Buying an Ex-Racehorse from the Sales/Trainer- any advice?

[orangepony]

Pretty much as title really.
Been to look at couple at a trainers yard already (and fell in total love with one but some complications with who 'actually' owned it); and feel that something which is a preferable 'blank canvas' is what I looking for. I have been studying the brightwells catalogue avidly for the last 3 days and have made a shortlist of a few that seem interesting and might fit what i am looking for (baby level eventing). Having bought from auctions (goresbridge) before, (although with mummy's support!) I'm not totally worried but just a little concerned that these bloodstock auctions might be a different kettle of fish!? As in, at goresbridge everything was vetted and lunged/ridden depending on individual experience- is it simply a case of beady eyes at the ready with the bloodstock auctions?!
I have scoured the re-homing sites, and although there are some gorgeous re-trained ponies, and I am hoping to offer a forever home and don't mind putting the work in; I still like the flexibility of actually 'owning' my horses.
(Or if anyone on here knows of any who are looking for a loving experienced home please do PM me!).
Any advice is really appreciated; I think I am more concerned with the procedure of 'auction buying' than anything else!
Thanks for getting this far

 

[stilltrying]

No advice other than to say i'm watching with interest as in similar position to you

 

[cptrayes]

If you can get to Doncaster you can vet on the day if they are not sold as seen. There is a panel of vets on standby. At Ascot you have 48 hours from when they are sold to vet against the warranty if they are warranted, but you have to get them back there if they fail.

Doncaster tends to be cheaper than Ascot, less money around oop north


Bidding will be the same as other sales, but it's in Guineas so you need to add 5% for pounds. You can have them trotted up before they go into the ring. Get there early and you can view them all in their boxes and see how sharp they seem to be.

LOVELY horses go through at 500gns. Transporters are on site and you can also stable free at Doncaster overnight and pick up next day.

Unless you are fixed on a mare, buy a gelding. MOST ex racers make lovely riding horses in time, but more mares, in my experience, are tricky than geldings. A mare is just a slightly bigger risk, and why risk it?

Big horses can fetch quite a lot, but at a mixed sale you'll be spoilt for choice of 3 and 4 year old too-slow racers in the 15 to 16 hands size.

It's great fun and you'll end up with a smashing horse for almost no money. I only gave it up because I had to sell them after six months to a year and the market for ex racers got too difficult to find them really nice homes. If you have the skills to retrain it, do it!!!

 

[FestiveBoomBoom]

When are the Doncaster sales??

 

[cptrayes]

Every month or so. Google Doncaster Bloodstock Auctions. Free catalogues online.

 

[all about Romeo]

If you can get to Doncaster you can vet on the day if they are not sold as seen. There is a panel of vets on standby. At Ascot you have 48 hours from when they are sold to vet against the warranty if they are warranted, but you have to get them back there if they fail.

Doncaster tends to be cheaper than Ascot, less money around oop north


Bidding will be the same as other sales, but it's in Guineas so you need to add 5% for pounds. You can have them trotted up before they go into the ring. Get there early and you can view them all in their boxes and see how sharp they seem to be.

LOVELY horses go through at 500gns. Transporters are on site and you can also stable free at Doncaster overnight and pick up next day.

Unless you are fixed on a mare, buy a gelding. MOST ex racers make lovely riding horses in time, but more mares, in my experience, are tricky than geldings. A mare is just a slightly bigger risk, and why risk it?

Big horses can fetch quite a lot, but at a mixed sale you'll be spoilt for choice of 3 and 4 year old too-slow racers in the 15 to 16 hands size.

It's great fun and you'll end up with a smashing horse for almost no money. I only gave it up because I had to sell them after six months to a year and the market for ex racers got too difficult to find them really nice homes. If you have the skills to retrain it, do it!!!

I am thinking along the lines of doing this in the near future... but was also worried about the auction style buying! this is great information thank you x

 

[Pampered Ponies]

Not sure of exact dates but there is usually quite a big sale at Doncaster in the first week of August - both NH and Flat horses. As was suggested look online - think it is Doncaster Bloodstock you need to google.

