Complaint Review: J. Walker Ranch - Temecula California

Matter resolved with Christine to her satisfaction. The horse was a wonderful horse when he was here at J Walker Ranch and when Christine purchased him. However, sometimes, for whatever reason, things just don't click and the combination of a new environment and new owners/handlers who have never owned a horse or handled a horse, can have negative affects. Being that Key was a perfect gentleman while in our care and who did not show any stumbling or behavioral issues while we had him, we felt comfortable representing him as a good beginner family horse. There was absolutely no misleading on our part based on how we knew the horse to be here at our ranch. I truly wanted Christine to thrilled with Key and have a long happy relationship with him. Because she lived so far, we gave her up to ONE YEAR to exchange him if need be. We truly want all of our customers to be happy with their horses and if not, they can exchange the horse for another one. We feel that is a good policy for both the customer AND the horse. There was a comment from another person regarding this complaint on the fact that we sold Key when he came back from Christine's. Of course we sold him, he is a fabulous horse who is gentle and kind and who again behaved like a gentleman when he was returned to our ranch. He is an awesome trail horse and before we put him back up for sale, we had a vet check him out from head to toe, did a little refresher course on his ground manners (which were a little rusty because he had been allowed to take the lead while at Christines), and re-evaluated his riding ability paying special attention to any tripping or stumbling. He vetted clean and sound, he was back to being very easy to handle on the ground and after being re-shod (the farrier Christine used had his angles way off and unbalanced) he never took one mis step, no tripping, no stumbling. What would the person who made the comments about Key's resale have us do? Put down a perfectly wonderful horse? I don't think so. I know that Key's new family is certainly glad that we didn't do anything stupid with him because they absolutely adore him! His new family has had only wonderful experiences with him so far. This is the horse I know, just a big, gentle boy that likes to walk easily along the trail. It was truly a shame that he didn't work out for Christine as I only knew Key to be an easy going horse that I thought her family would enjoy. Key's new family hasn't had any of the issues that Christine had with him and the issues were fully disclosed to his new family. I had them read this complaint and all of the correspondence between Christine and I. They also have the opportunity to exchange him if he didn't work out, but his new mommy said she may exchange one of her kids, but NEVER her awesome horse, Key Way.

Thank you, Christine, for working with us to resolve the matter with Key Way. Joel, from Lakeside, must not have noticed that we resolved everything to your satisfaction, based on his comments. With regards to Joel, he purchased a horse from us because his girlfriend used to work here and when she broke up with him, he tried to win her back by purchasing the horse that he knew she really liked. We never knew about his plan or scheme until after it failed and he wanted us to give him his money back. He loved the horse when he bought it, sent us a very nice testimonial about our professionalism, desire to help people, our wonderful horses and incredible ranch. The horse was perfectly healthy, sound, beautiful and smooth. When he suddenly informed us he didn't want the horse anymore, we told him we would be happy to exchange the horse for another one, however, he only wanted his money back. He went from 'friend' to 'foe' in a split second and began threatening me, my family and my ranch. Our contract clearly states 'exchange only, no refunds'. He couldn't even give us a reason for wanting to return the horse. We found out the reason after the fact, which had absolutely nothing to do with us, our horses or our ranch. We refunded all of Joel's money and he still continues to harrass and post negative things about our ranch on the internet. We were the one's who were wronged by Joel, not the other way around.

I am very surprised to hear of this report. I have purchased, at two different times, two different horses from J. Walker ranch. I have felt absolutely the opposite from the claims made. Both horses were purchases with a 30 day money back guarantee, and the offer of exchange within a year is OUTSTANDING for ANY ranch to offer. The claim that the horse fell in NOVEMBER, after purchasing in APRIL? My opinion is that this person was under the impression that a family horse should operate like an ATV. Horses - ALL horses - can be pushy if you let them. They can ALL stumble, they can ALL fall. If you are not ready to accept this risk you would be well best served to NOT have horses. I hope that others who are considering a horse with having no experience understand that these are living beings with their own minds and emotions. They are NOT machines. Blaming the seller for your inadequacies as a horseman I think is a really cheap shot. Additionally, not taking the reins (pun intended) of the purchase directly by PERSONALLY riding the horse is a recipe for disaster, unless you hire a professional buyer with a GOOD reputation.

Key Way is now back up for sale as a "family horse" that "is excellent around dogs, kids and other little creatures running around." What is wrong with this ranch???? I feel very horrible that someone isn't going to get the full story about this horse, his tendencies, and his history. Another family is sure to be set up for heart break and disappointment--and perhaps even bodily harm. It is not only irresponsible to advertise a horse that has kicked out at people several times as a FAMILY HORSE but in my opinion it is nothing short of fraud! I wish anyone that buys a horse from J Walker Ranch the best of luck--you are going to need it! BUYER BEWARE!!

I am happy to report that after a little communication with the folks at J. Walker Ranch, they were willing to resolve this matter to my satisfaction. The matter was actually resolved on the 6th of April and I am pleased to say that Rebel, the horse in question, is now with people who can better help him with his ground manners and can evaluate his stumbling tendencies. The whole situation may have caused me some grief but it worked out all right in the end. I am better off for having had the experience with Rebel (even though it wasn't the experience I'd hoped for) and wish him happy trails from here on out. Thanks to Steve and Jennifer for working with me.

