First Timer at Goresbridge...any tips?

N

natandthat

Member
Joined
7 September 2011
Messages
14
Visit site
Hi,

First time forum user and first time Goresbridge visitor! Just wondering if anyone has any tips about visiting the sales?

We fly out on the Sunday and plan to spend all day Monday at Goresbridge, getting a feel for things in preparation for hopefully getting a 3yo 15.2-16.2 eventing type within the next twelve months.

What sort of price should we expect to pay, where's cheapest to stay etc? Any advice would be a great help!

Thanks in Advance!
 
Hi,
If you ring O'Donohues at Goresbridge 059 977 5145 I'm sure they will give you the numbers of local B&Bs. I would imagine you will pay less than €40 per night.
I'm afraid I would be crystal ball gazing if I attempted to give you prices for event horses.
Here's the link for the catalogue which I'm sure you probably have already. http://www.irishhorse.com/Catalogues/SH/SeptemberSH.pdf

Get there early, have your research done from the catalogue and find the ones you want to see them jumping.

There are specialist event horse sales at Monart & Tattersalls coming up too. All horses have been pre-selected for the sale by a specialist panel, including William Fox Pitt.

http://www.monartequestrian.com/monart/horse-sale/

http://www.tattersalls.ie/events/press_release36.php

Best of luck, let us know how you get on.
 
Main thing is once you have made a successful purchase still get it vetted after sale even if they have been pre sale vetted. Usually about 100 or so Euro but worth it in case anything goes ary!

Have fun as it is a good experience the sales.:)
 
Havn't been to Goresbridge for a while, but last sales at Cavan nice unbroken 3 yr olds with event type & breeding were making from €1,800 - €5,000. LOTS of horses there: NOT too many I'd have parted with money to take home.
 
Thanks guys, not going with the intention of buying this time but could probably be persuaded if something nice enough crops up within budget!

Really excited just for the experience, will let you all know how we get on anyway. If anybody can recommend a B&B that they've been to, that would be MUCH appreciated. If not will just ring one of the ones suggested on Goresbridge's site. The Monart and Tattersalls sale looks like a good one too- thanks for that maxie! And would DEFINITELY get a revetting! Just need to brush up on commission and conversion rates now!

Thanks again everyone!
 
Rarely start the sales ring on time and can go on long into the night! First thing in the morning they'll only be a few horses on site. They drift in throughout the day. It takes a while to get used to the fast-talking auctioneers with strong Irish accents and the jargon, eg jumps fence, drain, ditch - not necessarily what it means in English! Overall, a great experience though and some bargains to be had.

The popular B&Bs will be booked up well in advance by their regulars.
 
Travel and accommodation all sorted :) Hopefully get to the sales for about 9AM and have a good look round before the selling begins! Already had a fair bit of difficulty with strong Irish accents on the phone so looking forward to the challenge in person!

Had a quick look through the catalogue and highlighted a few to look at but will definitely be considering the horse in front of us, not the one on the page.
 
I went in march or april and there were so absolute stunners going for €1800 max. Had a fab time and the family who own the yard treated us so well, we stayed in a b&b in the village who also bought on and sold dun connie ponies- they offered to take us hunting haha.
Get there early and look at everything, watch the ones you like in the schools and ask for them to be trotted up and just go from there!
had a brilliant time and will certainly go back so i hope you have the same experience :)
 
Have a good look at all the horses before they go through the ring, they will walk and trot them up for you. Take note on the horses you are interested in and only go into the ring when they are up for sale.
If you think you will buy this time take only what you can afford to spend plus fees, vetting costs etc. That way you can't go overbudget!
 
Had a lovely time and might have accidentally brought a three year old back with me... It's ok though, she's lovely and has been an absolute sweetheart so far!
Really enjoyed the auction and Ireland in general, the auctioneers talk SO fast though.

She came over with Dunlop horse transport, last Thursday,who I was really pleased with, arrived very fresh (albeit at midnight and on the main road) and started munching straight away. Have kept her in an isolation paddock and am having her shoes off next monday, then it's down to business.

She's the most affectionate little 15.3 Bay Mare who is taking everything in her stride and just wants to be cuddled. She'd been lightly loose jumped and was in the top ten at the RDS at Dublin as far as I can remember. Had her revetted and she passed very easily and is already improving with being groomed and having her hooves picked up and out (which was a bit of an issue to start with).

Will keep you all updated anyway!
 
Its easy to spot the English people a mile off there... I think it's quite funny tbh!

I tend to look like a tramp, so no-one knows I am English until I open my mouth!
 
natandthat said:
Had a lovely time and might have accidentally brought a three year old back with me... It's ok though, she's lovely and has been an absolute sweetheart so far!
Really enjoyed the auction and Ireland in general, the auctioneers talk SO fast though.

