What do you consider is a reasonable budget...

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ajn1610

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For a horse that would fit the following description?

16hh+, sex and breeding unimportant. An older horse would be considered. Horse would need to be honest and straight enough to be competitive up to BE100 and get the rider round Novice maybe in the future an Intermediate. Doesn't matter what it looks like as long as it is sound and does not need to be a saint. Home is a very good, sensible and experienced one and rider doesn't mind something quirky. Rider is competent (BHS Stage 3/4standard) and has competed successfully at Novice but not for several years [career/babies!]. Although she has been regularly riding, she lacks confidence/experience in a competitive setting but is fairly ambitious due to the level she rode to as a teenager. They are based in Cheshire but prepared to travel extensively for right horse.

I've been asked by a friend but I have literally no idea! I think she is looking to place a 'wanted' advert and approach a few producers but wants some reassurance about what she should expect to pay. I've had a look at adverts and it seem like anything from £8,000 - £20,000 which seems a fairly ridiculous spread. What do you guys think, anybody bought anything similar, do horses like this even exist???
 
I think that range is about right, bottom end for an older horse that may not go on to novice competitively or one that has been there and done it but has reached it's limit and looking for a quieter life, you would be limited to opens until they can be downgraded and may have a few minor physical issues to contend with in the older horse.
If she really wants to be competitive and go further than 100/ novice, she needs to find a horse with good form at 100 with maybe a couple of low key novice runs then probably nearer the top end of the price range, 15-20k.

I think she really needs to decide what she wants and slightly tighten her criteria, not enough to be too restrictive but be a bit clearer as to what is most important otherwise she may become totally overwhelmed when trying to go through the ads, being open minded is good in some ways but it can make the water too muddy. She may find the ideal older horse but I would say with her ambitions if she has the budget she would be best going for a really well produced younger horse that on paper is ready to novice that can give her a good season at 100 and move on when she feels ready, or gets a schoolmaster but accepts it may not move on again when she is ready or it needs a bit of help from the vets to keep it going.

A client paid 10k for an intermediate horse which we dropped back to 90/100 and downgraded, he was a super schoolmaster although not without a few quirks, he probably would have gone novice again but rider was not that ambitious and then at 15 he started to show a few signs of wanting an easier time so is now mainly dressaging and hacking.
 
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That's useful info thank you. I agree with what you've said and it follows my instincts. I think she is harking back to her glory days and I'm not entirely convinced that post baby and the break she's had competing it's going to be so easy to pick up where she left off. I did float the idea of splitting the budget, getting an older horse with experience further up the grades that is going to give her fun rounds and get her confidence up at BE100 and maybe after a year or two sourcing a youngster with more potential as you described to run along side it and take over as necessary. I get the impression there is a healthy cash flow but they want to feel they've got value for money.
 
I know the "value for money" concept, in horses sadly it rarely works especially when you consider the costs involved with eventing, the purchase price is merely the starting point, there is a lovely horse on the BE site, not anywhere near you but to my mind it could be a really good buy if your friend is ready to buy now as it wont be there long, it does not fit the criteria in a way it will be well produced and more than able to go novice in time but could be a contender for GR for the next season or two.

https://www.britisheventing.com/classifieds/Details.aspx?pid=8423
 
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