Viewing a youngster, is he overpriced?

ester said:
So there isn’t one?
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Oh I reckon there will be well bred ‘unbacked/just backed’ sport horses to be picked up for 3.5k this side of a very expensive winter. Makes a nice excuse to offload a cheap dud by a canny owner 😬

Whether you actually want them when you get them home is a completely different matter though.
 
ihatework said:
Oh I reckon there will be well bred ‘unbacked/just backed’ sport horses to be picked up for 3.5k this side of a very expensive winter. Makes a nice excuse to offload a cheap dud by a canny owner 😬

Whether you actually want them when you get them home is a completely different matter though.
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It just seemed a lot of post to not answer the question 😅
 
I breed and produce on a small scale. I wouldn’t touch a backed 3 year old with a barge pole. No doubt an unpopular decision but from experience. Whilst I back clients horses over the winter of their third year, absolutely not with my own we may long rein and be lead out on a hack off another horses but no more.

I’ve currently got a super boy that’s rising 6 and I could have sold him as an incredibly weak 3 year old and at the time desperately needed the money but I couldn’t do it. Which is where my change came actually, I always backed over winter of their third year before my experiences with him.

The price is crazy as well, the size is fine as it’s ideal for a mother daughter share but it has red flags over it.

I currently have 2 x 3 year olds that I will back next year. I have thought about selling one of them if an absolute legend came along that wanted to have the bond to back themselves but you’d probably die of shock at the price. £9k each or there abouts and I have unanswered messages to reply to but I’m just dabbling my toe in the water and not committed yet.

OBOS Quality is a superb stallion, I had a lovely horse by him and he is the only backed horse I have ever purchased. I felt sick when I viewed him and didn’t stop feeling sick until he was sat in my barn, I didn’t even sit on him or vet him.
 
If that's all you can afford to offer, be straight up with the seller, and say how much you could offer, there may be reasons down the line why a horse could be bought cheaper, ie. Failed vetting, a bit on the small side

Have you seen it ridden?

I've made ridiculous offers on property before now and had them accepted months later
 
He sounds fairly priced for what he is but as we’re heading into winter and there’s a shortage of hay / increase in prices a lot of people are looking to cut their numbers at the moment and so more scope for negotiation than there might have been.

Would advise you’re best being upfront before viewing that he’s a little over your current budget & asking if they’re open to offers.

You may not get them quite down to the 3.5k you’d ideally like but it’s likely there’s potential to meet in the middle somewhere.
 
BeepBoop said:
Hello,

I'm seeking advice on a horse I am interested in. In particular his price and potentially making an offer (which will hopefully not offend).


The horse I am viewing is a 3 year old black sport horse gelding. He is on the smaller side at the moment (15.3), and needs condition but is a beautiful boy in the making.

He has been broken and lightly ridden, but that is all considering his age. And is now left off for the winter.

Sire is by Obos Quality while dams breeding is partially known. I will say that although I am not the most knowledgeable about bloodlines as long as the animal has good confirmation and ability, I understand that these can bump up a price quite a bit.

My issue is that although I really really like this young man, I wouldn't be able to justify spending over 3500. And in this case, the asking price is 5000 ono, which is a fair bit over budget.

Would it be offensive for me to make an offer on this boy? What would you guys do? Is the price reasonable in your opinion (....meaning am I just stingy😅)

Maybe I am being unreasonable thinking I have a shot at owning this boy....but I cannot help it. Its my own fault for viewing the local ads - I'm a sucker for a sweet eye.


I really appreciate any advice you may offer.
Thank yous!
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The way you write about him makes him sound very nice. I think I really like him 😂

What is interesting to me is 'I wouldn't be able to justify spending over 3500'. I'm wondering, 'why'? (That's the question I ask myself.)

Let's just say that someone else offers 4000 for him, it's accepted, and you somehow find out. Would you wish you had offered that instead?
 
teacups said:
The OP doesn’t say the sire is OBOS, nor that the dam is unknown.

This is what it says:
‘Sire is by Obos Quality while dams breeding is partially known.’

For all those who misread that OBOS was the actual sire (with high stud fee), I’d be interested to hear whether it would change what you think very much.
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OBOS died in 2023 so I suppose that might’ve put a different spin on things as well, had he been the sire rather than grand sire.
I have an OBOS mare, she is interesting 😂
 
millitiger said:
As almost everyone else has said, he is already cheap at £5k.

