Horse sales !?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?

[CanterTrot]

What is your personal experience with horse sales? I really only want people to reply if you have personally bought a horse yourself from a horse sale.
I understand that you take the risk of buying (and that the rule of thumb is to not but a horse without warranty)
But for those people who have personally bought a horse from one of these sales, what are your experiences with these horses? Did you meet the owners or did you simply pay for the horse and leave?

Everyone I have asked seems to have negative opinions but the only problem is that they have not bought a horse themselves.

Can't wait to hear your experiences

 

[bonny]

I have bought horses from tb sales and non tb and I would say as long as you are careful, don't get carried away and know what you are doing there are some lovely horses going through the ring and some real bargains to have .....In answer to your question I have always met the owners or their representatives, someone has to be with the horse !

 

[Dreamer515]

What is your personal experience with horse sales? I really only want people to reply if you have personally bought a horse yourself from a horse sale.
I understand that you take the risk of buying (and that the rule of thumb is to not but a horse without warranty)
But for those people who have personally bought a horse from one of these sales, what are your experiences with these horses? Did you meet the owners or did you simply pay for the horse and leave?

Everyone I have asked seems to have negative opinions but the only problem is that they have not bought a horse themselves.

Can't wait to hear your experiences

i havent bought a horse from a sale but i have been part of taking horses to sales through my old work. i have to say it is heartbreaking for most who have to lead their horse up knowing that it isnt coming home. i have known people who look after these horses make up stories in hope they wont get sold (i never done this as i knew that my horse was going to be sold no matter what i said). the most heartbreaking situation i have been in was taking my boy to Cheltenham sales 5 years ago when he was 9. i had known him since he was 2 and he was my world. bar race riding him i done everything else with him including backing. he went through the sale ring and when he reached his reserve price i started crying leading him round. his new owners came to the stable after and in my opinion were horrible. they didnt care about the horse as such just his race record. i was told he would be going point to point till he dropped. it was heartbreaking as a couple of his old syndicate owners had try to buy him in the ring but the price got too high and they couldnt afford it. i have no idea where he is now as he has been passed piller to post always out of my price range even though i am still saving now hoping one day i can buy him when he retires. he is 14 and still p2p now.
i know there are some horrible sellers out there but please if you do buy at a sale please have a little consideration for the person looking after the horse...maybe just a reassurance that he will be going to a good home or something along those lines as it really can help us stop worrying so much.

Good luck in your search

 

[lastchancer]

Believe only what you can see with your own eyes. And beware anything that seems too quiet - it's either drugged or exhausted. Youngsters are the best bet, older horses that are claimed to be all singing and dancing superstars are unlikely to be genuine. The specialist sales are more likely to have genuine riding horses but even so it's a risk buying from sales. There are bargains to be had but it's always a risk when buying a horse, more so from sales.

 

[Templebar]

What is your personal experience with horse sales? I really only want people to reply if you have personally bought a horse yourself from a horse sale.
I understand that you take the risk of buying (and that the rule of thumb is to not but a horse without warranty)
But for those people who have personally bought a horse from one of these sales, what are your experiences with these horses? Did you meet the owners or did you simply pay for the horse and leave?

Everyone I have asked seems to have negative opinions but the only problem is that they have not bought a horse themselves.

Can't wait to hear your experiences

Have not bought but have sold one. He was bought for my mum and i rode him and everything was find, little strong but ok, one day took him somewhere and he bronced me off three times, i said he is going and i wasn't prepared to advertise and sell. At the end of the day he was too much for my mum and me and him did not click. Some people there came to look at him, seemed nice and we thought they would buy him but in the end it was this couple we never met before or after, agree with above have some consideration for owners/handlers. We didn't gel but i hated not knowing where he was going.

As for buying personally i would, i went to the sales the other week and if i had the money and time i would have bought 2 that day to bring on, one to turn into a pc pony and the other to event for myself. But i did not, so i dont bother. I think its good if you know what your doing, stick to your guns and remember first impressions count for a lot.

