Has the bottom dropped out of the horse selling market?

K

keeperscottage

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 June 2007
Messages
1,357
Location
Hertfordshire
Visit site
I currently have three horses to sell; I am not a dealer but I usually buy a couple of horses each year for my daughter to produce, then sell them several months later. One of the three is not my "cup of tea" in that I lent my neighbour the money to buy this horse with the intention of being repaid when she sold her existing pony. Pony was not sold, so she gave me horse to sell, so I'm left with three horses to sell - all decent, honest horses, but, for the life of me, I cannot sell them. The prices keep coming down. They are advertised on every possible tack shop/feed shop/local shop notice board, Horse & Hound, equine websites, free ad papers....NOTHING - not a nibble! What is up with the market? I know it's autumn, but I've been trying to sell these for some time. I need them to be gone by winter, I've put a lot of money and effort into these horses and I'm beginning to wonder whether I'll break even - and I'm not joking!
 
I have got a lovely pony for sale but not had anyone after her either one nutter rang up yesterday but thats it and put ad on PC site about 2 weeks ago

Is it people put off by cost of hay this year?
 
Surely not! Hay's no dearer in this area than last year. One pony in particular I have to sell is a super 100% everything Pony Club pony. I had ONE person out to see him via ad in H&H last week - daughter loved him, he went beautifully both in the arena jumping, plus out on a short hack. Saw tractors hedgecutting, road works - everything! Rang today to say they thought they needed a 14hh+. SCREAM!!!!! He's gorgeous! HE HAS TO GO! But how? Any ideas?
 
this time of the year is bad for selling, wait til spring. the warmer weather makes people want to ride more + less mucking out in the cold dark mornings and frozen fingers trying to manhandle rug clips.
 
I was looking to buy a few months ago, and couldn't find anything half decent in my price range at all. I looked at some dangerous and pretty awful horses that people just described as amazing over the phone ! People were asking an absolute fortune for horses that had no special breeding and had done nothing...so I thought people were selling animals for a lot and there was a market so this surprises me. I put it down to so many people wanting to join the equestrian world and it being so popular at the moment and these people just paying the money without nessesarily the knowledge. I did eventually find my mare, she is perfect for me, but I almost gave up all hope!
Good luck!
 
I'm friends with a dealer who sells competition/jumping horses and he was saying the other week it's very quiet at the moment - this is someone that is always busy and never has to advertise!

He was saying he thinks it's down to the uncertainty in the economy (mortgage rates rising etc) and the fact that hay has shot up (some feed merchants in SE selling at £6 per bale) won't help.
 
Advertised mine last week and not a single phone call. Even though I'm in Cornwall I'd normally get something, even if they were unsuitable or didn't know where Cornwall was... have promised her she'll stay til spring/summer if I've not found the perfect home by the end of October.
Prices and sales were deflated at Malvern last month, which possibly reflects things better than my experience.
 
Glad to see the forum's up and running again! Advertised the Pony Club pony and traditional gypsy cob mare in H&H a couple of weeks ago but only one ad appeared!!! The ad which was published was for the 13.2hh Pony Club pony and I only had ONE phone call. Woman and ten year old daughter came to see him.....he was PERFECT! Jumped beautifully without pulling on, hacked out, passed a tractor hedge cutting, didn't bat an eyelid and the road work signs on the side of the road (which he hadn't seen before) and the child's mother even said the ride along the road had been quite a test......sold him, I thought....WRONG! Mother rang up two days later to say she thought her daughter needed something bigger!!!

However, H&H apologised for not publishing my other ad and told me it will be in this coming week's edition but would immediately put the ad back online. Chap called from "up north" on Saturday (I was out), called again yesterday, I told him all about the traditional cob (which he wanted to drive), asked for some more photos, which I emailed him this morning together with a couple of pretty poor quality phone videos of her trotting and cantering around the field.......in no time, he rang back making me an extremely sensible offer over the phone and is sending me a cheque for the deposit! It was that easy!!! She is a very genuine straightforward young horse, so I have no concerns that I misrepresented her to him on the phone. In a state of shock now!
 
Unfortunately due to market conditions people just aren't buying horses/ houses/ anything. Interest rates have gone up 1% in the past year, and for people with variable mortgages it would be costing them a lot more just to live, let alone thinking of purchasing another expensive pet! With the financial credit crisis over in the States and people concerned that it may affect this country I would imagine people are going to slow their spending down for a little longer yet. Obviously the NR story was people panicking, however i'm pretty confident there will be more casualties of sub-prime to surface, a lot of big names are going to be forced into admitting they are in trouble if this continues.
An interest rate cut is definitely a possibilty for next month, so with any luck after Christmas the buyers might come back out of their hiding places!!
 
