Tips for first visit to Goresbridge!

[Dottie]

Hello,

My dad and I are heading off to Goresbridge next week for two days at the sales.
Flights are booked, hire car sorted, B&B booked and catalogue read and highlighted!
Does anyone have any tip for us so we don't stand out like two sore thumbs?? Anything from where and what to eat to making the best out of our time there.
Thank you in advanced!

 

[ollierdog]

It sounds like you've got everything sorted for the trip! Keep your eyes open...literally, the good irish riders can make a very sharp horse look like an easy ride! What you might like to sound of in the catalogue may look totally different from what's actually there I tend to only refer to the catalogue on the day! Get anything you buy re vetted with bloods and most importantly you must try the soup from the cafe😄it's the best soup going! Have fun it's a steep learning curb Iv had some very good horses from gorsebridge but have also had bad! I'm there Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday so may see you there!

 

[Dottie]

Thank you! I'm getting really excited now!

 

[Dusty85]

I bought one from Goresbridge in May, I was a first timer there.

My general points are as follows:

Annoyingly not all horses in the catalogue turn up on the day so make sure you have highlighted a few to look at.

It never seems to start on time, I arrived at the complex at 8.30ish to start viewing them/watching them being shown at 9, but in reality it didn't really kick off until gone 10am. Its also a very long day- the auction can keep going into the evening.

Chat to the person riding/showing the horse you're interested in, get as much information from them as possible, although bear in mind that it might not be quite true, or they may not have had them in for sales for that long.

Make sure you see them in the stable, tacked up, mounted and shown in the arena. There is an area to try them too, but its at the vendor's discretion. Make sure you see them trotted up in the trot up lane area.

Its a HUGE complex and there will be hundreds of horses to see- make the ones on your list a priority.

Make sure you go to the office to view the vet certs of all the ones you like early in the day- it could help you cross ones off the list.

Make sure you view each one you like being shown in the other arena, then go across to the sales ring itself for the auction. There iisnt always much time and you may end up missing the show of some of the ones you like- no way of getting around it other than prioritising the ones you definitely want to watch.

The cafe is very good!


Definitely definitely get them revetted- its only €100 plus €50 for the blood, and may save you ££ in the long run. You'll have 30 mins to go to the vendor/office to state you want a vetting.

You generally have to supply your own head collar/leadrop/rug for your purchase!

If you want a good transporter recommendation- I used George Mullins and I couldn't fault them.


Have fun- its quite an experience!!!

 

[sare_bear]

Dusty has a some very good advice.

I would say don't be set on horses you have marked out in the catalogue, as so many don't live up to expectation in the flesh and others you may have disregarded for some reason stand out.

If you like something in the stable I would try to see it tacked up and mounted. Some that are tricky seem to be mounted behind the stables with a leg up and rider trotting it up and down before bringing it in to more public view!

Be careful too as some horses appear easy rides, but just have an extremely good jockey.

I love gorsebridge sales, there are some bargains to be found, but just go with your eyes open like with anything.

Also remember to factor in commission when bidding.

It is a great experience even if you don't find anything. Have fun.

 

[Doris68]

If you see any geldings with a little bit of willy hanging out - be aware - they might (just might) have been a tad sedated!
The soup in the cafe is really lovely! Have fun - you'll just love it. Remember: Caveat Emptor = Let the buyer beware.

 

[maccachic]

I went along while on my OE (in Ireland for a year working) for a nosey and came home with a horse

 

[Sarah_Jane]

http://e-venting.co.uk/2013/11/goresbridge-sales-a-potential-buyers-experience/

 

[Pennythetank]

Beware of good riders making a tricky horse look rideable. Look out for the same rider/s riding lots of hot looking horses. Sometimes it's just that they happen to be available on the day to ride but often certain riders are better at selling the horse than others. 😉
Don't take it for granted that just because a horse/pony has a v.young rider it is an ok ride. I know children of dealers that can manage and hide faults better than the dealers themselves!
Echoing what others have said get revetted incl bloods, bring headcollar and bring a list of horses you need to see and questions you need answered.

 

[spacefaer]

There are professional Goresbridge riders - they will make any horse look easy.

Don't forget the exchange rate.

Heights are a very approximate science - we go looking for specific heights and are pretty confident in saying that at least 50% of what we have marked in the catalogue are not the described height.

Ask lots of questions, listen to what they don't say.

