horse market seems a bit overpriced!??

[Birker2020]

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.

Yes I know all that, I wasn't criticising I was just saying if you go over yourself you can/used to be able to get a bargain!!! Blimey, give me some slack.

 

[Birker2020]

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!

Gosh it is isn't it.

 

[chaps89]

I'm finding a really big gap in the market, regardless of price, for smaller adult all-rounders that won't set the world on fire but are sensible and don't have a large % TB or WB breeding. There seems to be a big split in the ads that I see - there are the sporty competition horses and the hairy cobby types, but really not much in the middle. There are a lot of 16.2+ IDs and ISHs but I'm only bloody 5'4, 15.2 is more than big enough for me! Maybe they exist but don't come on the open market.

Tbh there has always seemed to be a shortage of 15 handers, nice middleweight (not mw cob, I mean between tb and cob in substance) that are fun all rounders.
I'd love to find a stud that bred native x wb/tb/Arab maybe, although I think you could end up with some awful cut & shuts, there might also be some really nice useful types in there.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I'm finding a really big gap in the market, regardless of price, for smaller adult all-rounders that won't set the world on fire but are sensible and don't have a large % TB or WB breeding. There seems to be a big split in the ads that I see - there are the sporty competition horses and the hairy cobby types, but really not much in the middle. There are a lot of 16.2+ IDs and ISHs but I'm only bloody 5'4, 15.2 is more than big enough for me! Maybe they exist but don't come on the open market.

I bred one . 15.2hh TB cross. A good, easy mare.

I had her professionally backed and started.

At the point the pic was taken, when she went clear XC in her first BE80 with a pro rider as a 5yo, she was valued in 2016 at £4,500. She cost me waay more than that to get her to that stage.

The stud fee was £550, but add to that the mare's stay away to be inseminated and the costs had already risen to £1200 just to get the mare scanned in foal (she took first time, but a twin had to be pinched out).

 

[DirectorFury]

I bred one . 15.2hh TB cross. A good, easy mare.

I had her professionally backed and started.

At the point the pic was taken, when she went clear XC in her first BE80 with a pro rider as a 5yo, she was valued in 2016 at £4,500. She cost me waay more than that to get her to that stage.

The stud fee was £550, but add to that the mare's stay away to be inseminated and the costs had already risen to £1200 just to get the mare scanned in foal (she took first time, but a twin had to be pinched out).

View attachment 69829

She looks lovely! This is probably what I'm going to do tbh - these types of horses just don't seem to exist. It'll cost me ~£12k to get the mare in foal (assuming no major disasters) and get the foal to age 3 which is a bit insane, but I'm not breeding it to sell and couldn't find one to buy for that price.

I do wonder how many of these 16.1/16.2/16.3 horses are actually in the 15.1-15.3 bracket when you get a stick on them but are advertised as being slightly bigger to attract a wider market.

 

[Cheval Gal]

I just want to give a pony a fabulous forever home where it will be loved and cared for unquestionably until the day it passes. Just not sure I have £6k up front!

 

[scruffyponies]

Like dogs, the price is being driven up by first time owners. Like dogs, many don't know how to look after one end of it, and the price they pay will have no bearing whatever on the care the animal receives.

 

[brighteyes]

and yet I'm having a very bad month if my horsey bills (including livery) get anywhere near £400! I average about £250 a month on livery (part livery) and feed.

I have never paid more than £2500 for any of my horses, and infact some of the best of them have been the cheaper ones!

I have more than £4k in savings currently but there is no way on earth I would spend that on a horse/pony.

We are looking for a 15.2 ish Connie x - up to 8/9yo and not grey...

Can you find us one for under 8K?

