Strain Family Horse Farm..what's the deal?

[Meredith Clark]

I'm starting to horse shop :eek: which I hate... I'd much rather horses just drop out of the sky from the eventing stork. ANYWAY.. while looking at The Horse of DE Valley I saw an ad for this horse "dealership". When I see "buy or trade" with a horse I usually run in the other direction, i'm just curious because I've heard people talk about them but i've never seen any ads around my area like this!

http://strainfamilyhorsefarm.com/

[shawneeAcres]

PM sent

[blaster]

http://chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=204198&highlight=strain+family

[Meredith Clark]

http://chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=204198&highlight=strain+family

It's more fun if you do it this way:

http://tinyurl.com/mlgaup

then it makes me feel even more stupid! :lol:

[MistyBlue]

Around here Strains is used often for trading in, trading up and purchasing low to mid level show and event horses or lesson strings.
I wouldn't go there looking for a top level horse, but for a sane family mount to a mid level show horses it's a good place to start shopping.
Bill Strain has been around forevah...and two days.
He's honest, and they'll tell you up front what they know about each horse. Some they know a lot, others they haven't had long enough to know well. There's a 2 week swap period...if for any reason you don't want the horse you got (difference in personalities, health or lameness issues, etc) you can bring it back and take something else. If the price range is the same, it's an even swap. If it's lower it'll probably still be an even swap and if the price is higher then you pay the difference.
For shopping purposes...lots of horses in one spot. (in several spots actually, they have more than one farm) Tell them what you want and need, let them show you the horses that fit that.
The prices are average, have the horse vetted of course.
Do bring a second set of experienced eyes with you, everyone I know who's had a bad experience with them bought an unsuitable horse. Bring along a friend to talk you down from the awesome looking but totally inappropriate ones. ;)
I know offhand about 50 people with Strain horses...all happy customers. Maybe not happy with the first choice since some had to trade a time or two to get what they wanted, but usually happy overall by the end of their swapping.
And keep in mind, it's a dealer's barn. Not a breeding farm or show barn that does some sales. This is high volume selling. Also keep in mind you will need to quarantine anything coming out of there. That many horses and high turn around/traffic means strangles and other catchy stuff is the norm for big dealer barns.
Also try a search on this BB for Strain's...there's been plenty of threads on it by a few different folks. Lots of personal experience to judge from.
I've personally never had an issue with them nor have met many people who've had issues with them. The few issues were from folks who didn't realize a dealer barn horse may bring strangles home or when you have that many horses for sale the seller might nont know a whole lot about each and every one. It's still buyer beware, but for a savvy buyer it's a decent place to horse shop.

[blaster]

It's more fun if you do it this way:

http://tinyurl.com/mlgaup

then it makes me feel even more stupid! :lol:

Nope, usually you have it right..just not on your game today. If I really thought you needed it, I would have referred you to the entire tutorial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6BTcEwtmZo

All the best-

[Meredith Clark]

Nope, usually you have it right..just not on your game today. If I really thought you needed it, I would have referred you to the entire tutorial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6BTcEwtmZo

All the best-

HA! I love it!

[goldponies]

RUN the other way!

[Jleegriffith]

When I taught lessons at a county facility we bought many of our horses from Strain. We made the trip up to CT I think and rode what we could. Sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn't. If they didn't work out we could trade them in as mistyblue said. My experience with them is exactly what mistyblue wrote. They are a dealer and the horses come from everywhere so you just don't know what you are getting. I find some of their prices to be high for a dealer.

Some of the horses we bought are still in the lesson program many years later. I will say when we made a shopping trip I saw a lovely old/tb that was 5yr and 16.2 h. Gorgeous..really gorgeous. He was a lovely mover but it was the middle of winter and that was all I could see. My mom was shopping and I told her to go see him. He vetted cleanly and she did really well in dressage with him. We found his hole when we thought we would jump him;) Weee he had a buck that just didn't quit! I am sure that is why he ended up there. He was branded but we were never able to find out his breeding or where he came from.