Christine, what happened to you has happened to others who have dealt with the J Walker Ranch, including myself. In my case it happened not once, but twice. Up until recently there has been no real avenue to expose the shady business practices presented by this ranch. All to often consumers out there are not able to get the word out about these types of places. I mistakingly believed filing a complaint with the local BBB would do something positive, however I have come to find that all a business need do is join the BBB and the complaint/report will get burried under layers of screens so that the general public would have no idea of just what these busniesses customers are saying. I would advise you to follow through on what your gut tells you. In my opinion these people are more than dishonest. Speak with an attorney, go after them...and most certainly file complaints with anyone and everyone that you can ligitimately. These people are nothing like their website states.

I do not want this horse, it is true. As much as I wish it werent true, this horse scares me, because of his behavior and his stumbling. Even though I am scared of my own horse, I enjoy going to the stables and do take great care of him and take pride in doing the job well. Whats at issue is not my willingness to commit the time necessary to take care of a horse. This is what the Johnsons keep focusing while ignoring the stumbling and behavior unsuitable for a beginner rider. They were made fully aware of his stumbling by me prior to my learning of his history of stumbling from Susan, though they did not want to acknowledge it. Im sorry, I wish it didnt exist either, I really do. And while I commend them on extending the exchange for up to a year, I dont think any one can blame me for not feeling totally comfortable with them and shelling out over $1,600 in transport to send Rebel back and a new horse up here, given my experience with the horse I was sold by J. Walker Ranch. The only option for me was to sell this horse, which was made almost impossible by his tendency to stumble, but I tried. In trying and posting my ad, I learned he has a HISTORY of stumbling, pushy behavior and spooking. What was I to think after learning this? That I was dealt with fairly? I took it very personally. Perhaps they really didnt know, but the onus is on them, being the experts in their field, to research the horses they are selling, especially when they know these clients are new to horses. I do appreciate the reply from H.B. in Libertyville, IL I wish I had known enough to have a trainer look at the horse, but I didnt. I went in inexperienced and completely trusting. As I told them, I wish them no ill will by filing my complaint and Im still hopeful we can work something out. It may be much less than what I feel Im entitled to, but if it Rebel can end up in a place where he understood and can get what he needs to be happy, then Ill be happy too. I have no way to verify this but I still believe that most people that deal with J. Walker Ranch probably have good experiences. Id like to think that my experience was just a goof up in an otherwise spotless record of satisfactory horse sales.

I am writting this for the benefit of people out there that might find themselves in a similar situation to the one above. I am not iinvolved in this particular situation, but am a professional horseperson, and have been in this business for 20 years. If you are looking for a horse-especially one that your children are going to ride-Take someone that is knowledgeable with you to help evaluate the horse! Even if it is just your riding instructor. Ride the horse yourself before you buy the horse-more than once! Animals are animals- you can't make a good judgement on their temperment or ability after just one session. Whenever possible, we not only try a horse that we are looking at in the environment they currently live in, but we also bring it home to further try it at our own farm. I realize that some sellers might not let you take their horse off the property, but that is the advantage you get when you work with a qualified professional-we have a solid reputation in the industy, and people trust us to take care of their horses. Everyone's biggest argument against using a professional to help find a horse is usually cost. Doesn't the 15% commission and possible travel expenses pale in comparison to the heartache and possible danger of buying an unsuitable horse??? Like I said, I am not defending either party in this dispute- I am just trying to relay some advice. Get professional help when purchasing a horse to ride! It is not a business for amatuers. Good luck, Heather

Christine purchased Key/Rebel back in April of last year. Our contract states that once the horse passes the Vet check the new owner has up to 30 days to exchange the horse, no questions asked. The contract also states there are no refunds after the horse passes the Vet check and the cost of transportation is the responsibility of the new owner. Because Christine was a new rider and she did not get a chance to spend much time at our ranch, we changed the contract giving Christine up to one year to exchange Key/Rebel if she found he was not the ideal horse for her. Christine is still within the exchange period. Unfortunately Christine has communicated that she would never consider an exchange as J Walker Ranch is a dishonest and untrustworthy place. Giving someone a full year to evaluate a horse and exchange the horse no questions asked seems more than reasonable. It doesn't make sense that we would knowingly sell someone a horse that has issues and is not a good fit for the rider and then give them a full year to exchange the horse. The real issue here is that as Christine has indicated in her e-mails prior to her tuning nasty, she does not have time for a horse right now and isn't sure she wants a horse even if she had the time. Christine feels the only way to resolve the situation is for us to give her a full refund and pay for almost 1,000 miles of shipping.

I must clarify something erroneous that I included in my report. I mention that it is funny how my horse was boarded with Ms. Johnson for 26 of the 30 day refund period. He was boarded with her for 26 days. But the refund period is something that I recall Ms. Johnson mentioning to me during my visit with her last February. My friend who visited in March also recalls such an offer when she expressed to Ms. Johnson her concern over me getting the right horse. My friend recalls Ms. Johnson saying something to the effect that should I be unhappy within the first 30 days I could return him for a refund and after that I would have 1 year to make an exchange. This, however, is not in the contract that I signed and so was an error on my part to include it in my Ripoff report. Whether the 30 day refund period was included in the contract or not (and it was not) does not affect my claims that Ms. Johnson misrepresented this horse. The consistency and frequency of his behavior and stumbling has taken longer than 30 days to determine. In fact the fall that he took during a riding lesson, did not occur until November. Further, my belief that a refund is a fair resolution to this dispute is not based on this 30 day period. Refunding my money is the fair solution because the conditions of the sales contract are invalid due to the misrepresentation of this horse.