Tactless but... What's the most you've Paid?

Paid £6.5k for our lad 7 years ago. He was jumping BSJA Newcomers, Puissance Walls and winning hands down every Working Hunter Class he went in. Daughter brought his Dressage on to compete at Novice level getting some decent % and did a couple of BE One Day Events. He has also hunted.

He has been my main riding horse for the last 18 months and we are doing Trec, small Unaffiliated Dressage Comps and Hacking.

He was worth every penny and more when my daughter was competing him and he is worth every penny and more looking after me and showing me the ropes. Total superstar and never a sick or sorry day. Love the big guy.
 
I've sold a horse on behalf of his owner for £80k, that was nerve racking!
I've also sold some bloodstock for my job, anything from 8.500gns, upto 700,000gns.
Personally, I've only ever bought one, my current filly. £300! My mare was a gift, and all the others before, have been loans or hand-me-downs! (or she'll do something with it, it bucks!!)
 
I have ridden and sat on a few worth 30,000 plus euros all lovely horses one has now gone to jump in Columbia of all places :) Although I always have a soft spot for the underdog, the slightly less talented but tries there heart out for you type, that and I am not an overly talented rider so don't see the point in lumbering an exquisitely talented sensitive specimen with me as a jockey. Having said that I think a horse that would put up with me would be worth their weight in gold... tis a conundrum.
 
£2600 for the bazman back in may. Pretty sure I paid a horrific amount more than I should have (especially as he's just been diagnosed with arthritis in his coffin joint) but I really liked him.

Oh well!
 
Yes, I bought my dream Connemara colt for 1000 punts when I moved to Ireland about 13 years ago. It was about the going rate then for a good colt, my aim was to show him and breed him with my lovely, very correct thoroughbred mare.
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Best laid plans and all that, I was ill for about a year and then fell pregnant (age 42). We had 4 lovely foals from him and then his previous owner contacted me and bought him back, there were a few local people keeping an eye on him! He was then sold on to the UK where he's had fabulous career, none of it down to me, I might add. I had him for 7 years and he was the most fabulous stallion passing on his temperament to his foals and being a great teacher to them. This is a nice background on him (Lecarrow King).
http://ardcru.wordpress.com/golden-older-ponies/lecarrow-and-lor-ruadh-family/
I'm a little nostalgic but under no illusions that I could have produced him so well.
I've just bought a yearling Connie X from the field that will be a little project pony for 100 euro only and I'm ridiculously excited about her! This is the same view as the first picture but about 10 years on!
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I suppose pressure comes in the form of being left in sole charge of a stallion whose owners (my boss) had just turned down an offer of 1 Mil for ...
 
doriangrey said:
Yes, I bought my dream Connemara colt for 1000 punts when I moved to Ireland about 13 years ago. It was about the going rate then for a good colt, my aim was to show him and breed him with my lovely, very correct thoroughbred mare.
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Best laid plans and all that, I was ill for about a year and then fell pregnant (age 42). We had 4 lovely foals from him and then his previous owner contacted me and bought him back, there were a few local people keeping an eye on him! He was then sold on to the UK where he's had fabulous career, none of it down to me, I might add. I had him for 7 years and he was the most fabulous stallion passing on his temperament to his foals and being a great teacher to them. This is a nice background on him (Lecarrow King).
http://ardcru.wordpress.com/golden-older-ponies/lecarrow-and-lor-ruadh-family/
I'm a little nostalgic but under no illusions that I could have produced him so well.
I've just bought a yearling Connie X from the field that will be a little project pony for 100 euro only and I'm ridiculously excited about her! This is the same view as the first picture but about 10 years on!
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What a beautiful connemara!

