horse auction experiences

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hopo

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Hi, i just wanted to ask, what are peoples experiences with buying horses at auction. Good and bad. Im looking for a horse and thinking of seeing if there are any to rescue. Maybe a foal. Do many still go for meat? :( many thanks for any help
 
I have experience. And are able to pay for things. I just havnt been to an auction. But whats your experience with auctions? And please dont think im being rude, but surely it would be better for a horse who is going to be killed anyway, to be given a chance at life and go to an unexperienced person with a good heart? If they are going to die anyway because no one wants them. Everyone has to start somewhere. Makes sense to me... But yes i do have experience :)
 
hopo said:
I have experience. And are able to pay for things. I just havnt been to an auction. But whats your experience with auctions? And please dont think im being rude, but surely it would be better for a horse who is going to be killed anyway, to be given a chance at life and go to an unexperienced person with a good heart? If they are going to die anyway because no one wants them. Everyone has to start somewhere. Makes sense to me... But yes i do have experience :)
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It depends what sort of auction you are going to. Some auctions have horses, where a large percentage of them will be sold for meat, others are sales of higher calibre horses who generally sell for good amounts of money. I've been to many auctions over my lifetime, most have been the latter type, however I have been to low end auctions many times too. I personally don't agree with taking just anything and giving the sole reason for it that it's 'going to be killed anyway'. It costs as much to keep a good horse as it does one with problems so why start off with a problem one. To do the meat auctions properly you have to know what you're doing; to buy out of pity is not a smart move.
 
I understand what your saying. My thoughts were id get a chance to look at a variety and also id get to see if i felt i liked one enough to buy. Surely you wouldnt have as many problems with an untouched foal, or are there not many auctioned? I would buy one i felt was right. I understand theres risk but i think thats the same with any buying including private. But i understand, probably more risk at auction! Have you bought many from auction? Thanks for your help :)
 
Are you making the assumption that all horses at auction require "rescuing"? Because that is not the case; many decent horses are sent to, and are purchased from, auctions. And I don't agree that being purchased by someone with a "good heart" is necessarily going to guarantee that it will be properly looked after - you'll need more than that to take care of a horse.

I have purchased many, and sold a few, at auction, they are not for the faint hearted but do serve a purpose.
 
hopo said:
I have experience. And are able to pay for things. I just havnt been to an auction. But whats your experience with auctions? And please dont think im being rude, but surely it would be better for a horse who is going to be killed anyway, to be given a chance at life and go to an unexperienced person with a good heart? If they are going to die anyway because no one wants them. Everyone has to start somewhere. Makes sense to me... But yes i do have experience :)
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Just no, its better to be killed, or the inexperienced person could end up making things worse, like a certain person here where there are a few threads about it,

I have bought at a low end auction (Llanybydder) and a TB auction (Ascot) but have the experience to know what I'm looking for,,,
 
hopo said:
but surely it would be better for a horse who is going to be killed anyway, to be given a chance at life and go to an unexperienced person with a good heart?
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This doesnt apply to you OP as you say you have experience but I just wanted to pick up on this comment here as I completely disagree with it. Although well intentioned some of these inexperienced people are, this is how further problems often occur down the line where good hearted samaritans who have no experience take on the poor cuddly foal not realising the effort taken to care for one and the poor horse ends up suffering further. We've seen numerous stories pop up with people trying to rescue these horses from auction thinking they're saving them by taking them home and setting up a bed for them in their sitting room. As I said I'm not saying you'll do this if you say you have some experience, merely referring to that comment which sadly goes hand in hand with actual stories of these ponies at auction being "rescued".

Can you not try a rescue centre like Redwings to rehome a horse - at least you're guaranteed something you know some background to and the risk is lessened much more :) good luck!
 
hopo said:
I understand what your saying. My thoughts were id get a chance to look at a variety and also id get to see if i felt i liked one enough to buy. Surely you wouldnt have as many problems with an untouched foal, or are there not many auctioned? I would buy one i felt was right. I understand theres risk but i think thats the same with any buying including private. But i understand, probably more risk at auction! Have you bought many from auction? Thanks for your help :)
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No I have only bought two from auctions in my whole life, both horses were at a pedigreed riding auction and both were exactly what I'd been looking for, and both had been owned by people I personally knew. I have been to low end auctions with other people of lesser experience who wanted a cheapie horse but didn't want to come home with a dead beat cripple. Yes I can help them choose a decent horse based on conformation, but that cannot take into account the psychological issues a horse may have once they get it home. I advise anyone who isn't experienced to not go to auctions or rescue centres to buy a horse but because we do a lot of training and backing at my farm I generally know of lots of suitable horses that we've personally dealt with which are a much better bet. Apologies, but you don't sound very knowledgeable so I'd advice against you going to buy a foal from an auction.
 