If you want to offer, please make the seller aware BEFORE you view- without knowing their circumstances and how desperate they are to sell, they might consider it.
However would be very rude to view and waste their time if £3.5k is your limit and they aren't aware.
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When you go an view a horse how do you know that the price they are asking is not a delusion? I went to look at a youngster and I offered half of what where asking, told them why and left an offer. I even told them what to do so they were more likely to sell it for what they wanted. Obviously other people thought it was worth less, because after two months they sold it me for what I offered. It was by a very well known ID stallion.
I have literally driven hundreds of miles to view and known as soon as the horse was pulled out of the stable knew it was not worth what they were asking whether in was in my budget or not.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say. What someone classes as well trained, or a basic type such as SH, WH even cob or hunter may be nothing like that. The only thing you can judge with certainty are affiliated results, but even then I would want to know how many entries there were and who was riding it at the competition.
Then there is covid inflation. An animal bought at the peak of the market even if it is as described may no longer be worth that price.

When you are going to view a horse you listen to what they are not saying, check the passport, check phone numbers, previous adverts, competition result if any, sale prices, stud infro and if the stallion is on Sports Horse Data check other progeny. Have an idea what it could actually be worth to you, because what something is worth is only what someone is prepared to pay.
 
honetpot said:
When you go an view a horse how do you know that the price they are asking is not a delusion? I went to look at a youngster and I offered half of what where asking, told them why and left an offer. I even told them what to do so they were more likely to sell it for what they wanted. Obviously other people thought it was worth less, because after two months they sold it me for what I offered. It was by a very well known ID stallion.
I have literally driven hundreds of miles to view and known as soon as the horse was pulled out of the stable knew it was not worth what they were asking whether in was in my budget or not.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say. What someone classes as well trained, or a basic type such as SH, WH even cob or hunter may be nothing like that. The only thing you can judge with certainty are affiliated results, but even then I would want to know how many entries there were and who was riding it at the competition.
Then there is covid inflation. An animal bought at the peak of the market even if it is as described may no longer be worth that price.

When you are going to view a horse you listen to what they are not saying, check the passport, check phone numbers, previous adverts, competition result if any, sale prices, stud infro and if the stallion is on Sports Horse Data check other progeny. Have an idea what it could actually be worth to you, because what something is worth is only what someone is prepared to pay.
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All of this is absolutely valid. But you haven't said that you'd go to see a horse without the budget in place that they are asking for - would you?

As others have said - reasons you find upon viewing that the horse isn't worth what is being asked make an offer reasonable, even if they don't accept it (then or later). If you go to see a horse at X price without somewhere close to that budget, and the horse is worth it, you can't just make an offer because you don't have the money (well you can, but it risks being rude/insulting and time wasting). If you did this hoping to find enough fault to make a lower offer (and don't) then I don't know what your graceful exit strategy would be.
 
honetpot said:
When you go an view a horse how do you know that the price they are asking is not a delusion? I went to look at a youngster and I offered half of what where asking, told them why and left an offer. I even told them what to do so they were more likely to sell it for what they wanted. Obviously other people thought it was worth less, because after two months they sold it me for what I offered. It was by a very well known ID stallion.
I have literally driven hundreds of miles to view and known as soon as the horse was pulled out of the stable knew it was not worth what they were asking whether in was in my budget or not.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say. What someone classes as well trained, or a basic type such as SH, WH even cob or hunter may be nothing like that. The only thing you can judge with certainty are affiliated results, but even then I would want to know how many entries there were and who was riding it at the competition.
Then there is covid inflation. An animal bought at the peak of the market even if it is as described may no longer be worth that price.

When you are going to view a horse you listen to what they are not saying, check the passport, check phone numbers, previous adverts, competition result if any, sale prices, stud infro and if the stallion is on Sports Horse Data check other progeny. Have an idea what it could actually be worth to you, because what something is worth is only what someone is prepared to pay.
Click to expand...
A lot can be gained in the modern world with a good set of videos. Saves everyone time - buyer and seller.
 
honetpot said:
When you go an view a horse how do you know that the price they are asking is not a delusion? I went to look at a youngster and I offered half of what where asking, told them why and left an offer. I even told them what to do so they were more likely to sell it for what they wanted. Obviously other people thought it was worth less, because after two months they sold it me for what I offered. It was by a very well known ID stallion.
I have literally driven hundreds of miles to view and known as soon as the horse was pulled out of the stable knew it was not worth what they were asking whether in was in my budget or not.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say. What someone classes as well trained, or a basic type such as SH, WH even cob or hunter may be nothing like that. The only thing you can judge with certainty are affiliated results, but even then I would want to know how many entries there were and who was riding it at the competition.
Then there is covid inflation. An animal bought at the peak of the market even if it is as described may no longer be worth that price.

