How much did you pay for your horse

[EventingMum]

Paid for at least one in every category over the years for different horses, the most expensive one we probably overpaid for but we were spending a fortune on travelling all over the UK and on failed vettings so when he was offered to us and was near at hand we bit the bullet and bought him as a 5yo. He went to PC Champs in all three disciplines, SJ to 1.30m before turning his hoof to eventing where he went to 2* (now 3*) and was aiming higher before he had a freak accident - not bad for a teenagers first horse. Over the years others have cost from zero upwards but all have brought pleasure in their own way.

 

[Annagain]

I paid £5 for Eb. I'd been loaning /sharing him for 4 years by this point. I was 17 and mum still doesn't know to this day! His owner was leaving her abusive husband. He insisted he was his as he had paid for him (as a gift while trying to impress her in the early days) so we did it just in case, to make sure he couldn't sell him for meat as he threatened. It changed nothing, his owner was still involved in his life.

After he died I paid £2,500 for Archie 15 years ago which was a fair price at the time even though he developed foot problems and melanomas since then. He's given me years of fun even without being able to jump for the last 12 years.

Now that I'm looking again, I've seen horses all the way from £2750 to £8,500. The £8,500 one did feel different but with all the others, there was very little difference between the cheapest and some of the most expensive (in fact the cheapest was nicer than quite a few of the ones that were twice his price). Of all the ones I've seen so far, the two I've come closest to buying were £3,750 and the £8,500 mentioned above. It was only concussion and bad timing that stopped me getting him, the other was a TB and I just didn't feel right on him as he had far a smaller shoulder and neck than I'm used to.

 

[Zero00000]

£995 for my horse of a lifetime.
£750 for the old girl
£700 for the fat hairy cob

 

[ApolloStorm]

£1000 for first horse, which was a total sympathy buy- with all the junk which came with him it worked out about £10 for the actual horse! eventually needed PTS, due to long standing issues
£2000 for second horse, absolute horse of a lifetime, not long backed and ridden away 4yo, done nothing but hack. Wish I'd never sold her! By 6 she was well established and sold for twice what I bought her for. When I look again she will be my measure!
£800 for third horse, yet another sympathy buy! though a horse I had schooled for a friend previously and was a lovely chap. Ended up falling in the field and needing to be PTS.
Personally when i start looking again I wont be looking at anything over £5.5k, I dont see why I would spend excessive amounts on a horse to just enjoy a bit of everything and not be particularly competitive!

 

[HazuraJane]

I paid a fair amount for my unicorn, but he was 'practically perfect in every way.' Bless his (resting) soul.

 

[AmyMay]

£400 for Amymay. Close to around £4K for Thumper, the TB Freddy was free.

 

[SEL]

I was gifted both of mine. The very arthritic companion horse did sell for £9k (I'm led to believe) a few years before his legs gave up.

My mare was heading to the hunt because of behaviour issues. Less issues 5 years down the line but it's been a lesson in realising a lot of behaviour issues = pain. The vet bills have added up! But then I know people who have spent £k on a 4yo and ended up in the same position.

I didn't go looking for freebies. I had a decent budget but I knew the mare was going to end up with me the first time I saw her - it was very odd

 

[still standing]

I'm a single horse owner so I'm only on my third horse in my adult life (previous two lived/living well into their 20's). Purchase price has increased incrementally over time, first one £1000 -> £2500 -> £3800 for my current girl. First was an amazing dressage schoolmistress, second was my 'horse of a lifetime' & did everything, my true partner... still working on the third!

 

[Tiddlypom]

As an adult, I’ve paid anything from £275 for the late chestnut git as a remedial 10.5 month old colt (and kept him til he was PTS age 25), to £4800 for the late maxicob as a 5yo from a reputable dealer. Current main horse Tammy was £4500 at 10yo from a reputable source.

When I was younger, I was happy to take a punt on cheap unbroken quirky types and back them myself. Now I’m older and creakier, I prefer a safer tried and tested type, and am prepared to pay for one. It costs the same (or more) to keep a bad horse rather than a good one.

 

[ycbm]

I don't think the average price of a horse is much help really. If you can buy young, or with issues, and sort them out your average will be lower than an 'average person'. I do both because I enjoy changing them so much, and I don't like spending a lot of money, though I'd be very cautious on the rehabs these days at my age.

My Appyx now 4 and 16.1 with a dressage trainer who really rates him, was bought for £2000 as a two year old colt. I thought it was toppy, but I was keen to buy myself a pretty treat to look forward to at the time. My unraced, well made, attractive 16.1 racing TB 7 years old was £1500. I thought he was a bargain and still do coming up for a year later.

But my sports cob who I bought for £1200 unbroken at four, went for full asking price £4500 in December at the dead of the market, in spite of having zero competitive record, a history of locking stifles and needing an expensive vitamin supplement. And I had so many viewers lined up I could have probably got a lot more if I'd wanted to try.

 

[Taliesan]

My first horse I bought for meat money (£300) when he was thirteen as he was written off by the vets as lame and unrideable in anything but a gentle walk. Lots of bodywork combined with correct ridden work has made a huge difference - he is sound and out doing a mix of jumping, dressage and hacking / fun rides.

