What did you pay for your ex racers straight from training?

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MentalPonyGirl

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As in the title.

I have been potentially looking at a 5 yr old gelding who has fallen out of love with racing and looking for a new home. He has raced 16 times over flat and a handful of times over hurdles last raced in March this year and only had lower placings and minimal prize money. He is still at the trainers, injury and vice free.

Out of curiosity what did everyone pay for theirs? The trainer came back with a price which was a rather hefty sum in my book but has since come back to me saying "oh I thought you were looking for him to race again but I wish him a new home and the right hands rather than the price as know he will have no future racing".

So obviously he will need to be reschooled etc but just wanted to know what would be a realistic price as not prepared to spend thousands and thousands as it is really an unknown if he would take to a new career as a ridden horse and a bit of a gamble.
 
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The ones I have known straight out of racing have mostly cost between zero and about £800.

Unless exceptionally nice I wouldn't pay more than about £500 - and to be honest even then it would have to be pretty nice as you can get them so easily for nothing.
 
Sorry to jump on the back of this post, just wondering as well where people have got their ex-racers from? Do you approach trainers direct or go to the sales?
 
eeek we've paid rather a lot for ours! My mum last one was £1,800 but tbf he was bloody gorgeous and such a lovely temp as well.
Mine was gifted to his last owner, think he was given away as he would have gone to the sales or been shot otherwise :(, I paid £2.5k after only 3 months retraining as I was mad but he is amazing so I don't mind.
A girl I know got one straight out of training for £500 which was an ok horse and I know when my mum was looking one trainer wanted 1k for one but it was a seriously nice horse. I think it depends on the horse soundness, temp, ability, looks ect but I think anything from nothing up to 1k should be reasonable.
 
A top quality one-£7k -that was a long time ago tho when the Market was strong. Last year £2500 for another quality unblemished athletic young horse.
Others that had been hard raced & not so quality -free, £500 to £800
 
I paid £900 for a three year old by Le Moss (leading sire of eventers that year) who had never raced. I was offered three times as much three weeks later, so I let him go. I paid 2,000 for a stunning black colt by Law Society who I sold 6 months later (reschooled and competing at Riding Club) for nearly twice as much. I've bought several others in between those prices. All lightly raced 3 or 4 year olds, all but one at Doncaster Bloodstock Sales - it's great fun too!

With the market as it is right now I wouldn't expect to pay more than £1,000 for the horse that you are looking at, and only that if he is open to vet and really a very nice horse, well put together, with the promise of reschooling without too many behavioural issues.
 
I paid £1000 for one, £900 for one and lilly (my most recent one who's a keeper) was £800. She would of been more but she was very, very thin (like rspca thin) and revolting looking!!! I cantered her along the beach in the sea so I brought her!!
Everyone was shocked when I brought her home. She grew into a fantastic mare though and turns out she's probably the most talented horse I've had! (hence the keeping her now bit!!)

How much was your one going for?
 
Gifted for free straight from yard shortly after last race of quite a long racing career. If they are keen for him to go to a nice home where he will not race, offer to enter into a non racing agreement (see the ROR website) as that is then registered against his passport so that he cannot race again.

Realistically it depends on how nice the horse is and what the owner is looking to do. If he went to Ascot sales then probably would be somewhere between the minimum bid (£400 I think) and up to about a £1000 if he was being bought to retrain.
 
I probably think differently. Yes, you can get one for £500 but it is never the one that I'd really want out of a yard full of horses. Quite a few trainers would know a good dressage or event horse if they had one and would be priced accordingly. You can get a bargain but by and large, if they look the real deal, then you'd pay a bit more. I paid £2.5K for my black horse, Kallie, and he is worth every bit of it - however, he would probably have sold for twice that if they had sold him on as a schoolmaster pointer type, which he would also have done. The little Halling that I have at the moment is a proper horse (IMHO) and I would pay quite a bit of money for him, regardless of him having raced, probably about £5K - again, he would be another who could still race and probably do quite well at it.

So in answer to your question, I would expect to pay £800 for a fairly average but nice enough horse, nothing flash moving but nice head. Something smart that moved and jumped but was a bit quirky or had raced hard or got injured - £1.5K. Something with ongoing racing potential - hard to put a figure on it but definitely more. For an unspoilt really quality horse that was too slow but really moved and jumped - up to £3K to get exactly what you wanted.

