Are horse sales slowing down?

[southerncomfort]

I've noticed for sale ads are staying up for longer, and some sellers are adding 'or nearest offer' to their ads now.

Wondering if this is the start of the slowdown in sales we've been expecting.

I've all but given up hope of finding anything in the near future.

 

[Marigold4]

I've noticed for sale ads are staying up for longer, and some sellers are adding 'or nearest offer' to their ads now.

Wondering if this is the start of the slowdown in sales we've been expecting.

I've all but given up hope of finding anything in the near future.

I don't think so. I advertised mine last week and have had a crazy amount of interest. No one has quibbled about the price either.

 

[Laafet]

From experience, trying to find a loan at the moment but half looking at buying one, the good horses are going very quickly. The ones left are expensive or not good enough/incorrectly advertised. It is a very quick market at the moment. Loaning is virtually impossible to even a get a foot in the door unless you are the first one to reply and the owner happens to see you first!

 

[Scotsbadboy]

I've noticed for sale ads are staying up for longer, and some sellers are adding 'or nearest offer' to their ads now.

Wondering if this is the start of the slowdown in sales we've been expecting.

I've all but given up hope of finding anything in the near future.

I've officially given up now apart from word of mouth. Im not paying 12k for a 6k horse or 3k for a horse i wouldnt even buy for a tenna! Ridiculous market. I'll quietly wait until the bubble bursts and new 2020 horse owners realise there is a winter every year and a stack of money that goes with keeping their new shiny purchase ... cash waiting

 

[WandaMare]

I agree the market is still very buoyant. I have been looking for a companion / loan horse and there is nothing suitable. I have ended up buying one and harassed the poor seller as soon as the ad went up to make sure i secured the first viewing. its silly money at the moment but i don't have a choice because i need a companion urgently, definitely a sellers market.

One pony I viewed last week was lame at the viewing, I politely excused myself and didn't waste the sellers time. She text me later to say he had already sold so you can even sell an obviously lame horse at the moment for full price, its mad.

 

[Scotsbadboy]

Oh totally Wandamare, they are being snapped up regardless at the moment! I'm seeing adverts and looking at the description and photo and thinking that pony has literally been sat in a field doing nothing for years and the owners know the market is crazy and are quids in by advertising it knowing it will sell!

 

[Marigold4]

I agree the market is still very buoyant. I have been looking for a companion / loan horse and there is nothing suitable. I have ended up buying one and harassed the poor seller as soon as the ad went up to make sure i secured the first viewing. its silly money at the moment but i don't have a choice because i need a companion urgently, definitely a sellers market.

One pony I viewed last week was lame at the viewing, I politely excused myself and didn't waste the sellers time. She text me later to say he had already sold so you can even sell an obviously lame horse at the moment for full pric

I agree the market is still very buoyant. I have been looking for a companion / loan horse and there is nothing suitable. I have ended up buying one and harassed the poor seller as soon as the ad went up to make sure i secured the first viewing. its silly money at the moment but i don't have a choice because i need a companion urgently, definitely a sellers market.

One pony I viewed last week was lame at the viewing, I politely excused myself and didn't waste the sellers time. She text me later to say he had already sold so you can even sell an obviously lame horse at the moment for full price, its mad.

Just out of interest, and slightly off topic, where is the best place to advertise a companion pony?

 

[Buster2020]

Nope they are not slowing down. Were I live there is a massive demand for livery yards. at the start of the summer I had to move yard everywhere was full I ended up going to private livery yard. The facility’s are not great when it comes to riding. So many people are buying horses that there is literally no room on livery yards anymore even my current yard is full now.

 

[stormox]

Very big demand for horses at the moment.... especially been there done that types

 

[southerncomfort]

Maybe the ones that aren't selling have issues not disclosed in the ads then.

I do think some sellers are pricing themselves out of the market especially those selling youngsters. Im seeing the same 2 year olds popping up again and again. But these would be mainly small cobs or unregistered natives.

Lots of colts too.

 

[WandaMare]

Just out of interest, and slightly off topic, where is the best place to advertise a companion pony?

Well I was looking on H&H, Horsemart, Preloved and Horsequest. Horse and Hound seemed to have a lot of youngsters and lightly backed. I would say Preloved would probably be most suitable for a companion.

