Goresbridge horse sales

classic_astra

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Has anyone ever bought from there? We are going in the july sales for the sports horse sales. Hoping to pick up 2 horses for affiliated jumping.

What are the prices like there?

We are looking for about 15-15.3 level headed thats done a bit of affiliated with potential to progress.

Any advice would be great 😊
 
I got my gelding from Goresbridge sports perfomance horse sales, September 2016. I ended up going to the 5+ year old sale, as was not prepared for a 3/4 year old at that time, there were some nice quality horses, but an awful lot that i was looking at had issues picked up on the pre-auction vetting, windproblems, spurs, arthritis. There is also the chance to have the horse vetted post winning them, have to pay that with cash, but can use card to purchase the horse.

There were very few horses when I went that were under 16 hands... majority seemed to be 16.1/16.2, and even more that didn't turn up, presumably sold before the day of auction.

The pricing seemed to range from 2000 euro to 12,000 euro, with all this still in mind I would happily return again when I want to find my next one, I liked the sports horse sale because it had the pre-auction vetting.

Advice;
If you haven't been to an auction before, and have time go to one of the days that you aren't intending to buy, to get lay of the land and how it all works
Look at the catalogue ahead of schedule and highlight potential horses that interest you
Try and see the horses you are interested in at all stages, in stable, tacking up, warm up and then in the 'show ring'. (I personally saw one chuck its riders 3 times in warm up quite nastily, had to be lunged etc. to get the rider back on, but if you'd only seen it in the 'show ring' it was foot perfect)
When bidding, don't look too interested if you really want that horse, there are people present who will drive up the price.
You can usually get transport there once you have bought, however i preliminarily booked a horsetransporter before I went across, and met up with the lady running it at Goresbridge.. good thing because the horse I bought ended up being 5th from the end of day, and we were last there after the vetting.
Finally, I recommend getting there early.. We got there for about 7.30am/8am, horses started to arrive after 8am.

Can't think of anymore, but you will def find a good jumper there, mine is a by Sarco out of a cruising mare, that I am aiming at dressage and he is jumping my 5ft field fencing for fun!

Gratuitous pic of my boy Shannondale Jack:
24899929_10156916965303206_8228877182477162912_n.jpg
 
Thank u, ur boy is gorgeous!! Id ideally like something with good breeding as think they are easier to sell on but im not set on it. We are hopefully going to the march sales by plane to get a feel for the place before we go in july. In july we are going the day or 2 before for the same reason. Ive been to a few sales but never with good quality horses so thats a new one for me. Im hoping to get one for under 5k ideally, if i have to go 16hands i will but im only a short ass so dont want to overhorse myself �� i have a 14.2 at the moment so im used to the littlies. Im not after a world beater just some affiliated jumping for now as ive never done it before. Jumped up to 90 on my girl but she wouldnt go much bigger than discovery. Im really excited as i think ill get more for my money over there than over here. It seems like a well organised sale so hoping for something a bit special!
 
I went for the first time last year. Came home with 3 between my friend and I. Absolutely would do it again rather than traipse around England looking at private sales.

You need your wits about you and to be in a number of places at one time sometimes so best if there are at least two of you.
 
In the past, it has been possible to pick up a nice bargain at Goresbridge, but OP, don't forget that you are buying in euros and the current exchange rate is rubbish. You will also have to factor in the buyer's premium and the VAT (currently 23% in Ireland), so I suggest you work out ahead of time what your budget will actually be - if you buy at 5,000 euros, the horse will actually cost quite a bit more than that.

And don't forget to add in the cost of the post-sale vetting and the transporter home!
 
I wouldn’t be inclined to be buying a horse with a record from goresbridge with 5k in my pocket. The Irish aren’t daft, and if you do find something nice in your budget then be prepared for a hidden surprise when you get home.

If you are wanting something a little proven I think you will need a bit more £ and might want to consider an agent.

5K should buy you a reasonable backed but green 4yo.
 
I wouldn’t be inclined to be buying a horse with a record from goresbridge with 5k in my pocket. The Irish aren’t daft, and if you do find something nice in your budget then be prepared for a hidden surprise when you get home.

If you are wanting something a little proven I think you will need a bit more £ and might want to consider an agent.

5K should buy you a reasonable backed but green 4yo.

I'd agree with this. In your shoes I'd maybe try Irish Horse Imports (Facebook) who buy from the sales, bring them over and sell immediately. At least that way, you will have an exchange warranty.

The prices aren't as low as they used to be.
 
I go there a lot and you will struggle to find what you’re looking for. Obviously horses that height will be in the minority but it will be twice as hard to find one with an affiliated record. So you’re going to have to compromise on something. There will be some nice cobs, these are likely to have hunted and maybe done some training shows.

Producers wouldn’t bother affiliating a cob, it’s very costly and would prefer to spend the money on a bigger horse that will bring a greater return on investment. So maybe think of buying one that has hunted but could make the transition well to show jumping. You’ll see them jump over poles anyway prior to going in the sales ring so that will give you a good idea.
 
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