# Paying instructor for looking for a horse to purchase?



## kisiahc (Jun 8, 2015)

I am in the process of buying my first horse. I have a wonderful instructor and we are actually going in a few days to try out a horse. My problem is, that they have already gone and looked at other horses without me that are an hour or two away from where we live and they don't charge me anything. I guess most people would say that this is not a problem, but I feel extremely guilty. I have asked what I need to pay and she just says "oh, it's no problem". 

She is a very experienced instructor/trainer/rider. She is new to the area I live and she has mentioned that she just wants me to sort of be a living advertisement for her new barn which isn't hard because she is wonderful and I have no problem telling people about her, posting on facebook, etc.

Is this a normal thing? Should I just throw her some money any way? We will be driving about 50 miles away (without trailer, just going to try out the horse). I don't have any idea how much to give her and like I said, I just feel like I should do something because she is taking time from her day to do this for me.


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## gingerscout (Jan 18, 2012)

yes that is very nice of her, if she won't accept money, maybe get her a nice card and write her a nice thank you and put a gift card in it to somewhere you think she may enjoy


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Usually they get a percentage of the price of the horse. Not sure what price range you are in but standard is 10% many times you pay that and or they get a kick back from the seller. If she is lining up the horses I am sure she made arrangements for seller to pay her a commission


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

churumbeque said:


> Usually they get a percentage of the price of the horse. Not sure what price range you are in but standard is 10% many times you pay that and or they get a kick back from the seller. If she is lining up the horses I am sure she made arrangements for seller to pay her a commission


Wouldn't that be a conflict of interest? Trainer shouldn't work for both. Usually the buyer pays a commision for help in finding a horse.
If I was selling I wouldn't pay the buyer's trainer anything but I would pay my trainer to sell the horse for me.

Basically you pay for the time & knowledge of whoever is helping you but it shouldn't be the same person for the buyer & seller.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

thats how it usually works when a trainer helps find a horse, they get a percent of the sales price.


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## rocky pony (Oct 5, 2007)

I think it depends...I had a trainer help me when I was purchasing a horse and she wouldn't hear of me paying her anything. She told me to line up horses to look at and call her to schedule a meeting, so we did that. I paid under $2k for him, so the low figure might have had a little bit to do with it.
I agree with the idea of giving her a card or gift as thanks, if you already tried offering money and she said no.


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## Regula (Jan 23, 2012)

I would prefer to pay hourly for her services rather than a commission. For selling a horse, a commission makes sense to me, but not for buying.

I think for when she went to look at some horses without you (I am assuming you did not ask her to do this), a card and a gift is ok. 
For coming to look at a horse together with you (I am assuming you asked her to do this), I would want to pay her. I would probably check how much she charges for an hour long lesson or for coaching at a competition, and offer something in that vicinity.
Of course it's nice if someone offers to do something for free, but I like keeping a professional relationship, even if someone is really nice. That way, if you ever need to complain about something, or e.g. ever want to change barns, there will be no hard feelings.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

I would just say let her be nice. You offered and she refused. There are people out there that just want to help, or who knows, she probably is really enjoying doing this. If it were me, I would let her help and then give her a nice gift of some sorts or a gift card when I got the horse to show appreciation. You can be nice to people and still stay professional.


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## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

There are some people out there who are truly into doing good deeds and don't expect anything in return, she sounds like one of them. I understand wanting to acknowledge her kindness.

I agree with the gift card idea and a nice thank you note. 

If your riding together in her vehicle pay for the gas, or offer to drive your vehicle.

Good luck finding your new horse.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

natisha said:


> Wouldn't that be a conflict of interest? Trainer shouldn't work for both. Usually the buyer pays a commision for help in finding a horse.
> If I was selling I wouldn't pay the buyer's trainer anything but I would pay my trainer to sell the horse for me.
> 
> Basically you pay for the time & knowledge of whoever is helping you but it shouldn't be the same person for the buyer & seller.


Just pointing out some different scenarios. It depends on the arraignment. My guess is if she is lining up the horses to see she has worked out a commission with the seller. When you buy a house the seller pays the commission to the realtor. Then there are deals where the buyer pays. I'm sure there are deals where the trainer sometimes gets double commission from both buyer. And seller and no one is to know.


