No silly prices

[spacefaer]

And I'm not sure why you wouldn't pay a decent amount of money for a talented horse, regardless of whether it has one eye.
Having one eye does not affect jumping ability. General Knowledge had one eye and jumped round Badminton.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

your missing the point but never mind.
Compromising means buying something with a health issue as I've just explained.
Surely I can't be the only one that thinks horses are mega expensive at the moment and have been for the past two years? Where are all the people that have been saying over the last few months the very same as me, to back me up?

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/horse-market-has-simply-gone-nuts.819803/#post-14945659

Stating that horses are expensive and stating that it's unfair are two entirely different things.

 

[Pippity]

I was seeing 'no silly prices' long before the current surge. I'm sure I'll still be seeing it when prices have crashed.

 

[Birker2020]

And I'm not sure why you wouldn't pay a decent amount of money for a talented horse, regardless of whether it has one eye.
Having one eye does not affect jumping ability. General Knowledge had one eye and jumped round Badminton.

I didn't say that I wouldn't expect people to pay a decent amount of money if it had talent. The advert implied that it had done nothing but 'had potential'.

 

[Birker2020]

Stating that horses are expensive and stating that it's unfair are two entirely different things.

No its not. It can be the same thing.

 

[Peglo]

Horses are expensive but I’m also not rich. I know I will never afford even a 10k horse and so I know I have limitations to what I own. wether that means an Ex-racer, something smaller and hairy, a youngster or happy hacker etc. I’m not ambitious or have any expectations with riding though so I can see how it might feel frustrating if you have goals and need a certain standard of horse.

 

[Birker2020]

No its not. It can be the same thing. Its unfair that people are trying to take advantage by selling well over the odds for a horse that clearly isn't worth that just because they can and because the market dictates that people are trampling each other in an effort to obtain an animal, often for ridiculous amounts of money, clearly what the horse is NOT worth. Some people have scruples others are just out to exploit others for what they can get. As the examples on my reply No.8

Hand on heart can you honestly say a 6 year old mare of no noted breeding that's only been backed a year, that has no record whatsover, but has 'potential' is worth £21K??? Come off it.

 

[spacefaer]

I didn't say that I wouldn't expect people to pay a decent amount of money if it had talent. The advert implied that it had done nothing but 'had potential'.

?? But surely it only has potential if it has talent....

 

[CanteringCarrot]

No its not. It can be the same thing.

No, it's not? What? Of course they can be two entirely different things. Just because you disagree, that doesn't change a fact

 

[spacefaer]

In answer to the original question,... To me, a silly price is one that the questioner can't afford. Regardless of the actual price

 

[Birker2020]

?? But surely it only has potential if it has talent....

No of course not. Potential is the most misused word in the Oxford Dictionary!

 

[Red-1]

Because there are lots of anecdotes of people on this forum that are unable to afford to buy horses at the moment because the prices are so high. There are others that have been forced into spending more than they can really afford due to the crazy market at the moment which has been driven by covid.

There are horses that can be bought for very little but they are low in price for a reason, because they have physical limitations which put people off i.e. sarcoids, cold backed, unable to be jumped, has a vet history, sometimes goes lame, makes a noise when ridden, etc, etc.

No its not. It can be the same thing. Its unfair that people are trying to take advantage by selling well over the odds for a horse that clearly isn't worth that just because they can and because the market dictates that people are trampling each other in an effort to obtain an animal, often for ridiculous amounts of money, clearly what the horse is NOT worth. Some people have scruples others are just out to exploit others for what they can get. As the examples on my reply No.8

Hand on heart can you honestly say a 6 year old mare of no noted breeding that's only been backed a year, that has no record whatsover, but has 'potential' is worth £21K??? Come off it.

But prices are so high because more people wanted to buy horses. Law of supply and demand. Price is the thing that sorted out who would get the horse and who wouldn't. How else would you decide?

My horse sold for more than she would have done pre-covid, but to an excellent home. What would you have me do instead, to decide where she went amongst the many, many calls we had. We already turned a lot of people down on the phone and one in person, for not being a likely fit for the horse, so it wasn't just about getting the highest price.

The price was higher, yet we still had more calls than we needed. I can only imagine the calls we would have got if I had put her at a lower price point.

