Cheap Horses

McNally

McNally

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 February 2009
Messages
1,579
Visit site
I was browsing this weekend and noticed a lot of horses for sale around the country very cheaply.
Eg- A coloured 12yr 16.2 who had done BSJA quiet hack etc £1000 ono, yes he was slightly wintery looking but so is the horse priced at £5k the next page over.
A gorgeous sounding mare done all local shows been placed dressage and s/j done p/c R/C etc 10 yr old £1200.
but the bit that really surprised me was that bearing in mind i am looking for something super safe and sensible to accompany my daughter and young pony there were several UNDER £900 that sounded suitable.
These were not elderly write offs but nice sounding all rounders - I realize that adverts can be very misleading but why so many cheap horses and can they be as good as they sound?
Unfortunately my horse saving fund is about £300 so far and nothing quite THAT cheap ;-)
 
Why so many cheap horses? Because lots of people are struggling to afford them with the state of the economy at the moment, a hard winter with the cost of hay and haylage having rocketed, fuel bills meaning people are finding it difficult to afford petrol or diesel for day to day living let alone horses etc.
 
its a buyers market at the moment. make the most of it if you can afford it. if found a georgous horse im veiwing tomorrow for £500!!
 
Yes i suppose, maybe the owners of the horses who look as good but are hugely more expensive are just in a better position to hold out for more money?

BSJA- I know i just commented on your thread lol- good luck! x
 
i do agree that its a buyers market at the moment.
I think more and more sellers are having to be realistic as every week that goes by, there are livery costs etc so its better to seller for lower and 'get rid' of the financial commitment.
I do think though that regardless of the economy there are always bargins to be had (i have always been stingy what i pay for horses!) you just have to be super careful and dont let your heart rule your head.
Are you going to go and view any of them? Its always so exciting new horse shopping!
 
There are def bargains to be had as people are getting into tricky financial situations what with costs rising, job losses etc. There are also horses that are no bargain at all - poorly put together souls that are shipped over from ireland, fake 'rescues' etc. I would stay still go in with your eyes open as a horse is no bargain if it is a walking vets bill.
 
luckilotti said:
i do agree that its a buyers market at the moment.
I think more and more sellers are having to be realistic as every week that goes by, there are livery costs etc so its better to seller for lower and 'get rid' of the financial commitment.QUOTE]

You'd be surprised, not all sellers have livery costs you know. When horses are kept at home there is little cost difference with an extra one or not. Sure that many sellers with very nice horses (like myself), that whilst we would like to sell are definately not selling for peanuts & are able to wait until market improves. No way would I sell our babies for next to nothing, they are quality & that always holds its price.
Click to expand...
 
pip6 said:
luckilotti said:
i do agree that its a buyers market at the moment.
I think more and more sellers are having to be realistic as every week that goes by, there are livery costs etc so its better to seller for lower and 'get rid' of the financial commitment.QUOTE]

You'd be surprised, not all sellers have livery costs you know. When horses are kept at home there is little cost difference with an extra one or not. Sure that many sellers with very nice horses (like myself), that whilst we would like to sell are definately not selling for peanuts & are able to wait until market improves. No way would I sell our babies for next to nothing, they are quality & that always holds its price.
Click to expand...

I know, I am in the same boat as yourself :) , there are a few i would like to sell but wont let them go for peanuts and i have the facilities and money to keep them long term so dont have to sell (i do sometimes think i have a screw loose though as i have 11, with 2 foals on the way this year). But on the flip side of the coin - i am a YO and it's amazing how many calls i have had the last few weeks from a couple of ex liveries offering me their horses for either free or next to nothing - as they cant afford the upkeep anymore and every extra week they have them, is really making they struggle, one is now thinking she will loose her house.
Click to expand...
 
McNally said:
I was browsing this weekend and noticed a lot of horses for sale around the country very cheaply.
Eg- A coloured 12yr 16.2 who had done BSJA quiet hack etc £1000 ono, yes he was slightly wintery looking but so is the horse priced at £5k the next page over.
A gorgeous sounding mare done all local shows been placed dressage and s/j done p/c R/C etc 10 yr old £1200.
but the bit that really surprised me was that bearing in mind i am looking for something super safe and sensible to accompany my daughter and young pony there were several UNDER £900 that sounded suitable.
These were not elderly write offs but nice sounding all rounders - I realize that adverts can be very misleading but why so many cheap horses and can they be as good as they sound?
Unfortunately my horse saving fund is about £300 so far and nothing quite THAT cheap ;-)
Click to expand...

There's a free one on NFED - 16.1hh gelding 17 years old . . . .
 
I hate to sound pessimistic, but last year I spent almost 4 months viewing many, many horses before I found my Mr Right! The vast majority of the horses I viewed either did NOT live up to their adverts claims, or omitted to mention glaringly off putting vices, or problems, which were only discovered upon viewing the horse. In the end I had to pay top money for a truly nice, genuine, sound, all-rounder.
 
I agree that there are people taking advantage of the current economic issues and selling problem horses cheap under the banner of "can no longer afford" but there are also many more genuine people like myself that circumstances change and have to sell up.
I did everything for my horse. I had him at the best stables in the area, he never went without anything and both myself and OH gave up allot to afford him but it got to the point where no more savings could be made and we just couldn't afford the £250 (average) monthly outlay for a horse.
When the OH is working a night shift overtime just so you can pay a hay bill and your looking around the house for items to sell because a tyre has gone on your car but you can't afford a new one until pay day...asking for an extra £20 for a trim and an extra £17 for a wormer just was no longer fair.
So yes i sold my horse and i sold him cheap. However, i didn't sell him to the first person who flashed the cash. I checked them out and asked them as many questions as they asked me. I viewed their yard, asked their YO about them.
This might have been OTT but i wanted my horse to go to the best home possible. It wasn't his fault i could no longer afford so although i needed the money i wasn't going to sell to just anyone.

That's the difference to someone who is genuinely selling up and someone who is taking advantage of the current climate and if your a genuine buyer and not just some time-waster or someone who's buying up cheap horses hoping the market will pick up, then you won't mind a genuine seller being fussy about where their horse goes to.

You have to be pretty naive if you think a home is for life...you never know what is around the corner.
 
Cheap horses will always be cheap, quality horses make a decent price because the seller knows they'll sell, or they do as some have said, and as I did, hang onto them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top