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## khorses23 (Jan 22, 2015)

i agree with the card and gift card idea! if you do it after you purchase the horse, maybe in the card even put a nice picture of like you and the horse, or her, you, and the horse and make sure you state how much you appreciate your trainer and the time she took for you to find the perfect horse and stuff like that. 

also, if while both of you go and look at the horse..depending on the time of day or how long the trip is, if you stop for food or gas, you at least offer to pay for her food and/or the gas money. and maybe if the trip isnt too long, just bring her like her favorite drink and a little snack or something. 

im currently looking for my first horse too. if we bring the horse trailer, i pay about $50 for gas money for the trip (this also depends on how long the trip is, but typically its around there) and then $40 for my trainers time for that day. once i buy the horse, my trainer gets a commission of 15%


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

If she is new to the area, it's nice of her to offer to do this without pay, but this may be a good chance for her to get out and meet new people and make contacts that may develop into jobs for her so exposure for new business plus your endorsement with all the people you meet.
You could offer to pay gas/food expenses while you are travelling.

One time a friend had a horse for sale and I was helping her by riding it for prospective buyers (this was a high priced horse) and one person came to try her out and she just loved the horse and wanted to buy her but thought her coach should see the horse first. The coach looked at the horse and after the would be buyer called to say the coach wanted her to buy another horse. I found out later coach made a 10% commission on the other horse. If we had offered her the same, they probably would have gotten the horse that the buyer really wanted.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Woodhaven said:


> If she is new to the area, it's nice of her to offer to do this without pay, but this may be a good chance for her to get out and meet new people and make contacts that may develop into jobs for her so exposure for new business plus your endorsement with all the people you meet.
> You could offer to pay gas/food expenses while you are travelling.
> 
> One time a friend had a horse for sale and I was helping her by riding it for prospective buyers (this was a high priced horse) and one person came to try her out and she just loved the horse and wanted to buy her but thought her coach should see the horse first. The coach looked at the horse and after the would be buyer called to say the coach wanted her to buy another horse. I found out later coach made a 10% commission on the other horse. If we had offered her the same, they probably would have gotten the horse that the buyer really wanted.


exactly my point. they are making money on one of the ends.


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

I have many times helped clients find a suitable horse, both newbies and those more experienced. I usually give them some ideas as to where to look for horses for sale, they will pick out some they like and we will travel together to meet them and do a "test ride" if I don't see any obvious problems with the ad. If they have problems picking out a horse, sometimes I will browse also.

I don't generally charge for the travel and riding time as long as it's not too far away. However, the going rate for me to help them is 10% of the price paid for the horse. Don't expect a trainer to travel to 10 different places though without some sort of compensation. 3 or 4 trips at the most.

Some have purchased horses that I've expressed doubts about and they end up paying to train the problems out of them.

If a client _insists _on buying an unsuitable horse, I always warn them that with horses it's important to follow the brain and not the head. Buy a cheap baby or that snotty little dream horse with no training and you'll end up having to pay me to train it or buy an older, more expensive trained horse and much less will be necessary.

On thing to watch out for is a trainer who pushes you towards a horse sold by a friend of theirs or someone they have a business relationship with. It's not _always_ a bad thing but I've known several local trainers who would tell a client that their current horse should be sold (bad horse or not trainable) and that they would find a new one. They had their clients buy a horse from a stable that the trainer was closely aligned with, collect 10% (or more) from that stable for helping them sell a horse. Then these trainer turn around and collect an additional 10% for helping the client sell the current horse. Many times there was nothing at all wrong with the current horse, it was just a way of making more money when their training business is not making much money or losing clients.


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## kisiahc (Jun 8, 2015)

You guys have been so much help! We are going in a couple hours and I am driving (it's only 30 mins away). I think I will give her a nice card with a gift card or something. She isn't getting a commission from the seller, she's just genuinely nice and says she just enjoys horse shopping. I know she has my best interests at heart and I think we found a really good one that we are looking at today. So...fingers crossed! I am so excited that I may FINALLY be a horse owner!

Thanks everyone!


