This is a warning for anyone looking to purchase a horse from Casey Palmer or Jodi Bagwell of Porum, Oklahoma. They also list themselves out of Dallas, Texas and even occasionally in California. They are d.B.A. (doing business as) Rockin P Quarter Horses or www.rockinpquarterhorses.com
Casey Palmer advertised a 12 year old kid safe horse on the www.Dreamhorse.com website and also on www.agdirect.com (unsure of any other websites he may have used also). I contacted him and spoke with him about the mare. I let him know that this was going to be the first pony for a 7 year old child. He assured me that the pony was bomb proof (bombproof), completely safe, anyone can ride, could be used as lesson horse, etc., etc. I specifically asked him if the horse had ANY health issues and if she was sound. He assured me that she was "completely healthy and sound" and that he would not be able to find one this nice again for a couple of years. He also told me several times "You will not be disappointed in this horse". After several very believable conversations with Mr. Palmer, I agreed to pay him $1000 for the pony and he assured me that he would be able to have her shipped to my home for approximately $200 within 1 to 5 days.
Each time I phoned Casey asking what the status was for shipping the mare - it was difficult to get a hold of him and when I finally did he always had a story. He told me that his financee (Jodi Bagwell) had found transportation and he would get back to me with the details. After not hearing from him again, I called Jodi only to find out (that what he had said was not true) and that she had no idea what he was talking about and had not made any such arrangement with anyone. Then, he tells me "a friend" could transport the horse for approximately $500 (more than double what he originally told me it would cost). Finally, after several weeks of this, I resorted to arranging my own transportation, which was substantially higher than he indicated it would be. The transportation company arranged to pick up the horse, but had to wait for several hours (past the agreed pick up time) for Mr. Palmer to finally bring the horse to them putting them behind schedule for their other clients.
When the pony finally arrived at my location (less than 24 hours later), she was not even completely off the trailer when I noticed a horribly inflamed, running, swollen eye oozing yellow pus. Her entire nose and muzzle were also completely covered in a blistered, scabby sort of rash, bleeding in some spots. I immediately phoned my veterinarian (who arrived in less than an hour) and informed me that the ponies left eye had CANCER and that the right eye was not far behind. He indicated that this had been going on for at least a year - possibly longer. She was also running a fever, very underweight and had a slightly clubbed foot. Now, mind you, he had a couple of photos of her that I had seen but all taken at a distance impossible to discern the issue with her eyes.
I immediately phoned Mr. Palmer to let him know about my shock in seeing her in this condition and asked him to contact me so that we might resolve this. He refused to answer his phone or return my call. I sent him an email that evening with a photo of the pony's eye and asked how this could have possibly been overlooked when I had specifically asked if she had ANY health conditions. He again refused to reply, not even to express surprise or concern of any sort for the pony.
The following morning the pony was severely ill with pneumonia. It took extensive care and intravenous antibiotics to bring her through. (I have documentation for all of this) Her eye tissue was biopsied and confirmed that it was cancer (again, I have the report from the pathologist). She will most likely lose her left eye to the cancer in the very near future at a cost of upwards of $2,000 to me (this will in the end be closer to approximately $4,000 with the additional vet expenses - once again, I have written estimates from my veterinarian). Her right eye is also exhibiting similar symptoms, so we are unsure what her prognosis will be. Of course, if her right eye continues to follow the same course as her left eye, we will be forced to humanely euthanize her. Imagine the horror to a young child just receiving their first pony.
As far as the pony being labeled completely sound, I have already indicated that vet said she had a clubbed foot. She has also required special trimming on all four of her feet (my farrier said it was one of the worst cases she had seen and immediately moved the pony to her list of priorities for fear of her suffering permanent leg damage). She has had to trim the pony in several separate appointments to avoid doing too much at once. The pony is still showing signs of considerable heel pain in both front feet (possibly navicular???) I have not had her X-rayed yet (due to the other extensive health issues that we are already dealing with). Mr. Palmer had also told me that he was a farrier (or as he spells it "ferrier") and that her feet were in "perfect" condition. My complaint, however, is regarding the eyes. This is just additional information indicative of her overall condition.
I had opted not to do an additional vet check due to the fact that my own vet told me that it really doesn't do me any good. If the vet is a friend of the seller, or just plain incompetent, my only recourse would be to sue the veterinarian in the state it was done. I also see vet checks as a tool to uncover UNOBVIOUS or hidden issues or conditions that cannot be observed without the expertise of a vet. I had concluded (due to Mr. Palmer's untruths about the mare's condition) that there were no obvious conditions observed by Mr. Palmer that needed to be further examined by a vet. Had Mr. Palmer or Ms. Bagwell indicated that there was ANY sort of inflammation or issue with her eyes, I would have either requested a vet to do a further evaluation of her eyes or (most likely) terminated the transaction altogether.