I'm probably going to get shouted down here that you should never pay more than £500! But if you go to the sales and pick the smartest horse there, I guarantee you it will go for decent money even if it is the crappest slowest racehorse there because a nice horse is basically a nice horse at the end of the day.

As to finding them, I tend to let them find me! For preference, I'd buy out of the trainer's yard. You don't get a huge amount of time at the sales and it's a bit of a gamble.
 
At our yard it ranges from them being given away free (usually the older ones i.e. 12yrs plus or the ones that have been fired/injured). To being sold for £3,000. The latter was an exceptional 5yr old that had only raced in two bumpers and had proven eventing lines.

One of the stable lasses has just bought a really nice eight year old for £600. He's smart, has loads of bone and an easy temperament. He will make a top class riding club type, although he does crib.

To a certain extent it depends on the owners as well. Some just want a good home, others want to make money from the sale.
 
kit279 said:
I'm probably going to get shouted down here that you should never pay more than £500! But if you go to the sales and pick the smartest horse there, I guarantee you it will go for decent money even if it is the crappest slowest racehorse there because a nice horse is basically a nice horse at the end of the day.
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Yup, I'm gonna shout you down :)

If you buy at the end of the day when everyone else already has their lorry full, you can get real bargains. If you buy from the first few lots, when everyone else is waiting to see what other nice horses might arrive later and what prices are like that day, you can get a real bargain. If you have retraining skill with one that looks sharp in the parade ring, you can get a real bargain. All the horses that I have bought from Doncaster have been lovely horses and several of them have gone on to event to Intermediate, show nationally etc.
 
I think assuming it has no injuries and hasn't raced hard, prices can vary hugely.

I agree with Kit279; most trainers know if the horse is showing talent for other phases and a lot of ex-racers change hands for a lot more than £500.

I doubt Ensign or Five Boys or other successful ex-racers were bought for under a grand!

If you like the horse and think he will suit what you want and can afford him, I wouldn't worry too much about what you 'should' be paying or what other people have paid for their ex-racers.
 
Mine wasn't much at all. And so far is turning out to be a wonderful horse and I am hopIng she will do well in eventing.
 
Paid 1.3k for Fig - which is more than I was expecting to, but given he has a lovely temperament, had a good racing career, fighting fit and sound as a pound and handsome to boot - he was worth every penny.
 
I paid £500 for both of mine, one from Ascot and the other from the trainer I used to ride for and whom I had ridden since a yearling. The later I sold on just two months later for £2k, a bit lucky on my part as I didn't particularly like him but he was safe and clean limbed. Never picked up the bridle once he left racing and was ridden in a snaffle, no flash etc, which was ironic as he used to be out of control on the gallop most days.
My friend bought hers for £1.3k but IMO I think she was ripped off, he came from a yard in Newmarket, was ridden regularly in a chifney and had a swiggle next to his name in Time Form which indicates a dodgy runner. All things that would have put me off buying him if I had seen him.
I wouldn't mind paying upto £1k for one that not run much, was clean limbed, didn't crib etc. However as I work with them I don't really fancy one and much prefer my oversized cheapo Connie.
 
CS was £1k.
i think he's turned out to be quite the bargain as although sharp and not easy in his mind, he's got all the talent in the world and finds the work terrifyingly easy.

I looked at a lot of horses in the £200-£700 bracket, and the only reason i didnt end up with one was that i wouldnt risk buying without seeing in the flesh and they got snapped up by people who would.

client paid £750 for hers, he has bloodhounded over 5 foot hedges and today qual for the elem regionals, and is schooling adv med, another bargain :)
 
I totally agree with the seeing the horse in the flesh and not just buying for the sake of the price. There were a number of horses that I would always ask about when I was working in racing, those that moved freely, had natural balance and worked well on the bit with nice characters. These were the ones that would be snapped up right away.
When I bought from Ascot I got the catalogue and went through Time Form weeding out those that didn't fulfill the criteria before I even looked at them. Then I had around 15 to look at which was much easier. I even went and bought nothing one day, despite having the lorry with me.
 
