How much did you pay for your horse

[HappyHollyDays]

Unexpected and unwanted after mare got caught out by an escaped colt WBxWelsh foal £150 back in the late 70's. DP 3 yr old German riding pony €3000 and the Connie £4250, B is an ex show/pony club pony, been there, done it and got the T-shirt bought to boost my confidence after DP rather battered it as a 5&6 year old. He has been worth every penny as he has done the job admirably. Now 9 & 11 respectively.

 

[dorsetladette]

I paid £3000 (with a full wardrobe) 7 years ago for a been there done that 9 yr old Welsh D to look after Daughter - he's done that job and now potters with me.

And I paid the transport cost for my Welsh D - who was originally gifted to a family member so wasn't willing to hand over cash as such.

 

[J&S]

£250.00 for a NF 4 yr old in the early 80's, £1,000 for a 5 yr old Hanovarian/TB in the 90's, £800 for 3 yr old coloured in 2000, £200 for a 11 yr old companion/ridden pony last year. The most expensive one was the most trouble ever!!!!

 

[Red-1]

Cheapest was £1. Evented to BE Nice and won points BD. Was from a friend though, so can't really compare prices on that one.

Pony was £650, but part of that was so my cousin, who we bought him off, had some money when she left school.

One was £750, a 16hh 3yo TB who I brought on, hunted, team chased and did BS to Disco.

Three at £1,400. One a mentally damaged grade B sj who never really did enjoy his work, even after hunting, one a welsh cob X arab who was a wonderful RC horse and one a CB x TB who had done both tendons, but still hunted, team chased and even won me a Newcomers at BS (she had already had 6 months off, then a slow return to work, then with us a year doing little bits).

One at £1,500, that one was cold backed.

Then I had a 5 year break through non horse related injury, and decided I wanted to event...

One at £6,250. He was talented but a bad roarer with a dish that emptied the riding school. Never stopped and took me from PN to N at BE.

One at £5,500, a 5yo that was just backed and so underdeveloped the vet said to give him a very easy year, he had that, then hunted, team chased, BD, won a newcomers BS and evented to Novice.

One at £12,000. She took me to BE Intermediate and CCI*, when it was still long format. Most powerful horse I have ever sat on.

One at £15,000. Fancy breeding. I did less with this one than any other, bought him to do CCI** but I had an injury after 6 months and only ever did BE90 and 100. Did well at BD, to Ele, for what little we did.

One at £9,000. Nice youngster, ID X TB. Not done much yet, maybe never will, I am busy with other things and keep having to turn her away! Last summer I was busy but sent her away for 8 weeks to a friend, and she did some clears at BN. She also has points at BD, moves nicely, sane and sound (touches wood!). Looked after me at RC camp too...

I have found that more £ does not necessarily get you a better horse owning experience, but it can buy more choice. I could also spend less when I was young and fit!

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I'm beginning to realise it doesn't matter what the horse cost, a horse of a life time is what you make of them.

Doodle was £1500 14 years ago for a 12 year old slightly lumpy legged show pony of the unpopular height of 14.3hh lol. She has been awesome, taken me all over showing and didn't do badly despite her lumps and bumps!

Topaz, not mine so didn't feature in my vote, but was around the £5K mark as a 6 year old. Potentially over priced at the time (the height of Friesian anything being very desirable), but golly she's a good'un right?

Skylla £500 at 2 (sold as 3 whoops!), she has kinda yet to really prove her worth but I do think playing the long game with her will pay off massively, she has all the components to be mega, I just need to shape them!

All three I adore, their purchase price doesn't really come into it now, plus if I wanted to buy them all now (apart from Doodle who is now 26 and retired!) I'd need much deeper pockets!

 

[Nasicus]

1st Pony - £1800
2nd - £250 as a Weanling
1st Pony (again) - £1500
3rd Pony - Free as a companion because she can't be ridden

1st Pony is now retired due to osteoarthritis and enjoying being a hairy lump. 2nd is now a backed 4yo and the apple of my eye. 3rd is a recent addition but is enjoying life in her own wonky way.
Looking back, 1st Pony was overpriced for what she was, with the magic of hindsight I'd have pegged her more at £1000.
Now all three are worth diddly squat, as the 2nd has sweetitch and previously had sarcoids, just as well she's going nowhere!

