milliepops
Wears headscarf aggressively
if it's that easy why aren't we all doing it and making our fortunes!
horse market seems a bit overpriced!??
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Palindrome
Well-Known Member
I might ship my boy to the UK then. 6 years old, about 15.2hh, a sweetheart but needs further schooling. He is virtually worthless here as he is a French trotter.
shortstuff99
Well-Known Member
The ones that really annoy me at the moment are the sellers importing Iberians from Spain/Portugal. They are almost always unregistered and have been trained in probably not the best ways being sold for double what I have paid for registered Iberians. A lot of unsuspecting buyers will then struggle with the management change of the horses and then Iberians get a bad name for being difficult.
It is also difficult to do any breed specific competitions on them too as they mainly need to be pure bred registered for MCI dressage etc.
It is also difficult to do any breed specific competitions on them too as they mainly need to be pure bred registered for MCI dressage etc.
ester
Not slacking multitasking
The european youngster warmblood horses/ponies auction prices recently have been significantly higher than they were even just 6 months ago so I'm not sure the £3-5k is current. They're quite good at doing a big trot round a large arena but the rest is going to take more than a week.
Rowreach
Adjusting my sails
Of course if people were prepared to pay a realistic amount for a nicely bred and properly produced horse, maybe there wouldn't be so many issues and "project" horses out there.
Spirit2021
Well-Known Member
unpopular opinion but I actually say the price won’t go down people have gotten away with it so they are going to keep changing these crazy prices . When I looked online I decided not to sell my horse because I realistically I couldn’t afford to buy the horse I needed.
milliepops
Wears headscarf aggressively
whey you say gotten away with it, do you disagree with the costings to bring sensible nicely put together horses to maturity, from birth?
Rowreach
Adjusting my sails
if it's that easy why aren't we all doing it and making our fortunes!
[not many people can sit on them]
millikins
Well-Known Member
I haven't read all the replies so sorry if this has been said but it's the inconsistency that gets me. I love trawling adverts and try and guess the price before I reach the the end but currently there is little rhyme or reason to many of the price tags. NFED is my favourite site, there are adverts on there for nice ponies some more established than others, prices as you would expect 2.5 to 8K. Then in between are the ones for green 14.1, no registered breeding, no PC or competition record also 7-8K, what are you paying for? Could you improve it to a level where it would be worth more? If the answer is "no" then it's way overpriced.
Rowreach
Adjusting my sails
Thirty years ago, pricing for a decently bred average sort of horse was thought to be £1k per year until it was 5 years old (£5k), and then it depended on what the horse did after that as to whether the value went up, down, stayed the same.
Thirty years ago.
And people still want a nice horse for £2.5k.
Thirty years ago.
And people still want a nice horse for £2.5k.
Spirit2021
Well-Known Member
Nope I don’t disagree with good horse but I have a issue with horses being sold that have problems or have no experience for a lot of money
Flicker
Well-Known Member
Yes and no. I’ve said before on previous posts that the amount of money you need to keep a horse can vary according to the level of experience you have. So, if you are a total novice, you need to have a fairly good stash of cash to be able to pay for the experience that you lack: lessons, livery, vet, farrier, saddler etc. If you have a wealth of experience, you are able to do things far more cheaply because it is likely you can eg fit a saddle properly, look after your horse properly, decide when you need to call the vet and when a couple of days rest will do the trick etc.
A novice buying a cheap horse because they are on a budget is a recipe for disaster. A very experienced rider buying a cheap horse because they are on a budget is probably quite savvy.
bubsqueaks
Well-Known Member
I have just sold my Connie for a fair & reasonable price, & full declaration of his quirks & warts - the home was far more important to me than the price having spent 4 years getting him better from Glandular Ulcers.
He's gone to the most fabulous hunting/eventing home in Yorkshire & part of me being fair with his new owners is their happiness to stay in touch.
Horse prices are high but I think where they should be given the amount of training & expenses that goes into them - just compare to puppy prices which doesnt even come near to the committment of time.
