How much did you pay for your horse

How much did you pay for your horse?

  • 0-£2000

    Votes: 109 43.3%

  • £2000 - £5000

    Votes: 97 38.5%

  • £5000 - £10000

    Votes: 38 15.1%

  • £10000 +

    Votes: 8 3.2%
  • Total voters
    252
  • Poll closed .
My last two have been between £6-8000. Both were slightly more than I wanted to pay (original budget was 5k) but came along at the right place and right time when the rest of the market seemed hopeless.

I’m not talented enough to go buy an unbacked horse and bring it on completely - and those for the job I wanted them to do were 3-4K anyway.
I wanted something to go then and there, granted one was green and needed work but I could ride them and get out training straight away.
I wanted something to stay sound in a fairly full on lifestyle (hunting and eventing) so paid more than I would for something that would maybe only do one of those seasons/suitable more for lighter work.

I realised a while ago that it costs the same amount to keep a sh*t horse as it does a good one - if not more! So may as well invest at first (in my circumstance) and give myself a good shot at finding the right horse.
 
TB cost nothing but has more than made up for that since.... New forest fifteen guineas. Shetland £20 and Diva most expensive at £600. I really wish I'd had/have a bigger budget for my horse, or since: much as I love Diva I'm too nervous for her, so if I could afford it is buy myself a been there done it all older happy hacker now but I can't. :confused:
 
If the horse is worth it for you, it doesn’t matter the cost. ‘Average’ may be someone else’s one in a million. Equally a ‘fortune’ may be a drop in the ocean to others.

I didn’t pay much for Fig. And I didn’t pay a lot for Nova. I paid more for Rooni than both combined but still not a lot in the grand scheme of things.

But they’re my choices and I deemed them worth it at the point of handing the money over. Fig is worth more than his weight in gold. Rooni I am hoping will be the same story in years to come.
 
Abbey was £1. Was going to be put down as not wanted and i needed a companion. Told she was unridable and turned out to be a cracking ridden horse. Kept till pts

Minto was £2600. Bought from breeder, well bred. Horse of lifetime. Kept till pts

Soli £2400 ex racer with 6 months retraining. Kept till pts.

Tom was £1800. Very green ish. We didnt get on. Sold 6 months later for same price.

Robin was £3500. Now i think a bargain! Another horse of a lifetime.
 
Most decent competition horses are normally around 4-8k, maybe higher if they have "points" in BS, BE or BD. Your happy hackers, or allrounders are normally less, and projects and rehomes are peanuts! My advice is to look around A LOT at horses similar to what you are (or will be in the future) looking for so you know the rough budget you will need.
 
£1200 for the arab man. Reduced from £1500 as he dumped me in the field about 4 seconds after putting my foot in the stirrup. Still brought him - awesome boy, who stayed my forever horse for many many years after.

£2.50 for the current chap - also a total keeper, but at the time was a 6 month old barely weaned rescue, who was meant to go to another home, but they refused him, and he stayed with me overnight as it was too late to arrange anything else, and ended up staying permanently. The £2.50 was for his share of a wormer ! 10 years later - no regrets.
 
My mare was free. She’ll now hack first or last, she will go on her own even though she snorts, she’s currently jumping 80cm out and about but 1m at home. She could probably make a stab at a Novice dressage test but wouldn’t enjoy it but we’re getting there. She’s super sane and sensible and easy to do, except being nervous to clip but doesn’t need sedating with quiet clippers (I think she’s just ticklish). Oh and she’s a weight carrier but an attractive one.

She’s still worth nothing really as she had a growth spurt as a 5 yr old that resulted in her stifles needed injecting and her having ulcers. It’s a shame really as in a year or so she’ll be a true sensible RC all rounder and will be registered with BS shortly, I have no intention of selling her but should I ever need to on paper she should be worth quite a lot but she’s not because of last year :(
 
£975 for my unbacked 4yo ISH straight from the field but I ended up paying £1300 including tack, a couple of rugs and delivery to us. Owner was in a rush to sell as she was moving abroad, but even still I really don't think she knew what she had on her hands. I had a sh*t ton of lessons on her and by the age of 7 I had a £15,000 offer of her from a dressage instructor I was having lessons with which I politely turned down (much to the disgust of my father!) but it was enough that me and mum had to go away and think about it. Her full siblings are all at least 3/4* horses including Imperial Sky with Sam Watson who has now 2 4* wins under his belt. She could have been doing the same under somebody elses hands but poor thing ended up with me.

The most I've spent on a horse was my rising 2yo Oldenburg, I'm actually embarrassed to admit how much I paid for this....
 

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Paid 4500 for big horse 12 years ago, I was an older rider and she has been a joy and still is. Paid 40 for a 4 week old Shetland x cob which was 39.50 too much. I had been given mum but he wanted baby back at 4 months so I paid up to keep her safe. I'm so glad I did as she is mentally and physically not right.
 
I only buy babies so all have been under £2000. Although I do find the telephone number prices a bit scary I also understand why some command such prices. Strangely when buying I am asked for big money when selling everyone wants to pay peanuts
 
£3650 in 2013 for 14.2 7 year old pony club cob. Cost me another £200 transporting him home from Liverpool to Herts.

Worth every penny and more.

He was only 7 when we bought him. He had been with his owners for 3 years since coming over on the boat with a whole load of other coloured cobs. Not a sensible buy for her on paper at all, she was only 13 and he was her first pony, but she did PC with him, jumping, all sorts of daft kids on ponies stuff. Think it helped that he has a very sensible brain and is kind. By the time we bought him he had a glowing reference from her PC DC.

