Are people put off buying thoroughbreds?

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JC1

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I have been thinking about getting a project to bring on to sell. I have seen a lovely little thoroughbred but wondered whether people are put off buying something just because it's thoroughbred.

Opinions please!
 
I also have a little tb i got as a project.

Mine has never raced - never went into training.

To me, this is preferable as he is a 'normal' horse having been backed at 3 etc.

Ive had others say its a disadvantage as he isnt eligable for retrained racers classes.


Im hoping that i will be ok to sell - he is reasonably priced etc but the amount of adverts / posts ive seen on here that say 'NO pure tb' shocks me.

So, in answer to your question i would say that yes, some people are put off.
 
I personally wouldn't buy a tb as a sell on project. They are more difficult to sell for a bigger price tag and a lot of people won't consider tb. If you want a project to make a bit of £ on, buy a MW/cobby type
 
I think people a) think they are all nutters
b) expect them to have issues
c) expect them to be cheap even if they have been retrained

I have one currently and sold one last year - both good characters to deal with mostly and both with ability - the sold one I think will be a nice dressage/showing horse as even at three years of age he offers a good outline and is naturally forward off your leg and the one I still have is one of the scopiest horses I have met and is quite forgiving when jumping so could be jumped by a novice or someone more expierienced. I think if you can sell a TB with some results behind it eg BS,BD etc people are more inclined to view it as the horse in front of them rather than 'oh it's a tb lets see how cheaper we can get it '
 
You could say that about a handful of other breeds though, so I find it a bit of an odd question to ask (but don't take that the wrong way :) )

I would of thought that most people (with any sense that is) would buy a TB because that is the breed they have chosen, for its characteristics and athletism etc.

There an all-round type of horse, can turn their hoof to most things and are one of the most popular breed of horse (or part breds) out there in the competition world.

So buying a TB to bring on and hopefully produce a good horse to sell on (providing your know what you’re doing and used to the breed), there I think personally a TB would be an excellent choice.
 
I wouldn't buy one as a sell on project unless planning to do some BE intros or similar as they are not popular in the RC market.

I will buy them for myself though ;)
 
Personally, if I were going to buy a TB it would be because I’d expect to get one cheaper than the equivalent WB/ISH. There are so many cheap TBs around I don’t think you expect to buy something cheap yourself, do a bit of work with it and then expect mega bucks for it.

However, I do think if you want something to bring on then getting a TB is a good way to go, you wouldn’t have to spend much and could end up with a super star, and if it didn’t work out, at least you wouldn’t have lost a load of money.
 
millitiger said:
I wouldn't buy one as a sell on project unless planning to do some BE intros or similar as they are not popular in the RC market.

I will buy them for myself though ;)
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Have to agree with this. I have a TB and am amazed how many people comment about how calm he is and they would never have a TB because they are mental/sharp etc. This is at riding club and unaffilated level which is a huge market you would be cutting yourself off from. It is a shame and I dont think its right but something you need to consider when buying a project to sell on and make a profit.
 
JC1 said:
I have been thinking about getting a project to bring on to sell. I have seen a lovely little thoroughbred but wondered whether people are put off buying something just because it's thoroughbred.

Opinions please!
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Personally yes, but that's only because I seem to get offered them FOC quite regularly. For any level a TB is more than adequate in capability, it's the people that want an easy ride that can't be bothered to put the effort in.
FWIW I wouldn't be buying anything as a project to sell on there is just no money in it for average folk, and the amount of idiots that call about the horses always put me off!
 
If I wanted a project I would buy a 14-15hh coloured cob for the mother/daughter share or RC market. Not my cup of tea at all but people love them as they are percieved as 'safe' and most people just want to hack and do the odd summer show.

I wouldnt buy a TB as a project for several reasons.

1. Expensive to keep which will eat into profit, need rugs, shoes, hard feed ect. Whereas a cob can live out and doesnt eat much.

2. The widest part of the market is the very bottom. Happy hackers, people who want safety and reliability, who want to pop a pole, do an RC show that sort of thing. They are also the people who are slightly less on the ball with wanting a bargain and have more disposable cash for their hobby. TB's are more suited to slightly more ambitious, knowledegable homes who need an athletic horse but are also wise enough (and competant enough) that they can buy cheaper and school on.

3. You will get more money for a cob then you will a TB for the reasons above - 2.5k for a retrained TB and between 3.5-5.5k for your trained cob.

