Complaint Review: Nicole McFarland

Do NOT buy a horse from Nicole Mcfarland.  I bought a horse "Buddy" from her in September, 2011.  She claimed he was bomb proof, had NEVER been unsound,  My contract with her specifically says "The horse is healthy and sound, There are no lameness or health issues at the time of sale". Nicole said she trained him herself and he would be "perfect for a child".  She said he was an accomplished jumper.  

I brought my daughter and her trainer to test ride. The horse appeared to be perfectly fine.  I had him vet checked, he passed.    Two days after we bought him, he went lame.  After  xrays and vet evaluations, we were told by our vet that if this horse passed a lameness exam, he must have been drugged.  Nicole Mcfarland is the lowest level horse trader.

He has severe arthritis and joint effusion in his hocks.  He has stifle  issues, he is not suitable for a child. The vet said he would need hock injections and joint suppliments and MAYBE, if it was successful,  he could be ridden. 

Then I discovered that Nicole KNEW he was lame.  Less than a week before I bought him, another person had him vetted.  He failed the lameness exam.  The vet told those buyers not to purchase him, his lameness problems are severe.  They did not.  She then told me he had NEVER been lame. She said she had owned him for a year and a half.  She said she had to sell him because she couldnt afford his board... she said "I just want my baby to go to a good home".

Then I found out that Nicole had purchased the horse from an auction in Thurmont, just 9 days before I bought him.  9 DAYS!  She didnt train this horse... she didn't know if he was suitable for a child, but she certainly knew he was severely lame. Yet she sold this horse to me knowing he was for an 11 year old girl.  She put my child at risk!  She lied about EVERYTHING.  She seems to be a very nice person.... but DO NOT TRUST HER.  If you need more information, respond to this rebuttal.

I totally agree! Do NOT buy a horse from Nicole Mcfarland.  I bought a horse "Buddy" from her in September, 2011.  She claimed he was bomb proof, had NEVER been unsound,  My contract with her specifically says "The horse is healthy and sound, There are no lameness or health issues at the time of sale". Nicole said she trained him herself and he would be "perfect for a child".  She said he was an accomplished jumper.  

I brought my daughter and her trainer to test ride. The horse appeared to be perfectly fine.  I had him vet checked, he passed.    Two days after we bought him, he went lame.  After  xrays and vet evaluations, we were told by our vet that if this horse passed a lameness exam, he must have been drugged.  Nicole Mcfarland is the lowest level horse trader.

He has severe arthritis and joint effusion in his hocks.  He has stifle  issues, he is not suitable for a child. The vet said he would need hock injections and joint suppliments and MAYBE, if it was successful,  he could be ridden. 

Then I discovered that Nicole KNEW he was lame.  Less than a week before I bought him, another person had him vetted.  He failed the lameness exam.  The vet told those buyers not to purchase him, his lameness problems are severe.  They did not.  She then told me he had NEVER been lame. She said she had owned him for a year and a half.  She said she had to sell him because she couldnt afford his board... she said "I just want my baby to go to a good home".

Then I found out that Nicole had purchased the horse from an auction in Thurmont, just 9 days before I bought him.  9 DAYS!  She didnt train this horse... she didn't know if he was suitable for a child, but she certainly knew he was severely lame. Yet she sold this horse to me knowing he was for an 11 year old girl.  She put my child at risk!  She lied about EVERYTHING.  She seems to be a very nice person.... but DO NOT TRUST HER.  If you need more information, respond to this rebuttal.

I totally agree! Do NOT buy a horse from Nicole Mcfarland.  I bought a horse "Buddy" from her in September, 2011.  She claimed he was bomb proof, had NEVER been unsound,  My contract with her specifically says "The horse is healthy and sound, There are no lameness or health issues at the time of sale". Nicole said she trained him herself and he would be "perfect for a child".  She said he was an accomplished jumper.  

I brought my daughter and her trainer to test ride. The horse appeared to be perfectly fine.  I had him vet checked, he passed.    Two days after we bought him, he went lame.  After  xrays and vet evaluations, we were told by our vet that if this horse passed a lameness exam, he must have been drugged.  Nicole Mcfarland is the lowest level horse trader.

He has severe arthritis and joint effusion in his hocks.  He has stifle  issues, he is not suitable for a child. The vet said he would need hock injections and joint suppliments and MAYBE, if it was successful,  he could be ridden. 

Then I discovered that Nicole KNEW he was lame.  Less than a week before I bought him, another person had him vetted.  He failed the lameness exam.  The vet told those buyers not to purchase him, his lameness problems are severe.  They did not.  She then told me he had NEVER been lame. She said she had owned him for a year and a half.  She said she had to sell him because she couldnt afford his board... she said "I just want my baby to go to a good home".

Then I found out that Nicole had purchased the horse from an auction in Thurmont, just 9 days before I bought him.  9 DAYS!  She didnt train this horse... she didn't know if he was suitable for a child, but she certainly knew he was severely lame. Yet she sold this horse to me knowing he was for an 11 year old girl.  She put my child at risk!  She lied about EVERYTHING.  She seems to be a very nice person.... but DO NOT TRUST HER.  If you need more information, respond to this rebuttal.

I know this Women and i cant say anything bad about her.  She takes very good care of the horses and they are all healthy and sound.

No matter what the horses history is, she will represent the horse to the best of her knowledge!  You buy the horse and not the horses history!  I know she placed many horses in wonderful homes and has good reputation, just because 1 out of 100 people are having trouble with the horse it is not the Sellers fault.

If you know what you are looking for then you know what you are getting into when purchasing a horse. Dont blame the Seller.....

This report should not be on here about that women, she is a very nice person, honest and wont sell a bad horse to anybody. If the horse will misbehave...maybe its the new owners fault and not the Sellers.  Nicole is not a bad horse selling person at all! Ask her, she can give you many references!

All of her horses have a current coggins test, the horses all come with the right papers. I have known her for a very long time and i know she has not put a child on any of the horses and the child was screaming.....too many haters out there who need to write bad stuff about a good person. It seems to me its jealousy, nothing else. Even if she buys the horses cheap and resells them? Is that really a big deal?

People, dont let this add scary you away, you can trust me that this Women is as honest as she can be and like i said just because it happened once does not mean that she is bad seller!

Ask for references if you are concerned. stop hating on a good person

I purchased a gem of a big Thoroughbred from Nicole several months ago and he is everything she said he was and more. I couldn't be more pleased.  Regardless of his true history or what I may have been told, I made my own decision based on my knowledge and experience.

If I were buying a mount for my child, or if I were a novice rider,  I would certainly bring an experienced horse person, trainer or instructor with me to evaluate its suitability for the child's or my experience level and personality. This would include having the horse ridden indoors and out before putting the child up or getting on myself. I would  make multiple visits before committing to buy. A person who knows diddley about horses who thinks $1200 is going to get their little precious (who knows even less about horses) a 100% bomb-proof all-the-time-dead-quiet-safe horse is delusional. It's the equivalent of plopping your kid on a Harley and expect them to figure it out themselves. Riding is a hazardous sport.  Get your kid a good ASTM riding helmet and a few years worth of lessons from an experienced teacher. Don't go prowling the internet for a "cheap" horse to stick in the backyard if you are this clueless. Educate yourself. Don't blame the horse dealer for your shortcomings.