When you are going to view a horse you listen to what they are not saying, check the passport, check phone numbers, previous adverts, competition result if any, sale prices, stud infro and if the stallion is on Sports Horse Data check other progeny. Have an idea what it could actually be worth to you, because what something is worth is only what someone is prepared to pay.
Click to expand...


There is a huge difference between having the asking price in your pocket and choosing to offer less once you've seen the horse.
Compared to going to view, knowing you can only afford 70% of the price, regardless of how good the horse is front of you is

The first is understandable (and I've done it many times).
The second is not acceptable and is incredibly rude and presumptuous
It's not really hard to understand the difference..
 
millitiger said:
There is a huge difference between having the asking price in your pocket and choosing to offer less once you've seen the horse.
Compared to going to view, knowing you can only afford 70% of the price, regardless of how good the horse is front of you is

The first is understandable (and I've done it many times).
The second is not acceptable and is incredibly rude and presumptuous
It's not really hard to understand the difference..
Click to expand...

This 100%
 
millitiger said:
There is a huge difference between having the asking price in your pocket and choosing to offer less once you've seen the horse.
Compared to going to view, knowing you can only afford 70% of the price, regardless of how good the horse is front of you is

The first is understandable (and I've done it many times).
The second is not acceptable and is incredibly rude and presumptuous
It's not really hard to understand the difference..
Click to expand...

Totally agree.
 
millitiger said:
There is a huge difference between having the asking price in your pocket and choosing to offer less once you've seen the horse.
Compared to going to view, knowing you can only afford 70% of the price, regardless of how good the horse is front of you is

The first is understandable (and I've done it many times).
The second is not acceptable and is incredibly rude and presumptuous
It's not really hard to understand the difference..
Click to expand...
I do not think its rude at all, have you never window shopped, or how do you find out what standard expected for that sort of money or do you have to increase your budget or lower your expectations, and add the delusion factor.
The last time I looked at a horse for my daughter, she wanted to do low level dressage, I would have paid a substantial amount for the right horse, and would have gone to see things over budget, if it was right have flexed the plastic. I never go an look at a horse thinking I am not going to buy it, ever, I view very few and the majority of the time I have bought them. If its what I want I do not even haggle, because if its worth it to me its worth it. In the end we bought the first horse she tried because it was capable of the job and she liked it.

The reason why there are often dissatisfied buyers is often they have not done enough research, they think if they spend x and they will certainly get y, or they think they have to spend X to get what they want. I sold a very smart looking pony from my friends yard and got a lot more than I expected just because she has a very smart yard and her daughter was small enough to ride it. From that setting they would assume they had to pay that price range, if it was any lower they would have assumed there was something wrong with it, I actually just wanted to cover what I paid for it and the right home.

The worst piece of advice I gave to anyone was to a novice dad buying for his daughter, buy the best you can afford. What i didn't realise he had a virtually and unlimited budget and he thought it was like buying a car where there is a book price guide and you got what you paid for. He spent tens of thousands of pounds in buying horses from pro's that were completely unsuitable, and not the nice PC school master that I had in mind. The daughter was a fairly competent rider but like most teenagers had aspirations way above her knowledge, and no matter how 'good' and costly the horse was became completely disillusioned.

When I sell I do not do texts, if they can not be bothered to have a fifteen minute phone call where I can try and judge their competency/knowledge I will not book a viewing. I do not sell to people who do not appear to have enough knowledge even before they try it. I have been offered far less than the asking price, and that is absolutely fine because I have a realistic idea of the value and I appreciate the effort. Perhaps it is because when I was young I rode on a dealers yard, I do not take offers personally. Try selling cows and you get sucked teeth as well, how long they um and ah, gives you an idea of how low they will try. If you are going to spend a lot of money on something, and that includes it's upkeep you really need to know that you are making the most of your money, how ever much that is.
 
honetpot said:
I do not think its rude at all, have you never window shopped, or how do you find out what standard expected for that sort of money or do you have to increase your budget or lower your expectations, and add the delusion factor.
The last time I looked at a horse for my daughter, she wanted to do low level dressage, I would have paid a substantial amount for the right horse, and would have gone to see things over budget, if it was right have flexed the plastic. I never go an look at a horse thinking I am not going to buy it, ever, I view very few and the majority of the time I have bought them. If its what I want I do not even haggle, because if its worth it to me its worth it. In the end we bought the first horse she tried because it was capable of the job and she liked it.