I got mine for £2400 5 months out of racing with some retraining having been already done, to the point he would let people get on from the ground etc, and walk trot and canter in a reasonable outline. So in order for that lady to have made a profit I would say £1000 max. I was happy to pay that as she had done all the hard work and he wasnt a just out of racing schooling project. He was 5, came out of racing after 13 races due to being rubbish and is turning into a dressage star! He much prefers trotting about looking pretty than wasting valuable energy running about.
 
kit279 said:
I probably think differently. Yes, you can get one for £500 but it is never the one that I'd really want out of a yard full of horses. Quite a few trainers would know a good dressage or event horse if they had one and would be priced accordingly. You can get a bargain but by and large, if they look the real deal, then you'd pay a bit more. I paid £2.5K for my black horse, Kallie, and he is worth every bit of it - however, he would probably have sold for twice that if they had sold him on as a schoolmaster pointer type, which he would also have done. The little Halling that I have at the moment is a proper horse (IMHO) and I would pay quite a bit of money for him, regardless of him having raced, probably about £5K - again, he would be another who could still race and probably do quite well at it.

So in answer to your question, I would expect to pay £800 for a fairly average but nice enough horse, nothing flash moving but nice head. Something smart that moved and jumped but was a bit quirky or had raced hard or got injured - £1.5K. Something with ongoing racing potential - hard to put a figure on it but definitely more. For an unspoilt really quality horse that was too slow but really moved and jumped - up to £3K to get exactly what you wanted.

I'm probably going to get shouted down here that you should never pay more than £500! But if you go to the sales and pick the smartest horse there, I guarantee you it will go for decent money even if it is the crappest slowest racehorse there because a nice horse is basically a nice horse at the end of the day.

As to finding them, I tend to let them find me! For preference, I'd buy out of the trainer's yard. You don't get a huge amount of time at the sales and it's a bit of a gamble.
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Completely agree. A nice horse is a nice horse and would be priced as such. I know a lot of free-£800 exracers and most of them carry their own baggage physically and mentally. I've sold a fair few on for a trainer I know and all were lovely, but with quirks and thus priced as such. They have all gone onto good homes and productive lives but only because they were sold on honestly and priced as such. Lovely as they all are none will be world beaters.

I paid £1750 for two of mine as young horses, one in hindsight was over priced a little, but was still a very, very smart young horse for the money, just not a horse that was suitable for me. My mare cost that and if you take out the 'ex-racer' bit then you're left with an athletic, trainable, viceless, competative allrounder with a lovely temperament that just happens to have raced once.

We paid £2500 for my OH's boy from the racing yard as an 11yo, he hadn't raced in a while and had been the yard nanny/hack and had gone off hunting for a couple of seasons. He was a bit stiff, was a bit cold backed, had never jumped a sj fence or been worked correctly on the flat. Yes, probably too much to most people but the trainer had him for all his life, we knew where he had been, who with and every quirk he had. He's wonderful. Jumps novice xc fences one day at Tweseldown xc schooling and trots round the school the next day with a 12yo novice. He's given me and my Oh some amazing times and I'd pay ten times that if I had too.

My current new one was free, but came with a list of quirks, mental and physical. He's doing well and showing loads of potential to be a useful member of equine society but I can see why he was free.

I think a lot of the problems you see with exracers are partly caused by people taking them because they are cheap and not always because they are suitable for the job they need to do.
 
I paid 500 for mine from ascot sales . He won everything we did with him and I sold him for 4k to someone on the yard.
 
I think there is a difference between flat racers and hurdlers price wise. We had a stunning ex failed flat racer that was sold for £250,000 as a yearling and then given to his groom at 4 years old as he was too slow. He went through the sales a few years later for just £400, we eventually bought him retrained for £800 several years ago.
A good jump stamp TB could be priced on eventing or point to point potential, but any failed racer is a gamble, whether it be for dressage or a hack or eventer. As with any career change there are no guarantees, which is why I believe ex-racers are relatively cheap.
 
I paid 1000 for mine, but that wasn't from the trainers. He had been turned away for down time and I bought him out the field.

5yo by pivotal flat raced 7times and had no re schooling. Hope that helps.
 
I was riding out with a trainer quite a few years ago & he mentioned the horse that he was riding was rather slow & he was going to sell it on to go eventing. Obviously I showed an interest - the horse looked lovely & carried itself in super self-carriage. My casual 'oh how much were you thinking of asking?' got the reply 'about 7k I think'. I thought he was mad & of course lost interest immediately. The horse duly sold.............. its name Ensign!!!
 
