Foreign horse auctions

[Foxyeventing]

Has anyone on here ever been to or bought from a foreign horse auction.

I am looking to purchase my next horse abroad and would like adviise on where to go and the costs involved??

Also what the average 3yo would make at a foreign auction??

All ideas greatly recieved

Thanks guys

 

[sillygillyhorse]

I buy my horses abroad but have not bought any from auctions, I use a dealer/agent who finds suitable horses for me. That said I have attended a sale a couple of times in Belgium and the prices vary hugely.

All the horses were 2, 3 or 4yo, mares, geldings and lots of stallions, this year prices varied from 4k to 61k euros, some with VAT to be added on at 22% (and you think the UK is bad at 17.5%!). There is also a buyers commission of 6% (Brightwells at Addington charge a 5% commission). On top of that you have the cost of getting the horse home. ETA have just recently charged me £350 to bring one back from the same area of Belgium.

The sale I am referring to is in February. I do know that there is a big sale in Weert, Holland in September (think if you google dutch horse sales) run by Neil Jones and others. Not been to that one but it looks rather smart and the horses there seem to start at 25 - 30k. You can view video on line of them all being ridden.

Personally I would suggest if you want to buy abroad you find someone who has contacts in Europe and arrange a shopping trip with them, you will be far less likely to be ripped off. Lots of dealers/agents in the UK advertise that they will take clients abroad to find a horse. You also have far more consumer rights purchasing in this way.

Hope that helps and enjoy your horse hunting.

 

[FrodoBeutlin]

Hi, I bought my dressage horse at auction when he was 4, it was the Bavarian yearly auction and he was a steal! I would definitely, definitely buy again.

The extremely positive point with auctions is that you can see about 30/50 horses, all in the same place and same day, and ALL of them have a vet check already that you can look at. Plus, all of the horses have been selected to take part in the auction (it's a big thing for a breeder to have their horse accepted), so the quality is inevitably high - you know for sure the horses ARE talented - , even for the horses who end up at fairly low prices.

I know plenty of people who have bought at Verden & Vechta (the two big Hanoverian and Oldenburg auctions respectively, with several auctions throughout the year) and experiences vary but the horses are all really good quality (it's just that some find the whole thing too stressful). This year prices are VERY low so if you were looking to buy, now would be a good year.

The yard I am currently at also organises a dressage auction twice a year, the website is www.csw-auction.com Prices at the last auction went from £8k to £130k approx.

 

[sywell]

The hammer price at the Verden Auction does not include commission or sales tax. As the Euro has gone up 30% against the £ then horses should be cheaper in the UK. At the May Auction of selected horses in Verden the average price was £12000 approx. The vets comments are readily available and the Auctions have a high reputation. It is not uncommon for owners to bid their own horse up but they get charged at the Stallion Auction 20% if they buy their own horse in. At the stallion Auction the horse is insured at the fall of the hammer.