I am interested as I have seen the word 'greedy' used before about covid horse prices. I just see it as what the horse is worth, due to higher demand than supply. It is what you need to charge, if you are to afford another.

I do think I have scruples. I don't know why I would want to charge less than people are prepared to pay.

I am interested in your solution to that problem, that doesn't involve raising the price?

 

[sbloom]

Horses have been underpriced for years.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

No its not. It can be the same thing. Its unfair that people are trying to take advantage by selling well over the odds for a horse that clearly isn't worth that just because they can and because the market dictates that people are trampling each other in an effort to obtain an animal, often for ridiculous amounts of money, clearly what the horse is NOT worth. Some people have scruples others are just out to exploit others for what they can get. As the examples on my reply No.8

It is worth that if the market dictates so and if people will pay that. You really wouldn't price your horse (just speaking generally, not a specific horse) to reflect the market? You'd price below market value?

This has been the horse market and many other markets for ages. It's so basic. If you don't want to pay the prices, then don't. Simple. It's not something absolutely essential.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Also, some horses have potential for xyz and some do not. It makes sense that those that do have potential would cost more. I know potential doesn't always pan out, but still.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

This was meant to just be a lighthearted thread on a phrase I think is pretty meaningless (and yes it pre-dates Covid). But the posts on here defending the phrase mean excatly what I feared they mean: "Don't try to rip me off". And that pass/agg or aggressive attitude in a wanted ad sends me running for the hills. I don't need that kind of aggravation from a potential buyer who approaches a sale in that suspicious way. And I'm about the most transparent and honest seller you could imagine.

Toby was sold for a very reasonbale price as he needed a particular kind of home so I wanted to be able to carefully place him; Dolly for top dollar, despite a sarcoid because she was a totally angelic unicorn of a pony. I had plenty of people telling me they were both too expensive. No they weren't. Unaffordable to many people for sure, but not over-priced.

 

[Annagain]

Yes the market's high at the moment. I've just paid more than I'd have liked for a slightly older than I wanted horse and that's the compromise I made to get within my budget but that's not really the issue here. The issue is that someone stating "no silly prices" doesn't really help anyone as one person's "silly price" is another's "totally reasonable price". It would be far more effective (and polite!) to say "budget in the region of £xxxx" If you want something from someone, it's best not to antagonise them as the decision on whether to sell to you is entirely theirs.

The other issue is that someone thinks they can ask for the world but expects it for next to nothing and not be prepared to compromise. Let's say for argument's sake that the price for a decent allrounder was £5k, there would always be someone who would expect to get one for £2k and be horrified that people had the audacity to ask for any more than that. The current market exacerbates that but it's not the fault of sellers if some buyers can't afford it.

 

[Birker2020]

Yes the market's high at the moment. I've just paid more than I'd have liked for a slightly older than I wanted horse and that's the compromise I made to get within my budget but that's not really the issue here. The issue is that someone stating "no silly prices" doesn't really help anyone as one person's "silly price" is another's "totally reasonable price". It would be far more effective (and polite!) to say "budget in the region of £xxxx" If you want something from someone, it's best not to antagonise them as the decision on whether to sell to you is entirely theirs.

The other issue is that someone thinks they can ask for the world but expects it for next to nothing and not be prepared to compromise. Let's say for argument's sake that the price for a decent allrounder was £5k, there would always be someone who would expect to get one for £2k and be horrified that people had the audacity to ask for any more than that. The current market exacerbates that but it's not the fault of sellers if some buyers can't afford it.

Y It would be far more effective (and polite!) to say "budget in the region of £xxxx" .

I agree but I think on some buying/selling sites you cannot advertise a price - is this right?

 

[spacefaer]

I agree but I think on some buying/selling sites you cannot advertise a price - is this right?

If you put a price on FB, you'll get your ad pulled as you're not meant to be selling animals. But it's still possible to put 5 figs, or 5 ???? so people get an idea.

 

[Red-1]

I agree but I think on some buying/selling sites you cannot advertise a price - is this right?

I think on Facebook you can't advertise animals, so people don't out the phrase For Sale, they simply describe the horse. The algorithm picks up a picture of a horse with a price attached. I know because I had an advert for a saddle banned because it had a photo of said saddle on a horse on it.