HOWEVER if I wanted to do a competetion horse project I would pick a TB. Because you can find a nice one for very little and they have the ability to go up the grades. I think if you had a TB for a long term project and got good affilliated results then you can start looking at 7-8k but tbh with all the money you have spent in training, entry feeds, looking after costs its doubtful any money would made.

Would I buy a TB for personal use, yes definitly as I think they are amazing and 10x cheaper then warmbloods and to me just as good.. but I as a buyer would fall in to the number 2. catagory above so I wouldnt want to pay much for it and I would train it and keep it as my competition horse :).
 
To be fair, TBs do have their disadvantages. I have one and I love him dearly, but he has 'typical TB feet' according to my farrier which can prove costly. He is also a poor doer and costs a fortune in feed. He has sensitive skin and goes down with mud fever at the first sign of dew on the grass. Also, he never quite lost thinking that being in a group of horses meant he was at the races. Although he got much better, he had a year off competing when I had a baby, and went back to square one. Riding club people probably find it cheaper & easier to keep a cob.
 
FlashHarry said:
To be fair, TBs do have their disadvantages. I have one and I love him dearly, but he has 'typical TB feet' according to my farrier which can prove costly. He is also a poor doer and costs a fortune in feed. He has sensitive skin and goes down with mud fever at the first sign of dew on the grass. Also, he never quite lost thinking that being in a group of horses meant he was at the races. Although he got much better, he had a year off competing when I had a baby, and went back to square one. Riding club people probably find it cheaper & easier to keep a cob.
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That’s one TB though – doesn’t mean they are all like that! My dad has got one and he has non of the above problems, he hasn’t gone through a great deal of “retraining” either. There are a lot of coloured cobs on our yard and they seem to have sooooo much wrong with them, I really think stereotypes with horses are often a bit wrong!
 
I would 100% ditto Firewell.

I would never, never, never (etc) have considered a TB until my £8.5k ISH Adrian was a write-off from EPSM & I didn't have the funds to stump up for another expensive horse so soon after buying Adrian. Cue ex-racer...who is fab. Calmer than my ISH who was super-calm himself, fast learner, sooooo athletic.

Now that my new o/h is getting back into riding, I will def actively be looking for another TB at some stage, but I would still expect it to be cheaper than ISH/WB/cob.
 
Mine is a good doer and so laid back I have a novice sharer who hacks him. He's is probably one of the easiest horses on the yards.
But none of that matters, a friend who is a fairly experienced rider said she would never get on any tb and you do have that prejudice.

On the other hand if its seriously cheap, there still might be room to make a profit as long as you take into account people's perceptions.
 
FlashHarry said:
To be fair, TBs do have their disadvantages. I have one and I love him dearly, but he has 'typical TB feet' according to my farrier which can prove costly. He is also a poor doer and costs a fortune in feed. He has sensitive skin and goes down with mud fever at the first sign of dew on the grass. Also, he never quite lost thinking that being in a group of horses meant he was at the races. Although he got much better, he had a year off competing when I had a baby, and went back to square one. Riding club people probably find it cheaper & easier to keep a cob.
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you are basing your opinion on a whole breed, 100,000's of horses, because of your experience with one though.

Mine has beautiful feet (happy barefoot and working), takes nothing to feed and looks great on thin air, happy to canter in a group, doesn't get mud fever and has lovely limbs.

She has a few quirks but I have also ridden plenty of quirky ISHs, warmbloods and heinz 57s.
 
Hi! Good luck with your project. I would love to have a go at this myself! I was lucky enough to be gifted an ex racehorse from a trainer and he is the best horse I have ever known. His manners are to die for, he is so affectionate and safe as houses to ride, he never bolts, will canter super politely behind or in front of others, even if the other one bolts. I cannot fault him in any way! It took me a bit of cash to get him sorted physically when I first got him, but he is actually a good doer with fab feet etc. A couple of other liveries have also had horses from this trainer and they are all lovely. On the whole yard which is a mix of tbs, cobs, ponys etc, the tbs are by far the easiest. It is such a shame they have such a stigma. I made the mistake of spending thousands on a wb years ago, it was a disaster! My current horse is far better and would do far more! I would never go down that road again, I'd rather stick to giving homes to deserving tb freebies!!!!!! Shame there are not more people out there willing to give the poor rejects off the racetrack a chance to have a loving home rather than be dumped on the scrapheap. Think it is an area which should be promoted! :)
 
TB's are easily enough sold as long as you choose the right one. It has to have something about it, a really outstanding character, looks, athleticsm and presence and give a very nice ride. Then like any good horse, it will sell well.
People make the mistake of buying horses that are too ordinary in looks/character and ride quality.
 
