Is there a market for horses with issues?

  • Thread starter Thread starter DD
  • Start date Start date
DD

DD

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 August 2015
Messages
2,306
Location
Albion
Visit site
as thread title really. I have a lovely buckskin gelding, 15.2hh, hacks out a bit but novicy and not schooled, no facilities and nowadays I ride very little, he has sweet itch. Is there any point in advertising this horse?
 
Yes IMO there is always a market if advertise honestly, discuss honestly on the phone, and let the potential owner try horse, and possibly have horse on a loan first. You do need to really think about the advert, the good photos and videos and the effort of placing and bumping the adverts.

I have sold a quirky horse, I was honest about what was good and bad, made sure he demonstrated the good and bad to people trying him, and I loaned him with a view to buy for 5 months, over worst winter, to be sure was a good fit.

It does help if there is some serious good to go with the bad. My horse went to a capable teenager, who didn't really want to compete him, and for whom his cheeky ways were a fab fit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DD
ycbm said:
we need to know a few more things. Age? Conformation? Sarcoids?
Click to expand...
9 yrs old. no issues that I know of other than sweet itch. decent conformation slightly toed out. has done little work so is more like a not long backed 3 or 4 yr old.
 
in no way do I want someone to have him to sell on. He will not be available to anyone to school on and then pass on for a profit. Am only thinking about moving him on TBh can only get t oride at the weekend and we like to do other things so sometimes he only gets to go out once a month or so. I don't ride when there are horse flies nor when its icey so it all seems a bit pointless having a horse. am undecided.
 
I would not be put off by sweetitch so the rest of what you say is that he is a project to bring on so he should find a home.

I see you have added that you do not want him to be passed on for a profit. If you sell a horse you will never know what happens to him so you are better keeping him he does not mind if he is ridden or not.
 
Downton Dame said:
9 yrs old. no issues that I know of other than sweet itch. decent conformation slightly toed out. has done little work so is more like a not long backed 3 or 4 yr old.
Click to expand...


For a buckskin too? Oh yes, there's a market. Maybe £2-2500 if he's got a sweet temperament, what do other people on here think?

.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DD
TBH I wouldn't be put off by someone buying to bring on and sell at a profit. I always buy older horses for myself and benefit from the work that previous owners have done (and am prepared to pay for it). Sweetitch will put some people off but the rugs available now can make a huge difference.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DD
Downton Dame said:
in no way do I want someone to have him to sell on. He will not be available to anyone to school on and then pass on for a profit. Am only thinking about moving him on TBh can only get t oride at the weekend and we like to do other things so sometimes he only gets to go out once a month or so. I don't ride when there are horse flies nor when its icey so it all seems a bit pointless having a horse. am undecided.
Click to expand...

I think the issue is your attitude to the school up and sell on ... and i totally get where you are coming from btw so not having a pop at you. I hope there is a market for quirky because there are a LOT of quirky horses out there .. mostly man made issues sadly!

In an ideal world you would sell him to a life long home and it would all be like a happy ending ... in the real world you might have to accept that he goes to a great home who schools him on and sells him on to another great home for a bit of profit! No one wants to believe there horse will be passed around from home to home which is why its our responsibility to put the effort in and make them as great and well rounded as they can be so whoever buys them wouldnt let them go for a million quid thanks to the great job we did with them.
 
Downton Dame said:
in no way do I want someone to have him to sell on. He will not be available to anyone to school on and then pass on for a profit. Am only thinking about moving him on TBh can only get t oride at the weekend and we like to do other things so sometimes he only gets to go out once a month or so. I don't ride when there are horse flies nor when its icey so it all seems a bit pointless having a horse. am undecided.
Click to expand...

That may limit your options as you cannot keep control once you sell, I have bought projects to bring on and sell which for many has allowed them to go on to the right home after a period of education, often they are with me for 12 months, the right home may be a priority but do not rule out a genuine buyer who may want to put in the work and sell at some point.
I would not pay £2k for one with SI as a project because the upward potential is going to be a bit limited so if you price him right you will not attract a dealer but may appeal to a longer term home with limited funds who can manage the SI and has the ability to put in the work required on his education.
 
whats putting me off is that I have just read a horrid story on FB, traditional gypsy cob stallion, not done much sold. dealer type gets it, puts it in harness advertised it as handled by children good to drive in heavy traffic etc etc. all this is rot apparently. previous owner is v upset as she thinks horse will be bought it wont/cant do whats expected of it and will be passed from pillar to post. this is the sort of thing that puts me off selling.
 
Antw23uk said:
I think the issue is your attitude to the school up and sell on ... and i totally get where you are coming from btw so not having a pop at you. I hope there is a market for quirky because there are a LOT of quirky horses out there .. mostly man made issues sadly!

In an ideal world you would sell him to a life long home and it would all be like a happy ending ... in the real world you might have to accept that he goes to a great home who schools him on and sells him on to another great home for a bit of profit! No one wants to believe there horse will be passed around from home to home which is why its our responsibility to put the effort in and make them as great and well rounded as they can be so whoever buys them wouldnt let them go for a million quid thanks to the great job we did with them.
Click to expand...
yes I dont mid that scenario at all , hes very willing but i'd hate it if someone had him for a couple of weeks then sold him as doing alsorts when in reality its still all very new to him. there are a lot of rouges out there. maybe a quality horse dealer would be the answer for him, they could take him bring him on properly then advertise him honestly as their reputation is at stake if they get it wrong.
 
