Too cheap?

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warrior_pony

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Posting for a friend! So my friend has seen a 15.3 apollosa (not got papers), 7 year old, green as broken late however working well in a nice outline, 3 lovely paces. Jumping a course of 70cm ish at home, good to hack, up to date with everything (vacinations, farrior, worming etc) for £1000. She hadn't been to try it yet but she seems to think it is rather cheap. What do you think? (She is going to try it just wanted other people's opinions?)
 
Yes it is cheap... unless it is butt ugly and with best will in the world wont be anymore than 70cm horse. Also its been a long winter and they might just want to get rid...
 
dominobrown said:
Yes it is cheap... unless it is butt ugly and with best will in the world wont be anymore than 70cm horse. Also its been a long winter and they might just want to get rid...
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That's just mean D, butt ugly indeed!! how b00dy dare you:( I'm butt ugly, but neither horse nor dog has ever paid any attention to that) I've been loved by both man and beast - for which I thank my lucky stars. If the partnership works...it works...who cares what either of you look like? (apart from you)
 
chillipup said:
That's just mean D, butt ugly indeed!! how b00dy dare you:( I'm butt ugly, but neither horse nor dog has ever paid any attention to that) I've been loved by both man and beast - for which I thank my lucky stars. If the partnership works...it works...who cares what either of you look like? (apart from you)
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Actually I think a horse being Butt ugly does matter, for competition anyway, ugly normally = poor conformation= more likely to become unsound or find various disciplines difficult. It can still be a "nice person" however.

I personally couldn't own something that I didn't find attractive. Also as I compete at a reasonable level I need something with decent conformation.
 
chillipup said:
That's just mean D, butt ugly indeed!! how b00dy dare you:( I'm butt ugly, but neither horse nor dog has ever paid any attention to that) I've been loved by both man and beast - for which I thank my lucky stars. If the partnership works...it works...who cares what either of you look like? (apart from you)
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Ugly people are worth every bit as much as attractive people and often a lot more than many of them.

Ugly horses are worth less than attractive horses in a commercial market.

Not the same thing at all.
 
"Value is that price agreed between a willing seller and a willing buyer".

Perception of value will vary according to why someone wants to buy and why the seller wants to sell.

So it is a bit silly to say, "Oh, I am not buying that because it is too cheap and there must be something wrong with it". Maybe the seller is forced to sell and needs to get the money quickly. Yes, it might only have three legs, but being cheap would never put me off. I'd make enquiries, go and see the horse, and, if I liked it, get a vetting done.
 
I've bought lots of pretty and cheap at the same horses. Usually there is something wrong with them but with all of mine except one it was fixable, and that one I don't know if they knew there was something wrong with her (probably not). While I can't fix it I can manage it and it doesn't impact on how fabulous she is. Usually however, it's behavioural I would say! Whether you can fix that is dependent on your experience so take that into account. What is a massive insurmountable issue for one rider can be sorted within a few rides for another.

Get it vetted and insure it and wear a body protector as a starting point.

The other thing is of course they could be cutting their losses. If it's not selling then it's costing a lot to keep it going and if you've lost interest or whatever that's money you could grudge spending.
 
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It's been a terrible winter and there are a lot of good sound horses out there that are no longer required by their bored and money no object owners, as well as those with other problems and urgencies. So for you friend to be offered a nice horse going for a stupidly low price is no surprise to me and even more so as I've been offered two this year all ready!
 
chillipup said:
That's just mean D, butt ugly indeed!! how b00dy dare you:( I'm butt ugly, but neither horse nor dog has ever paid any attention to that) I've been loved by both man and beast - for which I thank my lucky stars. If the partnership works...it works...who cares what either of you look like? (apart from you)
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I think you got the wrong end of the stick.. I'm sure DominoBrown was referring to the conformation of the horse which is of course important as any big flaws could end up in vets bills, horse becoming unsound etc.

The price, by the sounds of things could be reflected in how green the horse is, and the fact that the owner is ill, they could just want a quick sale dependant on the illness.