 

[Goldenstar]

Pricing is a funny thing .
People remember seeing Blue the Cob on fb because of his striking colour .
I had oh I saw him but the price was ridiculous and I was amazed you got that horse at that money from people .
Usually it’s really hard to price a horse without seeing it .
Blue is a forward going cob who is really sensible great in traffic he’s an excellent safe jumper and loves jumping .
He's easy for a woman to ride he’s a strong enough to carry a man .
He’s a great hunter and when we put a total beginner on him he was so careful with him .
Then the not so good, flat work was awful but he is trainable and try’s .
He can be a bit difficult to handle and might be a handful with a numpty he’s easily frightened on the ground once he accepts you he’s fine .
He good to travel was naughty to load but once I let him know we dont negotiate here about things like that he’s been fine.
You need electric fences that work .
He has chronic cracked heels although tbh they are no issue to deal with once his legs are kept clipped
He has to my eye a straight hind leg .
He passed a five stage vetting as a hunter all rounder and we have no a sniff of an issue with his soundness since he arrived .
He’s 16,2 was ten when I bought him and is striking looking , a lovely blue roan .
So folks what do you think he cost .

 

[Micky]

I think I may be in the minority that sees this as a good thing. When horses were cheap/cheaper far too many people could buy them but then not afford to care for them, or they were given away due to issues but dressed up and sold on for lives they were not suitable for.
Now prices are much higher those that cannot afford the 4k for a low level horse most certainly won't be able to afford the ongoing care that that horse will require

A bit of a generalisation there..I can just afford a 4k horse after saving and certainly can afford the ongoing care! My horse now whom I’ve had for 9 years was nearly 4K back then, and touch wood, being a good doer but with Cushing, I have been able to afford his upkeep easily

 

[conniegirl]

We are looking for a 15.2 ish Connie x - up to 8/9yo and not grey...

Can you find us one for under 8K?

I'll have a look for you, what are you wanting to do with it?
This one any good?
https://www.thehorseexchange.co.uk/horses-ponies/lucky-9150/

Or this
https://www.righthorserighthome.co.uk/horse/stunning-4-yr-old-connemara-x-ish/

Or this (a smidge older than you were looking for though)
https://www.dragondriving.co.uk/horseforsale-167756.html

Or this
https://www.dragondriving.co.uk/horseforsale-165885.html

 

[Wishfilly]

Pricing is a funny thing .
People remember seeing Blue the Cob on fb because of his striking colour .
I had oh I saw him but the price was ridiculous and I was amazed you got that horse at that money from people .
Usually it’s really hard to price a horse without seeing it .
Blue is a forward going cob who is really sensible great in traffic he’s an excellent safe jumper and loves jumping .
He's easy for a woman to ride he’s a strong enough to carry a man .
He’s a great hunter and when we put a total beginner on him he was so careful with him .
Then the not so good, flat work was awful but he is trainable and try’s .
He can be a bit difficult to handle and might be a handful with a numpty he’s easily frightened on the ground once he accepts you he’s fine .
He good to travel was naughty to load but once I let him know we dont negotiate here about things like that he’s been fine.
You need electric fences that work .
He has chronic cracked heels although tbh they are no issue to deal with once his legs are kept clipped
He has to my eye a straight hind leg .
He passed a five stage vetting as a hunter all rounder and we have no a sniff of an issue with his soundness since he arrived .
He’s 16,2 was ten when I bought him and is striking looking , a lovely blue roan .
So folks what do you think he cost .

I'll take a stab at 8k, but I think it might be more.

 

[teapot]

I do think that's a bit ridiculous. I'd be surprised if they actually get that for him!

Believe they got it, if not more for King Robert.

I've been scanning through this thread with interest - there is such a wide range of needs, wants and experiences of horse purchasing / selling / ownership that it's difficult to generalise. I believe the pricing for sound, reliable horses is probably more realistic particularly given the costings laid out earlier in the thread.

The house comparison doesn't work for me but the sailing analogy seems to fit as a yacht is as non-essential as a horse for the vast majority of us. I've been looking to learn to sail (competent crew training) and the cost of a five-day course is around the £300 mark, which is doable for a lot of people but certainly not all. I'd expect to be able to hire a sailing craft of some sort for a holiday in future once appropriately qualified - it's not cheap but doable compared to other holidays. I certainly wouldn't expect to be able to buy my own quality, safe and well-maintained yacht along with mooring fees etc (I don't know anything about the costs btw, just guessing) without considerable saving and compromise of other hobbies / non-essentials.

