A sad and undercover 'how much' (sorry)

[alit1]

Hi. I'm a regular poster on the forum but, just for today, need to go undercover to ask for your help please (forgive me Admin!)

I've taken the very difficult decision to sell my horse (for various reasons - none of them dubious) and wondered if you would let me have your thoughts on a price please?

Quick overview;

16.2 Irish X gelding
10 years old (11 this year but not til late on)
Consistent dressage - 70%+ (competing at Elementary and working beyond at home)
Top ten at Trailblazers Dressage Championships Final (Prelim and Novice)
Regularly won and placed at BE100 and BE90
Regularly won and placed RC/PC Eventing (Intermediate and Open)
BSJA winnings in limited outings - still eligible to jump Discovery
Hunted with bloodhounds - very bold
Completely vice free
100% clip, shoe, box, to do in general, etc
Absolute gentleman but not novice ride

Thanks in advance!

 

[traceyx69]

it probably depends on how quickly you need to sell him? 5k would be a fair price but i notice on horsemart that only the cheap (3k and under) seem to be selling!

 

[brighteyes]

I'm rubbish at this but if he's a historically sound, good-looking and well put together horse, at least £5K?

 

[Holidays_are_coming]

Im not very good at this but with his comp record, id say £10,000 as hes a alrounder and still young enough to have plenty of time left!

 

[stencilface]

I would say maybe 8-10k, although not sure in current market? A horse that will do everything would be a great PC/amateurs allrounder, and if they're sane enough - worth their weight in gold imho

 

[mccarron6769]

I would say about £6500. I would certainly pay that for a horse that sounds pretty much everything I'd be looking for.

So sad for you to be having to sell such a wonderful sounding horse

 

[Saints_fan88]

If he's won and placed at BE you could definitely ask over £10K for him. Anything that had done anything affiliated (didn't even need to be successfully!) when we were looking 8 months ago started at £8K.

 

[TableDancer]

TBH, if no ifs or buts that you are not reporting I think these are underestimates. Really good PC horses capable of jumping Open tracks as well as doing a decent test are like gold dust - several people in our PC have been looking for exactly this: one has given up, having had a budget of 8K, having failed to find what they want and has purchased a smart youngster instead.

If he is as much of a superstar as he sounds, I'd be advertising at 8K ono. However, any major record glitches or previous soundness issues would affect this estimate significantly. Good luck!

ETA: Sorry, when I started, people were saying 5K! I think 8-10 is far more realistic, but it's early in the year: also, at 8K you could probably pick and choose the home a bit

 

[KatB]

Depends why he isn't novice ride? Would he suit as a PC schoolmaster type? If so, anything from 7-10k.

 

[millitiger]

how many times has he won Intro/PN?

has he got the scope to go on eventing or go a bit further up the dressage ladder.

i would think around £7k at present, prepare to accept a bit less if you want to get him sold quickly.

 

[brushingboots]

7k-9.5k? he sounds very good but if looking for a quick sale id be prepared to drop to 6.5k?

 

[mac]

Ive sold horses that have done alot less for 5-8k recentley so id say 10k

 

[TGM]

He sounds fantastic! If you are in the South East I would say about 10k, although with the time of year and the slow market you might have to wait to find the right buyer or take an offer. (This is assuming, as said above, there are no undisclosed unsoundnesses, health problems or quirks.)

 

[Booboos]

I also think 5 is far too low. More like 8-10 depending on why he is not a novice ride. Does he hack (alone, traffic)? Does he have a BD or BE record?

Sounds like a lovely allrounder competition horse which should be in high demand even in this climate.

 

[marinitagsd]

Depends on why he isn't a novice ride but if nothing too serious then I would pay 10 grand plus, hope this helps.
x

 

[alit1]

Gosh some very different opinions! To try to answer a few queries;

No desperate rush to sell at all.

He's got several wins and numerous top ten placings at both BE90 and BE100 over the past few years. Generally if I don't c*ck up he's placed!