 

[southerncomfort]

Current pony was £1000. Never paid more than £2000.

 

[The Trooper]

£2,300 for the biggest (and best) impulse buy of my life. 7yo unbroken Shire, proven broodmare.

 

[milliepops]

Half of HHO threads about horse price are posters saying people should be prepared to pay a fair price when horse shopping. The other half are people talking about the horse of a lifetime they got for ha'penny and a lollipop.

Judging by this thread, Blue is the most expensive horse in HHO history.

i think the responses to the thread were more likely to be from those of us who end up buying low budget horses. Probably people may feel less comfortable saying they spent a lot more, whether that be not wanting to appear as though they over paid, had load of cash, being superior etc I don't know -I'm not saying any of those things apply, no judgments from me and I do think the market will often find the right price for a horse, and many people do want and can afford to buy a horse that is either really nicely bred or already quite trained and useful.

I'd love to have a higher budget available to buy a horse, crappy life decisions have made that impossible as I have no savings and just paying off all my debts would be a good start So I do have what are MY horses of a lifetime * that I got for peanuts but it has been a long old struggle with all of them to get to that point, doubtless if I had been able to stump up £5k instead of taking on freebies I would have had more fun, faster, and without all the heartache and self doubt but fortunately I can enjoy the journey of producing my worthless horses into fun and useful ones... so you make the best of it.

eta
* just cos they are my horses of a lifetime (cos I think you can have more than one) doesn't mean other people would have thought the same of them. Few people would really enjoy owning Kira, for instance, but I love the bones of her partly because she's just a lovely little soul underneath the rowdiness and partly because together we have achieved things I never thought possible. Most people would not view an awkward 14h section D as their dressage horse of a lifetime though, they would buy the WB and have a more straightforward and probably more successful journey!

 

[ihatework]

Half of HHO threads about horse price are posters saying people should be prepared to pay a fair price when horse shopping. The other half are people talking about the horse of a lifetime they got for ha'penny and a lollipop.

Judging by this thread, Blue is the most expensive horse in HHO history.

But it’s all about the detail! If you are prepared to take a risk and either make or sort out a horse then you can buy cheap every day of the week. If you want to tick all/most of the boxes and want to take minimal risk then you have to pay. From the ones I have had sole ownership of, in order of purchase:
£2000 - 6yo TB that had been novice Eventing. It reared, napped and was untalented to boot. It was a naive purchase. Sold him.
£1 - 6yo supremely bred horse that had been Novice Eventing and did a suspensory. A cheeky horse not for a mug, but filled the horse of a lifetime tick box. He cost a fortune with the vets and had a lot of sick notes. Lived his life with me.
£2000 - 2 year old, sporthorse, sensible purchase. Didn’t get on with him at all under saddle. Sold him.
£2800 - TB bought with a view to event and sell. He was pretty, kind, safe but utterly useless at anything other than being a pet and hacking. Sold him.
£1500 - 15hh coloured cut & shut cobby job bought as a project (had scared nervous owner). Super pony and turned into a useful allrounder and might have stayed around longer had he been bigger with slightly more quality. Sold him.
£5500 - 4yo mongrel of super type - he was a dud vet wise, still own him but he is on loan a light hack/companion and I don’t want him back.
£3250 - 6yo sour ID of a lovely type. He was safe but dull to ride with little scope, but looked the part. Turned him around quickly and sold him.
£2000 - 5yo just backed huge horse with 2 sarcoids. Turned out to be very talented but has taken a lot of investment.

In addition I paid £8000 for 50% ownership of a school mistress with coffin joint arthritis, but that was a more unique kind of situation.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

i think the responses to the thread were more likely to be from those of us who end up buying low budget horses. Probably people may feel less comfortable saying they spent a lot more, whether that be not wanting to appear as though they over paid, had load of cash, being superior etc I don't know -I'm not saying any of those things apply, no judgments from me and I do think the market will often find the right price for a horse, and many people do want and can afford to buy a horse that is either really nicely bred or already quite trained and useful.