Yet with horse riding, lessons are manageable on a similar basis yet horse ownership and keep can be incredibly cheap. This doesn't seem right. No-one would buy a yacht or other boat with issues unless they were capable of fixing them or could afford to have someone else do it, yet novice horse riders will buy a cheap horse and expect to be able to manage. It seems to me that this balance does need to shift to encourage more training and education rather than jumping into ownership, but I don't have any solutions to resolve this unless we were to go down a licensing route and this would be near-impossible to legislate or enforce.

Great post ! £300 for a five day sailing course... I've just paid £160 for a one day clinic at a leading training centre and I'll ride for three of the six hours I'll be there for.

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.

Love NFED.


ETS for anyone not aware, latest transport costs from France are around £1100 per horse including stabling.

 

[splashgirl45]

I'll have a look for you, what are you wanting to do with it?
This one any good?
https://www.thehorseexchange.co.uk/horses-ponies/lucky-9150/

Or this
https://www.righthorserighthome.co.uk/horse/stunning-4-yr-old-connemara-x-ish/

Or this (a smidge older than you were looking for though)
https://www.dragondriving.co.uk/horseforsale-167756.html

Or this
https://www.dragondriving.co.uk/horseforsale-165885.html

i would be very cautious . there is a certain essex dealer who advertises on DD... they are all very reasonable in price for a good reason.....buyer beware !!!

 

[Bellaboo18]

I'm glad to see well produced horses being advertised for decent prices.
I was on a facebook group, something like ex racehorses for sale and the amount of wanted posts from people with a 'low three figure budget', sorry I found it depressing.

 

[brighteyes]

I'll have a look for you, what are you wanting to do with it?
This one any good?
https://www.thehorseexchange.co.uk/horses-ponies/lucky-9150/

Or this
https://www.righthorserighthome.co.uk/horse/stunning-4-yr-old-connemara-x-ish/

Or this (a smidge older than you were looking for though)
https://www.dragondriving.co.uk/horseforsale-167756.html

Or this
https://www.dragondriving.co.uk/horseforsale-165885.html

I'll have a look when I get in xx

 

[chaps89]

Pricing is a funny thing .
People remember seeing Blue the Cob on fb because of his striking colour .
I had oh I saw him but the price was ridiculous and I was amazed you got that horse at that money from people .
Usually it’s really hard to price a horse without seeing it .
Blue is a forward going cob who is really sensible great in traffic he’s an excellent safe jumper and loves jumping .
He's easy for a woman to ride he’s a strong enough to carry a man .
He’s a great hunter and when we put a total beginner on him he was so careful with him .
Then the not so good, flat work was awful but he is trainable and try’s .
He can be a bit difficult to handle and might be a handful with a numpty he’s easily frightened on the ground once he accepts you he’s fine .
He good to travel was naughty to load but once I let him know we dont negotiate here about things like that he’s been fine.
You need electric fences that work .
He has chronic cracked heels although tbh they are no issue to deal with once his legs are kept clipped
He has to my eye a straight hind leg .
He passed a five stage vetting as a hunter all rounder and we have no a sniff of an issue with his soundness since he arrived .
He’s 16,2 was ten when I bought him and is striking looking , a lovely blue roan .
So folks what do you think he cost .

It was either stupid cheap, around £4k, or more realistic I'd expect around £8k given green, potential to be a bit argy-bargy and possibly no comp/outings/hunting experience. Maybe up to £12k on the basis of being a paragon of virtue, and up to weight for carrying a gent.
And that shows just how difficult it is to price horses!

 

[Palindrome]

She looks lovely! This is probably what I'm going to do tbh - these types of horses just don't seem to exist. It'll cost me ~£12k to get the mare in foal (assuming no major disasters) and get the foal to age 3 which is a bit insane, but I'm not breeding it to sell and couldn't find one to buy for that price.

I do wonder how many of these 16.1/16.2/16.3 horses are actually in the 15.1-15.3 bracket when you get a stick on them but are advertised as being slightly bigger to attract a wider market.

