I'm going horse shopping in Ireland!- advice

charliep:)

charliep:)

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Off horse shopping in Ireland
I am looking for a 4/5 year old with potential to bring on for eventing. Anything from 14hh to 16hh. I am aware that a lot of people are looking for the same thing but am willing to pay a decent price. I do love connies but willing to look at most things, prefer chunkier.

Does anyone have any advice regarding places to go, tips for sales, transport home ect. Planning to fly and pay for a transporter home.. recomendations?
Looking to go asap really, I have seen that Gorsbridge have a performance horse sale in May, is that worth going to. If not, what else?
Heard bad things about people doing this, but plenty of good stories to!

What actually happens at the sales, can you try the horses or not? I have been to plenty of sales over here but heard they work differently.

What are the prices like for the different sort of horses? Would be nice to pick up a big time bargain but I realise that is unlikely for my first time.


Not essential that I come home with something, would be a good experience whatever the outcome!
Thanks in advance x x x
 
I loved Goresbridge there is no pressure to buy and loads of space to go and meet them in the stable, see them jump and on the flat then possibly have a sit of them.

We stayed in Kilkenny, flew to Dublin and hired a car out to Kilkenny. We looked at about 400 horses and Diesel Dog on here purchased a lovely mare for fair money and transporting her back here was dead easy and reasonable.

I would go back in a heartbeat if I had some cash as some super types there.
 
Or you could just buy a British bred horse and save yourself the trouble?

There are some amazing eventing lines available right here - you don't need to go to Ireland!

Do you have any particular breeding in mind?
 
Thanks for the replies, sounds fab LEC.
I have looked here and as yet found nothing that I fancy. The adventure also appeals to me as I have always bought from here
Nothing in particular really breeding wise :)
 
Problem in this country is that horses just cost more. The quality is better in Ireland for green horses at reasonable money. BTW I am a fan of British breeding and have always had British bred horses but over here for a £4k budget for instance you are either looking at a 2yo or for something someone else has cocked up for a decent looking horse. When you see BE80 horses for £7k then something has gone a bit wrong!!
 
Having seen neighbours and acquaintances bring back animals in various stages of physical and mental disrepair I cannot understand why anybody would want to buy from Ireland.
 
Mondy said:
Having seen neighbours and acquaintances bring back animals in various stages of physical and mental disrepair I cannot understand why anybody would want to buy from Ireland.
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maybe because some people are more open-minded than you and don't tar one and all with the same brush!!
 
I don't think that that's true to be honest. People just seem to think that they will get a bargain by going to Ireland. The horses over there are not necessarily any better than over here - we just are perhaps not as good at marketing them.

It's telling that OP has no real preference over breeding. If OP had researched and were looking for particular lines then I expect we could have pointed them in the right direction within this country. They're cheap in Ireland for a reason - there are loads of them, sometimes of questionable breeding.

Our marketing is not yet as good as the sport horse marketing in Ireland - doesn't mean that we don't have just as good, if not better, horses available - you just need to tap into the network!

People also don't seem to realise the cost of getting a good horse to a certain level. If I sold our 3 yr old (Badminton hopeful) at less than £12K we'd be making a loss.
 
Mondy said:
Having seen neighbours and acquaintances bring back animals in various stages of physical and mental disrepair I cannot understand why anybody would want to buy from Ireland.
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I am super-happy with the two connies we bought back from Ireland at the end of the summer. One came from the Clifden sales & the other from a classified ad and as 4 yr olds who hadn't done much, they have proved to be fantastic with lovely attitudes & lots of ability
 
Gorsebridge has its fair share of rubbish too but I'd happily go there to buy a smart young horse- you'll get something which can jump and moves nicely for 3-4k. When I went in the autumn there were some that went through for the 1-1.5k range who I thought had real potential but they were perhaps a little greener or had shown a quirk.

There are good horses to be had in England and there are definitely bargains to be had over here but it can be a hard task slogging through the adverts and traipsing off to numerous failed viewings where the horse isn't as described whereas at Gorsebridge you can see hundreds in the space of a couple of days and you can truly assess their ability to cope with a more stressful atmosphere.
 
I looked for 8 months to find a horse in the UK, including asking Measles, I had a very healthy budget and wasn't looking for a world beater, just a nice average horse to do amateur stuff on that could jump up to 1.10 classes eventually. I didn't go to Ireland to buy something cheap, I went because I had given up on the UK after 8 months of traipsing all over the place to see a horse that was nothing like described or failed a vetting. Measles didn't get anything in during that time that would suit me.

If you are going to Goresbridge my tips are land on the morning of the sale and stay the night of the last day you want to be there. The sale doesn't start the time it says in the catalogue - 9am is more like midday - which got tight when you had to be back in Dublin to fly home at 4pm.

