How to price a 3 year old? Not an advert

Spendtoomuch

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Unfortunately going to have to sell my 3 year old, have looked at similar ads online and the prices vary from £1k to £5k and I have no idea where to start with valuing him. How do you start with a value?
 
Breeding, conformation, movement, type/size, temprement

Warmblood(83%) grandsire Ramiro Z x Arab (17%), amazing paces, very well put together, 16.1/16.2 at the moment, coloured identical on both sides. Handled worn a saddle but not backed, stubborn streak but takes most things in his stride. No idea what to value at?
 
Really need specific info on the sire and dam and dam sire- their names& what competition record?
Everything is warmblood these days so that doesn't tell you anything ..
 
Really need specific info on the sire and dam and dam sire- their names& what competition record?
Everything is warmblood these days so that doesn't tell you anything ..
Dam no comp record but good breeding, sire placed at elementary bd and cherif championships other than that no comp record.
 
sorry to say with that breeding you will struggle to get any offers there are loads of that sort around ,you even struggle to sell special 3yos at the moment . Of course they all sell at a price but its whether that is palatable to you!
 
But what breeding? We still don't know exactly the names of the sire and dam- sire

Sire could be 6 years old and by Totilas or something!!
 
I would say it depends how desperate you are to sell? Sounds like he will be a riding club sort, and coloureds are quite popular (Lord knows why!! _ sorry lol)

So test the water with £3.5k and see what happens, if no one calls or comes to see he is too much and lower the price appropriately.
 
It always used to be a grand a year -so your price would be based on 3k and then you add a bit for positive factors (eg outstanding breeding, conformation or having been backed) or knock off a bit for negative factors (dodgy temperament, poor conformation, unbacked)

You also factor in your need to sell -if it's urgent, then obviously he'll have to be cheaper!
 
I'm actually shocked that people would price an unbacked 3 year old so highly?With only knowing who the grandsire is?
 
I'm actually shocked that people would price an unbacked 3 year old so highly?With only knowing who the grandsire is?
Have to agree a lot can still go wrong! Thats why I only sell as foals or 4yo having done a bit.
Foals will make more than 3yos.
 
Agree - back him. When I was looking for a youngster I wanted a proper baby (ended up with a yearling) - paid £1800 for him with fantastic breeding on his sire's side yet dam was more of an unknown (not registered breeding but was ISH had BS record). I wouldnt have bought a 3 year old simply because I wanted to do all of the ground-work myself, and enjoy the couple of years building a bond before I break him.

I wouldnt want something that was pretty much ready for breaking - either broken or a proper baby, not something in between. People either want a very young project to break themselves, or a horse they can crack on with and ride. You'll get more for him if you break him as he will be more or less ready to go, and the new owner wont have to incur the cost to have him professionally broken etc.

The Arab element would put a lot of serious competitors off too, great for endurance perhaps but not generally the type of breeding that lends itself to pure DR or SJ. I would market him as an all-rounder, RC type horse and price between £1-£2k. See how much interest that generates. Or £2-£3k if you break him in prior to selling.
 
£3k!!!? I just bought a 3 yo 15hh gelding- lightly backed (now turned away) TB x welsh d with decent breeding for £300 delivered!! He has crappy feet which was my risk point but is sane and chilled in all other respects - hoping for a nice little event horse!
 
£3k!!!? I just bought a 3 yo 15hh gelding- lightly backed (now turned away) TB x welsh d with decent breeding for £300 delivered!! He has crappy feet which was my risk point but is sane and chilled in all other respects - hoping for a nice little event horse!

Good for you for finding a bargain - but personally I've never seen a horse advertised for less than £1000 and when they are, normally it is for a good reason. Sometimes a very low price can actually put buyers off, you automatically think 'what's wrong with it' so for the OP who needs to sell relatively quickly from the sounds of things, I think less than £1000 will actually be detrimental to selling the horse.
 
I think some sellers live in cloud cukoo land! I was recently looking and was staggered at the price of some horses and all apparently had potential! Potential isn't the same as out there doing it and until it's proven it's a big if.

I would probably say between 1.5 and 2.5k and people do buy 3yr olds, I did! I paid 2k for a well bred Anglo Arab with amazing confo but a bit of an attitude (that has changed now he's 1-2-1 with me) and he'd done nothing other than lead, feet pick etc. I felt he was a good price considering what some were asking for crappy horses.

Put decent photos on, this drove me crazy when looking!
 
£3k!!!? I just bought a 3 yo 15hh gelding- lightly backed (now turned away) TB x welsh d with decent breeding for £300 delivered!! He has crappy feet which was my risk point but is sane and chilled in all other respects - hoping for a nice little event horse!

I have just brought the same except he isn't back for £275, he has good feet and also very sane and chilled out. But he wasn't advertised I found him through a wanted ad.
 
£275 & £300 for a decent horse just isn't feasible for any breeder, they'd have been better off not breeding, you can't keep a horse properly red etc. for a year for that much!! Let alone the vets fees, stallion fees, worming, jabs, passport, micro chip, feed, hay, keep etc, no wonder breeders are giving up.
 
£275 & £300 for a decent horse just isn't feasible for any breeder, they'd have been better off not breeding, you can't keep a horse properly red etc. for a year for that much!! Let alone the vets fees, stallion fees, worming, jabs, passport, micro chip, feed, hay, keep etc, no wonder breeders are giving up.

I agree with that, and people who find these with no problems are very lucky.

But for people who are pricing the horse in question at 3.5k unbacked (and as said, also a stubborn streak), and then obviously more for backing, I just think its madness! How much would you be pricing it as backed? :oO.

I'd expect to pay £2500 max for a 3 year old of excellent breeding (not talking Olympic)

Don't really think you could go off £1000 per year of the horses life other wise absolutly nothing would sell and we would be buying cart horses for £3k!
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Thank you for all the replies, I was thinking that backed was preferable. I have hopefully found a way to keep him but time will tell!
I didn't think he was worth £lots but also agree about the costs etc. to sell at £300 and under must be madness for breeders and I wish I had found something that cheap when I had been buying previously! I wonder the circumstances of the people selling that cheap if they had no other option with personal circumstances etc?
 
My chap was returned to his breeder for personally circumstances so just wanted a good home. Definitely worth more than I paid for him. As I say he wasn't advertised, I placed a wanted advert they contacted me, had a nosey through my facebook and were offered references so they knew he would have a good home. Not top quality breeding, but has lovely paces etc. I have a friend who brought 2 yearling colts by De Niro for £200 a piece but they where unregistered due to stud liquidation.
 
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