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I paid my coach pretty generously to come out and look at a horse that we ended up not buying. I figure it saved me money and aggravation in the long run. With Harley, she couldn't come see him because he was far away so I took extensive videos of my daughter riding him (including some jumping because this is what she wants to do) and got the sellers to sign a buy-back contract so the coach could see him in person. She didn't ask for payment that time because she didn't travel, but still spent some time looking at the videos to assess him so I gave her a 50$ gift card. And I will often give her little gifts to thank her - last week it was a boot puller made of horseshoes. It really makes a difference I think because she knows we will not try to take advantage of her. I feel it's worth cultivating those relationships.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

kisiahc said:


> You guys have been so much help! We are going in a couple hours and I am driving (it's only 30 mins away). I think I will give her a nice card with a gift card or something. She isn't getting a commission from the seller, she's just genuinely nice and says she just enjoys horse shopping. I know she has my best interests at heart and I think we found a really good one that we are looking at today. So...fingers crossed! I am so excited that I may FINALLY be a horse owner!
> 
> Thanks everyone!


Let us know how it goes! And if that's the barn in your avatar, that's a pretty nice barn indeed!


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

kisiahc said:


> You guys have been so much help! We are going in a couple hours and I am driving (it's only 30 mins away). I think I will give her a nice card with a gift card or something. She isn't getting a commission from the seller, she's just genuinely nice and says she just enjoys horse shopping. I know she has my best interests at heart and I think we found a really good one that we are looking at today. So...fingers crossed! I am so excited that I may FINALLY be a horse owner!
> 
> Thanks everyone!


How exciting!! I can't wait to see pics! 

As for the commission, our trainer has it listed in her fees that she gets a commission if she helps you buy a horse or sell a horse. I can't remember what it is, because we haven't done that.


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## updownrider (Mar 31, 2009)

churumbeque said:


> exactly my point. they are making money on one of the ends.



The OP has her location listed in Florida, and Florida is not so easy to do that. It is one of the states that has created disclosure laws of agency and dual agency relationships. If the rules are not followed, deceptive practice can be claimed.


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## Sirius (Aug 12, 2013)

If the instructor has lined up horses for you to try then there is probably a commission. You should ask your instructor what is the commission cost, that is the payment.


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## kisiahc (Jun 8, 2015)

I think I will give her a thank you card with a thank you check inside. I would also like to give her something sentimental as there is absolutely no way I could have even thought about getting my first horse without her. I'm going to have to think about a meaningful gift for her.

On another note, we went yesterday and tried the horse and.....HE SEEMS PERFECT! We are going back this week for a second try. It was so hard not to throw my arms around his neck and tell the sellers how much I loved him! Had to keep that poker face on though, lol!


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

kisiahc said:


> I think I will give her a thank you card with a thank you check inside. I would also like to give her something sentimental as there is absolutely no way I could have even thought about getting my first horse without her. I'm going to have to think about a meaningful gift for her.
> 
> On another note, we went yesterday and tried the horse and.....HE SEEMS PERFECT! We are going back this week for a second try. It was so hard not to throw my arms around his neck and tell the sellers how much I loved him! Had to keep that poker face on though, lol!


Good for you - trying the horse out on a different day is very wise. The first horse we tried out for my daughter was great on the first ride, but a disaster on the second. He'd been kept in his stall for a couple of days because of weather so he was extremely high-strung and difficult to control. He was at his worse, no doubt, but it was enough to convince me he wasn't the right one. Horse shopping is something you need to do with your brain, not your heart! You can love him all you want when he's yours, but in the meantime, but on the most critical glasses you can and look for faults! He will have some... it's just a matter of deciding whether his faults are ones you can live with. Also, if you can, try to get there a few minutes early so you can see him being brought in from outside (he is hard to catch?), see him tacked up (he is girth sour?) and get on him before someone else has had to ride him for an hour to tire him out. 

What are your goals for this horse? Make sure you do that with him. When I was 12, my parents bought me a trail horse that I only tried out inside an arena. Turns out he was a terrible trail horse. Live and learn... 

And get a vet check! A trial period if you can is great too. If not, a carefully worded buy-back contract works. 

It's so easy to fall in love with a horse and realize three months later that you made a terrible mistake, that you don't enjoy riding anymore, but that you've become attached to this horse and can't bear to sell him. 

But maybe you've thought through all that already.... 

As for a gift for your instructor, if you have any pictures of her favorite horses (or could get one or find one on her Facebook page if she has one), you could commission a pencil sketch of one. That would melt anyone's heart and pencil sketches are a lot cheaper than a painting.


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