Do lots of research before you go, I googled like mad all the horse names and you can see their records if they have one, even find unaffiliated results for them. There were horses there that looked gorgeous and I had put a big fat cross against their name as their records were shoddy. Turkey Trotting is a sort of drag hunting.

You can see all the horses stood in their stable, ask the vendors questions, they then bring them out and you can watch them warming up outside, they then go in an arena and jump some jumps - that is seriously eye opening, they are such good riders. The horses vetting certificate will be in the office, and if you do buy something you can get it vetted again. We sat on a couple outside as well.

It is very easy to cross horses off the list, there were ones there that were stunning, but they would have been too much for me, just look at the horses and think if you could cope with it and want to sit on it every day.

Finally you can go bid which is nerve wracking, but exciting, like exams.

Arranging transport home was so easy, we were recommended McMahon, found him stood outside told him which horse and that was it. He took the horse back to his place and then bought her over a few days later and she looked great - that cost me 250 euros.

The horse I got is well bred, has defiantly never been mistreated in her life, very cuddly, but green and a bit sharp at times. I had a terrible accident a few years ago and have become a slight wimp about jumping but she doesn't take advantage of me so I am happy. She's got more than enough jump for me and loves XC, especially water.

I'm glad I did it, and I would do it again and she was a lot cheaper than what I was looking at in the UK.
 
Balinteggart Stud in Ireland have some lovely sports horses and connemaras too - plus they are lovely people which always helps :)
You can find them on FB
 
I nearly bought a horse from goresbridge a few years ago but unfortunately he had a problem so I didnt go through with it.

Who are you going with? Ive just bought a 7yo 16.1 ISH gelding thats hunted, showjumped and hacks out nicely through an agent based in Ireland. Ive had about 3 Irish horses before and I love the breed so I wanted another.
 
We went to Goresbridge in February but was disapointed with what we saw at the time, I think it was probably the wrong sale as most things going through had been sat on for a week and although prices were stupidly low I would have preferred to pay more for something with a little more done. We did buy, through a friend of a friend, 8 years old ID x TB mare, done a bit of SJ and some hunting. She is super on the ground and is proving to be exactly as described, we took her sj last week and she jumped sweetly round the 95cm clear and went schooling yesterday, happily popping PN fences. The flat needs a little work but she is coming on fast. As a first horse we could not have asked for more and with our budget over here we would have struggled to buy something as easy going or with as much scope and ability.
 
I was in a very similar situation to yourself. I had been looking in the UK for 6 months and we did also have a reasonable budget looking for something between 3-6 around 16h with potential to event. I didn't want a world beater just a nice horse.

I went with a friend to gores bridge performance sale in march just to look more than anything, and to keep my friend company....I ended up coming home with 2 :s rising 4 geldings one for just under 4000 euros and one for just over. Both are green but lovely temperament in and out of the stable, move nicely and were bold over the jumps. Also both from private homes so they have been bought on nicely.

Getting the home was easier than i thought and we bought them on the friday, left friday evening and they were home lunch time on saturday although this was much quicker than anticipated, the transporter got them on the last ferry on friday as thought it would be better for them and they looked really well when coming off the lorry.

Yes there were horses that looked awful and some with lots of problems but just go with your eyes open and with someone if you can so you can have a second opinion.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions. I have had my boys home for 2 weeks now and can't yet fault them although when they start work this week after their break i may say otherwise!
 
My TB came from Goresbridge - he's a genuine all rounder who has turned his hoof from affiliated dressage to hunting to showing to polo and beyond. I would happily buy there again.
 
Mondy said:
Having seen neighbours and acquaintances bring back animals in various stages of physical and mental disrepair I cannot understand why anybody would want to buy from Ireland.
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Ah yes, because everyone in Ireland abuses and starves their horses. Have you read H&H recently and seen the stories of abuse, neglect and cruelty in your own country?
 
druid said:
Ah yes, because everyone in Ireland abuses and starves their horses. Have you read H&H recently and seen the stories of abuse, neglect and cruelty in your own country?
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Well said -

Ireland is the same as everywhere else - if you are gullible and with little real knowledge there will always be some old chancer happy to take your money off you for a very low end nag and leave you feeling very cheated. I have also lived for many years in England and I am absolutely certain the same can be said over there!

There are many very well bred and well produced horses to be had here too - as there is in your country.

But I do feel that prices here are more realistic than they are at this present time in the UK.
 
These two have just come over from Ireland...

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=10596299#post10596299

And if you search back through my threads, most of them relate to my boys that have all been Irish purchases. I love them!

With regards to buying in Ireland v's UK I'd have to say all my shopping trips in Ireland have been easy and hassle free...so far all returning with quality horses from people who want to sell them to you. In the UK I have always felt that even though I want to spend my money it's been a difficult and drawn out process. This has been my personal experience.
 