 

[Red-1]

I hope not, I will be advertising mine in 7 days (once she has been to a couple of shows).

Mine is a competition type, ready to go out and compete, so I hope it will be in time. I think competition ones will stay quite stable, it will be the half cob type that I think will drop in value come autumn.

 

[Scotsbadboy]

Very big demand for horses at the moment.... especially been there done that types

These horses usually 5-7k are now being sold at 12k and they are getting it! Its crazy.

 

[Red-1]

These horses usually 5-7k are now being sold at 12k and they are getting it! Its crazy.

It is tricky as I have no idea how to price her!

 

[Dexter]

It is tricky as I have no idea how to price her!

think of a figure that seems reasonable and double it

 

[gemisastar]

My friend bought a horse last week. Lovely type, 4yo 17hh Irish sports horse, very in demand. I knew she was at work so messaged the owner as soon as I saw the advert and got her number, drilled my friend that she had to be utterly ruthless with batting off the competition if she wanted him. She managed to change her work days so she could be the first viewing. The seller said they had hundreds of messages/phone calls. Horse seen, tried and 5* vetted, my friend only started looking about 3 weeks ago and she is aware that she has been very lucky indeed to have managed to find one so quickly, the market is bonkers.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

I suppose the type of horse or the ability that horse has as to how long they stay for sale. At the yard I am on a horse was put up for sale a couple of days ago & there has been 30-40 enquiries, possibly more, it's been so busy the owner has not been able to reply to all the calls & texts. She's got viewings booked for the next few days, he's a lovely horse there is little doubt he will sell very soon.

 

[Red-1]

think of a figure that seems reasonable and double it

Well normally she would be about 9K so doubling it seems a little steep! I was going to put 9.5K on her. I am just waiting so she can go do BS another time as she hasn't done much this year and I would like the new owners to have the best experience.

If she doesn't sell I will have her out BE too (although she is also good enough to dressage - that is where most of her form is, I just don't have a handy dressage jockey!). She spent most of this year hacking!

 

[MissTyc]

I am seeing a slight slowdown. My friend viewed a nice all rounder about two months ago. She was priced high and my friend thought it was worth a look but felt she lacked the spark for the money i.e. probably limited in scope, etc. Horse is still on the market, now £2000 less and more reasonable for the type. (friend got a total bargain via a mutual acquaintance where home was more important than price - those are of course always still around too!)

ETA: first horse £6000 now is £4000.
We reckon that last year that horse would have been advertised for about £3,500 and offers taken.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

I think the market will slow in winter and I am going to try and bring Amber into some sort of work now. So Toby will be sold soon. Just taking him tot he Eland ODE and then to camp first! Hope prices do stay high. I will be annnoyed if they crash just before I sell him.

 

[Scotsbadboy]

I am seeing a slight slowdown. My friend viewed a nice all rounder about two months ago. She was priced high and my friend thought it was worth a look but felt she lacked the spark for the money i.e. probably limited in scope, etc. Horse is still on the market, now £2000 less and more reasonable for the type. (friend got a total bargain via a mutual acquaintance where home was more important than price - those are of course always still around too!)

ETA: first horse £6000 now is £4000.
We reckon that last year that horse would have been advertised for about £3,500 and offers taken.

This is why im not looking now but keeping the word of mouth going. The scary thing is people are genuinely confident that their quirky, not very talented 'allrounder' ... that by the way doesnt hack alone and can be 'girthy' is worth a stupidly high sum of money!

 

[bubsqueaks]

It just doesnt make sense to me why prices have gone so high! Do you think its because people are bored & have more time on their hands?!
Im really not looking forward at all to advertising our Connie but must get his advert reading right so Im not inundated by novices who think theyre better than they are, without putting off the right person.
Im so pleased with how he's come on over the past 6 months, in no hurry to sell him as I know through first hand experience he simply must have that right rider that arent 10 to a penny.
For me its not the money I get but the home he gets.

 

[ycbm]

It just doesnt make sense to me why prices have gone so high! Do you think its because people are bored & have more time on their hands?!

