Consulting on a Sale; Where are Your Loyalties?

Gary and Tizrobertcharles, who he adopted from Florida Trac* in Loxahatchee, Florida. The retired racehorse is now a mounted police horse. * https://fltrac.org/

By Gary Cortolillo

I am often put into a situation where I am asked to consult on the purchase of a new horse for a friend, student, or business associate. I would not be exaggerating in the least, if I said I am not thrilled when this happens. Don’t get me wrong, I want to be as helpful as I possibly can be, but…

Consulting on a new purchase for whoever it may be, carries a tremendous amount of responsibility. If you advise yes or no, your name is forever tied to that horse and its future, good, bad, and everything in between. Add into the mix the element that the seller may also be a friend, student, or business associate. ALSO, throw in there a little tidbit that they may be offering a substantial commission on the sale, and you can easily see my trepidation. Of course, this all depends on your level of involvement or consultation. If it’s just a passing glance and a simple, “Yeah, that mare looks ok” and you’re done, you might be fine. But if your “client” wants a more indepth analysis and consultation, Pandora’s Box may be ripped open, and all kinds of ghastly things may emerge.

Any commission or consulting fee notwithstanding, if I agree to advise on the purchase, I go about it the same way every time. The most important thing to me is my reputation. You can have all the accolades, ribbons, medals, certifications and wealth available, but these are all fleeting; your reputation stays with you forever. One bad recommendation and you’ll always be remembered as “that guy/gal who told me to buy that threelegged horror show”. So, with this in mind, I make sure my “client” is comfortable with me diving in head first and doing a complete and total analysis of the horse, stopping just short of a full vet check, which is something you should strongly recommend anyway.

So, when I purchase a horse for myself there are several steps I always go through; but bear in mind this is NOT a purchase for you or me, this is a purchase for someone else. If I buy a horse that doesn’t work out, oh well, chalk it up to whatever mistake I made, take it on the chin and move on. I’m the only one (hopefully) hurt by this bad buy. But, when you advise on a purchase for a “client” there is no room for any mistakes….ZERO mistakes.

Obviously, the level of riding skill and horsemanship of your client must be considered, as well as what the horse’s primary job will be. I may feel I owe loyalty to the seller (commission) as well as the “client”, but more importantly I feel I owe the most amount of loyalty to the horse. If the horse is unsuitable or unsafe for the “client”, where is the fairness for the horse? He or she has no say in the matter; they go where we tell them to go, regardless of the situation we will be putting them into. The horse will be put into a position where they may not reach their full potential; they will be cheated. In this

If the horse is unsuitable or unsafe for the “client”, where is the fairness for the horse? He or she has no say in the matter; they go where we tell them to go.

moment, I am responsible for that horse’s future. That is something I do not take lightly.

My first encounter with the horse is a planned visit to the barn where he is located. I give the facility a good going-over. I look at the general condition of his living quarters, his stall, his paddocks, his buckets, and his halter. These observations are invaluable in deciding the suitability of this horse. I look at his general body score. Is he underweight, overweight, poorly groomed, mangy mane or tail, rain rot, etc.? I look at his head and his eye. Does he have a soft eye, or is he looking at you with a good deal of anxiety? I then look at his general conformation. I run my hands all over the horse, noting any sore spots, checking for heat, inflammation, and especially paying close attention to how the horse is accepting my presence. I would note if there are any areas of obvious prior injury, for example bowed tendon, apple ankles, capped hocks, remodeling of the knees, etc. I then flex and palpate fetlocks, tendons, ligaments, knees, hocks, back, neck, and stifles checking on the horse’s reactions. I then ask the seller to walk and trot the horse by hand to see how he tracks. Does he wing, does he paddle, does he overreach, does he clip his heels, does he hold his head high, low, is he overanxious, is he lazy (too lazy may indicate the presence of a tranquilizer), and is he sound? There are so many things I’m looking for at this point, it’s hard to list them all.

I then ask the seller if he\she would ride the horse for me. I watch how the horse is tacked up, if he stands quietly in cross ties and what kind of equipment he is wearing. I especially note how the horse reacts when the saddle is placed on his back and his reaction to being cinched up. I then watch how the seller mounts the horse. Does he stand still for mounting, can the rider mount from the ground, does he stand quietly at the mounting block, does he remain still after mounting or does he walk off?

I watch the horse very closely as the seller rides him around. I am watching the rider as well as the horse. At this point if am apt to give a thumbs up on the horse, I thank the seller and tell them we’ll get back to them.

For my second visit to see the horse, I try not to give seller too much advance notice. I’ll give him/her a call and say, “Hi, my “client” and I were in the area, and we were wondering if it is ok to drop by and take a second look at your horse?” If they say yes, we go over and see the horse again. This time, I will tack up the horse and I will ride him for a few minutes before handing it over to my “client”. This second visit is the key; everything has to fall into place perfectly for me to recommend the horse. I know this might sound like a little too much, but let’s face it, there are plenty of horses for sale, and the process of finding the right one is tedious, but very important. I’m not a big fan of taking horses on a trial basis for a variety of reasons, and I would never sell a horse on a trial basis, but that’s just a personal thing with me. The old adage “you break it, you bought it” applies here, so extra caution in the beginning pays off in the long run. Have I missed out on some good horses because of this? I’m sure I have. But let us never try to fit a square peg into a round hole.

At this point, it is my personal decision to disclose to all parties what my involvement is. Am I being paid by either party? Or am I just doing this as a favor to both seller and buyer? I know this might seem a bit over the edge, but my integrity is EXTREMELY important to me, as it should be to you. The equestrian world is full of “traders”, car salesmen, and other unscrupulous sorts. Remember, you take your reputation with you wherever you go; carry it with pride. At the end of the day, the greatest compliment anyone can say about you is, “Yeah, he’s tough and can sometimes be a big pain, but I trust him completely”.

About the author: Gary Cortolillo has worked with many breeds of horses in various capacities for nearly 50 years. Starting with riding cow horses on a dairy farm in Upstate New York, he has held numerous positions in the equine field, such as barn-hand, hotwalker, groom, yearling rider, exercise rider and race horse jockey. He has worked at all the major thoroughbred racetracks on the East Coast, in the Midwest, and in Canada, and has been licensed as a thoroughbred trainer in several states. He has worked closely with world-renowned and Hall of Fame trainers, jockeys, veterinarians, and farriers, as well as notable owners in the equine industry. He is currently the Facility Manager for the Davie, Florida Police Department Mounted Unit.