How much would you pay for 1* event horse?

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ropa

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I am looking at buying a new horse and I am an amateur and only weekend rider due to work commitments and therefore would like a horse that I can easily pick up on the weekend and event that doesn't need educating but simply ticking over in the week on full livery.

I thought that a not too flashy and hot 1* with a consistent double clear record that is being placed in at the teens at 1* with dressage in early 30s would be a good bet for me nipping around novice events safely on the weekend and taking sj and to elementary bd. I am probably buying more performance than needed but a good BE record is seductive when you want a consistent horse that doesn't need training for fun and hassle free riding on the weekend!

I have found one that fits the bill and is thoroughly sound post vetting and extensive X-rays. Slightly unnerved by the amount I have negotiated to buy at and therefore in need of some confidence that not paying over the odds! How much would you guys pay for that kind of horse?
 
Depends on a few things
Exactly how old?
Has it just done 1* , could it potentially do more?
Breeding
Mare or gelding?

Its hard I've seen 13 year old 15.2 mare competed to 1* , I liked her a lot. Up for 9k which personally from working in an event yard I thought was ridiculously cheap!

For something 12 to 14, competing at 1* & getting placed, able to do intermediate & maybe 2* I'd say your looking at anything up to 20k
I could have had a 10 year old competitive at intermediate a ridiculous amount of be points done 2* but never going to go 3* but very quirky !! For 20k... Sadly mam wouldn't remortgage the house :( ha
 
wow can i have your life please

as above lots of factors, is it a young horse that reached it's max or a schoolmaster that went higher and is old enough now to be coming back down to an 'easier' life?
 
10 year old 15.3 mare. Nice breeding on sire and Heinz 57 on dam. Intermediate and 1* placing in teens consistently for 2 seasons. Found her level at intermediate/ 1* as dressage is not flashy and scoring mid teens but consistently double clear. What do you think?
 
Ps. Molasses - trust me blood sweat and tears have gone into getting here! Have an old boy that has cost ridiculous amounts for last few years and been on the ground grooming and paying for his vet bills. Finally in the kind of place where can afford number 2. Just terrified by the numbers involved!
 
ropa said:
Ps. Molasses - trust me blood sweat and tears have gone into getting here! Have an old boy that has cost ridiculous amounts for last few years and been on the ground grooming and paying for his vet bills. Finally in the kind of place where can afford number 2. Just terrified by the numbers involved!
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It's just a number
Think of the fun you'll have.
If you've got if flaunt it and go for it. If you've got to a place in your life where you can make it happen for you then forget the number and go for it. Who cares if someone say's it's too much. If you genuinely can do it then it's not too much it's just right. Or you could hang around for months not spending it and miss your chance. Ummm pretty obvious really. You ought to be sitting in the horsebox driving right now i say :-)
 
ropa said:
10 year old 15.3 mare. Nice breeding on sire and Heinz 57 on dam. Intermediate and 1* placing in teens consistently for 2 seasons. Found her level at intermediate/ 1* as dressage is not flashy and scoring mid teens but consistently double clear. What do you think?
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20k would not be unreasonable for her I like the sound of her !!
 
£15-20k would be the range I'd be willing to pay since shes reached her eventing competitive limit (if just due to DR then she could be worth more to someone wanting to SJ as well if she has potential to carry on there). If her DR is good enough to place regularly at 1* / Int level then at the upper end of price bracket. But it all boils down to what shes worth to you, if shes more than that but honest as the day is long and perfect for you - ie should be easy to pick up and put down, gives you confidence, and most importantly puts a massive grin on your face and you can afford more then (providing your not buying to make money & sell which I assume you're not) I'd go for it anyway! A good horse is worth their weight in gold :).
 
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Well I think if she really is a true amateurs horse (I.e completely straightforward to manage & prepare) & she is as consistent as she sounds her price could edge up nearer to 30k.
Theses types of horses are the holy grail for most low level eventers. The chance to safely compete BE novice & intermediate & even wear the coveted tails at a 3 day international....that is the dream for about 75% of most of the event riders at BE 90/100.

Horses like this don't come on the market very often. They are usually snapped up by other clients of a pro rider (usually wealthy young riders :) )
Seriously it is only money, you can't take it with you but you could have several years having an amazing blast on the eventing circuit.
Stop dithering....buy her! :)
 
....& I wouldn't say she has reached her eventing limit because she isn't flashy in the dressage. Surely if there's the scope & ability to jump bigger then there are ways to improve dressage.
 
ropa said:
I am looking at buying a new horse and I am an amateur and only weekend rider due to work commitments and therefore would like a horse that I can easily pick up on the weekend and event that doesn't need educating but simply ticking over in the week on full livery.

I thought that a not too flashy and hot 1* with a consistent double clear record that is being placed in at the teens at 1* with dressage in early 30s would be a good bet for me nipping around novice events safely on the weekend and taking sj and to elementary bd. I am probably buying more performance than needed but a good BE record is seductive when you want a consistent horse that doesn't need training for fun and hassle free riding on the weekend!