Downton Dame said:
in no way do I want someone to have him to sell on. He will not be available to anyone to school on and then pass on for a profit. Am only thinking about moving him on TBh can only get t oride at the weekend and we like to do other things so sometimes he only gets to go out once a month or so. I don't ride when there are horse flies nor when its icey so it all seems a bit pointless having a horse. am undecided.
Click to expand...


The only way you can have any control over his future once he has left you, is to put him on loan.
 
Would you consider investing in a good sales livery, a months schooling may be enough to get him to the stage where he can find a good home and be sold for a sensible price, it can be worthwhile if you lack facilities and time.
 
Downton Dame said:
in no way do I want someone to have him to sell on. He will not be available to anyone to school on and then pass on for a profit. Am only thinking about moving him on TBh can only get t oride at the weekend and we like to do other things so sometimes he only gets to go out once a month or so. I don't ride when there are horse flies nor when its icey so it all seems a bit pointless having a horse. am undecided.
Click to expand...

Whilst I completely appreciate the sentiment, you will limit your market considerably.

I have over the years bought a handful of nice 15-16hh allrounder types who at the time were in the wrong home, with not much of a CV and a seller with limited time/facilities to really facilitate a sale.

I bought them at times I needed a stop gap horse with a view to bringing them on, having some fun and covering my costs (with a small profit an added bonus).

I put 3-6 months work in, decided where they would be best placed, and sold them into long term homes.

A horse with sweetitch would have to be pretty desirable in every other way for me to consider it. If I were buying to sell on it would need to be very cheap. If I were buying to keep I would want it very proven in my job.
 
Sweet itch wouldn't put me off but it would put alot of people off. I had a lovely hunter pony with sweet itch took 5yr old and top 2 at every show he went to. However I found most buyers wanted to pay under 1k for him. He found a home eventually though
 
  • Like
Reactions: DD
I would have brought him to school and sell on in afraid! At that age, and having done a bit, 6 months solid work would have him out competing and schooled up nicely so he'd be worth a fair bit more.

The colour helps! Sweet itch might be a problem depending on where you are in the country and what the fields are like, if it's very mild it's not too much of an issue.

If you don't want him sold on, I think your options would be much more limited. There might be someone looking for a nice hack?

As mentioned above, sales / schooling livery might be your best bet if you want some control.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DD
I have a friend who would jump at the chance of him. She's very knowledgeable, lightweight (so a smaller horse would suit), looking for something to bring on. She's losing her horse of a lifetime through old age - she keeps them forever - but has a small budget so can't find anything suitable that hasn't been wrecked or is unsound.

There are people out there - you just have to be good at weeding out the unsuitable ones!
 
If you are able to sell a horse on you have to be able to forget about it afterwards. No 'I wonder how he is' or 'I think Il contact new owner' . No worrying or sleepless nights - if you feel you need to keep control loan, dont sell.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DD
My boy tried to kick/bite several people when I went to view him and I don’t have any regrets about buying him, so there’s someone mad enough to be right for any decent horse imo.

I second the suggestion of schooling/sales livery, or even LWVTB as a project. Your options are going to be limited trying to sell a green horse with an issue (sweet itch) to a long term home, but getting someone to put a bit of work into him to demonstrate that he’s capable of doing a job should make him much more marketable given he’s a desirable colour.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DD
How about a loan? Plenty of genuine people out there looking who would happily take him on if they know you aren't going to take him back when all the work is done
 
In strict answer to your query, it depends on the issues concerned and how fixable they are are! In your case, many green untrained horses change hands, many horses with sweet itch change hands. Neither is a deal breaker if it is otherwise the horse the buyer is looking for and the price is realistic. So it all depends on pricing and marketing it appropriately and presenting it well to potential buyers. I'm not sure you are in the right mindset for that yet though, if you are thinking of it as a "horse with issues". You need to emphasise his good points and be open on his less good points without unduly emphasising them. I agree with others that you also need to be in a mindset to let him go without the idea that you want or need to retain control. You can't retain control when you sell so there is no point in hanging on with contact. Personally, I don't try to keep up contact following a sale. Yes it is lovely to know they are doing well and are happy, but if they aren't it is better not to know imho. And as a buyer, it is my horse now, I don't want an over anxious previous owner breathing down my neck. Agree that by far the best option if you want to try to ensure a good future is a good sales and schooling livery. Let someone good spend a few weeks getting him going and then sell him. He will sell far better than "from the field" with an uncertain history.
 
I had a horse with medical issue and basically I got his manners and schooling to a very good level with professional help, so in the end his good points massively outweighed the problems - and he did find a much loved home.

By the time the schooling bill was paid i didn’t get much back - but I learnt lots so that also was a plus.
 
spacefaer said:
I have a friend who would jump at the chance of him. She's very knowledgeable, lightweight (so a smaller horse would suit), looking for something to bring on. She's losing her horse of a lifetime through old age - she keeps them forever - but has a small budget so can't find anything suitable that hasn't been wrecked or is unsound.

There are people out there - you just have to be good at weeding out the unsuitable ones!
Click to expand...

Yes, likewise, I know a couple of people who would definitely be interested in a nice looking, largely blank canvas that's sweet enough to be able to hop on and go after doing nothing for a few weeks and would be happy to manage the SI as a compromise for not having a massive budget.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top