I've bought at an auction. would do so again. just make sure you go with your eyes very open, and another (experienced) person just in case you miss something.
 
hopo said:
surely it would be better for a horse who is going to be killed anyway, to be given a chance at life and go to an unexperienced person with a good heart?
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Unfortunately, a good heart is not all that is needed to give a horse a good quality of life. Sometimes death is better than a bad life, even if the owner doesn't mean to give a bad life.

Inexperience, when combined with a prey animal that weights upward of a 1000 pounds can be an ugly thing. You say you have experience so this isn't directed to you, but consider those who do not have any. Many think a horse is like a large dog. But horses do not behave like dogs, do not respond to training the same way as dogs, do not react to stimuli like dogs. So when an inexperienced person handles a horse like s/he would a dog, the horse generally behaves like a horse, tests the person, discovers he has the upper hand, and becomes a nightmare.

I've experienced it myself - my family bought a very nice horse when I was quite young. None of us had any experience. The horse became pushy and difficult because we did not know how to properly handle her, then she began rearing to avoid being bridled, and finally got so dangerous that we had to sell her. But by then, she was so far gone no one wanted her. A trainer finally took her off our hands and rehabbed her but she was never the horse she had been. That happens and lot when inexperienced people get horses.

So no, I don't think it's better at all.

hopo said:
Everyone has to start somewhere.
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Yes, but the sensible place to start is by learning from someone who knows what they're doing. It's not a thing you're learning on after all - it's a life.
 
No im not. Im just saying if im going to buy a horse and i dont know what to get, why not buy one that may be killed but has nothing wrong with it. No, it doesnt guarantee being looked after correctly but then again it may turn out alright. Who knows. And to me, if someone has a good heart, theyll care enough to find out how to look after a horse. Its not rocket science. People make it too complicated. There are many people who claim they know about horses and have been with horses a long time and it doesnt mean anything. People are all different. And people are complaining about all the poor horses going for slaughter, then shooting people down when they want to rescue one. This was a simple post asking PEOPLES HORSE AUCTION EXPERIENCES not a post to ask me what my experience is. Noone has really answered my question. Please could i just have your honest experiences, im asking for some helpful advice. Would be very greatful, thankyou.
 
hopo said:
No, it doesnt guarantee being looked after correctly but then again it may turn out alright. Who knows. And to me, if someone has a good heart, theyll care enough to find out how to look after a horse. Its not rocket science. People make it too complicated.
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Oh my.

This was a simple post asking PEOPLES HORSE AUCTION EXPERIENCES not a post to ask me what my experience is. Noone has really answered my question. Please could i just have your honest experiences, im asking for some helpful advice. Would be very greatful, thankyou.
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A few of us have actually answered what you asked. Clearly you have more specific questions, so fire away and we'll answer those as well.
 
My second horse came from an auction my parents bought me a very smart first horse who was totally unsuitable and dangerous in the stable .
He was sent away for training and my dad bought the second one from a meat sale very cheaply she was four and an Anglo Arab her mother left the sale on route to the slaughter house .
She was not really broken but had had someone on her back I was fifteen I fell off lots and got into lots of scrapes .
When the first horse was sold the mare came to the pro yard with me ( I was a WP there ) she took me to my first novice horse trials ,hunting into her twenties and taught MrGS to ride and gave him his love of hunting .
She was a total star she has very poor foreleg conformation and did have a couple of tendon issues and arthritis was what ended her life in the end .
She was very nervous and flighty at first but in the end if i had asked her to jump off a cliff she would have done she became like a huge dog to handle .
This the sort of story you want to hear .
I had a lot of very good help with this horse and I could have been seriously squished several times it was only luck that I was not .
Be careful go to the auction with a very experianced pragmatic friend or buy a horse that needs a home privately when you have more time to make the desision ..
 
hopo said:
No im not. Im just saying if im going to buy a horse and i dont know what to get, why not buy one that may be killed but has nothing wrong with it. No, it doesnt guarantee being looked after correctly but then again it may turn out alright. Who knows. And to me, if someone has a good heart, theyll care enough to find out how to look after a horse. Its not rocket science. People make it too complicated. There are many people who claim they know about horses and have been with horses a long time and it doesnt mean anything. People are all different. And people are complaining about all the poor horses going for slaughter, then shooting people down when they want to rescue one. This was a simple post asking PEOPLES HORSE AUCTION EXPERIENCES not a post to ask me what my experience is. Noone has really answered my question. Please could i just have your honest experiences, im asking for some helpful advice. Would be very greatful, thankyou.
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Depends on the aution that you go to, some will be full of semi wild coloured cob types that have never been handled properly and tend to go for meat. There may well be old ponies and horses that are no longer wanted, there are usually plenty of youngstock, some quite well bred and others not, those that are being sold as their owners can't keep them any longer and those that have lameness or behavioural issues.