I've only had 2, first pony we paid £3,500 for. "12yo" (vet put him at nearer 18 2 years later from looking at his teeth) connemara x arab gelding. Probably paid well over the odds for him but he was the best first pony i could ever have asked for and he taught me so much. I was devastated when he had to be pts. and £2,500 for my connie when he was a just backed 4yo
 
Most expensive non horse was 6 months stud livery, stud fee and 5 attempts at AI for my mare who although she produced fab follicles decided not to make a foal out of any of them.
 
Love said:
What a beautiful connemara!

I've only had 2, first pony we paid £3,500 for. "12yo" (vet put him at nearer 18 2 years later from looking at his teeth) connemara x arab gelding. Probably paid well over the odds for him but he was the best first pony i could ever have asked for and he taught me so much. I was devastated when he had to be pts. and £2,500 for my connie when he was a just backed 4yo
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Aren't they the best :)
 
I paid £40,000 over 20 years ago for a Trakehner stallion. He was very beautiful, a successful dressage horse and made lovely babies, but I didn't like him at all and never enjoyed riding him. Was very relieved to sell him on and have had many much less aristocratic horses that I've loved riding. My favourite horses have all been cheap or free.
 
My most recent purchase cost £2700 (including delivery from 4 hours away) which is the most I've spent on a horse. She is worth every penny and I hope she'll be with me for life.

Even if I had more money I don't think I'd ever pay much more then that for a horse!
 
I've had one 'project pony' so far a couple of years ago. She cost me £800 to buy and I sold her for £1100 so no, I didn't really makes anything on her! She was underweight, wormy, unloved and very nervous when I got her so it took a lot of time, patience and money to get her to trust me - had to completely start her again! Six months later, she was hacking out happily alone and in company, doing basic flatwork and popping a few small fences. I could groom her, pick her feet out, catch her and turn her out easily, put rugs on her and she was a lot more confident to handle. I had also started to get here used to being handled by other people too. She was quite a sharp ride, and I thought she was going to be hard to sell but I managed to sell her within one week of advertising her to a lovely home through being honest and genuine.

No, I didn't make any money - in fact I probably lost a fair bit. But it was very satisfying to watch her come on and improve day by day. I'm thinking about getting another project in the Spring for next Summer but this time, I am going to look for something slightly cheaper which is pretty much a blank canvas but with basic handling - which should be easier to produce. Definitely hasn't put me off doing it again though!
 
Magic - Free permanant loan. Will always be my best boy. Died at 24 after 2 years ownership. Form of bowel cancer.

Bandit - £200 donkey colt, 6 months old, died from poisoning 5 months later.

Kyra - £450 and £100 for delivery. Safe, sane and healthy 5yo, ive had her two years and the most expensive vet bills are only her yearly vaccs.

Prince - Gifted. However cost a billion pound in feed.

Out of all Prince was easily the most expensive to keep, but Kyra the most expensive to buy at £450.
 
It seems that most are more satisfied with their cheapies than their expensive purchases. Is this because the expectations of an expensive horse are much higher therefore it's easier to find fault and expectations low with a cheapie 'cause if it doesn't work out you haven't lost much (barring vet bills, of course, but some might find it easier to cut their losses on a cheapie and PTS if a big vet bill loomed)?
 
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My most expensive horse cost just short of 3k. Sired by a Grade A showjumper. I bought him as a 3 year old and bonded well with him, I was convinced he was "the one". But when it cam to riding him we just didn't click and the bond broke down. Sold him on for 1k as he had developed Sarcoids.

Cheapest horse was my current 3.5 year old. Saw his ad and went to look at him purely on impulse...fell in love with him the instant I saw him. Paid £850 for a 2.5 year old with a messed up history that was batshit crackers and no-one could get near. One year on this horse is my soul mate, I have never had a bond like it...he really is "the one" and I'd sell my soul for him.
 
£5.5k each for two sports horses. Neither, was a fun, safe hack ( one wasn't even a fun, safe ride) so it didn't matter what else they could do, I was always narked with them. My arab was about half the price and is twice as safe and genuine. I think you pay for athletic ability, but that's not always what you should be looking for.
 
