Has anyone sold a horse to someone overseas?

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prosefullstop

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I'm US-based, and will be in the market for a horse (my first!) at the end of 2010. As you may be aware, horses in the States are ridiculously expensive, and I kind of like the idea of getting more back for my buck and importing a horse.

I'm back to riding after a 16-year break, so I'm not looking for an Advanced Eventer, but I am looking for a sound, well-mannered horse that can do a 3'-3'6 course of showjumps, hack, and possibly some hunter-type showing classes. Such a horse costs this in the New England region, perhaps less if you drive across country.

Any thoughts, experiences etc.?
 
You'll need to add on at least 5K to any UK price for the costs of transporting them etc.

Other than that, I think it is pretty common and TBH am always astounded at how much horses sell for in the USA. I suppose the main issue I'd have is that if I were getting back into riding after a 16 year break I'd want to try any horse I was planning to buy...if I was doing it now I'd be less fussed assuming I had someone I trusted to check it out for me. What do you feel about not trying one, or are you planning to come over and try a whole bunch?
 
I'm English, so getting back to the UK to try out horses is not a problem. As for the cost, adding 5K would still be cheaper than the insane sums sellers demand in the US.

I went to the Hampton Classic this summer, and saw for sale ads for horses competing in the 3'6 hunter divisions: a price tag of $150k was about average
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Yep, my boss used to regularly import warmbloods from europe and sell them on for $250,000. They were nice horses but still...Madness!!!
 
I'm an American living in the UK...but have had horses in the US for most of my life. I find it really difficult to understand why it'd be so hard to find good sound sane horses for reasonable prices, especially in a soft economy. If you are particularly wanting a warmblood you might expect to pay more - but what about a QH, a Morgan or something along those lines? Throughout NE many from these breeds are just about going for peauts. Surely under $10k should fit the bill. Or am I that out of touch???
 

I have friends in Holland who make loads of money selling warmbloods as Hunters to the American market.

They say that they can make 10 times the price of a horse if they sell to the States!
 
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I'm an American living in the UK...but have had horses in the US for most of my life. I find it really difficult to understand why it'd be so hard to find good sound sane horses for reasonable prices, especially in a soft economy. If you are particularly wanting a warmblood you might expect to pay more - but what about a QH, a Morgan or something along those lines? Throughout NE many from these breeds are just about going for peauts. Surely under $10k should fit the bill. Or am I that out of touch???

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If you have some contacts, I'd be more than happy to investigate
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I am not too fussed about breeds, but I do prefer TBs and TB/pony crosses to Morgans, which seem geared toward dressage and driving in the US, and Quarter horses, which are predominantly Western Pleasure (I know AQHAs are different, and I do like those).

As far as costs, I'm only going from ads at shows in the CT and NY regions, for sale ads at the barn, word of mouth etc. and I gather I'd be *really* lucky to get something for under 30k. Even at the barn where I ride, leases are $1000 a month (for a beginner pony) to $2300 a month (3'6 jumper with auto changes).

I took lessons with a trainer in Vermont over summer, who used to be based at a hunter/jumper barn in NJ; she said if I want a horse competent enough for the local circuit, we're talking minimum of $40k, unless the horse is older. Of course I could drive across country, but it would almost be easier for me to try several horses out in England, and import one, than to venture to South Carolina, say, and have the opportunity to ride only one or two.
 
We sold a foal to America.He is now a five year old and I have had numerous enquiries about him from the States and Canada even though we havn't owned him for 4 1/2 years.He just sold a few weeks ago for 20 times the price the previous owners paid for him.The cost of shipping from Ireland as I had an enquiry for one of the foals last week was about 5,500 euro.The quarintine in America seems really expensive.

www.ballyshanhorses.webs.com
 
Hi There,

Not sure how far away you are but when I was in the US the Ocala Horse rescue is always full to bursting with excllent TBs that had been abandoned often extremely well bred horses that have been dumped by their owners (often well known studs) as they haven't cut the grade as a steeple chaser/flat racer and they cost too much to keep so they just let them go literally!

It would be worth giving them a call - most of the horses were perfectly sound, often malnourished, but after being fed up to weight made excellent riding and competition horses.
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my trainer has american buyers who come over a couple of times a year to buy horses for clients back in the states- they are always after nice looking horses capable of jumping an average track (say around 1.10) safely and neatly and they pay megabucks for them!! but then they sell on for even more- so if you can come yourself you should be able to get something nice for much less than you'd pay over there. my trainer might be a good place to look- she can usually get a range of horses for someone to view and isn't pushy about making a sale or anything....
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Have you thought of going to a Brightwells (Ascot, Malvern) or Gorsebridge (Ireland) or European performance sale and buying at auction. They are pre-vetted at the elite sales, you'll have your pic of plenty in one place without travelling all over for a week and possibly finding nothing or having the one you choose fail the vet just before you fly back home. Why don't you buy two, see which one you like best and sell the other at a huge profit to pay for the transport of both of them?