The reason why there are often dissatisfied buyers is often they have not done enough research, they think if they spend x and they will certainly get y, or they think they have to spend X to get what they want. I sold a very smart looking pony from my friends yard and got a lot more than I expected just because she has a very smart yard and her daughter was small enough to ride it. From that setting they would assume they had to pay that price range, if it was any lower they would have assumed there was something wrong with it, I actually just wanted to cover what I paid for it and the right home.

The worst piece of advice I gave to anyone was to a novice dad buying for his daughter, buy the best you can afford. What i didn't realise he had a virtually and unlimited budget and he thought it was like buying a car where there is a book price guide and you got what you paid for. He spent tens of thousands of pounds in buying horses from pro's that were completely unsuitable, and not the nice PC school master that I had in mind. The daughter was a fairly competent rider but like most teenagers had aspirations way above her knowledge, and no matter how 'good' and costly the horse was became completely disillusioned.

When I sell I do not do texts, if they can not be bothered to have a fifteen minute phone call where I can try and judge their competency/knowledge I will not book a viewing. I do not sell to people who do not appear to have enough knowledge even before they try it. I have been offered far less than the asking price, and that is absolutely fine because I have a realistic idea of the value and I appreciate the effort. Perhaps it is because when I was young I rode on a dealers yard, I do not take offers personally. Try selling cows and you get sucked teeth as well, how long they um and ah, gives you an idea of how low they will try. If you are going to spend a lot of money on something, and that includes it's upkeep you really need to know that you are making the most of your money, how ever much that is.
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You think it isn't rude to, to quote, 'going to view, knowing you can only afford 70% of the price, regardless of how good the horse is front of you is'? This isn't actually what you've described as your (perfectly acceptable) attitude - that you may be willing to pay more for the right horse, and that you don't see horses if you don't intend to buy them.

As for window shopping or going to see a number of horses to figure out what you want - to an extent this is acceptable, if you are honestly going with the expectation that you MIGHT like and could afford the horse - not seeing something way above your budget that you can only afford if they drop the price substantially. I expect dealers do get a lot of this, and maybe they don't mind or they do think it wastes their time - I dunno, but it seems rude to me.

ETA: As a private seller, I find that it impacts quite a lot on your horse if you have a stream of people trying them who are not remotely suitable (and you can't filter all of them out). Having a viewing a day is quite dull and in some cases stressful for them and disrupts their normal work regime. I would want buyers to be considerate of this, if not my time, and only view if they were moderately serious.
 
BeepBoop said:
Hello,

I'm seeking advice on a horse I am interested in. In particular his price and potentially making an offer (which will hopefully not offend).


The horse I am viewing is a 3 year old black sport horse gelding. He is on the smaller side at the moment (15.3), and needs condition but is a beautiful boy in the making.

He has been broken and lightly ridden, but that is all considering his age. And is now left off for the winter.

Sire is by Obos Quality while dams breeding is partially known. I will say that although I am not the most knowledgeable about bloodlines as long as the animal has good confirmation and ability, I understand that these can bump up a price quite a bit.

My issue is that although I really really like this young man, I wouldn't be able to justify spending over 3500. And in this case, the asking price is 5000 ono, which is a fair bit over budget.

Would it be offensive for me to make an offer on this boy? What would you guys do? Is the price reasonable in your opinion (....meaning am I just stingy😅)

Maybe I am being unreasonable thinking I have a shot at owning this boy....but I cannot help it. Its my own fault for viewing the local ads - I'm a sucker for a sweet eye.


I really appreciate any advice you may offer.
Thank yous!
Click to expand...
Seen this lad also. I think 3500 is a reasonable price as his Dam has no breeding recorded, and we are approaching winter in Ireland!
I would offer, worst he can say is No!
 
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