Essentially don't let the price put your friend off, if she likes the horse, get a vetting and go from there :)
 
warrior_pony said:
Posting for a friend! So my friend has seen a 15.3 apollosa (not got papers), 7 year old, green as broken late however working well in a nice outline, 3 lovely paces. Jumping a course of 70cm ish at home, good to hack, up to date with everything (vacinations, farrior, worming etc) for £1000. She hadn't been to try it yet but she seems to think it is rather cheap. What do you think? (She is going to try it just wanted other people's opinions?)
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Read the advert - no papers - is it really 7 ?
green and broken late - broken badly at 4, started again
good to hack - where ? no mention of traffic.

When I go buying for people I always read the advert and note what has been missed off the ad rather than what is on it.

It is cheap if it is straight and the ad is truthful, it is a horse that would not appeal to many people, spotty horses are an acquired taste. I would ask about all the bits missing from the ad, try it well and then decide if it is a bargain or a dodge pot.
 
There's also a few health issues to be aware of with Appys - check out how it is managed and what it is fed as they are prone to EPSSM;
often have very straight hocks and poor feet which can lead to hind leg lameness.
I also used to help a friend with his Appy (registered and well bred to showing lines) which was a VERY inconsistent jumper - we found out it had cataracts and the vet said that they are common in appys.
If all of this checks out, bear in mind that some people are put off appys due to their sparse manes and tails and even their colouring so they are harder to sell than say, a bay horse with the same credentials, hence the low price.
 
It may be cheap but they may just need to sell - never ignore the cheap horses, some folks are no good at putting the right price on their horse and the horse could be better than some of the more expensive ones. My best ever horse cost me $2
 
dominobrown said:
Yes it is cheap... unless it is butt ugly and with best will in the world wont be anymore than 70cm horse. Also its been a long winter and they might just want to get rid...
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silv said:
Actually I think a horse being Butt ugly does matter, for competition anyway, ugly normally = poor conformation= more likely to become unsound or find various disciplines difficult. It can still be a "nice person" however.

I personally couldn't own something that I didn't find attractive. Also as I compete at a reasonable level I need something with decent conformation.
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ycbm said:
Ugly people are worth every bit as much as attractive people and often a lot more than many of them.

Ugly horses are worth less than attractive horses in a commercial market.

Not the same thing at all.
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Damnation said:
I think you got the wrong end of the stick.. I'm sure DominoBrown was referring to the conformation of the horse which is of course important as any big flaws could end up in vets bills, horse becoming unsound etc.

The price, by the sounds of things could be reflected in how green the horse is, and the fact that the owner is ill, they could just want a quick sale dependant on the illness.

Essentially don't let the price put your friend off, if she likes the horse, get a vetting and go from there :)
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My apologies to all. I was being facetious and I accept that an ugly horse may not be suitable for some purposes :o
 
The thing is, there could be any reason in the world that it is that money and at this time of year. Sweetitch may be a problem, as may headshaking in the summer. Who knows. But the very best horse I ever had was sold in January for £800, 20 odd years ago when I'm sure horses were more expensive, because its owner was off to uni and wanted to travel first and just wanted to get rid.

I say go and see it, read between every line and bear in mind that a vetting will only pick up what it may or not see on that day, although having said that, I would not buy without one now (a girl at my old yard bought an unvetted 5yo with a heart murmour).
 
and it could be as straightforward as the owner sells cheaply, cuts her losses and moves on, OR has to put work in and pay livery/keep costs for another x months.
 
AdorableAlice said:
Read the advert - no papers - is it really 7 ?
green and broken late - broken badly at 4, started again
good to hack - where ? no mention of traffic.

When I go buying for people I always read the advert and note what has been missed off the ad rather than what is on it.