If you are at all sentimental and soft hearted, then I'd say that the auctions probably aren't the place for you tbh; you've got to look at everything practically and not make pity buys. You are also possibly fuelling those less scrupulous who will be quite happy to make extra money from someone bidding against the meatman.
Anything older I'd definitely want with a warranty, but on the whole it's best not to buy from auction if you aren't experienced at them, go and watch a few and take someone who knows what to look for ideally.

If you are going for a foal, then bear in mind that it will need other youngsters to grow up with and coltish behaviour may not be welcome on many yards. Finding out how to care for a horse should be done before you buy it - not once you've got it, that is a recipe for disaster, and the horse is the one who suffers while you learn from your mistakes.

If you are seriously wanting to help a rescue, then why not loan from a welfare organisation? That way you are helping them out by freeing up a space so they can help another - two birds with one stone effectively. It will also be matched to you and you will have support should any difficulties occur.
 
horses end up in actions for reasons, very rarely are said reasons genuine, if your going because you want to be a horse saver don't bother you will end up through lack of experience with a whole heap of issues on your hands.

1st of all go to a few actions and see how they work, see whats getting sold and pay attention to all the dealers.

2nd if you want cheap go on dragon driving at least you can go and see cute foalie in its home surrounds not scared to death because its just been pulled away from its mother picked up and thrown into a lorry hearded in to a pen and left to be driven in circles with a lot of noise. scaring it a bit more.
 
Thanks. Thats a fair comment, id probably feel sorry for any that look like they need "rescuing". So could be ruled by heart not head. We have 2 ponies already so companions not a problem, plus experienced people who can help me out. Thing is with getting one from a centre is its not really your horse. By your experience is it only "bad" horses that go for meat, i.e not "decent" foals. Sorry, that sounds horrible. Also i see what your saying about needing experience at auction but wouldnt that be the same with private? Thanks for your help
 
My Aunt gets all her horses from mid to high end sales. They've been good horses, although one had to be PTS after 5 fantastic years for an issue that might have shown up on a vetting.

She has land, money, experience and has sent one off to sales livery shortly after getting it home as it was going straight through the fencing.

I wouldn't buy anything that had been poorly bred personally. I want to ride and I don't want the heart ache of dealing with something that's conformation means ridden work will be hard for it. I also think by buying from bin end dealers, breeders and sales we are creating a market that will result in breeding more bin end horses, poor things.
 
hopo said:
Thanks. Thats a fair comment, id probably feel sorry for any that look like they need "rescuing". So could be ruled by heart not head. We have 2 ponies already so companions not a problem, plus experienced people who can help me out. Thing is with getting one from a centre is its not really your horse. By your experience is it only "bad" horses that go for meat, i.e not "decent" foals. Sorry, that sounds horrible. Also i see what your saying about needing experience at auction but wouldnt that be the same with private? Thanks for your help
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I think that there are welfare organisations that sell rather than loan if that is what you prefer; the RSPCA might be one I think???

There are decent foals and youngstock that go through, but you need to know breeding lines and have an eye for conformation to pick one. A foal needs experienced handling too; they can be pretty challenging at times and are so easily spoiled, I really wouldn't recommend one even with experienced help on hand, you ideally need experience yourself to raise a decent well adjusted foal.
Jennie Loristen Clarke has a book on rearing foals, it might be worth having a read before you purchase a youngster as it will give you an idea of the work involved. It's going to be a good few years before it can be ridden and even with older companions to hand, they might not accept it, I've seen foals attacked by other horses before.
It is the same as needing experience buying privately, but at auction there are probably more risks, and as I said earlier, you are often fuelling the very trade that needs controlling; ie those producing too many horses and selling for a quick buck to the meatman or to someone who feels sorry for them.
 
I've been to auctions, and was with another livery when she came back with a 17.1hh 5 year old. He was a rearer and a bucker with some fantastic bloodlines, numpty here was the one that found out like he was to be ridden, new saddle and voila lovely horse that was more than happy to hack out all day long, was just very school sour. He went to a hunting home for A LOT more than what was paid for him, just because he was too big for his anticipated rider.

Please don't do the whole "I feel sorry for it so will buy it" There's enough of that and it just encourages more indiscriminate breeding IMHO. You can go to higher end auctions for "better quality" foals or buy from a stud at reasonable prices, compared to the vets bills and the everyone biding against "the meat man" who in reality end up bidding against one another as they want to be the one to "save" the foal. In fact it's probably cheaper to buy a decent foal that you can vet!
 
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