I don't know of one at the minute but if you PM me your details I can ask at one of the yards I know (NH).

Good luck in finding what you want.

 

[Mariposa]

Doncaster tends to be cheaper than Ascot, less money around oop north

There are stil deals to be had as Ascot - if you wait until the October/November sales you can pick up some really lovely horses for peanuts, I got a lovely filly for £200 and my friends got some for the same.

I love going to the sales, its just such good fun, even if you don't find the right horse. That said I am still kicking myself for missing out on a lovely Indian Ridge filly at the April sales at Ascot, she went for just a little too much, I should have just gone for it.

Also Jim Boyle puts ex-racers needing new homes on Facebook, there were some gorgeous horses on there recently! https://www.facebook.com/JimBoyleExRacehorses

 

[Spotsrock]

I got mine direct from trainer and he's awesome! No advice, I found mine by mistake I wasn't looking. Just wanted to offer encouragement and wish u luck.

 

[Miss L Toe]

Pretty much as title really.
Been to look at couple at a trainers yard already (and fell in total love with one but some complications with who 'actually' owned it); and feel that something which is a preferable 'blank canvas' is what I looking for. I have been studying the brightwells catalogue avidly for the last 3 days and have made a shortlist of a few that seem interesting and might fit what i am looking for (baby level eventing). Having bought from auctions (goresbridge) before, (although with mummy's support!) I'm not totally worried but just a little concerned that these bloodstock auctions might be a different kettle of fish!? As in, at goresbridge everything was vetted and lunged/ridden depending on individual experience- is it simply a case of beady eyes at the ready with the bloodstock auctions?!
I have scoured the re-homing sites, and although there are some gorgeous re-trained ponies, and I am hoping to offer a forever home and don't mind putting the work in; I still like the flexibility of actually 'owning' my horses.
(Or if anyone on here knows of any who are looking for a loving experienced home please do PM me!).
Any advice is really appreciated; I think I am more concerned with the procedure of 'auction buying' than anything else!
Thanks for getting this far

I understand the problem of bidding, but you can probably put your bid "on the book" so that the auctioneer just has your bid there, I would discuss with auctioneer, he may tell you of an local agent who be your "experienced friend, and will bid for you [small fee]. Either way you may need to prove your financial credit worthy-ness.
I would consider the payment to an agent to go round with you is money well spent even if you buy nothing. first thing is yo go through the catalogue and eliminate non starters, ie ones you can't afford!
Some bloodstock sales have very poor standards or guarantees, compared with others.
As you don't want to buy a racehorse, you will be buying at the poorer sales ie Ascot not Doncaster.
Re ownership, this is registered with Weatherby's, there should never be any problem, owners may have defaulted on training fees?
Personally as I have been "in racing" I would be talking to the trainer, but it would have to be someone with no "axe to grind"
PS, sorry but don't go round "falling in love", toughen up!!!

 

[Tammytoo]

You could contact the trainers direct - they are usually very honest about their horses and you can see them ridden and chat to their lad about them.

Have you tried Darley Rehoming, they actually sell their horses after a 3 month trial period, for a nominal sum.

Good luck - they are the most rewarding horses and don't be put off by mares, I've had three and they've all been stars. Very sensitive, but aren't we all, ladies!

 

[Miss L Toe]

Chestnuts rule OK!

 

[superpony]

I was at Doncaster a few weeks ago and there were lots of bargains! The minimum bid there is 800 and there were some unraced horses with unfashionable breeding going for this. Also if they don't make the reserve price or minimum bid it's always worth going and having a chat with them afterwards quite often you can get a good deal.

Do take someone with you who knows what they are doing if you can though. And if a classy well bred horse is going cheap there is often a reason, the trainers/buyers all know each other and often there is something they know that people on the outside dont!!