It is cheap if it is straight and the ad is truthful, it is a horse that would not appeal to many people, spotty horses are an acquired taste. I would ask about all the bits missing from the ad, try it well and then decide if it is a bargain or a dodge pot.
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I just wanted to add my agreement to this, it's good advice!
 
warrior_pony said:
Posting for a friend! So my friend has seen a 15.3 apollosa (not got papers), 7 year old, green as broken late however working well in a nice outline, 3 lovely paces. Jumping a course of 70cm ish at home, good to hack, up to date with everything (vacinations, farrior, worming etc) for £1000. She hadn't been to try it yet but she seems to think it is rather cheap. What do you think? (She is going to try it just wanted other people's opinions?)
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To be honest i dont think £1000 is 'too' cheap for a horse that;
a) has no papers so presumably i'snt of any desirable breeding
b) is green/ broken late for whatever reason
c) no comp experience or other experiences to note
d) Not jumping great guns at home so not as if someone could pick it up and affiliate it tomorrow.

Seems like a good deal to me, provided everything is as the advert states good hack/shoe etc. The advert leaves alot of un'knowns so it may be a couple of hundred under market value but i certainly wouldnt say it was 'too cheap' to view.

Those who think it is too cheap, what would you price this horse at?
 
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LeannePip said:
To be honest i dont think £1000 is 'too' cheap for a horse that;
a) has no papers so presumably i'snt of any desirable breeding
b) is green/ broken late for whatever reason
c) no comp experience or other experiences to note
d) Not jumping great guns at home so not as if someone could pick it up and affiliate it tomorrow.

Seems like a good deal to me, provided everything is as the advert states good hack/shoe etc. The advert leaves alot of un'knowns so it may be a couple of hundred under market value but i certainly wouldnt say it was 'too cheap' to view.

Those who think it is too cheap, what would you price this horse at?
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£500 would be cheap
 
How true! However, old people and old horses are both somewhat undervalued, they often have the experience people are looking for, have years of life left in them but are still not seen as a good option!
ycbm said:
Ugly people are worth every bit as much as attractive people and often a lot more than many of them.

Ugly horses are worth less than attractive horses in a commercial market.

Not the same thing at all.
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AdorableAlice said:
green and broken late - broken badly at 4, started again
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Why assume that? I was very lucky to have been gifted an 8yo who was unbacked, I backed her and she's been going very well but if I were to ever sell her I'd still say she was backed late in the advert because she obviously doesn't have the miles that a 4yo would generally have. Often it is the truth, dont always assume it isn't!
 
To clarify by butt ugly i was jokingly saying badly conformed and yes, ugly. I would always pay less for a badly put together horse. Its is more suspectible to injury. It will probably be limited in its ability as conformation is connected to bio-mechanics and movement. Bad movement would also devalue a horse for me hugely too. I am not saying that to someone it could still be an amazing horse but it will be worth a lot less and obviously if ugly would have no breeding value if a mare. You shouodnt breed off a butt ugly horse.
 
AdorableAlice said:
green and broken late - broken badly at 4, started again
.
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Never assume this - one I sold a couple of years back didn't get broken till she was 6 - the reason being I was unemployed and could not afford to get her broken in during the preceding 2 years.

She was a doddle to break!

Questions are the key to buying any horse, regardless what it says in the advert. Only other thing I ever say to those looking - don't buy it if something is not right with it - bad conformation/action/rearing/difficult, as one day you may want to sell it on.
 
Tnavas said:
Never assume this - one I sold a couple of years back didn't get broken till she was 6 - the reason being I was unemployed and could not afford to get her broken in during the preceding 2 years.

She was a doddle to break!

Questions are the key to buying any horse, regardless what it says in the advert. Only other thing I ever say to those looking - don't buy it if something is not right with it - bad conformation/action/rearing/difficult, as one day you may want to sell it on.
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It was not an assumption, I am a great believer is not assuming - it often makes an Ass out of U and Me. My comment was meant to be something to consider when reading adverts. As I said, read what is not there rather than what is.
 
I would be wary if it's a gelding. I'd forgive a mare for being backed late, might have had a foal or owner tried for one but daughter and I have bought 2 "unbacked" geldings at 5 years, with hindsight I don't think either were, one had a serious underlying injury and the other massive behavioural issues.
 
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