 

[Dry Rot]

Bought three but that was years ago. I wouldn't do it again unless I had inside knowledge, i.e. knew a lot about the horse I was bidding on and the people selling it. Otherwise, you get what you pay for and there is no come back!

 

[CanterTrot]

Thank you for your replies - I am looking into buying one at the sales, I would never buy a horse without seeing the owner and reassuring them however my question about that was asked as my friend bought a horse from a sales and she waited around 4- 5 hours at the horses' stable for transport to arrive (at this point, everyone at the sales had left) and the owner had not once come back to the horses' stable to meet us or to see where the horse had gone, was just wondering if this was the normal for sales as I would hate to not meet the owner of the horse I was going to buy.

 

[pinklilly]

Went to a sale to look at the tack and bought a 4 yo ex racehorse called Golden Tyke. He was kicking his pen, very over excited and didn't make his reserve so we bought him out of the ring and the owners delivered him. He turned out to be a cracking horse, unfortunately lost him in an accident 2 years later.

 

[Leo Walker]

I used to go to York Sales all the time, just for the day out and the breakfast.Then one month I had a moment of complete insanity! A little coloured rising 2 yr old came in the ring led by a young girl who was sobbing her heart out I bought him for 155 guineas having never looked at him properly.It was literally a moment of madness. After the hammer went down I went all funny and nearly fainted, so by the time I'd got to his pen the owner was gone. Checked him over nad he had one testicle and I saw huge vet bills ahead! Managed to scam a cheap lift home, turned him out with my other youngsters an thankfully he dropped by the time he was 3yr old,

I am glad every single day that I bought him. We got him backed and riding away and sold him as a 4yr old. I've stayed in tough and have made it clear to both of his owners since then that I would take him back at ANY time! He was, well is, an amazing little pony. Made 14hhs is and has been a complete superstar for the two young girls that have owned him since I get regular updates via FB and I get to smile a lot knowing he was heading for meat till I gave him a chance. He has repaid me a thousand fold, never mind the girls who have owned him since. My only regret is not getting there in time to speak to the young girl selling him. I wish she could know what a happy ending Dotty had!

 

[jerrysmum]

I bought my cob as a 2 year old colt from the sales, he's now three, gelded and an absolute cracker l met the owners, he was part of a stud dispersal. Only thing is he wont make the height they said - anywhere near, but they may or maynot have known that. Would buy again from the sales but only youngsters unless l knew the horse.

 

[misskk88]

I googled my horses name when I bought her from people that I knew- was just looking for previous results etc.

She had been through auction rings at their yard and not sold, which I did not know at all (the search brought up their auction book with her in!). I was worried I had bought a right clanger and had not sold due to naughtiness/illness which I had not spotted. Needn't have worried. She has been an absolute star. She was 13 years old when I got her and had been a grade B showjumper in past homes, but the owners were downgrading the amount of horses they had. Although I did not buy directly from the auction ring, I would definitely say there are some genuine horses out there for genuine reasons. You just have to trust your gut, looking at what is on offer, and if you can take along another horse minded friend who can give you a second opinion.

 

[Gwyntbryn]

I've bought and sold at the warranted welsh cob sales. I have to say buying was more successful than selling! However as long as it's a proper warranted sale you should be ok.

 

[Dunlin]

I used to go to the New Forest auctions every year and wouldn't hesitate to go back again to buy another. They really do look after the ponies and foals and nothing completely wrecked or half dead is put through to auction. Of course the problem is you can only buy a New Forest, but then I can't see a problem with that

 

[LadySherry]