On another tack.... my most 'valuable horse' I had in, was one I picked up as a job lot of 3 for £1k from a yard - all 4 yr old ex-racers, to re-hab.

On checking through the pedigree's & history etc, I found one had gone through the ring at the yearling sales for a few quid under £250,000.00.......... he was the sweetest natured horse to have in the yard, poppet to do anything with on the ground.
Mother even hacked him out BUT I could never get him to go out in company unless he was in front, nor work in a school, tho was fine to work lightly in a grass paddock. Managed to get him out showing in the end & popping little fences, but he was most happy at doing stressage on grass or hacking with another.
He went to a lovely home where he still is now 15+yrs later, was a happy hack & light dressage horse.

He'd failed racing as could not get to the start unless at the front - otherwise threw himself over sideways or backwards on the floor....
 
Both my most expensive horses I ended up pts -thank god for insurance!

One was £15, 000 advanced dressage schoolmaster who developed front feet issues, the other was a 6yr old eventer who'd just done his 1st intermediate and cost me £6500 (in 1997) He had numerous vet issues and eventually had atrial fibrillation.

I got spooked then and dare not buy expensive horses lol! I seem to be the kiss of death :O
 
childrens first pony - untried - unvetted think I paid £650 for her worth her weight in gold does everything to a high standard, trust her with any rider but has a spark if the rider is able

my mare £800 as a 2yr old she is amazing such a good girl and will try anything I ask her to do, has hacked out alone from the day she was backed and that alone is priceless for me

daughters mare was gifted to her with a return clause

my previous mare £1200 sold after 10 months as needed more time and work and another able person to assist sold to someone able to do that for £1000


best buy was when I was 15yr (87) paid £300 sold 12 months later for £1200, I did not get to keep the profit at it had to cover the cost of the removal lorry for the family to re-locate
 
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3 kids ponies at work all over 10k 2 were vetted and things missed on vettings, one retired to family member, others are turned away for winter, of which one is unlikely to ever be ridden again she is 7yrs, the other will work at a lower level but she has attitude that may stop her being of use to anyone
 
I paid £750 for Roo (solid appaloosa colt) at weaning in 2003, very sadly lost him this year in May, & he was worth every penny and more.
I paid £1850 for Tia (3yr old IDxTB) in June this year & she has been a diamond so far, actually think I have dropped on with her.

I doubt I will ever be one to pay tens of thousands for a horse, but then I doubt I will ever be one to compete at the high levels so there is no need for me to fork out that much either.
 
Most I've paid is £2200 and think it was worth it! Most I would pay is about £4500 which is around the mark I will be looking at when I start horse shopping next year.
 
The most I paid was £1800 for an ex racer, 3yo 6 weeks off the track from a dealer in Wales. A completely unsuitable purchase for us at the time and completely way over priced I can see now, but I have learned a lot from her. She's currently a field ornament, seems happy enough. Long story.

The least I paid is £850 for my own mare a 17yo ISH mare. SHe came with loads of nice tack though, PE rugs, a Kent & Masters saddle less than a year old, all sorts. She is a gem, safely carry a total novice one day, take the daughter round the hunt the next, but she does have arthritis and COPD so we have to be careful about how much she does and when.
 
I was house and horse-sitting for some people once who told me they'd paid £125,000 for one of the horses :eek:
There were 14 horses altogether and I reckon the total value must have been over quarter of a million... I was terrified something would happen!
 
£3500 for a section D, ride and drive, has niggles on top of niggles however out on a marathon course at driving trials he was safe as houses (though went out of his way to pretend to be otherwise!) and taught me a lot. He's out on loan with the girl who has back stepped for me with him since the start of our journey- thank god- as he is no longer sellable and either stays with her, stays with me or is PTS.

He is thankfully quite pretty- it makes up for his partial sighted/only catches for me/has mouth issues and is strong in a hackamore/late gelded/mild sweet itch shaped niggles!
 
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