I can't believe the price of horses over there!!!
 
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As far as costs, I'm only going from ads at shows in the CT and NY regions, for sale ads at the barn, word of mouth etc. and I gather I'd be *really* lucky to get something for under 30k. Even at the barn where I ride, leases are $1000 a month (for a beginner pony) to $2300 a month (3'6 jumper with auto changes).

I took lessons with a trainer in Vermont over summer, who used to be based at a hunter/jumper barn in NJ; she said if I want a horse competent enough for the local circuit, we're talking minimum of $40k, unless the horse is older. Of course I could drive across country, but it would almost be easier for me to try several horses out in England, and import one, than to venture to South Carolina, say, and have the opportunity to ride only one or two.

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I can completely believe it - I sat on two very nice but very 'average' horses - both well schooled but nothing to make you go wow, both capable of doing what you want. In the UK I think they would have been 5-8K horses. In the states I know that the owners did not get much change from $30K, and that was in a 'not very horsey' bit of the states.

If OH had decided to take the permanent job he was offered out there I was seriously considering starting a dealing business importing horses, showing them a bit and then selling them on - it was far more lucrative out there than here, because land is also cheap!
 
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Have you thought of going to a Brightwells (Ascot, Malvern) or Gorsebridge (Ireland) or European performance sale and buying at auction. They are pre-vetted at the elite sales, you'll have your pic of plenty in one place without travelling all over for a week and possibly finding nothing or having the one you choose fail the vet just before you fly back home. Why don't you buy two, see which one you like best and sell the other at a huge profit to pay for the transport of both of them?

I can't believe the price of horses over there!!!

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That sounds like a plan, although I think DH would flip if I proposed buying two horses, even with one to potentially sell.

Not only is the cost of horses high, but so too is the cost of boarding. The amenities are usually outstanding, however.
 
The first two places I can think of admitedly are Morgan farms -- I grew up with them. First off is UVM - the university has always had a good breeding program. Also East of Equinox farm. They might have some nice stuff that can jump. Also maybe something from UCONN or Sogoloffs. I haven't any contacts in the QHs, but I'd think that QHx TB or TBxMorgan would give you some amazing movement, good temperament and some wow factor. Shouldn't cost the earth. But my first choice would be a good morgan sport horse. Just did a quick scan on the AMHA website and found a cute chestnut in the Boston area for 5K. No huge wow factor, but young, jumping 3', starting some dressage. Decent size (for a morgan - 15h). and on the Morgan Sport HOrse site almost everything there is under $10K.

Have you trawled the Horseman's Yankee Pedlar?
 
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I am looking for a sound, well-mannered horse that can do a 3'-3'6 course of showjumps, hack, and possibly some hunter-type showing classes.

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That horse you were looking at was a European Warmblood breed. Those types are always expensive in the US because of the distance from Europe and the limited breeding programes of European warmblood types in the US at present. You do not *need* that type of horse to fulfill your requirements.

Almost any healthy horse with decent confirmation and a sane personality could fulfil the first two parts of your requirements. There are very few horses which with sensible training cannot jump 3'6 (even quarter horse /qh x types whcih can be acquired very cheaply in the US), and all horses can hack. Your last requirement may give you some restrictions, as your success in showing will oibviously be affected by how well the horse conforms to type, so a pure QH might look a little funny amongst the warmbloods.

With that in mind, I would start looking for a TB /TB x type. These can be acquired just as cheaply in the US as in the UK, and there are a lot of rescues / rehabilitators looking to rehome off-track throughbreds too.
In buying from home you can take all the time you need to look at as many horses as necessary to find the one that is right for you (whilst you can easily come to the UK to look, many people buying a personal use horse easily spend 6 months looking, so its hard to imagine that you wouldn't be rushing the process if you were trying to find the perfect horse on a visit abroad). The £5000+ pounds you save off transportation costs for the horse, and the further £4-5k you could save acquiring a TB type in the US rather than a WB type in the UK would pay for an awful lot of lessons, horse boarding, and trips accross the US if necessary to help you pick the right horse for you.
 
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Hi prosefullstop,
which part of the states are you in? I spent some time in CT at CCSU, i have to say, i saw only a few horses in that time!

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I live in NYC, but ride on the CT/NY border. Literally every other property in North Salem, NY, is a horse farm, and the Goldens Bridge Foxhounds are based there.
 
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