£7k for a cob that was £2/3k a few years ago

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rescuearacehorse

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Just wondering if someone can give me some perspective on the price of horses at the moment.
I'm looking at 14.2hh cobs. They are IRO £6-7k for a 4 - 6 yr old that's done almost nothing. Safe and basic schooling but no hunting or competition experience. Just a basic irish gypsy type cob.

I know and accept that prices have gone up massively over the past year or so. But £7k for something that would previously have been £3k seems very punchy. Is this the new norm now or are the dealers over pricing very ordinary animals.

I don't mind paying a market rate, but it seems hard to tell what's market and what's just wishful thinking!

Any advice very much appreciated.
 
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Sossigpoker

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Yes those prices sound about right.
And dealers are also selling them unseen , over the phone , so you'd be lucky to even be able to view.
I actually really feel for anyone trying to buy at the moment.
 
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chaps89

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My mum had a budget of £5k coming into the pandemic.
At that point that would have got her a nicer horse than she needed. Now she can’t find one even vaguely suitable.
(So if anyone knows of a 14.2/15hh gelding, totally sane and sensible and loves to hack alone/go out in the trailer exploring and do some gentle schooling for £5k or less please do send them my way!!!)
 
TheMule

TheMule

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The cost of importing has gone up significantly, we don’t have many decent breeders of that sort of horse in the UK (lack of land, expense of breeding related costs) and so supply is reduced and people's expectations have increased with the bigger amateur market all wanting something already made and 100% in every way.
If you buy a 4yr old for 3k there have been serious corners cut along the line. I have my own land but my homebred will have cost significantly more to raise to that point, let alone me adding in the cost of my time and experience to back him and make him a nice citizen.
Add up every farrier trim, every flu/ tet jab, every dentist visit, every wormer, every bit of supplementary feeding when grass is a bit low, a decent fit/ mineral supplement to cover the essentials for healthy growth, every unforeseen vet bill…….. If you buy for less then what didn’t they do?
 
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Jellymoon

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Prices have shot up due to covid and brexit affecting imports, they won’t go back to previous (too cheap perhaps) levels but they will settle back down a bit in time. If you can, I would wait.
 
Bernster

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Hah I didn’t panic buy but I think I did covid buy! Had more cash due to lockdown, wasn’t doing anything but ride, and decided life was too short!
 
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rescuearacehorse

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Isn’t it ironic that there are record numbers of horses and ponies in sanctuaries and with charities? I wanted to regime but SO many are set for companion only lives.
 
MissTyc

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It's also a warm winter. People have grass, hay prices are OK and we're not using much of it, etc ... The prices aren't seeing as much of a seasonal drop. That said, the prices that seem to be dropping the most are the young sports horses. Which is sad since they're the ones that have the breeding and the work put in. The "safe cobs" are holding their prices extremely well, with 17/18 yr heavy horses on the market being snapped up for £5000.
 
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SO1

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Anything that will hack out safely alone and in company and will pass a vetting will be expensive.

Good hacking horses now command a premium.

Personally I would not have a cob as I think the laminitis risk is too high and unless you have very little grass or they are in heavy work then it is impossible to control their weight.
 
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Merrymoles

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I've been having the odd look around, having lost my boy a month ago. I am completely priced out of the market though, thanks to vet bills etc, so even though the yard are holding my stable for me, I can't realistically see any time soon when I am going to be able to buy.

My farmer neighbour told me last week that one of his friends had just bought a job lot of ungelded yearling colts to overwinter and then sell. I expected them to be cheap as chips but he actually paid £1,100 a head and expects to make a big profit next year.
 
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greenbean10

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I actually think prices are starting to drop slightly now, but possibly this is just in the lead up to Christmas. Still a lot higher than pre-covid!

I don’t buy the whole ‘the horse cost X to breed, produce and keep alive therefore it’s worth X’. Horses are only worth what someone will pay, not how much money has gone into keeping them alive for however many years.

It is really tough for breeders and it may well be unsustainable for many of them, but there is a ceiling and just because a horse has cost £10k to breed and produce doesn’t automatically make it worth £10k. With this logic any horse that’s run up a large vet bill is automatically worth more.
 
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Upthecreek

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Well produced horses with a good temperament that are easy to handle, will hack alone and in company, school nicely, jump and have no major quirks or health conditions are like hens teeth. It is only over the last couple of years that people have realised the true value of these horses. Before that they would also have needed a decent competition record to achieve the prices they are selling for now. There aren’t many on the market and those that do come up for sale are selling quickly for premium prices.

I think another factor is that most people want allrounders these days, rather than a horse that will hack but won’t school or is great at dressage but won’t jump. We want it all and that comes at a price.
 
snowangel5

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I hope you can find a great partnership with the cob if you can find any with that height and price range ??

just a question have you tried looking at any cobs on your local Facebook cobs for sale or horsemart

p.s I hope you have a great Christmas by the way
 
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SO1

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Has demand gone up loads I think maybe it has. We have had 5 new horses on the yard since Covid. 4 of them are first time horse owners fairly novicey and YO bought a cob foal to replace a horse that she lost.

I have been at the yard over 7 years and we have never had so many first time owners on the yard. It is a assisted DIY or part livery only so there is a lot of help and support for first time owners.

I always said if anything happened to my pony I would not buy another. However Covid has made me rethink this as I live on my own and Covid has meant wfh and not being able to see friends and family often or travel for holidays. All things I would do more of if I didn't have a horse are unlikely to be a possibility for the next few years due to Covid. I get lonely at home on my own going to yard gives me time outside and has been a real comfort to me during the pandemic. I probably would buy again if I lost my beloved boy and we were still in the grip of Covid possibly with a view to sell on later, I doubt I could love another as much as my pony.


Miss_Millie said:
I think it is small supply but large demand which has made the prices what they are at the moment.
Click to expand...
 
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eahotson

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greenbean10 said:
I actually think prices are starting to drop slightly now, but possibly this is just in the lead up to Christmas. Still a lot higher than pre-covid!

I don’t buy the whole ‘the horse cost X to breed, produce and keep alive therefore it’s worth X’. Horses are only worth what someone will pay, not how much money has gone into keeping them alive for however many years.

It is really tough for breeders and it may well be unsustainable for many of them, but there is a ceiling and just because a horse has cost £10k to breed and produce doesn’t automatically make it worth £10k. With this logic any horse that’s run up a large vet bill is automatically worth more.
Click to expand...
Large breeders can afford to sell the lower end of their stock at a loss because they will make their profit from the better end.It is more difficult for smaller breeders which is why they tend to try to sell at weaning. Let someone else have the expense of keeping them until working age, backing etc.At the end of the day though, no one is going to breed at a loss.People have to accept that a nicely bred,well kept,sound and sane horse IS worth a certain amount of money.
 
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greenbean10

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eahotson said:
Large breeders can afford to sell the lower end of their stock at a loss because they will make their profit from the better end.It is more difficult for smaller breeders which is why they tend to try to sell at weaning. Let someone else have the expense of keeping them until working age, backing etc.At the end of the day though, no one is going to breed at a loss.People have to accept that a nicely bred,well kept,sound and sane horse IS worth a certain amount of money.
Click to expand...

Yes I agree, I do think that certain horses would be worth a certain amount, but this is not to do with how much money has been put into them - it's to do with their breeding, soundness, temperament, as well as the market as a whole. It is a lot harder for smaller breeders as the cost of producing a horse is often more than what you can sell it for...this is an unsustainable business model.

However, that still doesn't mean an unsound horse with a horrible temperament is automatically worth £X because it cost £X to produce. It is actually worth nothing if no one wants to pay for it!
 
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