Advice please - how much should I pay for this horse?

Tonibird83

Tonibird83

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I've been out of viewing/buying/selling horses for a while and have been looking around to get an idea of values of horses for sale but I'm a bit stuck and would appreciate other people's opinions on how much my friend's horse is worth.

I have been riding him for a year and know how much she paid for him. She's thinking of selling him and I would get first refusal but I have in my head that I wouldn't give her more than £1000, does anyone agree?

Here are his positive points-
Safe hack anywhere/alone/company/woods/cantering etc
Cob - which I'm into and a good middleweight

And now the negatives-
He's 12 and I would prefer something younger
H's 14.2 and I would prefer something bigger
He's VERY bolshy and although has improved with consistent handling, every so often reverts back to being a pig to deal with
Terrible to clip/hog
Hates being in a stable
Gets laminitis
Has sarcoid on his sheath (doesn't seem to affect him)

What do people think? Is £1000 stingy?
 
You have to weigh up what he's worth to you and if he is the horse you want.....knowing him is a big plus but if you would prefer something bigger and younger then it would maybe be a mistake to buy him at any price.
 
I think she could get £1500 for him as safe and sound cobs fetch good money, but his negatives far uweight the positives for you from your list so maybe avoid?
 
Most of the handling negatives are very fixable. The laminitis, is a problem that many cob owners have to manage regardless of whether they have ever had it, however, this horse, having suffered from it in the past, its something you'd have to factor into his care even more carefully.

Hopefully, the sarcoid won't become a problem, but it's something to bear in mind.

Being a good and safe hack is a major plus, 12 yrs is a good age, not too old and not too young.

I get the impression that you'd prefer a bigger horse and that you're only considering buying him because you know him already. That's fair enough, but unless he ticks all the boxes for you, the price is irrelevant. If he's not 'the one' perhaps you should look elsewhere.
 
If he's too old and too small for you then he isn't worth anything to you. Without the sarcoid he could be worth about £2000 to someone else, with, who can tell. Personally I would never buy a horse with a sarcoid, others think differently.
 
the negatives are not negatives for every one lots of people are happy with a 12yr old of that height.

for me the sarcoids would rule him out but he is worth (to you) what you are prepared to pay, make your offer but be prepared ahe may say no
 
Being 12 and being 14.2 dont affect his value overall dont forget, they only affect his value to you so while they are negatives on your list they would be positives on many others

Offer the £1K it seems pretty fair but if there is more money to be had elsewhere then be prepared for the owner to turn it down
 
Cross posted with Twiggy!

I agree the Sarcoid would be a no no for me, I lost my beloved Welsh cob to one on his sheath, its not an easy place to treat if they get out of hand
 
He's had laminitis - I wouldn't buy him at all I'm afraid. And the sarcoid on his sheeth would also be a 'don't touch with a bargepole' for me as well I'm afraid.
 
Thank you for your replies, it's true that I'm leaning towards buying him because I've known him so long and it's unlikely I'd get that chance with something else I was interested in. My fear is I don't buy him and then end up with something unsuitable and then regret not buying him.
I am really torn! hmmm.
The handling issues are annoying more than being a deal breaker and I can manage his weight 'cos he'll be kept at home.

Re: sarcoids, I have very little knowledge of this so I will look into it properly but I was under the impression that if they were in a place where they didn't interfere and were left alone they generally were not a problem. Do they pop up all over once they've got one and then quickly become unmanageable?
 
14.2hh and age 12 are plus points to most people .
the laminitus and sacroid rule him out for me to unless nominal fee of say £200
 
I do buy horses with sarcoids but would never advise anyone to do so unless they can afford to treat them .
Treatment can be expensive and protracted and I would strongly recommend that you take advise from a vet before preceding there are different types of sarcoids they can be either easily manageable or a complete and utter disaster and the horse ends up PTS .
If you are prepared for what entails I would not let it stop me if I liked the horse .
However I very rarely ever part with a horse so the difficulty of resale need not trouble me.
But I would not touch with a barge pole a horse that had had laminitis.
 