I think Militiger has hit the nail on the head. If you're looking to produce as a competition horse and doing at least a few Intros before selling on, then worth a punt. But if you're looking to produce as a nice all rounder / riding club type, you'll struggle.
 
I'd consider one for myself to keep, but I wouldn't as a project. I think ponies are far easier to sell that horses, especially native ones. They're also cheaper to keep than horses generally ;) I wouldn't buy a TB as a project purely because they dont seem to fetch much money and so many people are biased against them.
 
I have one which I am bringing on, accured for next to nothing, he is very genuine calm laid back good feet and willing to please and a quick learner. And also a big bonus pretty.

I do not need to sell him for much to make decent money and when I do I will be upset to see him go ( would keep if I had the time he is a real genuine sweety )

So in answer to the op question I would certainly consider a tb as long as it was cheap enough in the first place.

My trainer says the majority of tb are like mine in temperament it is the monority not the majority that they get their reputation from.
 
TB for myself - definately, have had a few and to be fair, have very very rarely seen the "nutty" TB. However, with a TB, with the large numbers of cheap ex racehorses on the market, they are often seriously undervalued and people expect bargains! When I have seen horses on the yard being produced for sale - the ones that virtually fly out are no bigger than 15.2, nicely put together but not say show level, done a bit of everything in a low key way and are fairly forgiving. Those go for very good money and quickly. However if you were going to take a TB on to say, event as a project - run a couple of intros, then I would say you would get a reasonable return on that as results speak loudest for eventing!
 
If I were in the market for a new horse, Id actively seek out a TB I think, because I am drawn to the RoR classes and also really miss having a TB, I have had several and have loved them all. When I looked for my current horse I wasnt looking for a specific type - she's a WB and I was torn between her an a beautiful little tb, and if Im totally honest I still wonder about the tb. I think you get as many people who love TBs as avoid them. A lot of the rc types I know (Im not a serious competitor, I p*ss about at a very poor rc level) go for temperament and fun factor as opposed to type. Id always get one straight off the track - and all the ones Ive had have always been straightforward, sound, sane good doers - as opposed to a retrained horse, but I know of plenty who would pay up to maybe £4k for a retrained racehorse with a few competition placings and the ability to hack/hunt safely.
 
I think tb's are more difficult to sell on as there are many naughty ones and also many sold with WILL REACH THE TOP POTENTIAL or TOP EVENT PROSPECT and actually are just as normal average as your blade of grass
 
OneInAMillion said:
I think tb's are more difficult to sell on as there are many naughty ones and also many sold with WILL REACH THE TOP POTENTIAL or TOP EVENT PROSPECT and actually are just as normal average as your blade of grass
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Really? I have never met a naughty TB honestly. All the ones I have known have been genuine and honest horses, all I can suppose is that you have met TB's owned by people who don't know what they are doing.

Agree some are average, it's like any breed of horse some are better examples then others.
 
firewell said:
Really? I have never met a naughty TB honestly. All the ones I have known have been genuine and honest horses, all I can suppose is that you have met TB's owned by people who don't know what they are doing.

Agree some are average, it's like any breed of horse some are better examples then others.
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Here here!!

I should add that my current one has feet as hardy as native pony and works hard on all sort of ground barefoot. She is well on 2 scoops of pony nuts and some sugar beet a day so not expensive to keep! Shes polite and lovely but does have to be managed carefully though as she is a bit busy.

I think if your going to keep as a long term project and maybe get some BD points or some results at BE or BS then a tb is good. If its more short term you might be better with something less sporty!!

I think mid level people perhaps dont want the faf of something thats a bit hectic (sometimes I am included in that bracket!!) I think that people that want a horse to compete (esp out eventing) are far less likely to be put of by the horse being a tb so depends what you and your tb want to do!! I also think that if I wanted to sell my 1, the only sort of people that I would let have her would be people that wouldnt give 2 hoots about her being a tb and would want her to go out and go jumping (or boring BD lol)
 
I bought an ex racer last year to bring on and sell this spring/summer.

I'm now seriously considering keeping him for myself-he is the sweetest, easiest horse I have ever met. He went to his first competition last weekend, was an absolute angel and got placed. They are definitely not all crazy!
 
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