So when we got him at 7 he was very much PC schoolmaster. He’s done all sorts with us, was mainly my son’s pony till he outgrew him and now he’s all mine! 😬 We’ve done Quest the past two years and hope to do ‘proper’ BD next year.

He’s the love of my life and here forever. A few years ago we had quite a few offers from people seeing him out and about and at PC, for significantly more than we bought him for, but he’s not going anywhere.
 
Just to give balance to this thread as I’m sure more people have paid more and not all cheapies.
Current one was £7500, 6yr chestnut 16.2 ISH, done a little of everything but green.
Prior one was £6k for cracking 15.2 warm blood jumping machine, 10yrs but sadly only lasted 2yrs
Prior to that £4500 17hh warmblood 6yrs again only lasted two years until diagnosed with wobblers, then kept as a pet for 4yrs, sweetest horse ever.
Prior that in year 2000 £4K horse of a lifetime. 16hh, 8yrs. Lost him 7yrs later with a broken leg 😢
 
First pony was £1, he was gifted to me after having him on loan. He was an absolute superstar with a cheeky streak and despite being 13hh would jump anything you pointed him at. In his old age he got naughtier and stronger and no one would believe me that he was naughty because of his angelic face :D if he wasn't horrendously laminitic he could have been sold for much much more as he was the perfect kids pony (although I was a short arse 20 odd year old!) but I never would have sold him, he stayed with me for 10 years until his problems caught up with ihm.

Buzz was £2650 including rugs and bridle and I paid an extra £200 for his saddle. He hadn't done a great deal when I got him at 9 years, he'd been in PC but his owners were nervous. They bought him as a 5 year old from the riding school who bought him as a three year old. I reckon he would sell for much more now, although he can be spooky (doesn't go anywhere though, just jumps on the spot!) I can now hack him anywhere on his own or with company, he will always stop and doesn't get excited cantering in company. Does a nice dressage test and now will jump some nice clears at 70/80 and will go round xc, he does need riding to each jump but if you were more confident than me he could easily fly round a 90 xc/sj. He's the perfect second pony allrounder, just the right side of testing for someone needing a slightly bigger pony, but I won't ever part with him! I think he was a bit of a bargain really.
 
Possibly "overpaid" but that I guess is subjective.

£4k for a 5 year old 15.2hh irish cob. Sweet nature, hacks all day, not silly or nasty but super green and unbalanced in the school.
 
Mine have all been 3 or 4 year olds and the prices haven't changed for years, I've paid mostly around £3 1/2K. Latest one was a bargain, 11 yr old ISH, ready made school master with the ability to jump anything in front of him. Paid £3K because he'd scared his previous owner by being too strong. Luckily for me, he actually isn't. He's powerful but beautifully behaved.
 
Wow cant believe how little people have paid for their horses.
I think I have been had - 3 times!!
I will be fingers crossed all goes well looking for a rehoming for my connie next year so may advertise him here first!!
 
Horses are the ultimate 'price elastic' commodity. If you really want it you'll pay anything and if you need rid of it (or you're scared to death of it), you'll give someone your wife to take it away. Add to this the emotional aspect, especially for the seller, and the same horse can change hands for vastly different prices depending on circumstances.

For myself, I think the price you pay for a horse of a lifetime is measured in hours, not £'s.
 
scruffyponies said:
Horses are the ultimate 'price elastic' commodity. If you really want it you'll pay anything and if you need rid of it (or you're scared to death of it), you'll give someone your wife to take it away. Add to this the emotional aspect, especially for the seller, and the same horse can change hands for vastly different prices depending on circumstances.

For myself, I think the price you pay for a horse of a lifetime is measured in hours, not £'s.
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That's so very true.
 
I have only paid a few hundreds for mine but they are all Exmoor ponies. What I think is scary is the fact that my first pony was also only a couple of hundred pounds (Welsh Section A -Kirby Cane) back in the 1970's!
 
The current one is the most expensive I've bought and she was under a grand. I say a lot about not paying much for horses, but I also make it clear that I buy them in the rough and spend a lot of time and money to make them into what I want them to be. I actually paid over the top for her as well, she was broken to ride, a pretty colour and had a lovely nature. Those things bumped her value up but I didn't actually need any of those and could have bought something suitable for under £500. I'm glad I did buy her though as shes turned into a really smart little driving horse.

The second most expensive wasn't much less than Bobbie, I also spent a fortune getting him right and then sold him for a £1 to his loaner who was a much better fit for him. She kept him till the day he died and I will be forever grateful that I bought him and he found his place. I might not have been so keen to do that had he cost £8000 rather than £800!
 
Friend paid abour £800 for a horse that had scared owner. Spent a bit on physio &saddle &did lots of schooling.
18 months later sold for approaching £7k
For the right person you can find cheap horses. As a less confident, not brilliant rider I generally expect to pay more.
 
First two were 22.5yrs ago (about £2.5k for a 7yo allrounder IDxTB) and 17yrs ago (£3.5k for 5yo Irish TB not done much but 'potential' - he was £5.5k but failed vetting due to heart murmur, I still bought him though). Most recent (March this year) was £1900 for a 5yo exracer, green but quality, didn't want to pay that much but really liked him.
I still have the first two, 29yo was retired after 5yrs due to multiple joint issues, she was the only one to fly a 5 stage vetting! 22yo was worth every penny and more, not a world beater and has a vet history miles long, but he is an absolute legend and has taught me so much! Now 6yo exracer is recovering from a field injury, prognosis is good so hoping we can crack on next year after a rough couple of months for him (had a few post op complications, none related to his leg!), I am really looking forward to applying all I have learnt with the other two next year with the newbie. I'd love to buy a ready made horse and just crack on, but have never had the budget - ETA although I do enjoy the journey bringing them.
 
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