Horse Sales/Auctions

Chestnutmare

Chestnutmare

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 May 2009
Messages
4,129
Location
Sunny Surrey
Visit site
I would like some info from those that have been to one and have bought at a sales.

This is a line I may take to finding a horse in a few months, I understand you don't get anything with them not even a headcollar... not that this is an issue as I would have a few bob set aside to get new things anyway, but it's also the transport issues... what happens if you go to a sale end up buying but have no way of getting your horse back?..
Are there rules about this?

Can you meet the horse prior to it going into the ring?
I guess you get a catalogue of their details in.

How do you tell a good horse from a not so good one?
I would be taking an experienced person with me too, even though I am experienced it's always nice to have that extra set of eyes and ears.

I have not been to a proper sales, i've popped along to the new forest sales once years ago and hated it cos of the meat man buying....:(

So any kind of advice etc would be much appreciated
Thanks
 
Hi many sales will sell horses 'warranted say 'good to ride' This means that the horse has to be sound and rideable and you can get the horse vetted and have a set amount of time (I think 48 hours) to notifythe auctions if you have a problem.

I would suggest that you give the sales room a call to discuss the terms etc - Cambridge springs to minds as being the closest if you are in Essex.

We had a TB that came through Cambridge Horse Sales - not directly bought by us but the purchaser got him cheap and managed to talk to his owner and find out his history etc prior to the sale.In this 'buyers market' you could find some good genuine horses at auction as sellers are desperate - just try and get one with some sort of warranty, otherwise it could be heartache.
Good Luck!
 
If you intend to buy, get transport. Once bought, its your problem!
Unless stated as having a warrenty its sold as seen.
You can normally view in the stalls/pens before an auction sale.
Catalogues can normally be bought, but mainly contain the most basic of info.
Sales can be a bit of a gamble, but there are some decent horses out there to be had!
 
Merlywerly said:
what happens if you go to a sale end up buying but have no way of getting your horse back?..
Are there rules about this? Wouldn't go without transport, pretty sure that the market won't want to or have the facility to keep a horse for any period of time

Can you meet the horse prior to it going into the ring?
I guess you get a catalogue of their details in.Only been to one but there was a catalogue and you could walk around the stalls to see them close up

How do you tell a good horse from a not so good one?
I would be taking an experienced person with me too, even though I am experienced it's always nice to have that extra set of eyes and ears.and there's the rub, guess you can't really, you do need someone with good experience of horses, buying at sales and good horse knowledge to help you, hence I didn't actually buy from the sale. Some do have a level of 'warranty' but it is going to be limited

I have not been to a proper sales, i've popped along to the new forest sales once years ago and hated it cos of the meat man buying....:(
no guarantee that similar thing won't happen and that you'll see people with money but no sense buying unsuitable horses and ponies

Basically I found the whole thing a bit disturbing and I'd rather buy from an owner where I can see where/how the horse was kept and have some 'come-back' if there is a problem
Click to expand...

But that's just me and doubtless there will be people who've had a great experience and bought excellent horses and ponies at sales.
 
Experince depends on level of sale your going to, performance or local once monthly. Be aware if a dealer has a reasonable animal in & they see you really want it, his mates may push up the price for him. Look at lot of horses outside in the stalls before it starts, feel them, trot them up etc, but dont get really excited about anything. Know your price limit & don't go beyond that. Some will go to the meat man unless hit is a high performance sale, you can't rescue them all. If you are after a tb, consider going to the racing sales at Ascot. Very professional, vast majority have warranties or open to vet. There are a lot of nice animals that go through there for little money.
 
Depends where you go, but if you do plump for Cambridge then you will get a catalogue, be able to walk round and look at the horses before, the owners should be with them or nearby, they are ridden (shown off....) and you could ask for a ride before they go inthe ring. I've just said all that but this was back when it was held at Lordsbridge which I don't think it is anymore....still i shoudl think they use the same sort of process.

There is also usually a vet on site, I have been known to collar the vet and ask advice about any potential issues.

I have bought a fair few from cambridge, there is invariably a few tannoy calls along the lines of 'does anyone have transport to....?' for people that have bought by accident!
 
wow some things there I wouldn't have thought about, I would be after the chunkier type really.

Cambridge sales - I will have a look see when next is on and then perhaps when I am ready to go for it ask for help going and bidding etc... as I sadly let my heart rule my head on many of occasions especially if I see a horse I really like... and like you say the 'dealer' may have friends lined up also bidding to get higher price... :(

Interesting hearing all these stories....thank you
 
Would like to add that I never once went to a sale with the intention of buying a horse for myself as such. I woudl pick up the occasional cheap nice animal, bring on and sell on. I kept one, and have had him for many years although he was initailly purchased to have put out on his misery. My friend kept one as a companion.

