Reading horse sales...bit of a long one...advice please

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chocolate86

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Has anyone got experience in going to these sales, a friend of mine keeps being disappointed whilst looking at horses, she wants me to go to the sales with her this friday and on the 9th october to look.
She says she doesn't know what shes looking for but I think a chunkier, warmblood or flashy cob is what shes looking for. I've told her to wait, save more money to buy either of those but its almost like shes got itchy fingers and is desperate for one now on a bit of a budget.
Are there likely to be those soughts at the sales or are they more likely to be meat horses/ex racers?
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i just want to be prepared so she doesnt come home overhorsed or with something which is really sick and sorry.
Well done for getting to the end
 
It really isn't a quality sale I'm afraid. If you are looking for a riding animal I would say avoid, pretty much lamed/drugged can't shift anywhere else types go there. If you were looking for a more native type I might have said worth a look.
 
I go regularly and it really is buyer beware.
I have seen horses go with 3 shoes on just so the seller can state "he lost it on the way, or he would have had a warrenty!"
There ARE some nicer types that occasionally go through, but they do tend to fetch what they would in a private sale.
If it looks too good to be true, most likely it is!!
 
I have bought 3 horses from Reading, one was a 15hh Welsh X who was very dirty and very hairy, I didn't pay more than 3 figures for him, I trimmed him, bathed him and schooled him for 2 weeks and sold him for £2500.
I also bought a 13hh pony for £400 that I sold for £1700 and a Reg welsh sec D who was very smart as well with a bit of TLC.
I have a rule that I never buy anything over 15.2hh and not any older than 5 yrs. I also go with my eyes wide open and will not buy anything without a warranty.
 
Years ago my friend tried to sell a decent mare through there but did not get any decent bids, while another girl from the yard sold a gelding very cheap. He looked OK, but was very nappy which turned out to be a serious pain problem (can't remember what) which made him almost unriddable, so she was very irresponsible to sell him without saying a word about his problems.
 
I would avoid Reading sales unless you really know what you are doing. all the dealers sell the horses that they can't sell or have failed the vet there and any decent cob crosses fetch what they would privately anyway as the dealers want them too. If you live in the area this place is worth a visit, though i think his current horses for sale on the website are slightly out of date: http://www.irishhorseimports.co.uk/ some people will say to avoid this yard, but these are usually people without any personal experience of them. I have dealt with them for years. They have some super horses for the money and if you tell them your looking they'll keep an eye out for the sorts you like. they don't try and pretty the horses up to sell them for more and if you ask a question they will answer honestly, they do not want a bad reputation so they have no reason to lie. They do nice irish horses.
 
i go to reading sales quite often and you get all sorts or horses and ponies going through .. from donkeys, shetlands, hairy cobs, thoroughbreds and the occasional warmblood.

it is a lower end of the market sale though - not for the faint hearted. is not unusual to see horses with cuts, scars, in poor condition, in need of good farriery but you do occasionally get some nice horses going through, although they may have behavioural/riding problems.

anything unwarranted is sold as seen. you don't get to ride them, although sometimes you do get the owner/dealer riding them around in the car park outside so can at least see them being ridden.

anything warranted as "quiet to ride" is supposedly sound in wind and action and capable of being ridden by a fairly competent rider - and if found not to be the case in 3 days can be returned! "quiet to ride" does not mean the horse is quiet or suitable for a novice though.

your friend will find chunky cobs there (although they may not be in the best condition), not usually flashy ones though unlikely to find a warmblood though.

a better sales to go to would be malvern performance horse sales on 8 september - horses can be seen ridden, trial ridden and horses over £700 at the hammer can be vetted at the sales and there is a much better selection of horses and more of them (40-50 max at reading compared to around 200 at malvern). average price is around £1,500 but some are under £1,000. see brightwells site for information.
 
Unless you are experienced, and know what to look for, it is a minefield. The vast majority of horses there will have issues - either medical, temperamental, or simply just very green / unbroken. It really isn't the right place for a novice owner to buy a horse from IMO.
 
I've had personal experience with irishhorseimports and had 2 myself from them and they were excellent although when i last spoke to them they have mostly youngsters and very green horses, shes not very confident and she gets attached to attractive but totally unsuitable horses. I'm trying to be the voice of reason for her!
 
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