Asked by PennyK on 29-03-2015 13:06:12
Question posted in the General Law category relating to Western Cape
Question posted in the General Law category relating to Western Cape
Hi,
I am selling my dressage horse and approached a pair of German trainers to ask them whether they had any clients who may be looking for a horse. One of the trainers, Taco Ouderwortel, asked to come and see me immediately to discuss my horse and so I met him at the stables. We discussed the possibility of my horse going to him and his partner for 4 weeks for training to see if they could help with a couple of issues I have been having with my horse (he pulls the reins out of my hands, and isn't completely still in his head when schooling). He offered to come back with his partner to ride my horse to give me a better opinion.
They came back that afternoon and Carsten Peeters, Taco's partner, rode my horse. They then told me that they could "fix" him for me in 4 weeks. I wasn't terribly impressed by his riding ability and, feeling like I was being pushed into making a decision I didn't want to make, said I'd think about it.
I decided to send my horse elsewhere for schooling and made the mistake of not calling to tell the Germans that Sam, my horse, wasn't going to be going to them. I then got an invoice from them for R1000 for a consultation. I replied saying that I wouldn't pay it as they had not at any point mentioned anything about any costs involved in their coming to see my horse. These emails had up until this point been between Taco and myself only. They emailed back saying they hadn't expected me to pay but that "this" had happened to them a couple of times since moving to SA and that they wanted to make a point and cc'd one of their clients (who is also the manager of the largest equestrian show facility in the Western Cape). I mailed back and made what was probably my second mistake; I told Taco that I don't believe, given my previous experience of training with a truly professional German trainer, that they are professional in their manner of dealing with people and that, in my opinion Carsten (the rider of the pair) has no real talent anyway.
I have now been told that they are telling people in the riding community that my horse is a "head shaker" a real problem for a potential dressage horse, and simply not true as is being evidenced by the trainer that is currently working with him.
Bearing in mind that they present themselves as experts in the field of training and showing horses for Dressage (a fact not backed up by any show data), their opinions carry weight in the community and I believe that they have prejudiced my ability to sell my horse at the original price that we believed him to be worth given his training, breeding and ability, that price was R225 000.
Please help. What can I do?
I am selling my dressage horse and approached a pair of German trainers to ask them whether they had any clients who may be looking for a horse. One of the trainers, Taco Ouderwortel, asked to come and see me immediately to discuss my horse and so I met him at the stables. We discussed the possibility of my horse going to him and his partner for 4 weeks for training to see if they could help with a couple of issues I have been having with my horse (he pulls the reins out of my hands, and isn't completely still in his head when schooling). He offered to come back with his partner to ride my horse to give me a better opinion.
They came back that afternoon and Carsten Peeters, Taco's partner, rode my horse. They then told me that they could "fix" him for me in 4 weeks. I wasn't terribly impressed by his riding ability and, feeling like I was being pushed into making a decision I didn't want to make, said I'd think about it.
I decided to send my horse elsewhere for schooling and made the mistake of not calling to tell the Germans that Sam, my horse, wasn't going to be going to them. I then got an invoice from them for R1000 for a consultation. I replied saying that I wouldn't pay it as they had not at any point mentioned anything about any costs involved in their coming to see my horse. These emails had up until this point been between Taco and myself only. They emailed back saying they hadn't expected me to pay but that "this" had happened to them a couple of times since moving to SA and that they wanted to make a point and cc'd one of their clients (who is also the manager of the largest equestrian show facility in the Western Cape). I mailed back and made what was probably my second mistake; I told Taco that I don't believe, given my previous experience of training with a truly professional German trainer, that they are professional in their manner of dealing with people and that, in my opinion Carsten (the rider of the pair) has no real talent anyway.
I have now been told that they are telling people in the riding community that my horse is a "head shaker" a real problem for a potential dressage horse, and simply not true as is being evidenced by the trainer that is currently working with him.
Bearing in mind that they present themselves as experts in the field of training and showing horses for Dressage (a fact not backed up by any show data), their opinions carry weight in the community and I believe that they have prejudiced my ability to sell my horse at the original price that we believed him to be worth given his training, breeding and ability, that price was R225 000.
Please help. What can I do?
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