There is also a lady in NJ who we have dealt with named Lisa Perozzi who operates a similar type of sales program. We have always had great luck with her and I find her honest (maybe because she knows we know better??) and we bought several horses from her that were really cool and some of my mom's students have bought some from her and returned them for another if the first one was not very good. She is near Cowtown..I want to say Monroville, NJ?

[snicktrip]

I personally do alot of buisness witht the Strain family. I find them to be very upfront and honest with you. They have nice quality horses. I board at Bill Strain's sons place and most people there have his ex-school horses or horses from his sale barn. The only thing is I recommend, is that you bring an expierenced person with you and a checkbook. They sell within a week tops and you have to make a descison fast. Other then that, it truly is an awesome place.

Also if any of you has any info on this horse, please let me know!!


This horse was a school horse at my barn. He was my love, my everything. He is a tatooed TB gelding. Smaller, probably 15 hh. Bay with a wide blaze. He went through the Strain Family Sale Barn in Granby, CT. If any of you have any info on him, please let me know.His regestered name is STYLE SHOW and his tatoo number is C43356. Any info you may have is greatly appreciated. I miss him sooo much. I just want to know that he is in a loving home.

http://i599.photobucket.com/albums/tt80/snicktrip/william.jpg

[Guin]

A barn I used to ride at got a few nice schoolies from Strain. They were a little ribby and "off" at first, from all the stress, but then they really shaped up into nice horses.

There is also Crowley's in Massachusetts - similar to Strain.

[herefordlady]

Around here Strains is used often for trading in, trading up and purchasing low to mid level show and event horses or lesson strings.
I wouldn't go there looking for a top level horse, but for a sane family mount to a mid level show horses it's a good place to start shopping.
Bill Strain has been around forevah...and two days.
He's honest, and they'll tell you up front what they know about each horse. Some they know a lot, others they haven't had long enough to know well. There's a 2 week swap period...if for any reason you don't want the horse you got (difference in personalities, health or lameness issues, etc) you can bring it back and take something else. If the price range is the same, it's an even swap. If it's lower it'll probably still be an even swap and if the price is higher then you pay the difference.
For shopping purposes...lots of horses in one spot. (in several spots actually, they have more than one farm) Tell them what you want and need, let them show you the horses that fit that.
The prices are average, have the horse vetted of course.
Do bring a second set of experienced eyes with you, everyone I know who's had a bad experience with them bought an unsuitable horse. Bring along a friend to talk you down from the awesome looking but totally inappropriate ones. ;)
I know offhand about 50 people with Strain horses...all happy customers. Maybe not happy with the first choice since some had to trade a time or two to get what they wanted, but usually happy overall by the end of their swapping.
And keep in mind, it's a dealer's barn. Not a breeding farm or show barn that does some sales. This is high volume selling. Also keep in mind you will need to quarantine anything coming out of there. That many horses and high turn around/traffic means strangles and other catchy stuff is the norm for big dealer barns.
Also try a search on this BB for Strain's...there's been plenty of threads on it by a few different folks. Lots of personal experience to judge from.
I've personally never had an issue with them nor have met many people who've had issues with them. The few issues were from folks who didn't realize a dealer barn horse may bring strangles home or when you have that many horses for sale the seller might nont know a whole lot about each and every one. It's still buyer beware, but for a savvy buyer it's a decent place to horse shop.

I bought a horse from Strains recently and though she wasn't one they recommended for me I still went ahead and got her, she just wasn't suitable for what I wanted to do but they had her back no questions asked and I now have a great little mare from them. Don't forget horses are not robots and sometimes you have to put up with some minor problems to get the bigger picture, they don't always necessarily fit into a new style of life straightaway.

[SunkenMeadow]

Just remember they usually send the trade-ins to auction. Its a dealer. So if you are trading in your child's pony Fluffy in hopes of them finding a decent home for him while you get a horse, Fluffy has a week or two to sell or off to the sale he goes. Its a business.

[MHM]

Bring a thermometer with you.

Take the temperature of any horse that interests you.

Remember that any horse that is not healthy may have a very different personality when it starts to feel better. After you get it home, worm it, feed it, etc.... It may be a different horse.

Absolutely quarantine anything that comes from there, and think about washing/changing clothes before you go near your own horses when you get home.