 

[cptrayes]

Do take someone with you who knows what they are doing if you can though. And if a classy well bred horse is going cheap there is often a reason, the trainers/buyers all know each other and often there is something they know that people on the outside dont!!

I completely agree with this but don't forget that what is wrong with a 3 or 4 year old is very often "it's too slow", which is no drawback at all for a non-racing home I didn't buy anything older than 4 because I thought the risk of a hidden injury or disease was too high in an older horse and the price I was buying at was not worth paying for a vetting.

I got carried away once and paid 2,000gns at the height of the horse selling market for a stunning black 15.2 4 year old son of Law Society who had sold as a yearling for 40,000gns When I took him out in company and my friends cantered off he stood and watched them go, waving goodbye very politely. He just wasn't interested in racing! (I sold him for a lot more than I paid for him once I had taken him to some showjumping and a couple of dressage competitions)

If you have a fixed budget and cannot trust yourself not to fall for a nice horse that's too expensive, then I recommend that you take cash (in a body belt!) and leave your cards at home, so you cannot possibly bid over your budget.

 

[cptrayes]

As you don't want to buy a racehorse, you will be buying at the poorer sales ie Ascot not Doncaster.

I have been at Ascot twice with friends who bought and I bought many times myself at Doncaster. I do not recognise this description, which I have seen from other posters too, as Ascot being the only place to get the cheap horses.

Yes, Doncaster sells expensive horses more often than Ascot. Yes Doncaster has a much higher AVERAGE price than Ascot. But that is not because Doncaster does not have cheap horses in volume, because it does. It just means that they sell a few that go for a lot of money that raises the average right up.

Anyone in the North of the country looking to buy a cheap ex racer at auction, Doncaster is the place for doing it.

 

[Miss L Toe]

I have been at Ascot twice with friends who bought and I bought many times myself at Doncaster. I do not recognise this description, which I have seen from other posters too, as Ascot being the only place to get the cheap horses.

Yes, Doncaster sells expensive horses more often than Ascot. Yes Doncaster has a much higher AVERAGE price than Ascot. But that is not because Doncaster does not have cheap horses in volume, because it does. It just means that they sell a few that go for a lot of money that raises the average right up.

Anyone in the North of the country looking to buy a cheap ex racer at auction, Doncaster is the place for doing it.

I was thinking that a lot of peeps on here are looking for a TB at £500 [eeks], if the min bid at Doncaster is £800, plus commission and so on, the horse will be over £1000 by the time it is on the lorry. I would rather buy a decent horse at Doncaster than anywhere, but I would be looking for one to race, not that I have a lot of experience, only Newmarket: the atmosphere is fantastic, prices astronomic, and Doncaster: prices reasonable and the range of horses at any one sale is much greater.

 

[Oberon]

Gosh.

I want to go buy a TB now

Bad HHO!!!

 

[Lanky Loll]

We've bought from both Ascot and Doncaster - and paid more at Doncaster But then that was out of the HIT sales for a mare to go into training - although she is now in the process of being reschooled to be my riding horse as it turned out she didn't like being in training.

As others have said ask questions before you go to the sales, some trainers will allow you to go and try before the sale, just go through the book and look at the descriptions they will often tell you - there is one frequent vendor at Ascot that has them all on a website.
Look the horse up on the RP site and see what it says about how it ran, also see if you can view vids of it's races to see if it matches what you've been told.

When you get to the sales the horses will have been looked over by the vet - again if you check the catalogue it will tell you in the conditions of sale if anything has been found.
Have a look at the horse in the yard at the sale, you can ask for it to be trotted up and spend some time having a good look over.
Then when you get into the ring don't get carried away - the better horses will have been noticed by others but you can often still get a bargain.

Good luck!

 

[cptrayes]

When you get to the sales the horses will have been looked over by the vet - again if you check the catalogue it will tell you in the conditions of sale if anything has been found.

This was not true of Doncaster last time I bought, or of Ascot when my friends bought. The situation when I last bought was as follows.