So, if the horse market is so crap at the moment, and it's not just me having problems selling, then this could be the perfect time to look for my daughter's middle-aged event schoolmaster/mistress, and snap up a bargain, eh???
 
[ QUOTE ]
So, if the horse market is so crap at the moment, and it's not just me having problems selling, then this could be the perfect time to look for my daughter's middle-aged event schoolmaster/mistress, and snap up a bargain, eh???

[/ QUOTE ]

definatly! lol

seriously my friend managed to buy a lovely schoolmaster that literally no one had even rung up about, she got her at a very fair price
smile.gif
 
I was asking just the same thing before the forum died. I was trying to sell my mare with absolutely zero interest, I couldn't even find someone to come and ride her for FREE!! I know the price I was asking was realistic because of what I've seen other stuff advertised for - a friend of mine has just sold a 4 year old NFx gelding that's only just about halter broken for £2 grand . . . .
 
I personally think it's the time of year. Nobody wants to buy a horse going into the winter. Spring is definately the time to sell. I have tried to sell this time of year with a couple of ponies - got nothing all winter until the first week of nice weather in the Spring. Sold both almost instantly! Millions of calls!
 
Okay, so there are far fewer people looking in autumn than in spring but surely there are a FEW people looking! Apart from the guy who bought my mare unexpectedly from "up north" this morning via an emailed video (genuine mare, I have to say!), I've had ZERO response for MONTHS - I'm not just talking about autumn! These are genuine horses, not sad misfits being palmed off onto some unsuspecting buying! Prices are not unrealistic either! In fact, I'm virtually giving them away!
 
I am looking for a 16.2hh+ to SJ up to 1.25m, hack, hunt, a nice, straight forward type that has basics established and has been out and done a bit, under 10, and I do not want to pay a premium because the horse has "scope" or "potential" - should be easy? It isn't!!!
 
You know it is funny, as typically this time of year is not so fluid in horse sales over here either; but this year I have sold my sellers with no problems at all. Advertised them and they've been gone within a couple of weeks tops....and no I didn't compromise on the price either. Weird, but I guess the moral is there ARE people out there looking at this time of year, you just need them to see your advert.
 
it depends on what you are selling and what you expect your mark up to be.


i buy and New Forest ponies...

i pick and choose the best types that come through and usually dont have a re-sale problem.
 
I think horse prices are totally over inflated. A PN horse should be £3-6k at the moment some people have them on the market for £15k which I would pay for a intermediate horse. I think people who look to upgrade see what prices are on the market and then are forced to put a crazy figure on their horse to move up the ladder. This time of year is always bad but if you are sensible and do a half decent advert then it should not be a problem.
 
im looking and can't find anything!!!! prices are stupid if its realistic it seems to be mad/ lame or both. and some ads are so uninspiering adn when you phone people up it the same story! people seem to ask too much and don't want put the work in !!
 
That's what I'm blaming as well + the hay supply issues affecting so many people - looks like I'll have to fork out for a winter's full livery on a horse I don't ride! Even loan homes (well, decent ones) are hard to find!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I think horse prices are totally over inflated.

[/ QUOTE ]

I couldn't agree more!

I think many sellers are unrealistic when it comes to valuing their horses, and add £££s to the price for 'potential'.

Admittedly the market does slow down at this time of year, but a proven horse at a fair price is usually snapped up pretty quickly.
 
Well I'm looking for a sane and sensible laid back horse in the Bedfordshire area, to do hacking, riding club low key stuff. So I'm looking!!!!

Anyone got one to sell?
 
FMD and bluetongue could also be part of the problem. If people need a new hunter, they're unlikely to be buying until the resumption of the season is in sight.
 
The bottom has absolutely fallen! I've just bought an eventer for HALF what the people asked for him in July. When we first tried to buy him we could not afford him and when we went back a few weeks ago the had dropped the price because no one had viewed, they put it down to econ. downturn, foot and mouth uncertainty - people don't want to keep a horse all winter and find no competitions in the spring.
Toots
 
I have a couple of genuine horses to sell - not superstars, but nice horses. I have to sell them soon as the farmer from whom I rent my summer grazing will want them off, and I only have four stables of my own (with four horses belonging to my daughter!). Do I have to give them away? One was "dumped" on me when I lent my neighbour the money to buy this horse, only she couldn't sell her existing pony, couldn't repay me, so I'm left with horse to sell through no fault of my (or his!) own! He's lovely but needs a one to one relationship with some TLC. The night's are drawing in and I'm getting desperate!!!
 
I have been looking for a nice horse for about a month now, and to be honest the prices are simply ridiculous! I phoned about a 16ish, nice con x tb, nice PN type - 8 years and price... 25k!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top