Selling foals and yearlings

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ffynnoncadno

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Where would you suggest is the best place for selling foals and yearlings? and when selling good quality youngsters for less than £500 does the price put them off? Prefer to sell privately,any suggestions greatly recieved as i really would like to cut back!!!
 
I looked on Horse Quest nice youngsters but a lot over priced. I bought mine from a stud in the end as the one I went to look at I did not like but fell in love with my girl now! that was 4 years ago have bred my own foal this year from another mare.
 
chestnut yearling filly,2x grey colt foals,grey filly foal(Part bred arabs),chestnut yearling filly (welsh cob),all to make 14.2hh and above,dartmoor yearling filly grey.all are registered withtheir appropriate breed society,open to offers on them as i have too many!!
 
Do you think that people question the price,because in my opinion with the credit crunch etc,I'm just being realistic,The mares I've bred from are basically pet's and I've got the stallions,so it has'nt cost me much to breed them only the registration and worming and I'd rather they went now before I start getting attached.
 
I don't think the price will be a problem. From what I have seen the lower priced ones and higher priced ones seem to still be selling. Its the middle (£3-5k) that the market seems to have just dropped away. When realistically, that is the kind of money it takes to get a foal on the ground (for me anyway). There is a limit to where I would drop a price to because it just gets ridiculous in terms of the money you lose. I have the land to run all of mine on, so if I'm going to lose money I would rather keep them, break them and sell them for proper money at 4.
 
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Its the middle (£3-5k) that the market seems to have just dropped away. When realistically, that is the kind of money it takes to get a foal on the ground (for me anyway). There is a limit to where I would drop a price to because it just gets ridiculous in terms of the money you lose. I have the land to run all of mine on, so if I'm going to lose money I would rather keep them, break them and sell them for proper money at 4.

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You are so right.
 
Interesting you say that re the £3-£5 mark. I look on peoples websites and see foals advertised from £5k+ and they do seem to sell, yet when I speak to some people (albeit not breeders) they are gobsmacked - £5k for a foal, you must be mad!!

My second foal born this year I bred with the intention of selling but I really, really don't have a clue how much I could advertise her for, she's not quite 2 months old yet & I probably won't advertise until weaning time but price wise - I have no idea yet.
 
Took a yearling and two foals down to malvern sports horse sale.All of them had got First Premiums, the yearling is from a top performance family, and brought them all home again.I had a reserve of well under £1,000 to get them on the market, but didn't reach reserves. Don't know where you are best to sell them.
 
I beg to differ, I have mine advertised on several sites, they are all priced well below their actual value, and I have had exactly ZERO enquiries.

I do not understand what people are looking for ATM. It is really a very sorry state of affairs for breeders, as it seems buyers only want to purchase a youngster when they can get it for nothing.
 
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I beg to differ, I have mine advertised on several sites, they are all priced well below their actual value, and I have had exactly ZERO enquiries.

I do not understand what people are looking for ATM. It is really a very sorry state of affairs for breeders, as it seems buyers only want to purchase a youngster when they can get it for nothing.

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Cruiseline you are right - sadly in this country people just seem to have no concept of what it costs to get a foal on the ground. I'm beginning to think I should just have a policy of keeping everything until it is 4, rather than go through the hassle of trying to sell foals.
 
i agree with cruiseline, foals cost a lot of money, time and effort to breed and produce correctly, i spend hours looking at which stallion will suit my mares etc etc. I am luck as so far have sold 3 of mine. i still have two left to sell.

It is a sorry state for british breeders when you cannot get the break even price for a foal never mind make a small profit.
 
Well said cruiseline, Touchwood and madmare 22! There was a very good article in H&H a few weeks ago (can't remember who by) in which she basically said exactly the same thing. She states that a quality foal will have cost somewhere in the region of £1500 before it ever sees the light of day (which is perfectly true in my experience) and that the true value of a well-bred youngster should be something £6800 (I wish). But breeders are being told they are asking too much when they advertise something with a £3k+ price tag when, in reality, they are losing money hand over fist at that price.
 
i have bought 2 for over 5K this year and IMHO well worth the money, bit both were blodlines i specifically wanted, One i will run on as a stallion prospect the other will be a competition horse and future broodmare. but as others have mentioned it is my 3-5K foals that are being a bit sticky. Could probably afford to drop the price on one as although ahe is a super filly her type does not fit into my breeding programme. The other wll be retained if she doesnt sell.
 