Personally I have bought 2 horses through the sales, both at Malvern Performance sale in May but two years apart. The first one was a 3 yo unbroken Irish gelding brought over by an Irish dealer that brings horses to most of the Brightwells sales so well known and respected and the second a 7 yo ISH mare from a private seller. I have to say I paid a reasonable price for both and they both turned out to be FANTASTIC, my mare is simply awesome, I don't think they realised what they were selling! But she is quirky so maybe they hadn't got on with her that well...
I would say be very careful, take your time and take someone experienced with you if you are not confident. Have the horse/pony vetted there on the day after you have bid as if there is something significant wrong with it that wasn't declared you can decide not to purchase. Would highly recommend the Brightwells performance sales in Malvern, I think they are 3 times a year and there is usually a good selection there from older horses to youngsters.
My experience has overall been good but I do know someone who bought a TB at the sales and it actually had a fractured knee when she got it home (wasn't vetted) and in the end the mare was PTS as the long term prognosis was not good, she was only 4.
Not sure if the vendors knew about the injury but I'd assume they did...
Another friend bought an unbroken Connie at the same Malvern sale a few years ago and he turned out good, she recently sold him for 15k !
I think in some cases you can be unlucky but on the whole I think it's a great and exciting way to buy a horse, of course there is risk involved but same with any horse I guess! Sorry to ramble on!

 

[honetpot]

At the moment there are some nice animals being sold by breeders that are going through the sales, they get fed up of people not turning up and if they have to reduce their numbers its the quickest way of doing it.
I have bought one through a sale and he turned out to be an absolute gem, bought on a whim for my friend who decided she did not want him. I sold him three weeks later privately for 3 times what I paid for him. The only time I have ever made money on a horse. My only advice is buy on a weekday sale and have a vet on standby to vet it, and read the conditions of sale fully. You actually have more rights buying through a sale than privately but there is a time limit unless its unwarranted.

 

[Clare85]

A friend of mine bought a pony from the sales. She didn't go intending to buy one but something about him caught her eye and she phoned her husband to bring the lorry to take him home. He is honestly one of the most wonderful ponies I've ever met, a real superstar. There can be all sorts of reasons for a horse/pony to be at the sales - some of them are sad stories, some are just circumstances. As long as you go with your eyes open and know what your looking at, there are some bargains to be had.

 

[FairyLights]

I've bought from sales. please only go to good reputable sales like Brightwells. its best to go to the auctions a few times just to look and not buy you'll get a feel for whats happening and whats available. Good Luck its great fun and I have bought some lovely horses via the sales ring.

 

[*sprinkles*]

A woman I used to work and I regularly purchased horses at sales to reschool or back and sell on. It is a bit of a gamble, I'll be honest with you but really we never had a particularly bad experience. Not all the horses we pick up turned out to be what we hoped but that's just the way things work when you're in a quick decision kind of situation. Sometimes we met the owners, sometimes we didn't. Frequently though we were able to watch the horse/pony being ridden, give it a good look over and look at documents like vaccination records etc.

We bought a lot of nice project horse and ponies and most of them went onto great homes and gave a lot of fun for their new owners. Two I remember particularly. A young pony, just backed some kind of hafflinger cross. Just needed some more hours of schooling and some manners taught. We had the pony for around six weeks and then sold her on to a child who adored her and did all kinds of pony club activities. Another unbacked standardbred cross we bought we had for again around six weeks, backed him and rode him away and we went to a young rider for eventing and did very well. He was a lovely little horse and if I had been in a better situation I would have kept him !!

Not all horses at the sales are no good, or there for a negative reason. I think if you take someone experienced with the process with you and buy with your head and not your heart then you could get a wonderful horse out of it. You have to be careful with what you come home with - I saw some pretty bad sights and could have come home with some very poor souls.

I remember on one occasion we went down to the sales and there was these two very sorry looking ponies each around 30 years old. And it was very hard to walk away from them, but keep focussed what you're there for and don't buy someone else's problem no matter how heartbreaking it is. My boss was terrible for this and I remember often grabbing her hand at the bidding to prevent her bidding for some sad little love that would never come right. But we were a business and couldn't afford to do this, leave these horses for the charities that will frequent sales, pick up the sick and have the time to nurse them.