Jan West has to be one of the most deceitful horse dealers. Shame on her for the conditions the horses on her 'farm' live in! Unfortunately in the State of Michigan, to avoid Animal Control from seizing your horses, all one has to do is have hay and water on the property. It doesn't even have to be given to them and the quality of said hay can be horrible! Jan must know this and takes full advantage of it! I have several examples of first hand experience with this woman!
1. I went to look at a buckskin gelding. Upon arrival at WW, there was a pony tied up to a post by the barn. They were sacking her out but every time Jan passed by the pony she would hit her and say she had a 'shi*y attitude' and it needed to be fixed! Poor, poor pony! This happened several times during this particular visit. Then my friend and I followed the boyfriend back to get the gelding out of the pasture. All the horses (about 20) were in a mud lot with no grass, no hay or evidence of any hay chaff and the only water source was a filthy duck pond! There was a very moldy round bale outside the pasture and thank God it wasn't in the pasture as moldy hay can kill a horse. I recognized a horse in the pasture that once belonged to a friend of mine and was appalled to find out it was sold to WW. He looked miserable. The gelding I was to look at was caught, brought up front to a hitching post high and tight. He was a pawer and who wouldn't be while tied like that waiting for a beating? Jan came over to where he was tied and stated that he's 'real spoiled' and 'needed to learn some manners'. She then balled up her FIST and punched him in the stomach right in front of me and my friend/witness. This was repeated two more times during this particular visit. The horse was tacked up by the boyfriend. He did what the guy asked but reluctantly. Then it was my turn. I looked into his big brown eyes and he told me all I needed to know, which was, "get me the hell out of here"! I mounted, rode him off the property onto the dirt road where I asked him to trot and canter. He did excellent for me but then again, I wasn't yanking and cranking him either. When I got back I stated that I would like to purchase him. We haggled about his price which she wouldn't come down on at first. I made my offer which she refused so my friend and I got in my truck and played like we were going to leave. I knew when we pulled that stunt that she would change her mind, which she did. They boyfriend came out and said, "she'll take it" DUH really?!
Now back to the gelding: she lied about his age and told me he was about 12 years old. He was more like 22 according to my veterinarian who did an exam on him and administered his vaccinations. He was also covered from head to hoof in rain rot, not just your ordinary run of the mill rain rot but a severe case so bad he had it around his eyes, on his eyelids, but crusts of it. I bought him for $1100, down from the $1500 she was asking for him. I had to take him to my vet's heated barn to give him a medicated bath as it was early winter. He was also treated for rain rot for the next several weeks until it was finally cleared up.
2. I went to pick up a pony for a friend from Jan's Wild West to deliver her to a buyer up north. When I got to WW, the pony was in a round pen with NO WATER and no evidence of any hay, chaff or food. Jan or the boyfriend did not come out to help load the pony, who I'd never met before. I got the pony from the round pen and led her to the trailer. The first time I tried to load her, she backed away very fast. The ground was frozen snow over ice and she dragged me about 20 feet! She wanted nothing to do with loading. I then had to spend the next half hour to gain this pony's trust so she would follow me into the trailer while Jan watched out her window never offering to help. I finally got the pony into the trailer with some hay as a reward. No true horse person would let someone load THEIR horse without offering to help. What a poor excuse for a horse person Jan West is!
0 comments