How to price a horse >>>>>>

[Annagain]

The ad over there for the "Amazing All Rounder" has got me thinking. How do you put a price on a horse? He looks lovely and exactly the sort of horse I'd be looking for if I was buying at the moment. I'm a Riding Club all rounder who does a bit of low level everything - mostly BE (80/90) so I think I'd be the sort of market they're aiming for but price-wise he'd be well over my budget.

I *could* afford him with a few sacrifices but I think there are many similar horses out there for half that price? I haven't bought a horse in 10 years, am I that out of touch with the market? For that money and at that age I'd expect quite a bit of a competition record and although it's alluded to (they say he's competed BS but not at which level and how well he's done) they don't link to it or provide details where you could find it. It seems to be his temperament that's the big selling point - is a temperament worth a 4-5K premium?

Genuine question, not criticising the ad!

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/clas...ire/salisbury/amazing-all-rounder-468878.html

 

[ljohnsonsj]

Agree, nice little horse but not worth 9.5k not in a million years,especially at 10. He is of an age where you can only loose money on him.

I am looking at SJ'ers atm. Saw a nice little chestnut 6yo, jumped age classes abroad and here and has all the potential to go to top level. Jumping newcomer and 1.20 DC's well ready to move up. The only thing that got me was he had done an awful lot for 6 but maybe he was just an easy 4-5yo. He is advertised at 15k ONO.

Scroll down a bit, and there was a 11yo horse, long ad, nice looking wb jumping DCs foxhunters, not yet moved up, again, emphasised how good her temperament was. 30k!
I think some people make up prices and hope for the best, some must get lucky!

 

[oldie48]

Always very tricky to value a horse on the basis of one picture and a brief description but for a great many riders the temperament is crucial and as such will command a premium. He's a lovely age for someone not wanting to bring on a youngster, if he's been well schooled and generally very well educated and is completely straightforward to ride, then yes, he's worth £9K. We sold a similar horse, but smaller (16.1 )some years ago for a similar amount to a forever home. what made him worth the money was his temperament and the fact that he was a genuine all rounder and good enough to do any discipline to a good level for a competitive RC or PC member. Horses like this are very hard to find.

 

[Polos Mum]

I got one of these for free (on loan then gifted ) if I had the funds and could guarantee soundness/ genuineness I'd pay it no problem.

When I was looking recently most £4-5k horses needed a tonne of work to make them a proper allrounder

 

[Goldenstar]

I would pay that for a nice sound well trained easy horse and not give a second thought .
If it's as described you're buying instant gratification that's what you are paying for .
I see no loss in buying such a horse you don't buy a car and expect your money all back , or expect a gym membership to pay you something back or to get money out of a holiday you have enjoyed .
If you buy a very young green horse or a badly trained you have to put in the all the work and not know how it's going to turn out someone else has done all of that ,that's what you are paying for .
However depending on it's competitive record you might find there's a bit of wiggle room on that ones price .

 

[only_me]

The horse in question imo sounds worth the money.

I doubt you would get much cheaper versions of thw horse unless it had a soundness issue or ongoing issues.

 

[npage123]

I've just watched the xc video of the 'talented gentleman' over there >>>>
I absolutely adore his way of going over the jumps - so smooth, I think he'll give everyone confidence xc.

 

[Polos Mum]

He is of an age where you can only loose money on him.

Most people shell out £5k+ a year in livery, feed, shoes, if you have regular lessons, transport and compete often then that could easily be £10k+ a year. The purchase cost is really almost irrelevant.

10 years of owning a lovely allrounder competing, bit of affiliated here and there and he'll have cost you £50-80k - no worries about the fact that he might be worth half his purchase price as an 18 y/o (or even that you'll probably have fallen in love and pay for retirement livery for a few years!)

I think I loose money on my horses every time they breath. :0)

 

[Annagain]

I would say he seems more similar to the second of these horse than the first? Yet is priced more like the first. Not criticising at all, and at the end of the day they're worth what someone will pay. I'm just bemused by the whole thing!

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/clas...re/mansfield/a-talented-gentleman-468870.html

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/clas...e__unit=4831&height__unit=4902&age__unit=5497

 

[Annagain]

I've just watched the xc video of the 'talented gentleman' over there >>>>
I absolutely adore his way of going over the jumps - so smooth, I think he'll give everyone confidence xc.

It's the other one I'm talking about - the bay. There's no video of him. They both look lovely, but while I wouldn't question that amount of money for a promising 5 year old with a decent record already, I would for a 10 year old with no obvious record (he may well have one but it's not mentioned or linked to.

 

[Goldenstar]

It's the other one I'm talking about - the bay. There's no video of him. They both look lovely, but while I wouldn't question that amount of money for a promising 5 year old with a decent record already, I would for a 10 year old with no obvious record (he may well have one but it's not mentioned or linked to.

Record is a bit a double edged sword many people like a all rounder they can go straight out and make a splash with that's eligible for the lower levels certainly many horses that are just out of PN lose value for a while .

 

[Pigeon]

The thing is, a genuine safe all-rounder will get a huge amount of interest, and you get a lot of horse people to which a couple of grand here or there isn't a big deal if it rules out the competition. That bay is large and good looking too.

