How much would YOU pay for a happy hacker?

[Mince Pie]

However to me that's an all rounder, to me hacking is the chance for both horse and rider to relax and not be schooled. For a good all rounder yes I would pay £5-6k but would expect it to be able to do a novice dressage test and a 90cm course of jumps. A hacker just needs to be sane, good solo/in company, good in traffic, will do gates, cross fords and stand still to be mounted.

 

[Cobbytype]

After how much I got for my mare, I'm going to concentrate less on getting a horse competition ready before sale, and more on getting them used to everything and riding out perfectly. As well as being easier to sell, they also seem to fetch a higher price (unless those competing are amazing)

You've hit the nail on the head there Equidae. You only have to take a look at the wanted ads on horsey sale websites to see what everyone wants: a well mannered, safe hack.

I'm finding it nigh on impossible to find one with my budget.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I wouldn't pay more than £1500/£2000 for what you describe but then I wouldn't pay more than that for any horse really. My boy is/was all you describe and he was £1500 15yrs ago.

 

[Leo Walker]

My mare would - she's been ridden by beginners, taught a 5yo and 7yo to ride, yet will up her game for a competent rider.

Thats mine. The ultimate happy hacker! He will happily stroll up to a combine with the engine running. As a rising 3yr old he was in a field at the side of a dual carriage way. To bring him onto the yard he had to cross the dual carriageway and stand on the island in the middle while lorries went behind him at 60MPH. The only issue we ever had was him wanting to eat the grass on the island and not stand up.

Hes just very confident and not bothered by things that would give most horses a heart attack! I'd like to think it was due to the things I did to expose him to life, but realistically its just his nature. Lots and lots of time and money has been spent to educate him so he is light in the hand and off the leg. He is a total pleasure to ride. He loves hacking and just feels keen and interested. But with another horse I could have spent and done more and still not have what I currently have in my horse.

I was idly discussing his worth with my OH the other day and the possibility of maybe selling him and buying something similar but a hand bigger and my non horsey OH went mental! He made a really valid point that I could sell mine and buy something else a bit bigger that sounded good but have it turn out to be nowhere near as good. When we got down to the nitty gritty of what i would take money wise for me to sell him it turned out it would be would take an AWFUL lot of money to buy him.

A GOOD happy hacker that is bombproof, comfortable, reasonably educated and nice to be around is literally priceless! So if you find one and can afford it, then buy it!

 

[Irish gal]

You've hit the nail on the head there Frankie Cob. They are not easy to come by and are worth a lot more than some of the estimates on this thread. It's basically what most people are looking for and the right ones are rare enough, hence the price.

 

[MuddyMonster]

Tbh you shouldn't need to clip a happy hacker so that isn't really an issue or selling point

Why on earth would you not need to clip a horse that hacks? I understand if the horse is in light work, but a horse that grows a decent winter and is doing a fair amount of trot or canter work is just as likely to need clipping as any other, whether it canters on a bridlepath or in a school!

To answer OP's original question, I'd expect a minimum budget of £3,000 up to 5-6,000 depending on geographical location and quality of the horse.