Gobsmacked at horse prices

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Super_Kat

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Now, I'm not advertising here but I've got a striking little 16hh, 7yo grey chap to sell as he's just not sharp enough for top level polocrosse, a real dope on a rope on the ground (fab to do everything with), totally safe, low mileage, lovely pop, super comfy to ride, hacks etc etc. I was going to advertise him for 1.5k and hope for the best (not really expecting much interest as I think thats a touch high but I've allowed room for negotiation). Looking around my feedstores adverts today somebody had two chestnuts for sale, same age, broken in and had been turned away, the photo's made them look like the yangiest yangers this side of yangersville, no breeding, no real information, both 15.2hh.... 3k each. Alongside that there were quite a few low level riding club types with 'POA' by them.
It's been a few years since I last sold anything, is it the done thing to take what your horse is worth and times it by 6??? Everything seems so damn expensive for what it actually is.
 
I'm going to look at a 14.1hh NF x tomorrow, 6 years, fun and good in every way ) we'll see! ) he's up for £995, which I thought quite cheap until I looked around and you can get some real bargains atm! I wouldn't pay 3k for a horse anyway, but then I'm just looking for a pleasure riding horse
 
basically i think people are in it for a quick buck. a girl at the yard bought a little pony for £200 broke it within two weeks and tried to sell it for £1400 as a childrens safe pony! :eek: it had her off several times out hacking and she put it down to lack of experience, its very sharp and very rude. and she wanted to sell it as a kids pony! this is how the poor creatures end up in sales. :(
shocks me when people put themselves before their animals in this way.....
 
Well I have been doing a lot of horse browsing/window shopping and it seems some are very expensive for what they are and others are very cheap, and I am comparing like with like horses I have seen.
For example, i have seen two similar horses across different parts of the country, same type effectively and there is a £2000 difference! Crazy really.
 
These sellers can ask any price they dream up, it doesnt mean they will get it though. OP I think you have asked a realistic price for a nice horse and no doubt you will be selling him!
 
a friend is currently looking and has found it a bit hit and miss. We've seen horses that we'd pay double the asking price and some that we wouldn't give a tenner for. Although i mist say weve not yet managed to see one that was as the adver stated!!

Have pm'd you OP
 
Genereally anything that has been raked around on things like polo/polocrosse attract a lower price as people percieve them to have had a lot of wear and tear no matter what the actual history is.
 
i have an 8yr old 15.2 allrounder, now competing BD on for 2.5k and i think that is reasonable! im certainley not giving her away!
 
I have just sold a really nice 3 and a half year old filly for £1200. I advertised her unstarted for £900 but got no interest so have had her professionally backed which cost me £500. I think I could have maybe got more in Spring but she is going to a lovely home and that was more important.

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Moggy in Manolos said:
Well I have been doing a lot of horse browsing/window shopping and it seems some are very expensive for what they are and others are very cheap, and I am comparing like with like horses I have seen.
For example, i have seen two similar horses across different parts of the country, same type effectively and there is a £2000 difference! Crazy really.
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I agree, I have also been looking but there is a huge variation in prices - now I suspect the cheap ones as being suspect and the expensive ones of having unrealistic owners! Have all but given up trying to find an uncomplicated, safe happy hacker as they seem to be at a huge premium whereas "potential competion horses" seem to be going cheap!
 
Compared to prices at the moment, 1.5k sounds cheap to me. From what you've said I'd expect 2.5 - 3k, but as others have said most people seem to just be in it for the money.
 
DizzyKizzy, i wish that we'd seen your little mare, what a really nice youngster :-)

I'm looking for an inexpensive small horse for my daughter to do low level BE & me to safely hack around the villages, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack! Most horses over priced at the moment IMO, am hoping that they'll come down in the next month or so if we get the bad weather forecasted :-)
 
jelphick-probably because unexpensive horses that do low level be (still 3ft xc) and hack quietly with mum don't exist unless there is something wrong with them! These horses are quiet, well trained, worth paying for.
 
I'm also a bit gobsmacked at some loan prices, which is probabaly because they are asking too much when they sell it in the first place.

This is real; £50p/w 3/4 days a week for an 5 y/o ex racer on DIY livery.

Anyone seen the "free fuel" ad on the right, nice pony, but i'm not sure about why they have marketed him like that?
 