It certainly wasn't a money making exercise, more of a hobby when i had the time and facilities to keep and work several.
 
Hello

I went to the Ruthin Welsh sale in September 2008, we never went with the intention to buy.
At the end of the auction I seen the most gorgeous lil chunky foal, I said to my mum "look at that foal, what a lil chunky monkey" and she said "thats the one that i was trying to get your attention about at the auction ring", i must of been looking at another horse outside and didnt notice the lil foal that my mum tried to show me.
So at the end of the auction when id seen the foal, we walked over to the man who was stood next to the foal, he said that he had just bought him but we could buy him off him for the same price that he had paid for him and that for abit extra he would drop him off at our field

We ended up buying the cute lil 6month old chestnut welsh section d colt and i called him Harley. It was one of the best days of my life buying him and we've still got him He will be turning 3 years old in Sunday :)

I got in touch with his breeder a couple of weeks after we bought him, shes lovely, i know about his mum, dad etc. We went to meet her last year and we met Harley's mum and half sister. It was lovely to meet his old owner and we stay in touch
 
If you take a friend, you could get them to bid for you, and walk away while its going on. That way, they will stick to your limit.

I have also approached someone selling alovely TB mare, and askedthem to contact me after the sale if she didn't sell. She didn't sell (didn't make the reserve), and I went to try her at their home.
 
Merlywerly said:
wow some things there I wouldn't have thought about, I would be after the chunkier type really.

Cambridge sales - I will have a look see when next is on and then perhaps when I am ready to go for it ask for help going and bidding etc... as I sadly let my heart rule my head on many of occasions especially if I see a horse I really like... and like you say the 'dealer' may have friends lined up also bidding to get higher price... :(

Interesting hearing all these stories....thank you
Click to expand...

Best to go to the sales to have a look around before you go to buy. If you go to 'look around' then don't take any money or bank cards with you. Just get the feel of it and then next time when you go to buy you will know what it is all about.

Melton Mowbray sales are meant to be quite good - but I have not been myself. However I don't think there is a catalogue there as sellers turn up on the morning with whatever they want to sell and register it then.

Try and buy one that says it is 'warranted'. And don't let your heart rule your head, else you will come home with some cute mini shetland that was about to go to the meat man!
 
I was looking for a project to buy and bring on and went to Reading Market.

I bought an ex-Police horse, and whilst they were not particuarly forthcoming about him in terms of his issues - the only comment I really got was he wasn't too good in traffic. I did get them to trot him up, had a good feel of his legs and looked generally at how he was put together and whether he looked "well" or not. He had a nice temperament, very cuddly, and was not fussed about being prodded and poked. It turned out that he was not "traffic-shy" in our levels of traffic, so I put it down to the fact that he didn't like London traffic. However, he was paranoid about rabbits!! It took a while for him to accept the little grey things - LOL. He turned out to be a really nice boy, who adored jumping and he went to a lovely home.

However, my friend bought a shetland from Southall market - she went with the intention of buying a bridle, but came home with Buttons! She was told he was 8 and was regularly ridden by children. However, when two "swellings" appeared between his legs, she called the vet thinking they were tumours - the vet had a good laugh and said they were his testicles and as he was only about 18 months old, they were supposed to be there as he obviously wasn't gelded!!!!! Anyway, he was duly castrated and turned away for a couple of years to grow up!

My best advise is take someone with you - I have had to be physically restrained from buying donkeys before now!!!
 
Firstly re transport, I wouldnt worry too much, if you buy the auctioners (if you ask them) will put an announcment over the tanoy, if anyone going in your direction got space, Ive heard that go out loads of times at sales and invarably a dealer will have room, maybe in a cattle truck but, at least its a lift and might only cost £50 or so.
As for a head collar it was my understanding when a horse is sold and the hammer falls it must be left in its pen/stable with a head collar or rope halter.
If I were you I would take a chance, if you dont spend alot of money, if it doesnt work out you can always take it back to the next sale or another one and you will proberbly break even. As for people saying only dodgy horses go to sales, you might just as easiliy get stitched up buying private and for more money, so harder to get out of it.
Plus if you buy it warrented you have 48 hrs to take it back if its not as described or un sound, which again is more than you get private buying.
I see advertised in H&H that ***** Farm place has started having auctions, never been, but would be interested to know if anyone has been, and what the standard is.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top