There are loads around here, 1k for a 2 or 3 years old French trotter that didn't make the time for racing. You do need to like them a bit sporty though.

 

[HopefulHorse1971]

I am hopefully buying my first ever horse as an adult tomorrow subject to vetting and was discussing yesterday with a friend how much horse prices have gone up. Her horse cost 5k a couple of years ago and on the basis of prices on current adverts would cost nearer to 10 plus now if she was looking for a comparable replacement. I've ended up paying 7.5 k for a horse than when I first starting looking in January would have been closer to 6; however she is the right horse for me and my daughter and I don't want to wait to see what happens with horse prices as I want to enjoy having a horse this summer. I did find that there weren't many horses that fitted exactly what we want; there were lots of hairy cobs who hadn't done much or lots of competition horses who would be far to much for my daughter and I to cope with this. I did initially consider a rising 4 year old ID but realised she needed someone more experienced than me. The horse we are buying isn't hugely talented and is a bit green, but is 15.2 so suits both myself and my daughter, is a safe hack and can pop jumps up to about 80cm so my daughter can do pony club with her. That's definitely worth the money to me and as she eight we should have lots of happy years together. We are one of those families who have accrued a little bit of extra money in lockdown and I have also decided, having turned 50 this year if I don't do it now when will I. I've been riding since I was 11 and my 13 year old since she was 5 so it isn't a passing phase. We've also had two on part loan for the past year so I am happy we can manage it time wise, as well as financially. If I have ten years of fun with our new friend I'll consider her asking price well worth it

 

[milliepops]

I am hopefully buying my first ever horse as an adult tomorrow subject to vetting and was discussing yesterday with a friend how much horse prices have gone up. Her horse cost 5k a couple of years ago and on the basis of prices on current adverts would cost nearer to 10 plus now if she was looking for a comparable replacement. I've ended up paying 7.5 k for a horse than when I first starting looking in January would have been closer to 6; however she is the right horse for me and my daughter and I don't want to wait to see what happens with horse prices as I want to enjoy having a horse this summer. I did find that there weren't many horses that fitted exactly what we want; there were lots of hairy cobs who hadn't done much or lots of competition horses who would be far to much for my daughter and I to cope with this. I did initially consider a rising 4 year old ID but realised she needed someone more experienced than me. The horse we are buying isn't hugely talented and is a bit green, but is 15.2 so suits both myself and my daughter, is a safe hack and can pop jumps up to about 80cm so my daughter can do pony club with her. That's definitely worth the money to me and as she eight we should have lots of happy years together. We are one of those families who have accrued a little bit of extra money in lockdown and I have also decided, having turned 50 this year if I don't do it now when will I. I've been riding since I was 11 and my 13 year old since she was 5 so it isn't a passing phase. We've also had two on part loan for the past year so I am happy we can manage it time wise, as well as financially. If I have ten years of fun with our new friend I'll consider her asking price well worth it

such a nice post. wishing you many years of happiness with your new horse sounds like you've thought it all through well.

 

[Bellaboo18]

I am hopefully buying my first ever horse as an adult tomorrow subject to vetting and was discussing yesterday with a friend how much horse prices have gone up. Her horse cost 5k a couple of years ago and on the basis of prices on current adverts would cost nearer to 10 plus now if she was looking for a comparable replacement. I've ended up paying 7.5 k for a horse than when I first starting looking in January would have been closer to 6; however she is the right horse for me and my daughter and I don't want to wait to see what happens with horse prices as I want to enjoy having a horse this summer. I did find that there weren't many horses that fitted exactly what we want; there were lots of hairy cobs who hadn't done much or lots of competition horses who would be far to much for my daughter and I to cope with this. I did initially consider a rising 4 year old ID but realised she needed someone more experienced than me. The horse we are buying isn't hugely talented and is a bit green, but is 15.2 so suits both myself and my daughter, is a safe hack and can pop jumps up to about 80cm so my daughter can do pony club with her. That's definitely worth the money to me and as she eight we should have lots of happy years together. We are one of those families who have accrued a little bit of extra money in lockdown and I have also decided, having turned 50 this year if I don't do it now when will I. I've been riding since I was 11 and my 13 year old since she was 5 so it isn't a passing phase. We've also had two on part loan for the past year so I am happy we can manage it time wise, as well as financially. If I have ten years of fun with our new friend I'll consider her asking price well worth it

Lovely post, I hope everything goes ok with the vetting and you have many years of fun together.