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SusieT said:
probably because unexpensive horses that do low level be (still 3ft xc) and hack quietly with mum don't exist unless there is something wrong with them! These horses are quiet, well trained, worth paying for.
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There are always exception to the rule! Mini TX's mare does Novice BE, has BE points and is hoping to go 1* and Intermediate next year if all goes to plan, and is still well behaved enough for her mum to hack quietly, which I do occasionally when I am allowed to. There is nothing wrong with her either. Trouble is she was expensive to buy (dont want to say how much), and is worth even more now with her record, scope and temperament.

Do agree that there are some stupid prices being offered out there. Am glad I am not horse shopping.
 
Well after today I completely agree, you get what you pay for most of the time!


Pony I went to look at for £995 actually bolted with me, couldn't stop for at least 200 metres, downhill on a stoney track! Managed to get the young girl on her own and ask where they bought him from.............Melton Sales, only 10 months before :( Lady told me they bought him form somewhere in Northamptonshire but she couldn't remember the name! Advertised as good in everyway, hack out alone and in company; turns out they have never taken him out with anyone else; He was terrified poor thing, even spooked when I put my hat on!
 
SusieT said:
jelphick-probably because unexpensive horses that do low level be (still 3ft xc) and hack quietly with mum don't exist unless there is something wrong with them! These horses are quiet, well trained, worth paying for.
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Did you mean in terms of pricing? I am looking for something similar sounding that has points and think I will need to be looking up to the £10k mark. Very very sadly the stunning horse I did find has not passed the vet so still looking.
 
AngieandBen said:
Well after today I completely agree, you get what you pay for most of the time!


Pony I went to look at for £995 actually bolted with me, couldn't stop for at least 200 metres, downhill on a stoney track! Managed to get the young girl on her own and ask where they bought him from.............Melton Sales, only 10 months before :( Lady told me they bought him form somewhere in Northamptonshire but she couldn't remember the name! Advertised as good in everyway, hack out alone and in company; turns out they have never taken him out with anyone else; He was terrified poor thing, even spooked when I put my hat on!
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This is both scray and sad! Scary because they'll probably end up selling him to some numpty and sad because it will be the horse that suffers. Idiots :(
 
I actually think some on this forum are unrealistically low with their expectations of prices.

The poster who mentioned you get what you pay for is pretty bang on.

There are bargains to be had but they are a needle in a haystack.
 
I think you are just as safe buying a cheap horse as buying an expensive one, the people I have seen ripped of the most are the people who have paid many thousands of pounds for horses. A huge majority of the expensive horses I have had dealings with have had soundness issues, both mental and physical.

Horse sellers lie fantastically whatever price they are asking, I have seen lame horses advertised (clearly lame in the videos of them) from as little as £500 up to a whopping £20,000 (20k horse was with very well known yard and being sold as a top level comp prospect, it could barely trot!).

Out of the horses I have seen purchased I'd say a smaller percentage of the cheap buys have gone wrong.
 
Honey08 said:
I think that there are two price levels - those that want to sell and those that have to sell...
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Very true! I also agree there is a huge variation in prices at the moment, but more so with private sales. I have def seen some dealer prices coming down on what they were asking for a few years back, for the same kind of horse.

It looks to me like horses that would be going for 5k in a good market are now in the 3k range, so a fairly sizeable drop but the bottom hasn't quite fallen out of the market, particuarly for that dream safe all rounder that so many are after. Event horses are still at a reasonable level although whether they are actually selling at the advertised price, I'm not so sure about.

Good horses at a reasonable price seem to be going just as fast. I'd say the OP may be a little on the low side. People may perversely think there is something wrong - we are funny folk aren't we?!
 
There are some very cheap horses out there IF you know what you're looking for. Horses are worth whatever someone else will pay for them, not necessarily what you (seller) want to get for them.
 
Its hard to actually work out prices at the moment though. I think I am pretty good at working out pricing and being realistic but there were a couple of eventers I thought would tick all my boxes for around my budget but when ringing, turned out be £18K or so. These are horses that have a record but will not be going beyond Novice comfortably or possibly Intermediate. There are a lot of young "potential" event horses for mega bucks on the market too. And as for expensive horses having more problems - I don't see why that is the case. The horse I nearly bought had a very honest vendor who gave me loads of information and was really open. Horse was not quite right on the flexion so vet suggested an x ray. Very sadly the x rays proved the problem to be a lot worse than we thought and I was gutted. I have to be positive and think that while I may have spent just under £600, long term it was a saving on future bills. We are also putting out feelers privately to see if we can find what I want as well.
 
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