How much would you pay for a........

[Blizzard]

happy hacker / all rounder type horse.

Quiet, bombproof, suitable for a novice/nervous, been there and done it type, not a world beater but good looking, well put together.

The type of horse you would hack mostly and maybe school or jump once a week. Odd show etc.

Been looking at horses recently and prices seem to go from ridiculously cheap to stupidly expensive!

Would be interested to know what people would actually pay!

 

[RLF]

whoops i clicked wrong box should have clicked £2500-£4000,

 

[samsaccount]

Probably the bottom end of £2500-£4000

 

[tabithakat64]

would love to be able to say £2500, prolly closer to £4000 though

 

[Blizzard]

ditto, all the nice ones Ive seen over the last few months have been pushing £4000 .

 

[TGM]

For a 15-16hh horse in its prime (6-10 years) and that was truly traffic-proof and safe to hack out on its own and in company, plus able to do a reasonable prelim test and jump round 2'6" clear PLUS easy to load, clip, shoe, catch and totally sound I would pay £3-4K (more if conformation and potential were very good).

There are many reasons why prices vary so much, some of which are:

1) Dealer or private seller - dealers need to make a profit and are much better at dressing up and describing a horse well to seel (not to say some private sellers don't over-estimate the worth of their horse)

2) Soundness - some 'bomb-proof' horses are like that because they are actually too crippled to do anything if spooked! Or some have such poor conformation that they are bound to have problems at a later date.

3) Other complications - a lot of buyers will steer clear of horses with 'problems' whether it is difficulty loading, headshaking, respiratory allergy, refusal to be shod, box-walking, cribbing, weaving, etc, etc. This will affect the value for different people in different ways - if you are on a yard with limited turnout then you don't want to buy a box-walker or cribber, if you want to be able to box to competitions then a bad-loader is not on your want-list.

4) Location - people don't usually want to travel hundreds of miles to view and collect their horse, so horses in far-flung locations are usually cheaper.

That is just a few of the reasons why some horses are cheaper than other. You have to learn to read between the lines of the advert! OK it says it is 100% in traffic, but does it say whether it is good to load or has no vices. Often what is not stated in the ad is more telling than what is said!

Also, remember that if a dealer has had a horse only a few weeks can they really claim that a horse is 100% in everyway? Have they really had a chance to check everything out properly in every circumstance?

 

[omrl]

i think it would depend on age of horse and how much it has actually done... but probs in the range of £2000 - 3500...good luck horse hunting

 

[clipertyplop]

safe happy hacker worth there weight in gold £10000

 

[Happytohack]

It also depends on the size and weight carrying ability - a heavy weight 16.2 ideal for novice/nervous rider is going to be worth considerably more than a a lightweight 15.0 hander.

 

[RachelB]

I paid £3,000 for mine, she's a gem and is totally safe for my nervous novice mum, and me when I get to be a nervous wreck sometimes, but then unlike what you've described mine isn't *only* a happy hack. She will also do a bit of prelim, hopefully novice dressage, and jumps well too so I'm hoping to do some PC and RC events on her. But she was sold to me as a happy hack, the vet told me she wouldn't be able to do much else but she's a star, and loving work! So for a purely happy hack I'd not pay more than £3,000 personally.

 

[Patches]

I paid £2750 for Patches, naked. No rugs or tack, or even a head collar. She was more than worth that given the confidence she's given me riding. Knowing what I know now about Patches, I'd happily of paid £3,500 for her as a confidence giver.

(Not that she oozes confidence from the ground...can be a toad at times)

 

[Baggybreeches]

I agree entirely, Touchy is not for sale at any price because she is as safe as houses!

 

[Gentle_Warrior]

paid 2500 for mine

 

[MagicMelon]

Id say £2500 is a fair price.

 

[Wobniab]

sounds like my boy. But yeah, you have to take into consideration what they've done, how old they are, what height and build.

My lad is only 13.2hh and is a man in his prime shall we say! lol! I paid £1000.