If he was absolutely 100% perfect in all ways for you I might consider investigating the implications of both the type of sarcoid he has and management of lami (if there was a clear trigger for it on one previous occassion that I could avoid for example)
But if he is the 'wrong' age and size for you then IMHO I wouldn't take a risk on the health issues.

If you try and sell him in the future for a younger/ bigger model then you may find lots of people are put off by the health problems.
 
He sounds lovely (barring the bolshiness, but that could be worked on over time), but as many others have pointed out, the laminitis and sarcoid (more so) would be definite deal-breakers for me.
 
I think if you're really keen op, because you know the horse etc, it's worth a punt as long as you understand that he's coming to you with potential issues. And I can understand why you're keen. If the sarcoid develops and needs treatment it could be costly. But if you go in with your eyes open then you've nothing to loose.

I would only pay £800 tops. But at the end of the day only youknow what yyou're prepared to shell out.
 
The market is poor, i think £1000 is right. He has a sarcoid and that will put a lot of people off regardless. Plus hes bolshy. I think your friend will have a hard time selling him if shes hounest about him for more.

I wouldnt buy him anyway. If you would like somehing bigger ect then i think you should look for something a bit more suited as you may regret it anyway. If you love him and feel hes the horse for you then comprimise on his flaws but if your a unsure its probably best to keep looking.
 
I had a Welsh cob with several sarcoids on his sheath and they never caused an issue, but would get a vets advice before handing over any money.

Laminitis can be managed - a major pita though so I would have to be very much 'in love' with a horse to take on that commitment.

Good luck with whatever you decide!
 
Be very wary of sarcoids! You may be lucky and it could remain as one only which dosent cause you a problem or you could be in the same situation as me. My mare started with one sarcoids which wasn't causing a problem but over the 10 years I've had her they've cropped up all over the place! Mostly they don't seem to worry her as long as I control the flies but often they prevent her wearing tack and make rugging difficult. Treatment is not pleasant and costly. They are so so unpredictably there's just no knowing if they will be a problem or not, if they are a problem it can be a major one!
 
Has the sarcoid ever flared up? You are in the lucky position of being able to find out his history... If she has had this horse a few years without any issues, I wouldn't worry about the sarcoid. My husband's horse has a wart.sarcoid on his sheath that has been there for six years without issue.

The laminitis would bother me, but again, if it has been managed for a good year or so and you're confident that you could cope with it, then it wouldn't put me off hugely. It should make a huge difference to his price. I was planning to sell our section A for £2k before she got lami. Once she had had it and recovered well, I had to be realistic and sold her for £850 instead..

Size wise and age wise - shouldn't make a difference to the price. He is what he is. He would be a popular size - suitable for both kids and adults, families etc..

Compare him to what you can get for the same money, have a good think. Sometimes better the devil you know!
 
The fact he has had lamintis and doesn't like being stables is a problem, but the biggest problem is the sarcoid on the sheath, for that alone I wouldn't buy. In today's market you can get a horse like him ( without the laminitis and sarcoid for a few hundred, so certainly wouldn't pay a £1000
 
Personally I wouldn't EVER buy a horse with sarcoids , having had a horse with one previously and all the vets bills it was an absolute nightmare !

However , laminitis is no issue if you prevent it in the first place and so what if it can't be stabled ? I never stable any of mine , it's a cob after all !

Bolshyness isn't ideal , however if he's a lovely ride then you can try and tackle this it just takes times.

If this horse wasnt bolshy and didn't have sarcoids I would be happy to pay £3500 for a very safe hacking cob !! ( safety to me is paramount).

Unfortunatley as he has issues I would reccomend between £1-1.5k
 
Thanks everyone. I reckon if he's cheap enough (under £1k) I will buy him and risk it regarding sarcoids. I do think it's maybe better the devil I know! Plus, I won't get anything as safe as him to ride out for that money I'm sure
 
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