Horse market right now

[Rowreach]

I'm searching for my first horse at the moment. I agree that people are sometimes unrealistic about what their budget will cover, but I've been encountering the opposite problem - sellers who are asking a lot of money for horses who have potentially significant problems. I'm hoping this was just related to the bizarre lockdown horse-buying silliness and things will settle down now.

Oh don't get me wrong, I know some people are asking silly money for horses with issues, but for far too long the horse world has expected to be able to buy a paragon of equine virtue for chicken feed, and they still do.

This is why they're so hard to find. The people who used to breed and produce the sort of horse most of us want (and need, if we're honest with ourselves) have largely given up because there's no money in it, because people won't pay a realistic price for them.

Now you have breeders like the Funnells who saw a market for sport horse breeding and are producing an annual crop of youngsters which sell into the pro/am market at a higher price than the average person can afford (and let's face it, the average person couldn't sit on one of them) because that is where the money is - a realistic price being paid to reflect the product, and the time, money and skill that has gone into it.

I believe (and I used to produce good, all round horses to sell) that people's reluctance to pay a realistic price for a general hacking/riding club/all round family horse has resulted in a market swamped with low end animals which are poorly bred, managed and produced and riddled with issues - but because that's all there is out there, they are now expensive for what they are.

If people demand better and are prepared to pay for it, in time they'll be able to get it.

 

[Annagain]

I believe (and I used to produce good, all round horses to sell) that people's reluctance to pay a realistic price for a general hacking/riding club/all round family horse has resulted in a market swamped with low end animals which are poorly bred, managed and produced and riddled with issues - but because that's all there is out there, they are now expensive for what they are.

If people demand better and are prepared to pay for it, in time they'll be able to get it.

Having spent 14 months looking before I found Charlie, I agree with this. Having not looked for a horse for many years, I started off with a budget of £5k - not because it was all I had but because I thought it would be enough to get me what I wanted based on others' experiences. Even before prices went mad this summer it soon became apparent it wouldn't be. I knew what I wanted and knew I'd have to up my budget to get it. I ended up upping it twice and even then, Charlie is a bit younger and greener (not to mention a lot greyer) than I wanted but ticked all the main boxes and I paid for his temperament and signs (hopefully)pointing to long term soundness; he has good feet, good conformation and although he's 6, his shape is more like a 4 year old's which is hopefully a sign he hasn't been rushed. Although his breeding is unregistered, he's definitely not poorly bred. To buy all that along with more experience would have been very expensive.

 

[milliepops]

Oh don't get me wrong, I know some people are asking silly money for horses with issues, but for far too long the horse world has expected to be able to buy a paragon of equine virtue for chicken feed, and they still do.

This is why they're so hard to find. The people who used to breed and produce the sort of horse most of us want (and need, if we're honest with ourselves) have largely given up because there's no money in it, because people won't pay a realistic price for them.

Now you have breeders like the Funnells who saw a market for sport horse breeding and are producing an annual crop of youngsters which sell into the pro/am market at a higher price than the average person can afford (and let's face it, the average person couldn't sit on one of them) because that is where the money is - a realistic price being paid to reflect the product, and the time, money and skill that has gone into it.

I believe (and I used to produce good, all round horses to sell) that people's reluctance to pay a realistic price for a general hacking/riding club/all round family horse has resulted in a market swamped with low end animals which are poorly bred, managed and produced and riddled with issues - but because that's all there is out there, they are now expensive for what they are.

If people demand better and are prepared to pay for it, in time they'll be able to get it.

agree with all of this.
I'm priced out but hoping I've bred my own this year. just need a giant dose of luck and loads of patience to wait and find out... if she turns out to be healthy, straightforward-ish and reasonably useful then I'll be quids in, but only because I haven't had to pay for her keep of course she could end up being sickly, tricky and talentless what a gamble. you can see why "ordinary" breeders give up, if you can't even make your costs back.

 

[ihatework]

And I’ll even stick my neck out and say that some buyers want all that with a clean bill of health and a guarantee written in blood that the horse won’t go wrong! They are living creatures and they all have some sort of issue at some point. I’m not condoning unproven horses that are lame yaks, what I am saying is don’t discount horses that are proving they are doing the job at hand.

I sold my horse this summer who had 2 wind ops, a funky hock X-ray and a sarcoid. I was dreading selling him because I knew he was a darn good horse. I was fortunate and ended up with 3 buyers all of whom knew a good horse when they saw one, asked sensible questions and was able to pick where he went and his new jockey has achieved more in 4 months than I think they ever imagined.

 

[shamrock2021]

I bought my first horse for 2 thousand and she was perfect . I never had a problem with her. I feel like the horse world your looked down apon because you have a chap horse And people with expensive horse are seen as better .

 

[ihatework]

I bought my first horse for 2 thousand and she was perfect . I never had a problem with her. I feel like the horse world your looked down apon because you have a chap horse And people with expensive horse are seen as better .

Actually no. I really admire people who buy cheap and make them into really useful horses.

I have issue with people who expect people to sell good horses for little money.

There is a subtle difference

 

[Rowreach]

I bought my first horse for 2 thousand and she was perfect . I never had a problem with her. I feel like the horse world your looked down apon because you have a chap horse And people with expensive horse are seen as better .

Oh no, I'm sure we've all had our bargains that have turned out to be amazing. I know I have, and I never tire of telling people about them

However, in the real world, if you want a good, sound, reliable horse with a good level of basic, correct training and the hope that you will get years of fun out of it, then you shouldn't expect to be paying peanuts for it.