Coupled with the Import Taxes for those from Ireland & Europe, it is all to do with supply & demand driving the prices up.
For anybody looking I would be inclined to sit tight as we can only be heading one way & that is for a massive recession - we have billions to repay & I think everybody is in for a massive wake up call in tightening their belts & when reality does hit after furlough finishes & redundancies start, the market will be flooded with horses - just my opinion.
He's gone to the most fabulous hunting/eventing home in Yorkshire & part of me being fair with his new owners is their happiness to stay in touch.
Horse prices are high but I think where they should be given the amount of training & expenses that goes into them - just compare to puppy prices which doesnt even come near to the committment of time.
Coupled with the Import Taxes for those from Ireland & Europe, it is all to do with supply & demand driving the prices up.
For anybody looking I would be inclined to sit tight as we can only be heading one way & that is for a massive recession - we have billions to repay & I think everybody is in for a massive wake up call in tightening their belts & when reality does hit after furlough finishes & redundancies start, the market will be flooded with horses - just my opinion.
Kat
Well-Known Member
I'm helping my sister look for a new horse at the moment and it is really tough. She's not got much of a budget but recognises that means green/young/ex-racers. We're still really struggling to find anything, I've seen 5 year old ex-racehorses and green cobs advertised in excess of £6,000. She's looking to pay 4x what she paid for her last horse less than 2 years ago.
It is all very well saying save a few months of keep while you are looking but many people have to pay to retain their livery space, or risk having no where to keep the horse.
It is all very well saying save a few months of keep while you are looking but many people have to pay to retain their livery space, or risk having no where to keep the horse.
Birker2020
Well-Known Member
When I bought my horse from the dealer he offered to take me and my partner over to have a look at horses that his contact had in Holland. He said if we paid his easyjet ticket (in the region of £40) he'd show us up to a dozen horses in one day, you try the out and arrange a 'health certificate' which is the equivalent of a vetting over here. Shipping was around £180 a horse. That way you could select a horse you liked the look of and try it, saves you an awful lot of time scouring sales ads, visits upteen yards and having potential hassle from unscupulous vendors.if it's that easy why aren't we all doing it and making our fortunes!
He said that you could pick up nice horses for around the £3K mark and put a couple of weeks intensive schooling into them and sell them for over double what you paid. He obviously told me this years after I'd bought my horse from him lol
Birker2020
Well-Known Member
Well you could say that about anything though. I suppose not everyone is aware that this exists I suppose. Maybe it was just something that the dealer that I bought my horse off did. I knew two couples who bought a horse each off him and all whose horses were imports and we were really pleased with the horses we bought from him.if it's that easy why aren't we all doing it and making our fortunes!
The only reason I didn't take him up on the offer of going over to Holland to look was because I'd just lost my previous horse and didn't feel I had the confidence or the strength of mind to take it further at that time.
milliepops
Wears headscarf aggressively
There are still the big breeders etc but as above, the market in the EU has changed as much as ours has. if you only want to spend £3k you'll be buying the 3 legged crocks that no one there wants either.
eta not sure the shipping costs stand either, since Brexit?
Wishfilly
Well-Known Member
I think the government are being quite careful to avoid a single major employment/economic crash "when furlough ends" for all sorts of reasons.
So, I don't think there will be the sudden crash in the economy and crash in the horse market like happened in 2008.
I do think there may be a gradual reduction of demand for all sorts of reasons over the next couple of years, but it seems like that's likely to be coupled with some reduction in supply.
So, I do think stronger prices for quality horses are here to stay, although I think those chancing their arm at the bottom of the market won't stay as high.
When I was looking, everyone insisted that prices would be back down by now- but of course with another lockdown and now things opening back up, prices are still high- and I think they're likely to stay high over the summer when there's limited opportunities for travel and so on.
FWIW, I do think it's still possible to pick up a cheap project from a private owner. But I think you need to be both patient (waiting for the right horse to come up) and then quick to buy when it does!
So, I don't think there will be the sudden crash in the economy and crash in the horse market like happened in 2008.
