I've recently come across a new scam targeting those trying to sell horses. Luckily I didn't fall into the trap, but I wanted to alert you all of it so that you don't become the next victim. Here's the scenario: a "buyer" will approach you wanting to buy the horse. Often the person doesn't ask for any information about the horse or pictures. They immediately ask where they can send the check to. Then they casually mention that they will be sending more than the price of the horse (in my case, it was roughly $3,000 more than it would have cost to ship the horse at that distance) and they want you to Western Union the rest of the funds to the shipper that they have already arranged to pick up your horse. One sure-fire way you can tell that this is a scam is if the funds meant for the "shipper" are much more than what one would reasonably pay for shipping a horse. It helps to do a little background checking of your own. It's easy to get caught up in the idea that someone wants to buy your horse, but be careful. It is not a good idea to pass someone's money onto an unknown third-party.

Unfortunately, in this day in age, even the miniature horse industry can be targeted by scammers. Good luck to you all in your horse-selling endeavors and please, be weary of potential scams out there!