How much is he worth? -loan horse

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Tilda

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My loan horse's owner asked my YM at the weekend whether she thought I would want to buy my loan horse. Now the answer would most definitely be yes for the right price as he is fab :)

So we have started thinking about what is the right price. His owner and I did discuss it briefly with regard to insurance and potentially buying in the distant future however a few extra things have come to light that may change this.

So he is a 15.1hh gelding his passport lists cob x but he has friesian in him. He is just about to turn 14 and is a true all rounder jumps 2ft 9 course comfortably show jumping or cross country (can jump bigger but not courses) and is a safe but fun hack. He is fabulous to handle on the ground and to shoe, load etc.

So the bad points he can be difficult to catch (carrots help), he is terrible to clip he needs sedation although I plan to work on this over the summer. The most concerning thing is he is noisy in his wind sometimes - he has a good cough pretty much everytime he has his first trot but then not again and when he is tense he sounds wheezy but his breathing rhythm stays normal. I have hacked him for 3 hours including canters and the breathing is only noisy at the start and he is excited not when he's puffed out. I would get this thoroughly checked before handing over any money.

The only other thing is he is quite unbalanced in his flat work but is a real trier and this is already improving.

He has good quality leather tack but I own all but one of his useable rugs so suggestions of prices with and without tack would be good.

So what would you knowledgeable folks say he is worth please?

Sorry it's so long!
 
My first thought would be £2000 without tack, but as the owner knows he would be going to a good home I would expect a bit of a discount probably. I would say an extra £400 for tack.
 
I dont think a lot, witrhout the wind issues maybe 2k based on him being fun and safe, would have said 3k if 9 years or similar.
But lets be real, the market is dire, the owner would seriously struggle to get 2k in ano open market, around my way they'd get 1500 at best with such wind issues, and thats with tack.
I'm in Dundee, Scotland so that may affect my view! For 2k, i'd expect prime age and health for the sort you describe in the present market, a market in which horses are being given away :(
 
Ummm i would estimate in £2-2500 bracket without tack. However, i would get him vetted thoroughly especially re the breathing issue u have described.
 
my first thought was about the £2000 mark too with tack though. that includes taking the breathing into consideration, being hard to catch and being difficult to clip plus that the owner knows you and knows where he'd be going so a little bit of a discount.
A good thing to do is go on horsemart or similar and put in the criteria that he is: 15hh-15.2hh 13-15years breed sex allrounder. and see what sort of prices come up, then look through the adverts and find the once thats the closest, it just gives you an idea of what sort of price he'd be in the open market :)
 
I would only pay 1000-1500 for him without tack. Horses are going for alot less at the moment. Even though he does have some good points the bad points bring the price down a lot. The problems of catching, breathing and clipping are all fairy big ( even though they can be over come it will take time)
 
Around £2000 without tack sounds fair.

Do you keep him in a dust free environment as it sounds like a dust allergy, soaking his hay, if you dont already may make all the difference.
 
My thoughts are around £1500 max with what you have described although I would certainly get him vetted.
It sounds as though he may have COPD with the wheezing. Now although if he did have this it is manageable but can be limiting. I know of an endurance horse which has this and the rider has to get off and walk at times when it gets bad.
I would be a tad concerned that at the age of 14 he is unbalanced in flat work.
You say he is a good jumper, but is there a chance he has been jumped into the ground?
Is his unbalanced flat work due to any injuries or does he show any signs of lameness, heat or unwilingness to bend?
I ask this as due to the age he is. One of my horses who I got at 15 developed bone spavin in hocks a few years later. He was not worked hard by me and was mainly a happy hacker although looking back he had the early signs of it when I got him.
Difficult to catch, can be fixed, with training and routine.
Sedation for clipping again, only if needs to be clipped and to be fair if you get your own clippers and work at it you may be able to train him out of that too. I suppose it depends on why he needed sedating in the first place.
I only have to twitch my mare and cob for the ears and parts of the muzzle.
The mare has been clipped before as she raced but the cob never saw a pair of them until I got him.
He sounds a nice ponio though but would recommend the vetting especially for the breathing and being unbalanced due to his age.
Good luck
 
Thanks all very interesting we were around a similar ball park so that's reassuring.

Be positive he is bedded on flax and has his hay either soaked or steamed. He will be out 24/7 soon so we will see if his breathing changes. I have a vet coming to do his jabs soon so I am going to ask them to do an initial check.

Thanks again :)
 
I'm going through the same situation as my loan horse owner is thinking of selling so I'm really stressed worrying what sort of price will be asked. I've looked at adverts of similar horses but the advertisement prices vary so much it's hard to get a real feel for what horses are actually selling for.
 
Thank you Fantasy World his balance is just a schooling issue as he was ridden by his owners teenage daughter for the last 2 years and she just hacked and jumped him didn't do much flatwork schooling and as i say on the 2 months I have had him he has already improved but we are teaching him a whole new way of holding himself long and low rather than up and tight so are taking it slowly.

I used to have a horse with COPD and this is different there is no sign of wheezing like double breathing or even fast breathing it's almost like a sort of frog in his throat which goes after he has coughed or exercised for a bit.

I will definitely get him vetted before making any decisions and whilst I would be heartbroken to let him go I would stay realistic.

Thanks again
 
I agree attheponies it is very difficult to say from ads as not only is there such diversity you never really know whether the seller is being truthful whereas you know your loan horse inside out. I am not stressed as his owners are lovely and genuinely thrilled we are doing so well together as he has been a big part of their lives and they were nervous of where he might end up. Good luck with your situation x
 
Tilda said:
Thank you Fantasy World his balance is just a schooling issue as he was ridden by his owners teenage daughter for the last 2 years and she just hacked and jumped him didn't do much flatwork schooling and as i say on the 2 months I have had him he has already improved but we are teaching him a whole new way of holding himself long and low rather than up and tight so are taking it slowly.

I used to have a horse with COPD and this is different there is no sign of wheezing like double breathing or even fast breathing it's almost like a sort of frog in his throat which goes after he has coughed or exercised for a bit.

I will definitely get him vetted before making any decisions and whilst I would be heartbroken to let him go I would stay realistic.

Thanks again
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That is good then, was just worried due to his age and the fact he has been jumping. My lad had jumped and hunted which I think was part of the reason for his spavin.
The breathing sounds odd though if you say that it goes with exercise. I doubt it is due to unfitness. Does he make the noise when he enhales or exhales. Perhaps the vet can tell you more when they visit. Otherwise if you like him and he ticks all the boxes otherwise and vetting goes good then he sounds ideal at the right price.
 
I think there is a risk buying any horse but the one thing in your favour is that you have had this horse on loan so have already had a decent amount of time to trial him out and you know what his strengths and weaknesses are and that you can cope with them.

The disadvantage is that you may have become attached to the horse which might make you make a decision on your heart than your head.

I would get the wind checked and then think about making a decision on price then. If the horse is a good sensible hacking horse then that will also affect his value even if his schooling is not so good. You may find the catching issue improves once he is out 24/7 as if he likes being out in the field and then realises that when he is caught he is not coming in for the night he may not be so reluctant to come in.

I would say about 2k in the current market with the wind issue, however if you are not planning to sell him and you have got on well with him during the loan then he may be worth more to you than that as you know already he is a good match for you.
 
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