Check the vet certs in the office - and do your own checks for sarcoids and scars - recent or pre-exisiting. Listen to their wind going round. The auctioneer will mostly read the description as the horse comes in, but he's so quick, you can miss a lot.

Have fun!

 

[dieseldog]

My best advice is don't panic - you are going to see c500 horses, if you don't like a horse, or it is not quite right for you - move on to the next one. Do as much research as possible from the catalogue - Google everything, Ireland has lots of online results, affiliated and unaff. You will see horses that are an instant no, ones that are stunning but you know you will never be able to ride and then ones that look nice and you could ride. Be brutal, stick to what you think the horse is worth, always think how much can I get for it in the UK if I don't get on with it, and if it goes over budget move on - you got another 400 to see!

Good Luck, I bought mine there and don't regret it. I am not a fan of the cafe, we tend to buy sandwiches and snacks at a deli and take it with us. We've always stayed in Kilkenny at a 4* spa hotel - which somehow has always been cheaper than B&Bs. Relaxing in the jacuzzi after a hard days horse shopping is nice.

 

[Dusty85]

I've PM'd you Dottie.

 

[Dottie]

Thank you so much for your replies everyone. I'm really excited about going now and certainly won't be rushing into anything if I'm even slightly doubtful. Sarah Jane- I had read your blog about your experience and have already booked the Alamo!
Would someone mind explaining to me the commission fee to me please?
Many thanks

 

[amage]

Would someone mind explaining to me the commission fee to me please?
Many thanks

Commission is charged on all sales and is added on to whatever price you get in the ring. It is a percentage of what the sale price of the animal is. There is also VAT charged unless you have a VAT number. VAT is 4.8% and commission is 7.5% with the purchaser paying 6% and the vendor paying 1.5% so for example I gave €4200 a few years ago for one but my total i actually paid in the office was around €4700-€4800.

 

[sare_bear]

To add to what Amage said, you also have to pay a fee of up to 2.5 % if paying by credit card. The best thing is to know your top price factoring in all the commissions owing and work backwards before the sale, so you know how much you can bid up to, as bidding can move fast. Enjoy, its great fun.

 

[MegaBeast]

Can I hijack please to ask about shipping a purchase back to the UK. The Goresbridge site says there are professional transport companies there but how soon after a sale is a purchase shipped and what happens with stabling etc in the interim? Thanks

 

[Dusty85]

Can I hijack please to ask about shipping a purchase back to the UK. The Goresbridge site says there are professional transport companies there but how soon after a sale is a purchase shipped and what happens with stabling etc in the interim? Thanks

From the moment the hammer goes down, the vetting has been passed and the money transferred; the horse is your problem.

Goresbridge will charge you if you leave your horse there overnight (or so it says in the catalogue anyway). When I was there Im not sure where the 'transport representatives' were as I didn't see any.

I arranged my own transport. I spoke to a very well recommended company, and if I was successful in purchasing a horse, they would come and pick him up after I had called them, stable him with them, and then ship him over on the first suitable journey. It all worked out very well. I bought him on the thursday, I rung immediately after the vetting and they came and picked him up. He then arrived in England on the Monday morning.

Its a very long journey for them and incredibly stressful. my advice would be don't chose the cheapest company, chose the one that comes recommended and that you know have a good reputation of looking after their horses.

For what its worth I used George Mullins, and they would be the only company I would use again. I think it cost me about €300 euros.

 

[sare_bear]

How did you get on?

 

[Stormy123456]

Also curious to know how you got on?

 

[Dottie]

Sorry, just seen this thread again!

We came home empty handed! As a lot of you said, it was very fast and furious and it wasn't until the second day did I figure out what the routine was! I probably missed a lot of horses that could have been suitable as it was so hard to keep up!
I had my catalogue fully marked up, but in the end just went with the horses I liked the look of and watched them from there.
There was some lovely horses, but the REALLY nice ones I liked went out of my budget and the more 'average but nice' ones mostly had some conformational/issue I didn't like and my gut feeling said No.
Some of the ones I liked the sound of in the catalogue didn't turn up which was a shame.
I would definitely go again, and ideally for longer but I would only bid if 110% happy.
We were in the auction room when the top horse of the sale was auctioned for 17,000 euros! Very exciting!
Thank you for all your help!
PS The Alamo B&B was excellent, I highly recommend!