How much is a 17 yr old horse worth

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devonruby

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a friend is going to look at a 17 yr old horse for sale,done sj xc to pn level good to do in all ways but can be strong.in the climate at the moment how much do you think he is worth.also is it wise to go for horse this old
 
I think 1k max if he is a really good sort - he certainly sounds experienced. I think older horses shouldn't be overlooked - they can be valuable schoolmasters.
 
I agree with 1k max, what you have to remeber is if the horse has competed consistantly at PN it will have taken a lot or wear and tear on its limbs. So you have to think of how long the horse will be able to be worked and at what level.
 
I paid £ 1800 for a 15 yr old driving horse in 1995. He has never given me a vet bill still hacks and was the bargain of my life.
 
Thats what i have tried to explain to her but she is really taken with him and also what about insurance can you get it for that age horse she only wants some thing to hack and do the odd veteran showing class and a few lower level rc sj xc i am just worried for her as she has not had the bestluck although does sound nice from lovely family who have owned him quite a few yrs
 
In horse and hound this week there was a 17 yr old JC pony who had been a brood mare until 2 yr ago for £15 000 ( bit overpriced in my opinion though)
 
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In horse and hound this week there was a 17 yr old JC pony who had been a brood mare until 2 yr ago for £15 000 ( bit overpriced in my opinion though)

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Ponies stay sounder than horses, though!
 
We were recently asked to insure an 18yo 12.2hh JA pony that the owner had purchased for 40K!

I guess it depends on the horse. We bought my horse as a 4 yo for £3000 and after what, 13 years he has (touch wood) not really had any illness/lameness issues. He is ridden and competed by me and is hacked out by my mum. He is reliable yet competes successfully BSJA and also BE 9although we actually only started that last year which is a shame as think he'd have been great had I been into eventing sooner).

What price do you put on a horse? People will pay a fair bit of money for safety for say hacking yet if they can also compete it and know it will be reliable then that's an added bonus surely? I think if i was to sell mine (not that I ever would) I would easily be able to get £2000 for him. Others do ask more but I think that'd be realistic for him. I have had numerous friends etc ride him and I just trust him 100% with people. Can you put a price on that?

If the horse is effectively a 'schoolmaster' then you could be paying £2000 plus but if it does have some 'issues' (ie being strong) then that would go against it as it's unlikely to change this behaviour now.
 
I paid £650 for mine and she had been out of work for 2 years prior. Basically I covered the cost of the livery debt of her owner. She was brilliant though and we hunted, xc, sj, dressage the lot for almost 6 years then hacked or another 3 before retiring her.
 
We have a HW cob aged 18 and we could easily get £2500 for him right now, we have been offered it several times recently. he was hammered as a youngster.
 
My sister bought an 18 yr old schoolmistress that had evented up to intermediate level & got 40 points for £2000. Apparently there were people queuing up to buy her. Petplan insured her.

I paid £1300 for a 17 year old Welsh Sec B first pony last summer.
She certainly doesn't act like an old pony & I hope my son will get a few more years with her yet. She's uninsured.
 
How long is a piece of string?

A 17 y/o horse could be at the peak of it's fitness and off to the next olympics, or it could be a crippled old fart ready to feed the hounds. The age isn't the real factor, value to horse for what it is as an individual horse. ....if it is going to do everything asked of it for the next 10 years (and a 17 y/o may well have ten of more years in it for some peoples demands) what is that worth to your friend?

A few years back I sold a horse in it's mid 20's to a lass and the 2 years she got from him before his death from snakebite were worth every cent of the $2000 she paid...the saftey and confidence building for the next horse was worth it!
 
i had a fab horse that i actually got for free - got him when he was 18 - he'd already raced as a 3yo, and was then a v successful grade a sj in s.africa, i did 1.10s etc and pn evetning on him and he was still sound age 20...older horses can be amazing for experience and confidence! i did have probs insuring him though, but looks like insurers are a bit better nowadays judging by previous comments.
 
Thank you for all your replys it has really opened my eyes i have only ever gone for youngters
i will let her see al the replys and will let you know what happens
thank you
 
I have a 20 year old horse who I was given for free a year ago, he is fabulous! Because of his age he has seen it all so is very sensible and reliable. I ride him every day and compete him successfully in novice dressage and he is training to go higher at home. He also jumps, does cross country, endurance and has hunted (though he is a nutter at that so don't think i'll take him again!) Before i got him I would never have considered an older horse but now i definately would, they're alot cheaper than youngsters and if they're still sound at 20 they must be pretty good! Plenty of people have crippled youngsters they can do nothing with. Also even though he's older he can still learn new things and is still full of life. If my boy were ten years younger I'd think i'd easily get £4000 for him, as he is I guess 1-2 thousand max but really he's priceless as he's so genuine, I wouldn't sell him. I think if your friend really likes the horse then she should go for it. Age is only a number afterall!
 
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