That, plus a realisation that life is to short to wait another year to buy the horse you've always wanted, plus people have been furloughed or working from home saving shed loads of money by not commuting or buying coffee and sandwiches or eating out, and it's burning a hole in their pockets.

My recent purchase was a life's too short one.
.

 

[bubsqueaks]

That, plus a realisation that life is to short to wait another year to buy the horse you've always wanted, plus people have been furloughed or working from home saving shed loads of money by not commuting or buying coffee and sandwiches or eating out, and it's burning a hole in their pockets.

My recent purchase was a life's too short one.
.

Yes that makes sense, I did also think people are now concentrating more on getting their fun fix through hobbies & life around home more so wondered if this impacts too.
Oh I must have missed your recent purchase - hope he's what you hoped for.

 

[dorsetladette]

I think people are buying the expensive horses, but then expecting to keep them on a shoe string budget. (doable I know, with experience). I have an old grass livery advert floating round facebook somewhere and the amount of responses I have had in the last few weeks is getting a little silly now. I've left it up as I really wanted a second livery to make a herd of 4, but with so little grass I haven't pushed it.

I charge a little more than the average for the area for grass livery to try and avoid the idiots (still less than suggested on here). but people are not willing to pay an extra £10-£15 a month for grass livery, but will pay an extra £2k for the initial purchase - I don't get it!!

 

[Bernster]

That, plus a realisation that life is to short to wait another year to buy the horse you've always wanted, plus people have been furloughed or working from home saving shed loads of money by not commuting or buying coffee and sandwiches or eating out, and it's burning a hole in their pockets.

My recent purchase was a life's too short one.
.

Yep. Not so many holidays too, so people are doing fun stuff from home instead.

Red1 I’d really think about adding a bit more on. I’ve seen a few with very limited comp records that are 9k plus. One I saw was at 12k - nice type, looked a useful sort, but only done 2 be 90s which I don’t think would normally warrant that price tag.

 

[MissTyc]

I think people are buying the expensive horses, but then expecting to keep them on a shoe string budget. (doable I know, with experience). I have an old grass livery advert floating round facebook somewhere and the amount of responses I have had in the last few weeks is getting a little silly now. I've left it up as I really wanted a second livery to make a herd of 4, but with so little grass I haven't pushed it.

I charge a little more than the average for the area for grass livery to try and avoid the idiots (still less than suggested on here). but people are not willing to pay an extra £10-£15 a month for grass livery, but will pay an extra £2k for the initial purchase - I don't get it!!

Same on our yard. Getting people at the gate asking for grass livery for their new thoroughbred or warmblood "competition horse" ... Ours is a pony herd that lives our on very rough hillside grazing with a beautiful but unforgiving sea view. Laminitics and fatties welcome, but "big" horses tend not to make it. My own are just slightly more delicate than pony-type horses, and even they come down onto a track around a flat paddock with supplementary feeding for the winter as it wouldn't be possible to keep them out AND fit enough for the work they do.

 

[dorsetladette]

Same on our yard. Getting people at the gate asking for grass livery for their new thoroughbred or warmblood "competition horse" ... Ours is a pony herd that lives our on very rough hillside grazing with a beautiful but unforgiving sea view. Laminitics and fatties welcome, but "big" horses tend not to make it. My own are just slightly more delicate than pony-type horses, and even they come down onto a track around a flat paddock with supplementary feeding for the winter as it wouldn't be possible to keep them out AND fit enough for the work they do.

Yep. My advert states that the grazing is poor and only really suitable for good doers/natives. It also states I only want geldings (mine land my prerogative) and yet you get the messages that start - Hi, I've got 2 warmblood mares. . . . . . . . erm nope!!

 

[Kay Burton]

The market gets crazy right now. The prices are too high now I can see that. I am not sure how long it's going to take and everything becomes normal. The demand is too big now and I don't think it's a great time to buy it.

 

[bubsqueaks]

Im looking for a 14.2hh schoolmaster type for my 14 year old god-daughter & whereas normally there are a lot advertised at the end of the summer season I dont think due to the absence of a season this will happen this year, so I dont think prices for that type will decrease much.
I think you will get a lot advertised because people sadly just cant be bothered with what winter brings but looking around there would appear to be a short supply of good ones!