Some people get round that by adding the price within a photo rather than in text. Or, saying horse is looking for new... and then a picture of a house. Or looking for new postcode. Some prices are put on as in 5???

I don't know any actual sales site where prices are not allowed.

 

[Red-1]

If you put a price on FB, you'll get your ad pulled as you're not meant to be selling animals. But it's still possible to put 5 figs, or 5 ???? so people get an idea.

Haha, cross posted, but your example was a lot more expensive than mine ??

 

[Annagain]

I

I agree but I think on some buying/selling sites you cannot advertise a price - is this right?

If you're advertising a horse for sale, yes but "no silly prices" is usually used in a wanted ad so it shouldn't be a problem - and if it is there are ways round it like there are with sales ads - using carrot emojis rather than 0s and saying "mid / high four figures" or similar. Even that gets the message across better and in far more friendly a tone than "no silly prices".

 

[Ample Prosecco]

The issue is that someone stating "no silly prices" doesn't really help anyone as one person's "silly price" is another's "totally reasonable price". It would be far more effective (and polite!) to say "budget in the region of £xxxx" If you want something from someone, it's best not to antagonise them as the decision on whether to sell to you is entirely theirs.
.

Exactly. Ironically that phrase is more likely to aggravate an honest seller who does not want aggro from a buyer, than a hardened dealer who does not give a monkeys - all water off a duck's back to them.

 

[spacefaer]

Haha, cross posted, but your example was a lot more expensive than mine ??

Only quality talented horses with potential here ???

 

[humblepie]

The Facebook thing with carrots really annoys me. Just advertise where it is allowed. Sorry nothing to do with thread.

 

[Pippity]

Only quality talented horses with potential here ???

And they're all stunning. Especially that ewe-necked, sway-backed one, with splints visible from space and a hind leg that could be used as a ruler.

 

[J&S]

Some times people put a "silly price" on something (horse/saddle/antique/what ever) to see what reaction they get and also because you only need one person to not think it is a silly price to sell it! Any thing (horse/saddle/puppy etc) is worth what is paid for it when it walks out the door, some times this can be over the odds and sometimes its a bargain. So I think the phrase is better suited to the selling market than to the buying market. A buyer would do better to ask for something within a specific price range rather than come out with the "no silly prices" phrase as one persons "silly price" is not the same as another person's!

 

[SO1]

Part of the problem is that most people want the same thing which is a sensible competitive sound all rounder suitable for a amateur rider who is not massively brave or super talented and who due to work or family commitments don't have time to take on anything complicated.

These sorts were always hard to find even pre Covid.

Sports horses for very ambitious amateurs or professionals have aways commanded high prices.

A lot of middle aged women are looking for horses instead of gung ho young adults without family commitments and who have the time, energy and confidence to take on a project. The market has changed. People have more ambitions.

You can still pick up young cobs from dragon driving and ex racers cheaply but that is not what most people want.

I think it you look at what is being advertised there are more horses with competition experience and better schooled at younger ages than there were 15 years ago when people perhaps were less ambitious and lessons and competition were perhaps less accessible and there were less yards with areas and fewer people with transport. It is rare now to find horses advertised with no competition experience even youngstock has been out to a show in lots of cases.

 

[JBM]

I got both my horses for under 1.5k and under but like..I wouldn’t be expecting either to be ready to compete immediately after purchase..Barry will be for next year and Judy is a beautiful lawnmower

 

[scats]

To me a lot of them are silly prices, but that’s probably coz I can’t afford them ?

 

[sport horse]

No its not. It can be the same thing. Its unfair that people are trying to take advantage by selling well over the odds for a horse that clearly isn't worth that just because they can and because the market dictates that people are trampling each other in an effort to obtain an animal, often for ridiculous amounts of money, clearly what the horse is NOT worth. Some people have scruples others are just out to exploit others for what they can get. As the examples on my reply No.8

Hand on heart can you honestly say a 6 year old mare of no noted breeding that's only been backed a year, that has no record whatsover, but has 'potential' is worth £21K??? Come off it.

Asking that price is one thing. Whether it sold for that price is the question.