I'd love to have a higher budget available to buy a horse, crappy life decisions have made that impossible as I have no savings and just paying off all my debts would be a good start So I do have what are MY horses of a lifetime * that I got for peanuts but it has been a long old struggle with all of them to get to that point, doubtless if I had been able to stump up £5k instead of taking on freebies I would have had more fun, faster, and without all the heartache and self doubt but fortunately I can enjoy the journey of producing my worthless horses into fun and useful ones... so you make the best of it.

eta
* just cos they are my horses of a lifetime (cos I think you can have more than one) doesn't mean other people would have thought the same of them. Few people would really enjoy owning Kira, for instance, but I love the bones of her partly because she's just a lovely little soul underneath the rowdiness and partly because together we have achieved things I never thought possible. Most people would not view an awkward 14h section D as their dressage horse of a lifetime though, they would buy the WB and have a more straightforward and probably more successful journey!

Ah but 5K would have bought Topaz and not many people would enjoy her either, and she definitely hasn't been faster or more fun in many ways , hence I'm not sure it's about the cost but just finding the right horse for you...

 

[TPO]

I always just thought it was because I was scottish that I gasped at the prices suggested on some threads 😂

Paying some of the prices that are often suggested for a hacking horse that would do RC and low level affiliated blows my tiny mind.

I appreciate that if you are a very talented rider (or breeder/producer) looking to progress and be successful that buying a purpose (well) bred horse is a no brainer. However I'd imagine it's a minority that fall into that category and that the majority can be successful with an "average" horse.

I know of a young twenty something that was gifted 20k to buy a new horse after losing her ex racer. She spent the full amount on a young green mare "with potential" from a pro. No doubting that this is a classy mare but to me it was an accident waiting to happen. That I know of/saw rider had a bad fall being catapulted across the arena (horse was just very sharp and needed a better rider is the bottom line) and another fall xc training resulting in breaks in both of riders legs iirc. Now this girl is a nice rider and the horse is very nice but I just genuinely worry for them both. I can vaguely remember being young and thinking "if only" at all these fancy horses but truth is I wouldn't have been able to ride one side of them.

I just think that girl could have bought something decent, fun and safe then had 12-6k to train with the best (or save for a house deposit - you can tell I'm old!) and had some serious success.

My point (eventually getting there!) is that in the majority of cases the best result comes from spending less on the horse but a lot more on training with someone good.

 

[Pippity]

i think the responses to the thread were more likely to be from those of us who end up buying low budget horses. Probably people may feel less comfortable saying they spent a lot more, whether that be not wanting to appear as though they over paid, had load of cash, being superior etc I don't know -I'm not saying any of those things apply, no judgments from me and I do think the market will often find the right price for a horse, and many people do want and can afford to buy a horse that is either really nicely bred or already quite trained and useful.

Oh, I completely understand that - and also that people like to be able to talk about getting a bargain!

But, for people on the verge of getting into horse ownership, I think it's useful to know that most of the people who were able to turn ha'penny horses into something special a) already had a lot of knowledge, and b) may not have spent money but they spent time and effort (and tears!) A lot of ha'penny horses don't turn into horses of a lifetime, and those that do usually take a lot of work to get there.

 

[The Trooper]

£2,300 for a 6yo proven broodmare. Unbroken but well handled, shown in hand etc. Sold as 17.2h Shire, I am convinced she is still growing. Love her to bits.

The first horse I have ever broken and I done it only a year after getting back into riding since I was at high school.

 

[milliepops]

Ah but 5K would have bought Topaz and not many people would enjoy her either, and she definitely hasn't been faster or more fun in many ways , hence I'm not sure it's about the cost but just finding the right horse for you...

No but if you have thousands to spend rather than tens there are rather more horses in the pool to choose from.

There's a compromise to be made usually when buying the cheapos, as IHW has listed some, I will add that my freebies -

one won't ever belong to me as a rescue horse, she comes with ties and I have done all the training from just backed to retirement - tbf she was a genuine diamond in the rough but it took a lot of work to get to the fun stuff and i was just in the right place at the right time to find her. I wish she had been 16.2 and a bit more blood because she plateaued at BE Novice and her stumpy legs couldn't go any further buuuuuut in her twilight years she's been a walking vets bill.

The giveaway welsh really was a toxic mess of insecurity and total absence of training, she was truly ruined and I can't count the days I wanted to just shoot her and be done with it. The first year was awful. I hadn't ever intended to keep her but she's so bloody awkward to keep happy that we are stuck with each other.