 

[Bernster]

Yes, lovely post and I wish you lots of luck and fun times ahead!

I am still pondering where all the 15.2-16h horses are. Why are they all whooping big 16.2 plus horses?! Surely plenty of shorter or female riders, teens not yet ready for something so big...who’d want a horse under 16h or so? Seems like plenty of em on this forum.

 

[Widgeon]

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 ?

Absolutely. And in the end a lot of it comes down an individual's personal attitudes to risk, really (as well as - obviously - whether you can afford to lose a big wodge of cash)

 

[milliepops]

Yes, lovely post and I wish you lots of luck and fun times ahead!

I am still pondering where all the 15.2-16h horses are. Why are they all whooping big 16.2 plus horses?! Surely plenty of shorter or female riders, teens not yet ready for something so big...who’d want a horse under 16h or so? Seems like plenty of em on this forum.

i may have bred one... be a while before I find out though and I'll be happy if she goes bigger.
I've never had a horse over 16hh, i've had cob x, Welsh x, and a TB all in the 15-16hh range. a nice partbred native ought to turn out that sort of size but they aren't very fashionable I guess so probably not that many on the market. My horsey youth was spent riding connie and highland x TBs which were all that size range.

 

[Goldenstar]

I always struggle to find not too tall horses every thing is 17 hands when I am looking

 

[DirectorFury]

Yes, lovely post and I wish you lots of luck and fun times ahead!

I am still pondering where all the 15.2-16h horses are. Why are they all whooping big 16.2 plus horses?! Surely plenty of shorter or female riders, teens not yet ready for something so big...who’d want a horse under 16h or so? Seems like plenty of em on this forum.

There's a really lovely 15.1 4yo on FB, I can PM you a screenshot of the ad if you want? I'd be interested but it's a gelding and I'm a strictly mares-only person .

Edit: If anyone sees anything fitting my criteria than please give me a prod!
- Welsh D x TB/WB/ISH/Arab/AA
- 15.1 - 15.3
- 2 - 5yo, very preferably unbroken, if broken then no photos of it jumping 1m20 as a 4yo!
- mare
- not coloured and no greys, preferably chestnut
- nothing with scary legs or glaringly bad confo
- under 10k

I don't want much ?.

 

[ihatework]

There's a really lovely 15.1 4yo on FB, I can PM you a screenshot of the ad if you want? I'd be interested but it's a gelding and I'm a strictly mares-only person .

Edit: If anyone sees anything fitting my criteria than please give me a prod!
- Welsh D x TB/WB/ISH/Arab/AA
- 15.1 - 15.3
- 2 - 5yo, very preferably unbroken, if broken then no photos of it jumping 1m20 as a 4yo!
- mare
- not coloured and no greys, preferably chestnut
- nothing with scary legs or glaringly bad confo
- under 10k

I don't want much ?.

Literally saw a lovely model on FB this morning, small chestnut mare about 5k. Can’t for the life of me remember which page though ? Although don’t think it was welsh

 

[ihatework]

Literally saw a lovely model on FB this morning, small chestnut mare about 5k. Can’t for the life of me remember which page though ? Although don’t think it was welsh

Bum, could have sworn it was a mare - it was a gelding ?

Could turn out nice though for anyone wanting a small sporty one.

 

[DirectorFury]

Bum, could have sworn it was a mare - it was a gelding ?

Could turn out nice though for anyone wanting a small sporty one.

View attachment 69910

Hahaha, this is the 15.1 gelding that I mentioned ?. It's sods law that I see horses that tick most of the boxes but never all the most important ones (mare, height, colour).

 

[ester]

he's smart.