At Ascot, there are warranties and you have 48 hours to vet at home and return against the warranty. Soem of those warranties are against a vetting certificate and some are simply declared "sound in wind, heart, eye and action" or words to that effect.

At Doncaster, horses can be sold with a vet certificate and examined against that certificate but I am not sure when or how long after you can return them. I think it has to be done on the day.

But most at Doncaster are sold "subject to vet" or "as it stands". "Subject to vet" means that they can be vetted at the sales by one of a panel of vets on the day after bidding and before paying. You can also have a blood test of any horse, for a fee, to prove thay they are not drugged at the time of sale.

 

[Lanky Loll]

This was not true of Doncaster last time I bought, or of Ascot when my friends bought. The situation when I last bought was as follows.

At Ascot, there are warranties and you have 48 hours to vet at home and return against the warranty.

At Doncaster, horses can be sold with a vet certificate and examined against that certificate but I am not sure when or how long after you can return them.

But most at Doncaster are sold "subject to vet" which means that they can be vetted at the sales by one of a panel of vets on the day after bidding and before paying.

Sorry yes CPT they are subject to vet so you do have that opportunity. but they will also disclose operations such as tie-backs, vices such as windsucking / weaving in the catalogue.

From the Brightwells site for complete clarity:
Veterinary procedure
All horses are sold subject to veterinary re-examination as per condition 8, sold as they stand as per condition 9, or sold subject to veterinary re-examination of wind only as per condition 10.

If a horse is sold subject to veterinary examination or veterinary re-examination of wind only, then the purchaser must request that the horse be examined by the veterinary panel on the day of sale. This examination is £150.00 including VAT.

Purchasers must notify the office that they require examination within 1 hour of the time of purchase.

If the purchaser fails to take advantage of the sale day veterinary examination then they cannot thereafter make complaint of matters, which would have been covered by the sale day veterinary examination.

 

[PercyMum]

I wussed out of the sales as I dont want to pay more than I wanted and I am notoriously unlucky when it comes to buying horses...

I contacted ROR and asked for good trainers that brought their horses on nicely. Then I phoned them up and went to look at a few. In the end I bought one that had been sold on but to a guy who turned them away for 6 months, gave them the basics and sold them on for a small profit. I paid very little (compared to my other horses) for my little orange mare. WIthout a doubt she is the best horse I have had (bar the allergies to just about anything!!).

Good luck and I'm secretly very envious - you are much braver than me! Have fun!

 

[wainhillmover]

I decided to get an ex-racer for similar reasons - wanted to offer a permanent home and didn't mind putting the work in.

I also ideally wanted something that would go low level eventing. So, I googled local racing yards (I was living near epsom at the time, so pretty easy), explained what I wanted and what I had to offer in return (a high quality, knowledgable, permanent home with previous experience of owning thoroughbreds). I was overwhelmed by the response - ALL trainers I spoke to were, without fail, helpful and those that had horses for sale were more than happy for me to go along and take a look - they just wanted their horses that had finished racing to go to nice homes.

The upside of doing it this way is that you can spend a bit of time looking over the horse and trying to assess his character in his home environment. You can also see where he's come from so it helps you to understand some of his behaviour when you take him out of that environment.

I suppose the only thing to bear in mind is it is a professional environment and they are very busy people, so although you get more time with the horses than you would at the sales, you still need to be quite succinct and business-like. That was my experience anyway.

So, I bought my boy directly off the trainer (who allowed me to do a full vetting prior to purchase) and I couldn't have been happier with him (although he was not for the faint-hearted initially, he grew into an incredible horse - xc machine).

Sadly, I lost him to navicular and associated complications last year, but I would do it all again in a heart beat.

Incidentally, I now have another ex-racer that I came across "by accident" (he was given to me by people who had re-homed him from racing but found him too difficult - he had run out of options, so I decided to take him on). I'm bringing him on quietly and he is a lovely boy - easier than his predecessor, but I hope just as talented!

Good luck - whichever way you decide to get your hands of one of these fantastic beasts!