Was discussing this with OH yesterday morning - we have just bought 2 fillies and tbh didn't think we'd afford foals (as needed two for similar age company) - went looking for a 2 or 3yo for me

Can't see how studs can make it pay if they take into account staffing costs etc - not that I'm complaining
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- we got 2 1st Premium foals, papered and branded for exceptional value
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as long as some studs are selling at cut/lower prices people will think they are being 'ripped off' to pay double down the road- whereas it is probably the stud down the road which has actually looked at it's finances!

what makes me laugh is the amount of people who pay £15-20k for a flashy 4yro but wouldn't dream of spending anywhere near £5k for a foal.

being a hypocrite though i have never paid over £2250 for a foal and have some very classy looking young horses now- which proves my first point well!

i'm half heartedly looking for another eventer-bred foal at the moment and would only spend up to £3k- and for that i would expect excellent breeding, good conformation, flashy paces and a nice temperament.
and i know i will find it as i bought that exact model 3 years ago and paid £2k for it from a nationally known stud.
 
Interesting thread - maybe I should increase the price of my coloured yearling to the price I have been told to ask for her, as from what you are saying, she might sell then. I have advertised her below the price I was advised to ask, as I thought it too much for a yearling.
 
i have a gorgeous kwpn that was £17,500 as a foal and due to being unsuitable,I bought her as a 4yr old for £2k.
The youngsters I have for sale are good quality and full siblings have competed successfully all over the country in different disciplines, but being realistic what are people prepared to pay,I have advertised privately on all sorts of sites and magazines with no response,yet just by chance a person travelled from scotland and bought an anglo without hesitation and another person from lanc's bought two for show hunter's and feel's they are HOY's quality and is thrilled to have had such a bargain and is returning with her mare next year and wants first refusal on next years foals. I still question if these people would have travelled if I was asking more for them.
 
They've been on various sites including Horsequest without one viewing, despite me posting videos of them all on youtube. haven't had one person come to view, which is why I took them to the sales to get them seen by a "captive" audience. Still no joy!
 
It's no joke is it cundlegreen!!! have you got pics of them and details? Have you also tried 'horsegossip',it's a forum and I've managed to sell and loan quite a few but now I've hit a stale mate!
 
No I don't think the price puts people off, I was up until a couple of weeks ago looking for just what you are selling!! (always the same like buses!!) I searched daily Adhorse, Horsequest and Horsemart, plus equestrian freeads.
 
I have one yearling and one foal and neither are for sale. I have two foals expected for next year, as i decided not to breed from one mare, and am pleased I made that decision.

I think for those with money and land there are lots of bargains around but it is going to be a hard couple of years.
 
I saw a foal by Coriano Z (ranked 36 in the world or something) from Millfield stud so I presume it had a nice damline too, sold at the Brightwell sales for £1750. When you consider then semen is 1200 euro's plus VAT plus insemination costs, vets fees etc.... that must have been a loss. Crazy, don't think I dare advertise mine cause I'll run him on rather than sell at that money.
 
I dont see how foals can be selling when the majority of adverts have a) bad photos, not even showing basic conformation- we dont want to just see a pretty head or a front on shot, or it walking sideways underneath the mother- you cant tell anything!! at least have a proper good side on photo and one of it moving, or a link on the advert to more photos and secondly b) hardly any information on the breeding. On sites like Horsequest you can have up to 3 photos and can write as much as you like on the breeding. If the sire/dam is not well known, then at least write down why you think this particular sire/dam would make a good type of sport horse- what the grand-dam/grand-sires have done etc.
 
O_B very true, same could be said for people selling broodmares!
I only have two due next year and will probably end up keeping them both if the market stays this bad.
 
I think it is the same old thing of people wanting something for nothing.We have four foals this year and foals that are well related to grand prix showjumpers,eventers and show horses with people ringing me up and saying they will come and see them and then just not turn up.See my post below(our foals) and if you tell me they are horrible then that is fair enough.
 
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