Unless you live nearby, don't forget to factor in the time and expense of possible return trips to exchange horses when they don't work out on the first attempt.

[Ghazzu]

Absolutely quarantine anything from there (or any other place where large numbers of horses come and go frequently).

Don't necessarily believe the backstory.
Years ago, a friend's Clyde/Arab was sold to Strains w/papers--sold on by them as an "Anglo-Trakhener".

Easy enough to tell that was BS--he was freezemarked.

[lolalola]

Strain brings horses to the Camelot Auction in NJ fairly regularly.

[Roxyllsk]

I had a friend that brought a horse up there to trade - she ended up trying 4 different horses, each one of them had an issue. The horse she ended up taking was an aged QH mare that was broke to death, but she was very aged. Between what the original trade was valued at (which they didn't even come close to giving her as a trade) , plus the gas money to bring back the horses that were lame or had major issues (one bucked like a nut when you tried to canter him), plus the additional money they wanted for this horse, she ended up paying $8000 for this unpapered older QH mare with questionable soundness. Friend absolutely loves the mare, but my suggestion is to not even start with anything there.

And I know of other people who had simliar issues - they had a horse to trade, and got sucked in that way. They would have been better off giving the trade in horse away, then looking for something elsewhere.

[Equisis]

I got a horse from Strain's. I went down there to look at horses to get a little perspective (had one I was very close to purchasing but hadn't seen much) and I ended up finding my heart horse there. Bill was good to do business with and I know some other people who have gotten great horses from there. With that said, keep in mind he is a dealer and most of the horses are there for a reason- many will need some initial maintenance or attitude adjustment, and be prepared to vet THOROUGHLY before purchasing.

[Cowgirl49]

I read this thread before deciding to visit the Strain Family Horse farm to search for a horse to buy. We found a really nice mare on their website, called and spoke to the folks at the farm who assured us that she was available and the price. We had 3 different phone calls with them confirming details about the mare, appointment times, etc.

When we arrived, they showed us two mares who were the same color, but that was about it. The girls at the farm said "oh, the horses on the website are at least months old. You need to look at Facebook for the current horses."

Long story short - it was bait and switch and a wasted trip for us. When we asked the price of one horse they pulled out, Mr. Strain Sr. said he would check after we rode it. We took this as a classic trick of used car salesman to make us like the horse before giving a price.

As others have said - "Buyer Beware." We won't be wasting another $60 worth of fuel for a return trip.

[touchstone-]

I had a great experience there buying a very inexpensive pony a few years ago. I have other friends who have shopped there and some who have done the return and trade-in thing too. I think most of these posts are spot-on. It's a dealer. But not a particularly egregious one. Proceed accordingly.

There is probably a reason why the horses that are there are there. But that doesn't mean you'll get screwed or that there's nothing worth buying.

[moonriverfarm]

You would fare much better going to the track and picking out an OTTB. Many free sound and athletic horses need rehoming and you don't have to deal with a horse trader...those guys make me :rolleyes:

[OveroHunter]

I am always wary of horse traders because we work very closely with one and about half of what we get from him ever works out. Of course, since we have been working with him for 15+ years, he always takes a horse that "he didn't know was -insert issue here-." However, especially with the recent economy, we have gotten some real gems from him as well. I would say to never work with a trader unless you have a great relationship with them - not just casually buying a horse.

You also have to think about your definition of a horse "dealership." If you are just talking about places with a large variety of horses, you are generalizing too much. For instance, we have around 230 (OMG I know right) horses on our farm. About 50ish of these horses are for sale. The BIG DIFFERENCE between us and Strain (don't know them, just saw the website) is that our main business isn't buying and selling - its the dude ranch. In fact, the joke around the farm is that the B&B part supports the horses and not the other way around. The owner of our farm is a very passionate woman that buys, sells, and trains horses and welcomes guests to her farm to share her passion.

It's the same thing with large training farms. Their bread and butter is the training, which produces sale horses. People can get desperate if their only income is buying horses low and selling them high!

At the end of the day, you have to go there, figure out their angle, and look for quality. We own 230 fat, healthy, spoiled horses including one World Champion APHA stallion, Mister Magnificent. Not every large farm is ran this way unfortunately :(

AND ALWAYS GET A PPE!!

