BUYER BEWARE! (if you still want one of her horses after reading this, GET A DRUG TEST with a VET CHECK)
This report is for anyone who actually tries to research where they buy horses from. Michelle will say anything you want to sell a horse, all horses you test ride are drugged and not always described accurately. There are countless people who have been taken advantage of by this women, here are some of their comments.
Christina B: She got me in 2011. Her BROKE GELDING! Gave me 13 screws 2 plates and bone grafting in my left ankle. After he started bucking like he belonged in the NFR. The horse that came home was not the one that I pulled out to ride.
Matthew K. She bought a mare from a friend of mine who had only 20 rides for $800. Four days later $5500 and had her advertised as kid broke, bombproof and roped on as a ranch horse, which she was none of the above.
Danielle L. I bought a horse from her without knowing the full story. I later found out from someone who used to ride for her that my horse was drugged when I tried him out, also he was 5 years older than she said. After being home, he beat himself bloody on my horse trailer when I tied him up to saddle and just all around was unsafe to be around. It took me almost six months to get him where I could tie him up and saddle him without problems.
Casey T. I got a horse for my 11 year old daughter, she knew he was going to be for a child also. He is lame on his RF if not on meds, won't pick up his right lead, head shaking syndrome, and not a childs horse by any means. This left me double heartbroken, the child and a lame horse. He passed the vet check fine, being drugged at the time, I only wish I had gotten a blood draw.
K
Eugene,#2Consumer Comment
Fri, December 18, 2020
Using her bf’s phone number for business also: (530) 510-0910 So many of you know I went to the Eugene Horse Auction last Friday 11/13/2020 and brought home a beautiful grey gelding. Well alot has happened since then. Buyers beware!! I purchased lot number 122. Sold with guaranteed soundness— up until she rode him into the ring. Told the auctioneer he had just been kicked in the alley and had to pull his soundness guarantee. I figured if he was guaranteed sound until that point and looked sound in the pen, the kick wasn't bad. I doubt he was ever kicked.
That was her way of getting out of guaranteeing her lame horse that I later suspected was drugged to appear sound. I couldnt get him tested as it was the weekend and by Monday my vet said it was too late to pull blood. He was said to be 10yrs old. To my surprise after purchasing him i walked back and realized I recognized the consigner and she is a known trader Michelle Deann Silveira in Corning Ca with a history of misrepresenting and drugging horses to make a sale. My heart sank! I had just paid $4200 for a mid teen gelding (not 10) with high ring bone and a recently broken incisor with a matching missing chunk of lower lip. To top it off we just discovered he has pigeon fever. FML! She told me he was a clients horse from back east and the lady lost her job due to covid. Apparently thats her go to lie, as she has told a friend of mine the same story, who bought two horses from her earlier this year and didn't disclose one had a cribbing issue. I have the papers from when she bought him and 18 other horses/ponies from an Auction in Alabama in August. All this has been vet verified and I notified Eugene Livestock Auction the following Monday.
This trader is smart and consigned them to the sale in her fiances name Terry Schmitt. I spent $770 just this week to get him healthy-ish with many more vet bills to come dealing with the pigeon fever and all the hassle, cleaning, treatment and disinfecting that comes with it. Once he has recovered from that I can dig into the severity of his ring bone. After I reached out via cell, as I have done my research and got her number, she blocked me on FB and won't respond to my texts. She is a liar and will do and say anything for a sale. I did a Google search and found she has gotten people hurt selling horses not as described. Im just saying do your home work and get a blood test and vet check! I hope no one else ends up in my shoes. As for Whiskey I have renamed him Trooper as he has been such a Trooper with everything he has been threw and will be well loved and taken care of the way he should be. Lying to make a sale is my issue. Let's make this liar famous in hopes I can save someone from repeating my mistake! Eugene Horse Auction has banned her and her fiance from selling horses at their facility!
Al
Santa rosa,#3UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, December 03, 2015
If you were wronged by this person I may be of assistance if you need to take legal action. Creditors are currently trying to collect from Ms silveira.
Debbie L
Elk Grove,#4Consumer Comment
Wed, October 07, 2015
I bought a horse from Michelle (Pocohantas - 12 yr old Buckskin mare). Unfortunately I purchased her before I found this report. Michelle told me the following about the mare; That she came from a ranch in Oregon where she was bred/lived her whole life. She had not been used in the last year & had just been turned out on the ranch. She knew this mare & had seen her w/weight on & she had a nice big rump. The horse was about 50-75 lbs underweight and her feet/teeth needed attention desparately. She said this was the reason she was selling her for $3500 instead of the normal $5500.
5 days later I took her to the vet and it was determined by 2 separate vets that she NOT 12 yrs old, but 17-18 yrs old. I texted Michelle about this to which she reponded, "No way". Then I requested on behalf of the vet her health certificate/Coggins test for being transported across state lines from Oregon. She text back saying, "the horse was delivered to me w/o any paperwork". My next text was that the horse was showing some problems in her flexion test. At this point Michelle stoppped texting me. I received no futher texts from her. 2 days later I sent her an email telling her that since she misrepresented the age of the horse I wanted $1000 refund for losing 5-6 yrs of service. I also reiterated that she had sold a horse transported across state lines w/o the proper health certificate/Coggins test. She did answer my email the next day saying she put a check in the mail for $1000 because she wanted to make me happy.
A few days later she text me inquiring if I got the check OK and also that she had talked to her boyfriend and he had informed her the horse did not come from Oregon but from Alturas, CA so no health certificate/Coggins test was needed. A complete change in the "story" she had already told me about the horse.
Although my issue was somewhat resolved, I did get $1000 refund, I ended up w/a horse that was older than I wanted. I chose to keep the horse because she's really nice & will be useable for trail riding. I also could not bring myself to send her back since she'd been so badly neglected. (per my shoer, her feet hadn't been done in a year & per the vet her teeth hadn't been done in 8-10 yrs)
I have no idea what the real story is on my horse and probably never will. Michelle is not truthful about where she is getting horses from. If you buy a horse from her, it would be best to have the horse vetted on premesis, not by her vet. If you can't do that make sure you get "in writing" in the contract a 30 day soundness guarantee. She verbally told me she would give me that but in the contract she actually wrote it as a 30 day soundness guarantee on the hind legs only. Also, I agree a drug text for tranquilizers/anti inflammatory drugs is needed.
#5Author of original report
Sat, July 18, 2015
These horses were good to ride on test rides. The horse passed the vet check without incident. No horses are allowed to be taken unless bought, no payments are accepted on her horses that are offered for sale.
Stacey
Texas,#6Consumer Comment
Sat, July 18, 2015
When you rode the horse before you bought the horse how did this horse act? What did your vet say when he/she did a thorough workup? Did you get a coggins before you bought the horse? Did you take the horse overnite to see how the horse would adapt to your home environment?