Absolutely no soundness or other health issues (touch wood....).

One of the reasons he's for sale is because I'm looking for a horse that's going to take me Int/1* and hopefully beyond - and this isn't the chap to do that. He'll happily jump 1m-1.10m SJ tracks all day long but that's really where he's comfortable. When you start getting to 1.15-1.20+ and the spreads get wider he's out of his comfort zone. XC and hunting is a different matter - the bigger the better!

I've suggested that he's not a novice ride as he's quite big (not huge - don't get me wrong) and can take a bit of holding together - so not going to be suitable for a slight teenager. He can also be a little spooky (but think 'Double Take Brother' rather than raving lunatic). Nothing that a competent rider wouldn't be able to cope with though.

 

[ihatework]

He sounds like what a lot of people are looking for.

On the assumption he is sound and no significant veterinary history, and no major ridden or stable quirks then if you are in no rush to sell you should get £8K as an amateurs allrounder. If you need to sell quickly you may need to negotiate down slightly.

 

[TGM]

Have you got any piccies of him?

 

[hmk101]

He sounds like the kind of horse I was looking for last year and I would have paid around 8k for something that did what he says on the tin.

 

[JennBags]

I'd also go for £8-£10k - also sounds exactly what I was looking for last year in that price range. TBH, if I saw him up for the £5k some people were suggesting, I would think there was something wrong with him.

 

[ecrozier]

A friend of mine has been looking for something similar with a budget of 8k and has struggled to find anything! Equally another friend is trying to sell (on behalf of owners) something younger and greener but possibly slightly more scopey....but owners insisting on getting back the 10k they paid and he's not gone anywhere - she reckons could sell him 10 times over for 6 - 7k. So on that basis I'd definately go between 8 - 10k.

 

[daisycrazy]

Don't put people off by saying he'll be too much for a slight teenager to hold together - I had some huge young horses when I was in early teens and got on very well with them, despite being slight. Much better to let them try him and work it out for themselves whether they can ride him - I imagine you will see for yourself quite quickly whether you think the partnership is a possibility.

I agree if he's as good as he sounds then he really ought to be £8k plus. If he could do JRNs then almost undoubtedly more than that.

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

ask for £10k and be prepared to take a bit less (no less than £8k though!)

he sounds a good strong athletic type.

 

[DarkHorseB]

£7 - £8k region with scope for more/ less depending on his looks and conformation.

 

[Golden_Match_II]

A friend bought one very similar to this for 9250 recently, so around that, I'df guess

 

[MandyMoo]

from the sounds of it he sounds a cracking horse! a great allrounder

i would go at around 10k...and if he is capable of doing Novice BE and Newcomers BSJA successfully, possibly more! xxx xxx

 

[amandaco2]

8-11k, depending how quick you want to sell him

 

[diggerbez]

from what you say i would advertise at 10k and then see what happens. if you are in no rush to sell then you can wait for the right person/offer to come along. i wouldn't put 'not novice ride' in your ad tho- this makes people think "raving looney" - you can just explain your thoughts when people ring up about him

i advertised the grey in my siggy at 10k and he had a bit of a dodgy record (Es at BE) and i sold him for 9k this time last year so 10 is definitely within reason for your horse! you will also get the people wanting to pay 6k ringing so people won't be put off from calling just because of the price- you can always drop it if you need to but you can't put it up!

 

[Horsemad12]

Looking at the posts and what the market is I would think £9950 but would wait 6-8 weeks if you are not in a rush when things would pick up, it can be slow now and I think that is better than him being advertised for a few weeks.

I agree, do not put not novice ride, as someone said you can tell when they get on if they can handle him. And on the "would not a slight teanager" - some of them are huge!!!!

 

[alit1]

Could I just say a genuine thank you to all of you who have taken the time to post replies. There's some really useful comments which I will take into account when I advertise him (if this weather ever clears!)

It's not been an easy decision but hopefully, we'll find him a super new home with someone who loves him as much as I do.