My previous ex-racer I paid £1000 for from ascot sales. My current ex-racer I got straight from the trainer and paid nothing, she had been out off racing for about a month and had just been used as a companion to the other racers, she is the nicest horse I have had and I am so glad I decided to take her home with me :D
 
Joss said:
I was riding out with a trainer quite a few years ago & he mentioned the horse that he was riding was rather slow & he was going to sell it on to go eventing. Obviously I showed an interest - the horse looked lovely & carried itself in super self-carriage. My casual 'oh how much were you thinking of asking?' got the reply 'about 7k I think'. I thought he was mad & of course lost interest immediately. The horse duly sold.............. its name Ensign!!!
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This story made me smile, he didn't turn out too bad did he? ;)
 
Joss said:
I was riding out with a trainer quite a few years ago & he mentioned the horse that he was riding was rather slow & he was going to sell it on to go eventing. Obviously I showed an interest - the horse looked lovely & carried itself in super self-carriage. My casual 'oh how much were you thinking of asking?' got the reply 'about 7k I think'. I thought he was mad & of course lost interest immediately. The horse duly sold.............. its name Ensign!!!
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Gosh Joss!!

Mine have been free - 12yo raced 61 times, sound, did 2 Intros, £1.6k - 3yo not raced sound did BYEH calssed and 2 x Intros @ 4 then raced with me at 5 & 6 & then 9yo, raced 31 times, done a leg but moves very nicely and he ws my baby that i had looked after from the day i started looking after horses at Venetias, He will do ROR this summer and see how we get on!
 
MentalPonyGirl said:
As in the title.

I have been potentially looking at a 5 yr old gelding who has fallen out of love with racing and looking for a new home. He has raced 16 times over flat and a handful of times over hurdles last raced in March this year and only had lower placings and minimal prize money. He is still at the trainers, injury and vice free.

Out of curiosity what did everyone pay for theirs? The trainer came back with a price which was a rather hefty sum in my book but has since come back to me saying "oh I thought you were looking for him to race again but I wish him a new home and the right hands rather than the price as know he will have no future racing".

So obviously he will need to be reschooled etc but just wanted to know what would be a realistic price as not prepared to spend thousands and thousands as it is really an unknown if he would take to a new career as a ridden horse and a bit of a gamble.
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I paid just under a grand for mine over 6 years ago - he hasnt turned out too badly on the whole and was worth the money I paid - I also had him on trial for a week or two -He has won pretty much everything we have done with him including qualify for the Final of the Ror Jumping challenge at RWHS for the last two consecutive years and as of last Saturday an RoR 90 at Ascott under Wychwood - placing in 100's and with a better rider than myself he would have been quite something.

but........ yours sounds like it has done the same amount as mine on the track which in all honesty is a lot of racing and that will come with baggage Physical and Mental - if you are going to buy I would not pay any more that 3 figures and I would have a full vetting to get a full picture including x-rays especially hocks and feet - mine has a fair bit of wear and tear all picked up as he raced a lot as a 2/3 year old - my next project when I decide to get one will only have raced once or twice.
Thank goodness for Vet Fees insurance though as it has kept mine going on the whole..........

Another good place to look for a horse is on the ex racers club website that is where I found mine and if you pm me I will give you the name of the trainer he came from as they do have a few nice sorts come up .


Good Luck with your horse - mine is the one in my sigi :)
 
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how long is a piece of string?

My grey horse was £200. He was 8 (a bit on the older side really..) had done a suspensory and windsucks. On the positive side he is a good mover, an exceptionally neat and tidy jumper and a general all-round nice chap. He isn't top top quality though in terms of making a high end eventer, but he is a lovely amateur's horse.

I helped re-home a lovely chestnut horse to someone on here who was free - he had some little issues in his training and some blips with his legs. But if all goes to plan with him he could make a really high quality event/dressage type. He is a big mover with a very scopey jump and a brave attitude.

If I was going to buy one again myself I probably wouldn't want to pay anything over £500 unless it really showed some exceptional ability to jump, or was very well put together with a temperament that matched! In those cases good horses are still worth good money...
 
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