ETA: There are even some COTHers with Southern Cross Ranch horses! :)

[MissCapitalSplash]

Don't do it. I paid a large chunk of change for a horse that I had vetted to the nines by a vet in that area.

Got horse home, he cribbed worse than any horse I had ever met. I had asked at least 3-4 times if he cribbed and was told no. I never saw him in the stall so I had no way of knowing that.

And...he had had a neurectomy that I was not informed of. I found this out when I registered him and a previous owner contacted me and told me not to do much with him because he had had the procedure. Owner said he informed them of such when he was sold and it turns out he sold him to them for about 8 times less than I paid for him because of this.

But, I was out of my 2 week period and shit outta luck. The horse ended up with neuromas and a lot of issues less than 6 months later and is no longer with us.

[spotnnotfarm]

I am always wary of horse traders because we work very closely with one and about half of what we get from him ever works out. Of course, since we have been working with him for 15+ years, he always takes a horse that "he didn't know was -insert issue here-." However, especially with the recent economy, we have gotten some real gems from him as well. I would say to never work with a trader unless you have a great relationship with them - not just casually buying a horse.

You also have to think about your definition of a horse "dealership." If you are just talking about places with a large variety of horses, you are generalizing too much. For instance, we have around 230 (OMG I know right) horses on our farm. About 50ish of these horses are for sale. The BIG DIFFERENCE between us and Strain (don't know them, just saw the website) is that our main business isn't buying and selling - its the dude ranch. In fact, the joke around the farm is that the B&B part supports the horses and not the other way around. The owner of our farm is a very passionate woman that buys, sells, and trains horses and welcomes guests to her farm to share her passion.

It's the same thing with large training farms. Their bread and butter is the training, which produces sale horses. People can get desperate if their only income is buying horses low and selling them high!

At the end of the day, you have to go there, figure out their angle, and look for quality. We own 230 fat, healthy, spoiled horses including one World Champion APHA stallion, Mister Magnificent. Not every large farm is ran this way unfortunately :(

AND ALWAYS GET A PPE!!

ETA: There are even some COTHers with Southern Cross Ranch horses! :)


My husband and I looked at a horse for sale at your place several years ago. While it was not a match for him, the quality of horses ya'll have is very good and I would not hesitate to look at your horses again! In fact, you have a cute appy on your website I love but I do not have any room :(

[Sobriska]

I dont live up there anymore, but did make a 2 hour drive,with a student, years ago.

We were not looking for anything fancy. Just a sane, sound, horse that would do OK at little local hunter shows.
A lot of horses in one place was appealing.
None of the horses we had asked to try were in.
Took forever to catch the 2 I agreed to let the kid try.
The others were OMG! NO WAY! Skin to bone and dead lame.
One of the ones I let kid get on would not move.
Other ran off.
Kid left in tears because we refused to let her take the one with knee size of grapefruit, that some charming adult said the were going to shoot because no one wanted him.

Things might not be the same now, but my advice would still be stay away!

There are SO many free and cheap horses now. Wonderful sane, sound, trained horses available because caring owners can't afford them any more.
I simply can not fathom bothering with a dealer whose only concern is making money.

For an example, I got a freebie GP schoolie last May.
A fantastic sound, sane horse, with no baggage. 20 yrs old, but a nice easy ride. Totally correct training, and an absolute pleasure to have.
Owner had an up and coming younger horse and just not enough time for both.
She wanted the older guy to have a nice home for the remainder of his years.
She could have sold this horse for a lot of money, but chose to insure him a nice life.
This is one of the most amazing horses I have ever had.
Free. And I will treasure him always.

I would suggest those looking, try and stay local.
Talk to others near you. Put the word out about what you are seeking.
Chances are you might find a wonderful gift close to home.

[OveroHunter]

My husband and I looked at a horse for sale at your place several years ago. While it was not a match for him, the quality of horses ya'll have is very good and I would not hesitate to look at your horses again! In fact, you have a cute appy on your website I love but I do not have any room :(

Out of pure curiosity, who did you look at?

[Belg]

Why was my first impression of their website the "HorseMax" CarMax commercial? *chuckle*