The free TB has done tendons in both front legs. I said I wasn't having one that had done a leg, but this is what I ended up with. No such thing as a free lunch!

 

[milliepops]

Oh, I completely understand that - and also that people like to be able to talk about getting a bargain!

But, for people on the verge of getting into horse ownership, I think it's useful to know that most of the people who were able to turn ha'penny horses into something special a) already had a lot of knowledge, and b) may not have spent money but they spent time and effort (and tears!) A lot of ha'penny horses don't turn into horses of a lifetime, and those that do usually take a lot of work to get there.

totally agree and even if you have a lot of knowledge and experience each one will present a new and different set of challenges! as an amateur owner-rider every dodgy new horse generates new doubts and worries in your ability to deal with it. Add to that the pressure of knowing you have to sort it because you can't sell the damn thing to anyone else. I wouldn't want to be a new owner learning on the job with any of mine.

 

[be positive]

Of the 7 here currently, including liveries, they cost from £1 to just under £5k, one of the £1 buys would have changed hands for a significant amount when he was younger, my retired pba cost me around £1200 as a green 5 year old to bring on and sell, he was too nice to let go once I got him going, although I did get decent offers, so is still here 21 years later.
Only 1 has any real value now, the rest are broken, retired or unsuitable to pass on as they have special needs and I will not put them at risk now they are older.

I don't think the purchase price is really that relevant, there is a huge difference between being willing and able to buy a cheap foal and get it to the stage where it is doing a job and wanting to buy the ready made article that can do the job from day 1, not everyone has the time, skill or inclination to wait and not every foal is going to turn out as expected.
The same with taking on cheap projects they can be a huge gamble that cost more in the end than buying a made horse with many potential challenges along the way, not usually a sensible option for a novice to take on.

 

[Pippity]

totally agree and even if you have a lot of knowledge and experience each one will present a new and different set of challenges! as an amateur owner-rider every dodgy new horse generates new doubts and worries in your ability to deal with it. Add to that the pressure of knowing you have to sort it because you can't sell the damn thing to anyone else. I wouldn't want to be a new owner learning on the job with any of mine.

I'd love to meet any of yours but I wouldn't want to be responsible for them! They're really good examples of just how much work and dedication it takes to turn a project into something truly special.

 

[Bernster]

Oh, I completely understand that - and also that people like to be able to talk about getting a bargain!

But, for people on the verge of getting into horse ownership, I think it's useful to know that most of the people who were able to turn ha'penny horses into something special a) already had a lot of knowledge, and b) may not have spent money but they spent time and effort (and tears!) A lot of ha'penny horses don't turn into horses of a lifetime, and those that do usually take a lot of work to get there.

I think that’s the thing. People who didn’t pay much are more likely I think to post the price here. And that’s (buying cheaper) more likely to work if you have time, facilities and experience. For me, those are more limited so I have ended up paying more on the purchase price.

That said, no matter the cost, they all take time, practice, and some element of training/lessons!

 

[scats]

Over the years I’ve tended to buy bargain horses who need work. Anything from £475- £800. I’ve also had one for free.
I paid £2,500 for Millie. She’s been the most expensive I’ve ever bought.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

The cheapest was £200 and the most expensive cost me my soul and sanity 😳😈

 

[oldie48]

The most expensive horse that I have bought for myself was a dressage schoolmaster. I think I paid £10K ish. He was great to handle and hack, load etc, had all the moves but had in fact lost his enthusiasm for dressage and was quite school sour. I struggled on with him for 5 years and although he taught me a great deal he was a really frustrating, would warm up nicely for comps, then drop off the leg as soon as the bell went. i sold him for nearly £4K as a 17 yr old super safe hack and he was the horse of a lifetime for his new owner. They did veteran showing classes, very low level dressage, fun rides and he happily popped round 70m SJ courses with her. The most expensive horse bought for my daughter was £12K (five year old by Ricardo Z) bought as first event horse with the proceeds from the sale of her FEI pony which we had bought cheaply as a rising 6 year old. He was a lovely kind talented horse and although she didn't reach dizzy heights with him, he was safe and sane and you can't put a price on that. He was sold at a loss when she went to uni but to a great long term home. Actually I would have kept him for myself as he had super paces but he was just a little wide for me.