I recommend going to Jim Derwin's yard in Athelone if you're looking for a smart horse. He has hundreds of horses you can try and no pressure, plus he'll be at the sales and will buy all the best horses before you can :p For transport I highly recommend George Mullins. Have fun :)
 
I thought my ears were burning :D We irish are great craic (fun!) and horse hunting there is bound to be memorable :)

When I am sourcing horses in Ireland it is my personal preference to do that privately and through contacts rather than buying at the sales. The sales are a great experience - make sure that you can actually understand what is being said from the rostrum! - but I find it is very difficult to be absolutely sure on every count about a horse when there are so many to look at. A fair number - I'm not suggesting all - will be there and not sold privately or through trade contacts for a reason and it takes a bit of detective work and luck to find which those are and what the reason is.

For me, the risks are too high as I always want the horses I bring over to be 99.999% in every way and let's face it those horses are in the minority no matter which country you look. I like having the time to spend with a horse seeing it hack out, seeing it at go xc and spending time with it in the stable. My aim is to take the risk element out when a horse moves on from me and to do that I feel I need to be as thorough and painstaking as possible before committing to purchase. It is because of this that sometimes I don't have any to produce as I simply won't compromise.

Another issue to bear in mind is the duration and quality of vettings. In my experience, the revettings at Cavan on the day are much more thorough than at Goresbridge where, delightful as the vet staff are, it is a rather brief affair. All horses who are at the sales will come with a vet certificate but it is a well known urban fact that vettings for the sales are perhaps a little lighter touch by some vets in some areas than they would be for a 5 stage vetting paid for by a customer. It's not at all my intention to suggest this isn't a reason to go but it is something to bear in mind.

Another tip is to make sure that you are at the sales the day/evening before and from the cock crowing on the morning of the sale as the quiet horse who catches your eye later in the day may have been ridden for a considerable period there the evening before or first thing in the morning to exhaust it. This is common practise and it could be said it is to get the horse to go as well as possible but it's often the spooky or sharp horses who are out to play then. Try also to see every horse as soon as it is taken out of the stable and the rider gets on. Those who are trotted immediately on the concrete are sharp, generally.

I find I just don't have enough eyes in my head to cover all of these angles for each horse I like the look of - and there are usually a fair number of those :) - and so with the risk element it's not for me. That said many people who are comfortable with that have made great purchases and we all agree that the irish horse is the one we would like in our stable :D
 
Mondy said:
Having seen neighbours and acquaintances bring back animals in various stages of physical and mental disrepair I cannot understand why anybody would want to buy from Ireland.
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I may be a little biased, but I think Mallly is a pretty good advert for why people buy from Ireland! Plus all the Measles horses and the thousand of other fantastic Irish horses out and about :D
 
Mondy said:
Having seen neighbours and acquaintances bring back animals in various stages of physical and mental disrepair I cannot understand why anybody would want to buy from Ireland.
Click to expand...

this happened to me,but then I dont think i was sharp enough or experienced enough to buy over there. I DO think there are fab irish horses, but weeding them out among all the crap isnt for the faint hearted and noone can spin a yarn or sell like the irish can lol.
 
Always wanted to go to see... As always have Irish horses. Could be worth a look at Irish equine in Pangbourne, Berkshire, basic but pretty straight. Has anything between 20 -30 horses in, all youngsters, straight over from Ireland. They send anything they don't like back pretty quick as well. We have had a number of cracking horses from them. Though for my money, ISH are the ID x TB, was never keen on the last bout of WBs introduced. Oh and pictures too when your new horse arrives!
 
I love going to the sales in Ireland. You can spot the English people a mile off.

I manage to go incognito, and all the people in the canteen normally give me funny looks when I open my mouth to speak (I am English!)

If you go to Goresbridge, buy some cake. They are delicious.
 
Count Oggy said:
You probably did go to the wrong sale. As well as the three or four big sales they hold at Goresbridge every year, they also hold monthly sales. These don't have the same quality horses as the other sales.
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It was the one day performance sale in February, I would go again but to the later sales, there were some nice horses there, just not for us. I spoke to a couple of people who were looking for similar to us who had come away empty handed from that sale as well, there were just not the entries compared to the later sales. There were some lovely horses there, they just didn't fit our brief.
 
LEC said:
Problem in this country is that horses just cost more. The quality is better in Ireland for green horses at reasonable money. BTW I am a fan of British breeding and have always had British bred horses but over here for a £4k budget for instance you are either looking at a 2yo or for something someone else has cocked up for a decent looking horse. When you see BE80 horses for £7k then something has gone a bit wrong!!
Click to expand...

This is the trouble I seem to be facing at the moment. £4k for peoples hashed up projects/backed, turned away- needing restarting/or poorly bred average potential.

There is just nothing that floats my boat at the moment, I am seiously considering the logistics/costs of going to Ireland to view and buy.
 
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