My other horse I bought for £2,500 as an unbacked three year old. He could have potentially sold for a lot more, as he is very well bred, but he has a strong tendency to crib which knocked the price down considerably. His pedigree is that of a decent jumper / eventer but he isn't the sort who would enjoy or thrive in a busy competition environment and his breeder felt he would be suited to a quieter home - I think that also knocked the price down in my favour as that is exactly the sort of home I was offering for him.

 

[FantaPlease]

Not a penny.
She was my very first pony i had on loan in 2003-2005 as a 4yr old
Unfortunately she was taken away and sold on after i had put blood sweat and tears into her. I cried ... for years. I had nightmares for years of finding her abandoned at deaths door.
I spent 14 years searching for her, only to trace her then loose contact ect several times dispite ALWAYS asking for 1st refusal should she be sold. I never got it. She never kept the same home for more than 2 years. Fast forward to May this year, i get a random message from Trace My Horse, a pic of her in her new home thankfully these owners were salt of the earth. A lovely family. They let me visit, ride her ect and kept in touch.
Until June/July she developed Lami, and it was quite obvious after them spending thousands on her she was never going to be what the child needed so...they offered me her back once ALL tests cushings/EMS ect had come back neg and she was well on the road to recovery.
Needless to say i welcomed her back with open arms, they didn't ask a penny off me.
She is 19yr old with chronic lami, but so far were doing well after a lot of effort. She's now on turnout, she's sound, she's happy and due to be brought back into light hacking in December and the beauty...she is mine, she is 3 miles from my home and back with the first person who ever loved her.
The owners before me really were guardian angels, and we all believe her having a lami flare up was a twist of fate, it was meant to be.
I have very nice gifts planned for this beautiful family this Christmas.

So.. buying her cost me nothing, since then she has cost me thousands but...she owes me nothing and i owe her the world.
She will be with us now until the day she dies, and we will always know how the story ended.
A real Black Beauty tale.... Did she recognize me? I don't think when i visited no. But when we got her home, she was pacing the stable, anxious ect for a few mins, then she stopped, looked me dead in the eye and settled ever since.

Edit trying to attach images of then and now but it says too large.

 

[FantaPlease]

Then and Now...

 

[Meowy Catkin]

That's really wonderful Fantaplease. I'm so glad that she's back with you and that she's recovering from the laminitis and is on track to starting ridden work again soon. I wish you many happy (and sound) years together.

 

[Rosiebelle]

Being a buyer a the moment interesting reading all your threads. I am looking for a sensible hack 14.2 - 15.2 and been looking at prices from 2500 to 5000. I know prices differ across the Uk.

I live in hope I will find one within a sensible budget.

Your threads have given me hope I will

 

[splashgirl45]

what a great story with a happy ending. that family sounds fab as well, there are some lovely horse people out there but we usually get to hear the horror stories...

 

[Cornishbecky]

I purchased my first horse (after 15+ Yr break) 3 months ago, took me roughly 9 months to find my perfect match, I wanted a ready to ride happy hacker, safe and sane etc obviously I had hoped to find one cheap but as time went on the seemingly "good ones" were 3k plus and far away, picking my way through adverts and horror stories made me think what I was looking for would be extremely hard to find. But I found her and it really was love at first sight, she was the breed, colour, size, temperament etc of everything I wanted, she was £2500 with tack and worth every penny to me, some may think over priced for her age and background but not to me. After viewing many horses I knew as soon as I meet her she was the one.

 

[Snowfilly]

To add an up to date one - £900 including a week's keep and delivery (110 miles!) for a 15 hand leopard spot gelding, 3.5 years and broken to hack out in walk. Good in traffic. No schooling beyond stop / go / turn. Flu and tet up to date.

Came off a dealer, so a bit cheaper than I'd expect to pay given he's fairly nice looking (bit narrow chested, slightly pigeon toed which farrier thinks will improve with careful shoeing and growth, and has a lot of white in his eyes but lovely head and back end) and very sweet natured.

Arrived yesterday but already feeling he was well worth it!

 

[Dr_Horse]

£440 for my newfie from the sales.

£1k for my 7 Yr old ex hoys show hack

£300 for my 6yr old native cob as a 14 month old

 

[canteron]

I purchased my first horse (after 15+ Yr break) 3 months ago, took me roughly 9 months to find my perfect match, I wanted a ready to ride happy hacker, safe and sane etc obviously I had hoped to find one cheap but as time went on the seemingly "good ones" were 3k plus and far away, picking my way through adverts and horror stories made me think what I was looking for would be extremely hard to find. But I found her and it really was love at first sight, she was the breed, colour, size, temperament etc of everything I wanted, she was £2500 with tack and worth every penny to me, some may think over priced for her age and background but not to me. After viewing many horses I knew as soon as I meet her she was the one. View attachment 38175View attachment 38176

She’s beautiful - and better to pay too much for the right horse! (But I think she looks worth every penny).

