horse hay

A lot more horse hay bums out there this year, two hot checks this week from people who have paid in the past. Have had several calls wanting hay on credit, I get asked every year but more this year. Never could understand someone wanting to own animals they could not afford to feed. Guess it no surprise since half the country has kids they don't claim or care for.

ya unfortunately i have had the same run in with people i find a good way to detect dishonest buyers is have what amount they want already counted out but act like your not sure whats there let them keep count while loading and see if you come up with same number most folks are honest some try to skim a few bales i usually dont say anything over it just dont deal with them anymore good way to weed good buyers from shady ones i dont think i would accept checks if i was you although i have too just try not to make a habit of it. its funny those same buyers that rip you off seem to be the ones that complain about prices or quality some are soooo picky others are easy to deal with anyways good luck with your dilemma hope you dont get stiffed anymore way too much work involved for that crap

Most people I deal with pay me but there are always a few who seem to want a handout. I am now firm, CASH ONLY unless approved in advance.
I would suggest that you do the same unless you want more problems with dead beats.

I have had calls from so called, horse rescue people, asking me to donate hay for those rescued horses and I politely refuse. To me hay is the same as money and if I am going to give away my money it will be to help a cause that I believe in.

I feel that, before you start to rescue animals you should have the resources to care for them properly. Those who do not are placing the animals at risk, just at a different place. If you do not have money to buy food what are you going to do when the animal needs medical care?

I had my first bounced hay check this year.Thing is,the lady is a mortgage banker!

A lot of these do-gooder "rescue" people really frost me. I have been around long enough that I know that plenty of people that have big problems supporting all their horses were the same type of do-gooders not all that many years ago. People love their horses, then they love every horse. They take horses in that aren't being properly cared for, then their financial situation changes and they have problems finding the money for feed. Suddenly the ASPCA is banging on the door because some new do-gooder "rescue" person drove by and saw that the level of care wasn't as good as her own and reported the first do-gooder. And the cycle goes on.

When I was buying horse hay, I bought what I said I would buy (sometimes more), was there when I said I would be there and paid cash. Had to change suppliers a couple of times, but once they learned the above, I got moved to the top of the call list when they cut hay. Not bragging on myself, that's the way James and I do business.

Never stiffed anyone, ever, for anything.

That doesn't mean I haven't been in a bind. Got in a bind and didn't have the money to pay my farrier. Called him to cancel because I didn't have the money. He came anyway. He'd been trimming my horses for several years and knew I'd pay him, which I did.

Got to return the favor. He called to cancel because he had the flu. He was down for 3 weeks. I sent him a check in advance because I knew if he was sick, he wasn't binging any money in. Again, not bragging on myself, just the way I am.

There are a lot of shady sellers out there also. Several years ago a guy advertised "excellent horse hay" for sale. It was a reasonable price. So I travelled the 25 miles to check it out. Turns out it was 100% broom straw. A starving cow would not eat it, let alone a horse. When I pointed that out to him, he seemed offended. I really do not think he knew the difference between good hay and bad.

I try not to sell to horse people I don't know anymore.
The thing I always liked was how I had to sell the stack 3 or 4 times before it actually left.
"Yes I'll take ____# of bales and I'll be there to pick it up by ___" Then they'd never show and I'd have told a few other potential buyers that I was sold out and didn't have hay for them.

I like dealing with people like you .i used to sell a lot of hay and it always made my day when people like you called thanks .
Reading the stories about horse people brings to mind the saying a few bad apples spoil the barrel i had one insist i sell her a bale that had obvious wet spot i wanted to take it home and feed it to my cattle right away so i just gave it to her free just feed it right away . well she didnt then she complained about the spoiled hay.

One of my nephews is engaged to a girl who feels compelled to rescue horses. Last summer she calls me, as if I want in on a rescue animal. Tells me they will be keeping it in a stable where her and my nephew board 2 other horses just outside the Twin Cities. Says "you can come and ride it anytime you want". I kinda got her mad. I told her I have a barn, a pasture and raise my own hay, why on earth would I contribute money for a horse that I would have to drive 2 hours one way to ride when if I really want a horse I can buy one and keep it right here, no driving to ride. I really expected her to ask about maybe keeping the horse here so when they are visiting family here they can ride. Not a peep. I'd have been OK with that if they paid for the hay. Wasn't going to charge em board as such. Already have critters to care for. One more wouldn't really be a problem. Just pay for the hay. Horse people can be so odd.

