should note that she will look at horses both in and out of her network, for clients who do or don't board. Edited by Ibex, Oct 21 2009, 08:37 PM.
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| Witchy | Oct 22 2009, 11:45 AM Post #11 |
Is the meadow on fire?
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My trainer just charged me for the few hours to come and watch the pony and kid. I found him and set up his delivery and a trial and then she came over to see him after we decided that he might be the one. I didn't want to waste her time on ones that I wasn't interested in at all. I did forward a few videos of potential ponies to her during the process. The easiest way to try horses would be to have them shipped into your trainers barn after you have gone to see them on your own and decided that you like them. It takes a long time to go see one. Even an hour away turns into 4 hours out of the trainer's day, so I'd suggest going to see it on your own and very critically evaluating it, then have the seller bring it over to your trainers barn for an hour and if you like him, keep him on trial for a week or two. I always paid the seller to bring the horse to the barn. Otherwise, a 10% commission is the norm. Or, if you buy the one I sent you, you could just buy him tomorrow sight unseen. He's that wonderful. 
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| Trialbyfire | Oct 24 2009, 05:18 AM Post #12 |
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It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure!
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Thanks for all the help guys!  I got a call from the trainer yesterday that her initial calls has resulted in a semi-local possibility. The horse's trainer is in Washington (International Horse Show? I think?) and couldn't talk so she didn't get any details yet but the reason she called me was to see how I felt about having the horse shipped to her barn and trying it for a week. I was glad to have discussed these ideas with you guys so I felt ready to consider the shipping/board/lesson costs for bringing this horse in to try. He is about 2 hours away so shipping won't be any big deal, but if she has him for a week we'll all really get to try him out. I guess the horse is currently leased until some odd date in November; the 10th or something. Hopefully I'll get more info this week; all she told me was 15.1 and bay. She said "I think he's a gelding but honestly, the only question I got a chance to ask was *what color is he!??*" [For those that might not have heard, my husband is not currently allowing us to consider any chestnut horses since that's all we have so far. Or blue eyes, they freak him out. I'm trying to be a good sport for now, since he IS paying for it.] 
Edited by Trialbyfire, Oct 24 2009, 05:19 AM.
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| Kikki | Oct 24 2009, 12:07 PM Post #13 |
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Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
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Oh, one other thing - make sure to consider an insurance rider on anything you take out on trial! My agent will write them for anything I have on trial for I think 2 weeks (30 days?) for free. |
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| Witchy | Oct 24 2009, 04:48 PM Post #14 |
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Is the meadow on fire?
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Who is your insurance agent? That's awesome. Mine charges. |
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| jn4jenny | Oct 27 2009, 05:30 AM Post #15 |
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Magical Leopluridon
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TBF, I still think of you every time one of these pops up on my local craigslist. $1100 *negotiable* for this cutie: http://columbus.craigslist.org/grd/1439475541.html |
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