She came over with Dunlop horse transport, last Thursday,who I was really pleased with, arrived very fresh (albeit at midnight and on the main road) and started munching straight away. Have kept her in an isolation paddock and am having her shoes off next monday, then it's down to business.

She's the most affectionate little 15.3 Bay Mare who is taking everything in her stride and just wants to be cuddled. She'd been lightly loose jumped and was in the top ten at the RDS at Dublin as far as I can remember. Had her revetted and she passed very easily and is already improving with being groomed and having her hooves picked up and out (which was a bit of an issue to start with).

Will keep you all updated anyway!
Click to expand...

Pics please!!!!!

What were the prices/quality like?

I was hoping to go but have decided to leave it until March...
 
Couldn't managed to upload a picture and don't have many of her as yet anyway- will take one tomorrow and figure it all out! Her name is Milly and she has big donkey ears and a little toothpaste esque smudge on her muzzle. She has taken a liking to sucking people's fingers too...


Price wise, there was LOTS not selling and some really lovely (but too big for me) horses going for 1300Euro. Most that was selling was around the two grand mark i'd have said, but a sweet, rangy Ricardo Z 3yo sold at about 800Euro- serious bargain!

There were some that screamed 'happy hacker' and some that were real quality. A Harlequin gelding made the most whilst we were there- think it was 7000Euro but it was pretty special! Overall really enjoyed it and learned a lot from it. Would definitely go again. Met some lovely people too.


PS How do i upload a picture?
 
Last edited:
natandthat said:
Had a lovely time and might have accidentally brought a three year old back with me... It's ok though, she's lovely and has been an absolute sweetheart so far!
Really enjoyed the auction and Ireland in general, the auctioneers talk SO fast though.

She came over with Dunlop horse transport, last Thursday,who I was really pleased with, arrived very fresh (albeit at midnight and on the main road) and started munching straight away. Have kept her in an isolation paddock and am having her shoes off next monday, then it's down to business.

She's the most affectionate little 15.3 Bay Mare who is taking everything in her stride and just wants to be cuddled. She'd been lightly loose jumped and was in the top ten at the RDS at Dublin as far as I can remember. Had her revetted and she passed very easily and is already improving with being groomed and having her hooves picked up and out (which was a bit of an issue to start with).

Will keep you all updated anyway!
Click to expand...

She sounds nice. Gosh the horse prices were cheap. Id love to go but Id need someone knowledgeable to go with me. Do they just have 2stage vettings at the sale?
 
i spoke to an irish transport guy last night and he is transporting horse from all the sale in ireland and they are rangeing from £300 for tb mares to £18000 for nice horses, but quality is still selling regardless of what many here??!!
 
316909_10150387806976287_574681286_10511526_806497352_n.jpg

314891_10150387816616287_574681286_10511593_303293884_n.jpg

301194_10150387805381287_574681286_10511515_1912488567_n.jpg
 
Last edited:
Finally managed to upload pictures!! Took her in the school for the first time today, it's quite scary in there with tractors, trampolines and other horses around three sides and she was a very good girl! I'm aware the lunging cavesson is too big but it will have to do for the time being.
 
Congratulations, I was really tempted to go , but chickened out!

Was it easy to find a transporter to bring her back?

I might go at the end of October. The sales results should be in this weeks Irish Field, so I'll have a look to see how much the ones I liked went for.
 
The vetting they get is a two stage as far as I'm aware...
As for a transporter, the people we bought her from introduced us to ours (who really were very good) but past that, there were a few people bobbing around in coats with company names on/ a car park full of arctics so i can't imagine it being too difficult! Just be careful, you hear bad things about some of them!!

I'm very pleased with her, she will be the first horse i break myself so her diddiness should be to our advantage. Seems very easy going and willing so far!
 
dieseldog said:
Congratulations, I was really tempted to go , but chickened out!

Was it easy to find a transporter to bring her back?

I might go at the end of October. The sales results should be in this weeks Irish Field, so I'll have a look to see how much the ones I liked went for.
Click to expand...

Dieseldog - if you're going in October let me know. I might come with you.

Natandthat -were they all youngsters at the auction?
 
Cavaletti, the 2nd week (6 days I believe) was all 3 year olds. The previous week there was a couple of days of 4 year olds, a day of older horses (5 plus) and of course a day of ponies.
 
Thought i'd send you all some pictures of my clever little girl and where she's up to now. I broke a couple of knuckles and fingers in a 'fat boy on a bus' related incident about four weeks ago so have had to do most of the breaking in one-handed and she's not put a foot wrong! She's very clever, willing, loyal and affectionate so i guess it's so far so good really :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top