Rick

I've only ever had one bad cheque for hay and much the same situation.... was someone who always paid fine before. For the most part I don't take cheques from individuals... and I certainly don't advance credit. The ones I deal with now are all pretty good. For that, I consider myself fortunate.

Rod

I got a rubber check last fall, first one in about 8 years and it was from our best customer. Took her about two months to make it good, so now she will need hay around the end of the month, what should we do, I'm thinking putting her on a cash in hand before we deliver. I don't want to make her feel bad, she has been buying from us for over 10 years and has been great.

Mike in Mn,
If it took her two months to make it right, cash in hand would be very appropriate. I had a bank issue once in which a half dozen checks got returned unpaid. The checks had been written over the weekend but the bank had "missed" my deposit. I made good to everyone in cash by the following Wednesday and the only reason it took so long was I didn't know about the mishap until Tuesday. Mistakes happen, but there is no excuse for not making it right immediately!

One year read an ad that said "fertilized, weed free horse hay". I intended to buy 100 bales. Got there and started loading. Started getting stickers, spear grass etc in our clothes. Figured out real quick this was not good quality hay.

I bought just enough to get me through until I could find hay elsewhere.

Found cow patties, sticks, milk weed, grass burs, spear grass, you name it, it was in that hay.

Considering her history in that she has always paid and been buying from you for 10 years, I"d give her another chance. Ask her up front when she will be able to pay.

I wouldn't be too harsh as long as she makes it good.... One of those things where you need to use your own judgement as to the situation. I've had it happen, more than once. It was made right promptly... and life goes on. I didn't request cash. On the other hand... there are situations where I demand cash up front and am doubtful if I'd take a certified cheque...

Rod

Buy an App for credit cards and a reader for a smart phone. Your bank can make it happen. You get paid instantly they deal with the debt. I hate being anyone's banker! Jim

I sold horse hay for over 25 years. It helped pay the bills during the 1980s. The wife and kids would have the hay ready to bale and I would take off work at 1-2 PM and load the wagons as the wife drove the tractor. Usually put up 15-20K each years. Some years I had almost 40K in the barns.

I started out CASH only and stayed that way. I have turned down higher offers that where checks.

I never hold hay anymore, that is not paid for either. I got burned a time or two on that. Guys would keep saying they wanted the hay. So I would hold it. Then we would have a warmer winter or such and they would not need the hay then. So there I set with hay in the spring.

There are some people that fool with horses that are financially sound but there are 5 to 1 that can barely pay for their hobby. So if anything happens they are out of luck and money.

As far as the horse Rescue people. They are mostly IDIOTS!!! About 10 years ago or so I had a bunch of large round bales of hay that I was going to have left. This was good timothy/alfalfa hay. It was mesh wrapped and stored on sandy ground. Almost zero waste. Horse rescue people called and asked for a donation. I told them to bring something out and I would give them some hay. They came out and wanted the hay I had stored inside. They told me their "Rescued" horses would not eat my junk outside hay. I ran them off and told them I would burn it before they got a bale.

Don't feel bad, the only time I ever had to repo anything was a parcel of real estate that I was holding the note on, and I'd sold it to a mortgage broker. The kicker was, he seemed offended that I was going to foreclose rather than give him all his money and interest back.

On the rescue people- we have a problem in this nation with dogs, cats and horses. Indiscriminate breeding results in "mutt" animals with no redeeming qualities and the sheer lack of people that can adequately train a dog, much less a horse, results in nasty "pasture ornaments" that are near untouchable, much less trimmable! The best answer for all the dogs, cats and horse (goats, llamas and other assorted "fad" animals too) is the kill pen. But people just can't seem to grasp the reality of the situation. There are reportedly more horses in the US now than there have ever been. I'd wager 75% of them do nothing but eat. Kind hearted people take them in with no hope of being able to care for them. Or worse, some starry eyed fool takes them in with visions of "National Velvet" or "Hidalgo" running through their heads, even though they no NOTHING about horses. They expect a horse to be a big dog. They aren't. The horse ends up getting the dirty end of that stick.

I adore my horses, absolutely love them. I can feed them, work them, care for them. But a large portion of the people with horses out there, especially rescues, are in over their head completely. And the worst part is they almost always claim to be "experts" that are doing a fantastic job that no one else could do. Ego just adds to injury!