Chris Ripley Dishonest horse trader Vermontville Michigan

I recently purchased a horse from Chris.  I had been looking at a horse for sale by him on Equinenow.com.  He had one for sale that matched the temperment I was looking for as I am a very rusty rider who has not ridden in years.

We emailed back and forth and I was up front with him about what kind of horse I wanted and for what purpose.  I wanted a well broke quiet horse for trail riding.  

By the time I was able to go see it he said it had been sold but he said he was going to sell one of his personal horses, a registered quarter horse, who was real quiet and that I might be interested in it.  He would sell him to me for $3500 and give me first right of refusal before listing him on Equinnow.com at $4000.00.

I asked what he based his price on and he replied it was based on how quiet and willing and broke he was as well as that he was attached to him.  I set up to go see the horse with a knowledgeable horse friend.

We got the horse out of the pasture.  Chris tacked him up and rode him first.  Then my friend rode him then I rode him.  He was incredibly quiet and responded to what we asked.  He was also calm and well mannered on the ground.  I paid a deposit with a check.  He seemed very concerned that I wanted a vet check.  He also requested cash for the rest of the payment.

My friend and I came back for the vet check and took him to the stable where I'm now boarding him.  Since then issues began arrising such as biting, spookiness, nervousness and balking.  So I looked up the owner on the registration papers(Chris never changed the registration, he hadn't had time).

When I called the owner on the registration papers I got a different story about this horse.  Chris only had him for about 2 weeks before he offered him to me so it wasn't his personal horse.  The owner had sold him to Chris because she felt the horse needed an experienced rider.  There's a lot more information I gained from the "real" previous owner that was helpful.

Basically, instead of having a nice quiet, well broke, calm horse I have a nervous horse who needs an experienced hand. Chris had said he used him for team penning and that he was too slow and he had other horses he'd rather ride.  The truth is he was an exclusive trail horse who needs an experienced rider to deal with his shennigans.

I'm working with several people with this horse to see if we can turn him in to the horse I thought I was buying but if not I will have to resell him to someone more experienced.  The sad thing is the original owner was hoping she had found a suitable home for him and instead she was also lied to by Chris.  

Luckily, this horse, at least so far, hasn't done anything horrendous to me because I'm so green and I now have good people helping me.  Such a shame as there could have been a rider more suitable for him and a horse more suitable for me and money could still have changed hands.  Instead the horse and I were both put at risk for a quick buck.

I was way too trusting and will never buy a horse without drug testing and a 30 day guarantee again!

I really hope others check the interent before dealing with Chris and that my story and these others help someone else.