 

[Fransurrey]

£200 for my Exmoor gelding - bargain considering I had him for 20 years and he was fab. £380 for the mare - I was robbed really, but she is very sweet. £2500 for my 14.3-15hh cob as a 5yo, just backed. Although he's the most expensive, he's an absolute bargain as he's amazing with all traffic, a real tryer and has a lovely temperament towards both horses and people.

 

[cblover]

Dearest I've paid is £2,500 for a lovely young irish draught. Scrappy, my clydesdale was on the market for £2000 but I got her for £800....due to the very poor state she was in and probably the 'shock horror' reaction from me.

 

[HollyWoozle]

Paid £2500 for my mare with some rugs and delivery included. She was 7yrs old at the time, 16.2hh ISH, OK breeding and pretty with a good confirmation. Had been hacked by a novicey man and done a little bit of flatwork and basic jumping. Mad purchase as she turned out to be quite a handful in the end and too much for me, as well as nervous, although I have learned a lot from her and still enjoy keeping her as a pet essentially. Retired her after just a few years of ownership.

 

[JFTDWS]

My childhood "pony" was the most expensive - £2.5k in around 2000 for a 15hh green cob who was being released from the riding school for questionable conduct. Ideal for a novice 12 year old, right? He was legendary though, he stayed with me forever - his forever, anyway.

Fergs was a bit over 2k I think, at 3, because obviously he's worthy of the Queen Dae was around 1.5k as a yearling, Skye 1.5k as a green but working 4 year old. Fergs has been the best buy, by far. But the other two - injuries and disasters aside - have plenty of scope to challenge that, and are pretty terrific to have around.

 

[Michen]

Paid 2.5k ish for this (Facebook purchase unseen with very nice breeding). Barely broken, feral and green as grass.



He turned into this (with a couple of k professional schooling and lots of work!). Superb hunter, evented up to 100 with double clear on first attempt. Total confidence giver jumping. Hot as anything but very safe. The perfect horse!

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I refuse to pay more than £1500 for any horse I buy. Kia was that, eowyn I didnt buy she was bought for me , Faran cost me the pricely sum of less than £500.

I had everyone else’s cast offs with man made issues. Never stopped me doing anything. So never saw the point in paying the big bucks when they are just as breakable or capable as the cheaper ones nobody wants.

 

[Ddraig_wen]

Most I've paid was £1625 for my full ID that was including delivery from Ireland, 9yr old ridden away and registered. She's currently eating in the field due to foal in may.

Second most was £1200 including delivery for my spanish gelding age 6 including his rugs. He became my county show horse.

Everyone else has been between £0 and £700

 

[McFluff]

I think that this thread does just show the variability of pricing - and what it is that people are prepared to pay for (and why).

I admire those of you with the experience and talent to turn the projects into something special - but I also can see that this takes resilience, time and effort to achieve. My personal view is that I want (and need) healthy, sane and safe, and I need to be prepared to pay a bit more to find these qualities. I'm the wrong side of 40 to 'waste' time on horses that don't suit me, and I suspect that my confidence wouldn't be resilient enough to take the knocks required for some of the quirkier horses out there.

My most recent buying experience was interesting - I decided that this is my opportunity to see where I can get to in dressage (I love training and developing a partnership with a horse, and really enjoy going out and seeing improvements). So I set a budget of £15K for a school master - my trainer and YM both helped me with the search. When we started to really pro/con horses for sale, it quickly became evident that I didn't need to spend that much to get what suited me. The well-bred younger ones in that bracket looked to be too sharp or have other issues (otherwise they would be ££££ more) and the older ones all looked to have quite big compromises (quite a few didn't look that level in the videos I had). Fundamentally though, I realised that I like the training aspect, so if I could find something that was green, but had the right attitude, it would suit me better. I went for a well bred Welsh, with nice paces, but is green (only done showing) - just over a third of my budget, and isn't the 'school-master' I thought I wanted, but is talented, safe, sane (on the welsh scale!) and sound. We'll just have to learn together (the rest of my budget will go on lessons over the years!).

At the end of the day, a horse is worth what people are prepared to pay. If you have paid more for a horse, but that horse looks after you and builds your confidence, then that is money well spent in my view.