I have found one that fits the bill and is thoroughly sound post vetting and extensive X-rays. Slightly unnerved by the amount I have negotiated to buy at and therefore in need of some confidence that not paying over the odds! How much would you guys pay for that kind of horse?
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It is incredibly difficult to find the horse in this description that passes the vet complete with extensive x rays - buy it!
 
Thanks guys that is incredibly helpful. I think she is a good amateur horse as she is in a snaffle for xc and sj and when we tried her we went from dressage to sj, rider number 2 then popped on and did the same and then rider number 3 popped on and did the same (me) and she didn't hot up or get excited so I think she is a good amateur horse. She hacks on her own, Didn't move a muscle for 20 X-rays or even flinch at the vet and therefore I reckon is seemingly a nice amateur horse. She is a bit of a plane jane to look at and has some Heinz 57 in her and moves more like an average tb than a continental warmblood but has an accurate albeit non flashy test. Tbh I would love a flashy mover but given you can't have everything for the money, and without trawling the country trying to find a 4* horse that no one else has found then a double clear horse is probably better for an amateur than a flasher hot warmblood that is inconsistent jumping. I know some big generalisations thrown in here! What do you folks think? You are filling me with confidence though already and I am so grateful! Big buy for me so feeling the nerves right now! Alternative I guess is an unaffiliated horse that you pay half the money on and take a gamble but reckon the extra money is prob worth it for having a good sound and consistent horse? To be frank I will prob spend a season pottering at riding club and unaffiliated so maybe more performance than needed but nice to have a horse to grow into I am thinking?!
 
Sounds like you've already made your decision for all the right reasons.

Think about it this way, if someone said you Can't have her would you feel any relief? If so she's not the one. If all you think you'd feel is regret and gutted then she's the one to buy!
 
My heart says yes logically they don't come much better than this (I think/ hope/ am I making right decision?!?) and my head says wowsers how much!
 
With that ability and handlable/ ridable by the amater I'd have said easily £20k and if you said £30k I'd not flinch. If you have the money to spend you can't put a price on a horse that will do what you want and that you'll enjoy.

Full livery will cost you £150 a week (ish) so £8k per year, then all the non livery costs inc competing at BE you'll not get much change from £15k per year anyway so the initial purchase cost isn't massive really.

If you know the right people you can get higher level horses stepping down but they almost certainly wouldn't pass a vet with x rays and often have querks.
 
Another one saying buy her! Screw your eyes up tight as you hand over the money and try to not to think about it! Then load her in the lorry and head home planning your season :-) (Shortly followed by posting some pics here :-D )
 
Spanny said:
Another one saying buy her! Screw your eyes up tight as you hand over the money and try to not to think about it! Then load her in the lorry and head home planning your season :-) (Shortly followed by posting some pics here :-D )
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Like this post :) ...I completely agree! She sounds fantastic! One I think you wouldn't find very easily again!
 
Dubsie said:
Just the fact is nice to handle on the ground adds value for me.
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You've hit the nail right on the head there + the snaffle mouth + clean vetting. If I had it, I would happily pay £30k for her particularly if the only thing holding her back from higher levels is just a lack of sparkle in dressage. I'd be quite happy to see how far I could get & unlike a pro (who has decided she's reached her limit) I'd just be happy to have a fun time & complete safely even if I'm near the bottom of the scoreboard!
I know a lovely horse for sale that is currently unproven eventing wise & is up for £15,000. Again it is a safe, sane, sound horse with heaps of potential. Like this one it's a true amateur horse. Something you could toddle off to an event on your own & have a great day.

I think when you've seen event yards & the quirks a lot of the horses have & preparation programmes required to get them to events, you can see why this mare sounds so special.

Please hurry up & buy her....I can't wait to hear more about her x
 
If she's as genuine as you say and nothing's shown up in the vetting or x rays then I'd say you've found yourself a remarkable horse- ones like this are like hen' s teeth! As for being plain and not flashy - that really isn't necessary at this level. Correct way of going and well schooled will get a decent mark at novice and 1* and often at this level the amazing dressage scores have a blip jumping. Look round the horses at an event and many novice horses won't be big flashy types. She sounds like a lovely horse with a super temperament - ideal for what you need!
 
At 15.3hh the mare would be ideally suited to a junior size-wise, so IF she is a straightforward well schooled ride with a proven safe XC record and a clean vetting then I think there will be some well-heeled parents who would pay way more than the market value for such a horse.
 
If you find the right horse then the initial cost is nothing compared to the on-going costs, if you can afford it and she’s perfect then go for it. All I would say is be careful if she is only ridden at weekends, blasting round a XC course, and even ‘just’ dressage, can put quite a strain on muscles and tendons so she really needs to be exercised during the week to keep a reasonable level of fitness.
I’d also make sure you factor in regular lessons too, she sounds like a talented mare and it’s only fair you do your bit to do her justice and keep up with her. It's easy for you both to pick up bad habits, however well educated she may be.
Good luck and hope you have a great time together.
 
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