Now, as to Mr. Palmer's claims of the pony being bombproof, kid safe and a perfect beginner or lesson horse. This also appears to be untrue. I have been riding horses for 25 years and the mare was wanting to take off with me. Mind you, this is NOT asking her to canter or run barrels, but just at a walk. She spins, throws her head, and had to be held tight in the bridle just to keep her at a walk. I have not even attempted to trot and canter her - as she was barely responding to me at a walk. Hardly appropriate for a kid's horse. But then again, should I be surprised at this point? She also pins her ears and gets extremely pissy when being tacked up. Even when cinching her slowly, she turns her head towards me as if she wants to bite - but has not as of yet. I am not comfortable putting ANY child on this horse, experienced or not. At this point, I would not put a beginner adult on her either.
After the pony's arrival, I phoned an equine attorney who informed me that a seller MUST inform a buyer of a pre-existing condition and make no effort to conceal it or it is fraud, regardless if an additional vet check is done or not. I have 5 years to put together a lawsuit should I choose to do so. I will happily email photos of this pony's eye if you are curious if there is any possible way that Mr. Palmer or Ms. Bagwell could have overlooked her condition. I believe that even the most novice horse person would be able to easily identify a problem. Mr. Palmer allegedly trains and sells horses for a living. How could he possibly have missed this?
During my discussion with the equine attorney, she asked for the name of the seller. When I informed her that it was Casey Palmer out of Porum Oklahoma, she immediately indicated that she was familiar with his name, as she has another client that also recently had a fraudulent sale with him. I have personally spoken with this other individual and I am sure that she would be happy to relay her unfortunate dealings with Mr. Palmer also. She essentially informed me that Mr. Palmer sold her a horse that was also supposed to be guaranteed to be safe, no buck, etc., etc. (it appears that most of their horses that are posted all have similar descriptions). Anyway, apparently this horse was dangerous and bucked every time he was asked to canter. This person lost a great deal of money trying to resolve the horse's issues (vets, chiropractors, equine massage therapists and even a professional trainer). After the horse broke the back cinch of the trainer (bucking) the trainer recommended that she get rid of him, as the trainer did not believe the horse would ever be safe. She lost a great deal of money because of this transaction with Rockin P Quarter Horses, and was disturbed and infuriated to hear that I was now also in a difficult situation.
To reiterate, I feel that there is no possible way that the conditions of this pony's eyes could have possibly been overlooked. When Mr. Palmer delivered the pony up to be transported, he specifically told the driver to "leave this fly mask on." The driver obeyed these orders and did not see the condition of the pony's eyes until just shortly before delivering her to me - and was appalled at her condition. The driver indicated that he had only seen horses in this poor of condition being hauled to slaughter.
Mr. Palmer and Ms. Bagwell knew fully well that this pony was to be a child's first horse - per my discussions with them. If she survives, she will be a one eyed horse which can be dangerous for an experienced rider, and certainly not ideal for a young rider just learning to ride, although after riding her, I find that she is an unsuitable mount for a child - even with BOTH eyes. Again, with both eyes exhibiting the same symptoms, we are unsure of her prognosis.
I feel that the lack of ethics and professionalism exhibited by Rockin P Quarter horses is deplorable and unforgivable. There were absolutely no attempts to contact me, offers to exchange the horse, offer for a full or partial refund, to simply apologize, express any sort of surprise at the news, or even check the welfare of the pony.
It is irrelevant to me whether Mr. Palmer and Ms. Bagwell knew fully well of the condition of the horse or they were too uneducated about horses to know that a horse with an eye condition as severe as this needs immediate medical treatment. Either way, I find it very disturbing that they continue to advertise and sell horses that are not as they are represented to be. I would hope that this should be enough to deter anyone from purchasing a horse from them. Obviously, I feel that this horse was grossly misrepresented as does the other buyer that I have spoken with. And, if an equine attorney immediately recognizes this seller's name I don't see that as a positive indication of their business transactions, do you? In sum, if any one is looking to purchase a horse from this business, I highly recommend that you take the facts of my situation (and these other individuals) into consideration and make a wise decision about whether you should purchase or not. I would hate to see yet another person in the same difficult emotional and financial situation that our family has been put into.
Unfortunately, since posting my story, I have had several other people contact me that have also had misfortunate dealings with them.
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