What is a realistic cost for a friesian??

Bluebelle666

Bluebelle666

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Hi,

I was just wondering whether anyone had an idea of what would be a realistic price for a Friesian?

I eventually would like a mare between the ages of 4 and 10 and as long as she can safely hack I feel I can progress in all other areas.

The thing is that I have seen some 4 year olds advertised for £1500 on sites and then others that appear to have similar descriptions advertised on professional sites for over £4000.

Any ideas?? :confused:
 
I paid 3 1/2 for mine. 10 year old gelding, nappy when hacking alone and not very well schooled. That was 6 months ago and since then there's been a lot of cheap ones popping up.
 
There is a certain person I follow on FB who is currently importing them from Holland. The majority are youngsters and as you have said are very cheap. The horses look to be ridden by very bad riders with no hats and headcollars on under bridles (pet hate of mine) Does this sound like the same person you have seen x
 
As with all horses, it depends what you are looking for, but Friesians will attract a premium on top of that. I was looking for a while and bought my 10 year old for £5000. Also he had only been graded as 2nd Premie as a foal and not graded afterwards. I would have expected to pay up to £2000 less for a non-Friesian/non specialised breed for a horse with my horse's level of education. Having said that he is a complete delight and learns fast.

It's the whole supply and demand thing, rarity and desirability dictate price in the main.
 
There's a difference between a stud book registered friesian and a non stud book one in terms of price. The ones that don't make the grade are sold off much more cheaply - but they may just fail for having too much white on them so there are some lovely horses like this. Then there will be people that breed from these and produce even cheaper horses, or be selling something that just vaguely looks like a friesian, or has a health problem. If it looks too good to be true it probably is.

Registered Friesians will depend on the age, training and quality - but will always be to a standard. There is a system of grading with Premie ratings. There's lots of information about it here: http://www.fhagbi.co.uk/. Again though they may just have been graded as foals.

Generally a broken youngster seems to be about 3-4k, but can be a lot more for a high quality one. About 5-6k for an older, trained one, but the sky's the limit. But in the current climate you might get one for less for a good home.

Friesians mature slowly, so a 4 or 5 year old friesian can be a real handful as I've found out with my mare. She's good as gold much if the time, but get a windy day, particularly when she's in season, and your have a snorty dragon ready to explode. They are really for experienced riders that can cope with a tantrum from a big, young, horse - and yes, yes, you guys told me so, but I thought I'd pass the wisdom on. That and body protectors are a great idea. :o. Bree's in professional schooling at the moment, and coming on lovely, but I have to be aware that some days I'll be free schooling, not riding.

My mare was imported through friesians4all, which I know nothing about except that the lady I bought her from had a good experience with them.

Paula
 
Mines registered and a grade 2nd premie if that helps.
I think I know the seller your talking about, bulk buying and shipping them over, seen to be about grand and a half price wise.
 
Surely you pay for any horse,whatever breed, according to
what its done/experience/background
age/sex
conformation/type
breeding
temperament
form& function.
Having backed some poor looking Friesians would defo check out backs - as some very unmuscled/lacking strength there . Also, they can be uncomfortable to ride if shoulders too straight.
 
Mine's a registered 2 ster mare - she was advertised at £3500 I paid £2k as the lady was over the moon with the home I was offering and how I rode/handled her :) She is worth her weight in gold though and I now feel guilty that I robbed her!
 
When I lost my Friesian in April, I really wanted another one. Couldn't find anything under £7,500 which was over my budget having just paid out many 000's in vet fees on my mare.

Yes I'll admit that I wanted a really good FPS mare 1ste premie with potential to go ster.
 
Thanks for the info people.

Are there any specific websites to look at (if they shouldn't be on here I would appreciate a PM please)? Or avoid?

I certainly want a fit and healthy horse, not too hung up on registration or breeding as long as it's not detrimental to the horse.

There certainly is a premium to a Friesian. I want to save up for one though as it's going to be my horse of a lifetime. And I now feel equipped after training my mental, spooky loan horse :eek: into a lovely, although at times still opinionated lady :cool: (quite proud of myself to all extents and purposes).
 
It's really the same as buying any horse if you go for an unregistered one - buyer beware and get vetted. If you get a registered there's more guarantee of quality (but it doesn't remove the risk if I'll health or unsoundness), but you are going to pay a premium.

I actually got my girl through a wanted ad on before she was advertised, and I got offered another nice mare a couple of weeks later. so that's certainly worth considering.

Paula
 
I never thought of advertising for what I would like - good advice. Or I could possibly offer a loan with view to buy, do people do these? But which sites should / could I ask on?

I have just seen an advertisement for one that is described as strong which I could live with, but in the pictures she's being ridden in side reins and the ride doesn't look comfortable. I get the feeling of warning bells.
 
They are expensive but there are some bargains around at the mo as its winter time, I'll keep my eyes peeled for you :-)
I find with specific breeds there are usually pages either on facebook or elsewhere with ads, I found my haflinger on one. Just had a look and the freisian UK one is a closed group, may be worth you joining and posting a wanted ad there when you're ready?

Was just thinking what other breeds would be in the foreign breed classes as I guess that's what I will enter one day... I hope there won't be too many of these handsome beasts to contend with ;-)
 
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