I do think there may be a gradual reduction of demand for all sorts of reasons over the next couple of years, but it seems like that's likely to be coupled with some reduction in supply.
So, I do think stronger prices for quality horses are here to stay, although I think those chancing their arm at the bottom of the market won't stay as high.
When I was looking, everyone insisted that prices would be back down by now- but of course with another lockdown and now things opening back up, prices are still high- and I think they're likely to stay high over the summer when there's limited opportunities for travel and so on.
FWIW, I do think it's still possible to pick up a cheap project from a private owner. But I think you need to be both patient (waiting for the right horse to come up) and then quick to buy when it does!
Birker2020
Well-Known Member
Well I'm going back some years, I have no idea since I'm not in the market for horse shopping at the moment.
What I'm trying to say is that the mark up on horses from abroad is (or was) considerable.
I believe the price of horses will go down eventually as so too will the price of dogs which are fetching astronomical prices at the moment. But like I say, there is always someone daft enough to pay.
sport horse
Well-Known Member
Of course the mark up is high. The dealer has been to Holland, selected and paid for the horses, imported them to UK and got them ready to sell. He has taken a risk with his money. How many fail to sell at the profit, how many turn out to be unsound etc etc. That is business.
I think you might all be very surprised at the prices abroad now - no point in quoting prices from years ago!
Dexter
Well-Known Member
Some years ago you could buy those horses in the UK for that price. Some years ago young connies were 1k, section as £50, ex racers under a grand. Some years ago has absolutely no relevance to now. You absolutely cannot buy a smart young horse that needs no work for 3k.
Birker2020
Well-Known Member
Can't you? Well if you have been abroad and bought one directly you will know. So how much are they in that scenario then? Am I a long way off?
The Xmas Furry
🦄 🦄
Those shipping costs from the previous poster are pie in the sky unless you go back more than 25 years! I think she meant to put in excess of £350 to the docks, but till 2 yrs ago would be looking on average at about £600 on a shared load, more if journey onwards in UK was a long one.
The Xmas Furry
🦄 🦄
Blooming miles off on purchase and also the transport costs, see my post above.Can't you? Well if you have been abroad and bought one directly you will know. So how much are they in that scenario then? Am I a long way off?
milliepops
Wears headscarf aggressively
I have only heard details for horses coming from Spain which was in that ballpark shared load, wasn't sure about somewhere like Netherlands. but yeah. not quite the bargain suggested! i can understand people shopping abroad if they aren't seeing what they want over here but it certainly doesn't seem like a money saving exercise.
sport horse
Well-Known Member
I had one brought from France - just south of Paris to south of England 3 years ago - it cost £1000 on a 2 horse lorry. I worked out that I could not drive there for that price.
Kaylum
Well-Known Member
seeing dealers advertising "I will pick up your horse today what do you have cash waiting" this makes me so sad as the sick and injured all end up there.
flat3
Well-Known Member
This is why it's really hard to compare it to other hobbies, boats/yachts don't come with the same invisible pitfalls and emotional rollercoasters ?
shortstuff99
Well-Known Member
Importing from the EU, you now have to pay for health paperwork etc, the travel costs, and then 20% of the purchase price for VAT and then something like an extra 10% if it is a gelding. Very expensive now!
TPO
🤠🏴
Someone posted the cost of travelling to compete abroad (BE) and it was ridiculous. I'm not sure if it's a direct comparison because it was a return trip and I *think* some of the costs due to needing additional documents/checks.
However I dont think the cost was much off 4k. I'll see if I can find the thread as their was a screenshot of the travelling costs broken down
ETA. It was this thread https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/...ord-and-impact-upon-competition-plans.801379/
The cost was over 4k ferry and nearly 5k via eurotunnel
However I dont think the cost was much off 4k. I'll see if I can find the thread as their was a screenshot of the travelling costs broken down
ETA. It was this thread https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/...ord-and-impact-upon-competition-plans.801379/
The cost was over 4k ferry and nearly 5k via eurotunnel