I've had a couple of genuine schoolmaster types in my life, one was never for sale (but people constantly asked!) and the other one had about twenty phone calls within a couple of hours of his ad going online - he was sold within the week (went through word of mouth in fact) And he was a rather plain looking 13.2hh pony, certainly not whizzy enough for team stuff, and not cheap!! (just under 5k) But he was 100% bombproof, easy peasy to load/clip/shoe, literally anyone could get on him and aim him at any jump (or even things like single upright barrels) and he would jump it in a calm and steady manner. People really are willing to pay for temperament, and amateur riding club level people often seem to have more disposable income than the pros who want a winner. So in my experience, at the lower levels, an uncomplicated horse outprices a talented horse every time.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

The advert is a little brief, there's enough to get someone interested & I dare say if you phoned up you'd find out a lot more about he horse. After getting more information the interest will increase & then when the horse is tried out you will probably find out exactly why he's priced at that amount.

 

[Annagain]

The advert is a little brief, there's enough to get someone interested & I dare say if you phoned up you'd find out a lot more about he horse. After getting more information the interest will increase & then when the horse is tried out you will probably find out exactly why he's priced at that amount.

Isn't it better to put that info in the ad in the first place? Both to prevent unnecessary phone calls and to make people realise he really is worth it?

 

[ester]

A google of the phone number suggests dealer/sells a good few.

these guys but he isn't on the site with anymore info.
http://dunnesporthorses.co.uk/contact/4540040546

 

[be positive]

Isn't it better to put that info in the ad in the first place? Both to prevent unnecessary phone calls and to make people realise he really is worth it?

I think the ad is too brief for this type horse if he is such an amazing allrounder then I would expect more in the ad, selling a top prospect with very little info probably keeps away dreamers but for a true amateur ride at low level then I expect to have a more detailed ad stating what he has done and to what level, he appears to have only schooled xc so may be perfect to go out at BE 90 and have fun but equally he may not be confident xc for an inexperienced rider and limited to BS and low level dressage.
That he is being sold from a yard rather than a private home means it may be hard to find out his history, to the right person he may be a bargain schoolmaster but I would want evidence of him competing in all spheres to place that value on him.

 

[pootleperkin]

I'm not surprised by the price of either of those horses, the grey or the bay and I would be happy to own either I suspect. Quality horses with a good temperament still sell with few problems. Someone I know sold a true all rounder with a great temperament not so long ago, he did side saddle, jumped, low level evented and went to HOYS in a SFAS class. He was a 'normal', nice looking horse; his price was around 12k, he sold no problems. I'm guessing he was around 10 years old.

I can't quite afford these prices, hence I buy quality foals and make them myself, but they are what I would be looking at if I had disposable cash. There are plenty of people out there that can afford them.

 

[Rivonia]

I'd pay that amount if it's a true all rounder with a good temperament. I'm 40, a novice and I have zero ambition to compete ever. I just want a nice-going horse which can jump a few small jumps and hack without scaring me.

I could not school a frog to jump into water, never mind a "young prospect, slightly quirky but willing to please" so I need to pay for that training. It seems safer to pay up front.

 

[Luci07]

I have finished hunting around the horse market for a genuine horse to event again with. My criteria was it had to have shown it could do the job and be good to a fence. It could be strong, and not great on the flat but not sharp. I found what I hope will be my last competition horse who is stunning to look at, has had a couple of BE runs at 100 and really likes his jumping. His record was laid out with a lot of info and he was a lot less than that boy. End of the day, what the buyer will pay is what the horse is worth.

 

[oldie48]

Well I think you've said it all, you weren't bothered if it was strong or decent on the flat, that would knock a few thousand off the value. I've no idea if the horse advertised is worth the money or not, I'd need to ride it but I wouldn't touch a horse that was strong and poor on the flat with a barge pole and that's the same for lots of people.

I have finished hunting around the horse market for a genuine horse to event again with. My criteria was it had to have shown it could do the job and be good to a fence. It could be strong, and not great on the flat but not sharp. I found what I hope will be my last competition horse who is stunning to look at, has had a couple of BE runs at 100 and really likes his jumping. His record was laid out with a lot of info and he was a lot less than that boy. End of the day, what the buyer will pay is what the horse is worth.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I learnt the hard way when it came to pricing horses. I lost a nice horse in 2004, had him from a weanling and just 13 when I lost him. He had won at County level as a heavy, won at elem and was working medium. Super temperament, RID and huge. He was insured for a value of £5,500 with full vet cover.

After all the grief I started looking for something similar, 17h rather than 18h, up to 11 years of age as I had decided not to start with a young horse again. It would be the first made horse I have ever bought. I looked at horses all over the country and could not find anything to match what I had lost and began to realise that my insured sum for him was way short of his value. I viewed horses at 10k that had not achieved what he had and were much trickier to ride. I remember getting very depressed with the whole situation.

Finally found one that came at 8k and he has paid me back in spades with achievement and fun. He had been correctly produced and that figured in his asking price. I think it is fairly easy to price a made horse and to expect a fair price, it is the big priced 'might be' a good horse that gets my goat.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I think the ad is a little thin and would expect some ridden pictures and video for a horse that age and price in these modern times. But I would pay decent money for a mature quality all-rounder with a good temperament.

I bought a 10 year old BWB 10 years ago for the equivalent of £7,500 (it was a direct swap for a 7yr old that I bought for that price that I decided rapidly wasn't for me) and he was and is the best thing that ever happened to me. Still enjoying hacking him at 20 years although we did what I think was our last competition last year.

 

[GemG]

A horse is 'worth' whatever one person wants to pay for it to have it. If someone wants him or her enough the price is sometimes irrelevant if they have deep pockets.

Same as a lot of things I guess. I have to grown my own, which is more expensive in the long run ironically, but it's like pay as you go lol!