scats
Well-Known Member
I’ve been accompanying a friend horse shopping for the last few months and we were having a discussion about prices after yet another disappointing viewing.
Friend wants a little project- 13-14hh (cob, cob x, native type ideally) She doesn’t want a world beater and would prefer backed or just backed. Its simply meant as a rideable companion- something she can hack out but also play in the school with and do some basics- walk, trot, canter and maybe pop a minuscule fence. There are no aspirations to compete or anything.
She loves green horses but does prefer them to be forward off the leg initially. Knowing the prices have gone crazy, she does have up to 4k to spend, though realistically what she wants would previously have been in the 500-£1k bracket.
But she is getting despondent with the prices people are asking for seriously green, lazy and uneducated animals and is struggling to allow herself to consider parting with cash for animals that are not worth anywhere near that amount.
What she is finding is a load of ponies who have had a very poor start due to novice or under-equipped owners, who are missing huge chunks of basics, being advertised between £3-5k.
Some examples-
A 4 year old section c who was a pig for the owner to tack up and then bucked, napped and spooked while the owner rode. I advised her not to get on as I didn’t trust it wouldn’t deck her. That was one of the better priced at £2.5k (I’d have given them £500 tops).
A 5 year old green coloured cob mare with a prior leg injury, green as grass. Owner novice and clueless. £3750
A 5 year old native, backed last year but barely ridden since. Very stuffy, ears back and bucky, friend was dripping in sweat when she got off as it was such hard work to get moving forwards. £3750
At most, friend said she’d be willing to take a punt on something like the native at £1.5k and restart them properly. Obviously this was turned down.
I can see the higher end of the market staying up- your decent competition potential, or the green but sweet and willing youngsters, but is this really where we are with the low end?
Uneducated young ponies owned by children or novice people who haven’t done a great job with them but still expecting thousands of pounds?
Friend is, and I agree, struggling with the idea that she is going to have to potentially part with a substantial amount of cash to take a punt on a stuffy project. Unfortunately she doesn’t have the budget for anything better (nor does she really want anything else).
Having always picked up bargain basement types myself, I’m also struggling getting my head around the new prices, but as I said to my friend, someone must be buying them, because they do end up selling eventually.
I wonder what peoples thoughts are or if anyone else feels the same about the way prices have gone.
Friend wants a little project- 13-14hh (cob, cob x, native type ideally) She doesn’t want a world beater and would prefer backed or just backed. Its simply meant as a rideable companion- something she can hack out but also play in the school with and do some basics- walk, trot, canter and maybe pop a minuscule fence. There are no aspirations to compete or anything.
She loves green horses but does prefer them to be forward off the leg initially. Knowing the prices have gone crazy, she does have up to 4k to spend, though realistically what she wants would previously have been in the 500-£1k bracket.
But she is getting despondent with the prices people are asking for seriously green, lazy and uneducated animals and is struggling to allow herself to consider parting with cash for animals that are not worth anywhere near that amount.
What she is finding is a load of ponies who have had a very poor start due to novice or under-equipped owners, who are missing huge chunks of basics, being advertised between £3-5k.
Some examples-
A 4 year old section c who was a pig for the owner to tack up and then bucked, napped and spooked while the owner rode. I advised her not to get on as I didn’t trust it wouldn’t deck her. That was one of the better priced at £2.5k (I’d have given them £500 tops).
A 5 year old green coloured cob mare with a prior leg injury, green as grass. Owner novice and clueless. £3750
A 5 year old native, backed last year but barely ridden since. Very stuffy, ears back and bucky, friend was dripping in sweat when she got off as it was such hard work to get moving forwards. £3750
At most, friend said she’d be willing to take a punt on something like the native at £1.5k and restart them properly. Obviously this was turned down.
I can see the higher end of the market staying up- your decent competition potential, or the green but sweet and willing youngsters, but is this really where we are with the low end?
Uneducated young ponies owned by children or novice people who haven’t done a great job with them but still expecting thousands of pounds?
Friend is, and I agree, struggling with the idea that she is going to have to potentially part with a substantial amount of cash to take a punt on a stuffy project. Unfortunately she doesn’t have the budget for anything better (nor does she really want anything else).
Having always picked up bargain basement types myself, I’m also struggling getting my head around the new prices, but as I said to my friend, someone must be buying them, because they do end up selling eventually.
I wonder what peoples thoughts are or if anyone else feels the same about the way prices have gone.