 

[FinkleyAlex]

£800 for mine as a 1 yo - cheapest I've ever bought. He's worth about £3.5/4k now, not that i'd ever sell him!

 

[Lammy]

£1000 for my dear old girl. She was a bargain but I had been loaning her for 3 years her owner wanted a nice home and she was 15. She’d whipped in, was great across country and could pop a pre novice fence like it was nothing even with her little legs. She was a silly snorty welsh dragon but I never felt unsafe! (Maybe once when she spooked and bolted into oncoming traffic but she was in season! 🙄)

£500 for the lad at 10 months old on a whim and unseen! He was no trouble up until he was a 3 year old and then he was a right PITA for 2 years! Had a year off due to injury and was a right little sod too but he’s now 6, has been rebacked and is so honest under saddle I can’t fault him. Lovely stamp of a horse too, I’d hope he’d fetch more now if I were to sell...

 

[Mule]

Not a penny.
She was my very first pony i had on loan in 2003-2005 as a 4yr old
Unfortunately she was taken away and sold on after i had put blood sweat and tears into her. I cried ... for years. I had nightmares for years of finding her abandoned at deaths door.
I spent 14 years searching for her, only to trace her then loose contact ect several times dispite ALWAYS asking for 1st refusal should she be sold. I never got it. She never kept the same home for more than 2 years. Fast forward to May this year, i get a random message from Trace My Horse, a pic of her in her new home thankfully these owners were salt of the earth. A lovely family. They let me visit, ride her ect and kept in touch.
Until June/July she developed Lami, and it was quite obvious after them spending thousands on her she was never going to be what the child needed so...they offered me her back once ALL tests cushings/EMS ect had come back neg and she was well on the road to recovery.
Needless to say i welcomed her back with open arms, they didn't ask a penny off me.
She is 19yr old with chronic lami, but so far were doing well after a lot of effort. She's now on turnout, she's sound, she's happy and due to be brought back into light hacking in December and the beauty...she is mine, she is 3 miles from my home and back with the first person who ever loved her.
The owners before me really were guardian angels, and we all believe her having a lami flare up was a twist of fate, it was meant to be.
I have very nice gifts planned for this beautiful family this Christmas.

So.. buying her cost me nothing, since then she has cost me thousands but...she owes me nothing and i owe her the world.
She will be with us now until the day she dies, and we will always know how the story ended.
A real Black Beauty tale.... Did she recognize me? I don't think when i visited no. But when we got her home, she was pacing the stable, anxious ect for a few mins, then she stopped, looked me dead in the eye and settled ever since.

Edit trying to attach images of then and now but it says too large.

Ooh that brought a little tear to my eye. I'm glad you've found each other again

 

[Auslander]

£5k for this - 3yrs old, beautifully bred, moved like a dream, with the attitude and trainability to be a top class dressage horse. Lost him to colic 10 years ago.

50p for Spike. 19year old Belgian warmblood. Former showjumper. Adorable, but a vet bill magnet

And £1 for Alf - my absolute horse of a lifetime. Priceless, in my opinion

 

[ycbm]

That's an unusual clip on Alf, Aus?

Your three year old looked and sounds identical to the 4 year old Riccione gelding I paid £10k for, had operated on for kissing spines at 6 and lost to head smashing and fits at 7. My second most expensive ever horse £6,700 at four was a 'character' who was PTS for congenital wobblers at ten but at least I had some fun owning him for six years first. Apart from those two, I've stuck with the bargain basement purchases!

.

 

[Auslander]

That's an unusual clip on Alf, Aus?

.

Long story! He was supposed to have a trace clip - then someone clipped the bottom part of his legs off (rather than running the clippers over his feathers!) and clipped a heart on his bottom! I was part way through sorting out the situation when this pic was taken!

 

[ycbm]

I remember that leg clip now, I compared him to the corp de ballet in the all male swan lake 🤣

 

[exracehorse]

Most expensive was 4K for my coloured warmblood. If I could turn back the clock, I would not have bought him. He’s been the most complicated, sharp, tricky horse ever. 1.4k for my trotter x cob. Incredibly grumpy and rude on the ground. But 💯 under saddle. 1.2k for my American Saddlebred. Wonderful mare but sadly broke after only 6 months so a field ornament. Latest purchase was a 2 year old. 500 pounds. She has a wonderful temperament and has, so far, been very easy to handle. Will be lightly backed next year.

 

[NeverSurrender]

£1200 for the big riding horse
£350 for the section A
£150 for the shetland

None are perfect but all did/do the jobs I needed at the time 😁

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Little'un (profile pic) was £900, this was as a just-backed 4yo.

If I was selling her now (2 yrs on) she'd probably fetch around £1500; simply because she's not done anything in the school, not ever (sharp intake of shocked breath I hear!!). She's a happy hacker, safe enough to put your granny up on, and has done two pleasure rides so far where she was a sweet girl and didn't hot up at all!

I suspect I could get a lot more for her than £1500; all I'd have to do is hop up and ride her through the working quarry on a weekday just up the road from us......... I know there's people out there would pay a lot for something like this - I would've done when I was looking.

But to me, she's beyond price. She won't ever be sold!