What would you want for around £3500-£4000?

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WJT

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If you were wanting to pay that amount for a horse or pony, what would you expect from the horse/pony? (age, ability, temperament) and so on. :)
 
Guess it depends on what its needed for.
For that money you would not get much in the way of something with the scope to event, or do a decent test.
You might get a nice youngster with the potential to though....
If you just want a happy hacker, you would want it cr@p gold for that kind of money!
 
I would want good conformation and temperament. Then, depending on age, if under 7, I would want a generally good level of schooling (could do a good, correct prelim test) and the potential to go further. Depending on what I wanted to do, it would not necessarily be good to hack. It's a very difficult question because there are so many variables and so much depends upon your own aspirations and use for the horse.
 
I always go for 3/4 year olds. So I would expect to find something with average breeding, fairly scopey, moves nice enough and with potential to jump BSJA to newcomers. I enjoy producing and selling on so I would also be looking for a fair profit margin
 
I'd want a well bred unbroken or well started youngster, showing good temperament attitude and some reasonably impressive attitude.

Or a slightly older 9/10 yr old who was a nice person, doing some Rc and a few affiliated, even if on tickets.

On HHO in my experience, if you are buying people say you need to spend twice as much for the same thing as when someone wants a value to sell it ;)

Well bred and produced babies cost money, and for good reason.
 
It does depend on what you want it to do and horse's age but I have bought 3 in the last year at the lower end of that price. All of which do a decent test and have the ability to go BE100/Novice, proven records too.

One is quirky but in a nice way the other 2 very straightforward. I have another costing well over that who is lovely but sensitive a nightmare to load but has huge scope if we can get him there !

That aside I would expect a nice looking horse with basic schooling and some comp experience who will ' pass' a vetting and have no vices. Hack nicely with no major issues.

If its young I would want a great temp and conformation.
 
I would want a really, really lovely arab youngster (weanling - rising two) with fantastic conformation, straight movement, excellent bloodlines and a nice, trainable temperament. As long as it was easy to catch, leads well and picks all of it's hooves up, I would be happy as it would have the basics. :)
 
I was looking around this budget a couple of months ago. I wanted a nice light type aged between 5 and 7, who could do a reasonable dressage test and pop a reasonable jump (say 80, with capacity to improve with work). I didn't want to win dressage classes or set the world alight for jumping but would want a horse that had nice manners, a riding club, do anything type. Found a couple in that bracket but went for a really green Arab with a much lower price in the end, because I really like Arabs!
 
A Spanish baby ;)

In all honesty, I wouldn't spend that much if I'm honest. And have enough horses now to keep me occupied!

IF I was looking, then it would be a Spanish bred baby, or a nice cob filly.
 
For that money I would expect to be able to buy a very green baby who looks like they could go on to do lower BE etc through a dealer. I paid more for mine but part of what I paid for is knowing his entire history and he had been started by a very good professionial rider. I bought him knowing I had no unknowns to deal with and is a very well put together youngster.
 
Can only comment on ponies (as that's all I've dealt with so far & SJ ones at that) but for that price I would expect either something 5/6yrs that has started its BS career with a bit of PC, dressage etc, good easy temperament but with ability to go further with more education.

Or

An older pony 15/16yrs that has been there done it BS upto about 1.10m but still doing it, also well travelled through PC with good results, eventing & all round basically. Wouldn't mind a bit of attitude but would expect it to know its job for it to bring on a child.
 
if its any help iv'e just sold a nice welsh D (14"2) in that price range ,subject to buyer paying for him before march 2012 :( (long story)

he's 9 ,has won prelim and novice dressage with scope to go much further ,established lateral work and very easy to ride in a test
came 2nd in his first ode but although honest/willing to jump with scope and is easy to jump (just steer and point him in the right direction) he hasn't done a masive amount of jumping so is still a little green
he's fantastic to hunt (best/easiest iv'e had out :o ) stops/goes when asked ,doesn't get strong etc

he is also a lovely "person" to have about and trustworthy enough to take a novice ,hacks alone/co does everything really
won all his classes on the two occasions i took him showing (not my thing )
only bad points ,he has been a pain to catch on two occasions since ive had him (two years so can't really grumble) although he was caught within 15mins both times
he hates his mane pulled ,he gets sunburnt on his nose in the summer and he can barge past you out the stable sometimes but this hasn't happened with me for a while although it is something he will try on with a new owner ;)
 
Perhaps one of the following...

A nice, big youngster, broken, hacking, some basic schooling, seen fences, reasonable/good conformation and possible potential to do affiliated if brought on well.

A good middle-aged rc alrounder that would do local level in most areas, possible rc teams. Perhaps not the most quality horse, but not bad. Perhaps able to do lower levels of affiliated things too.

A good, larger pc pony, good to hack out, sensible, experienced, perhaps a teenager. Able to do most pc teams and give a child confidence.

An older schoolmaster that has done affiliated at higher levels and now needs to drop down a few levels and could teach someone less experienced.

OR... FOR HHO...

A 7yr old, well bred, angelic horse, beautiful, broken and schooled to push button standard by a top rider, jumping 1metre20, working at medium dressage, hunting with a 2yr old rider onboard with the Quorn, with full livery for a year thrown in!
 
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I paid £3500 for my lad 18 months ago - over the odds perhaps, but his type seems to go before the advert has even been posted!

He's just turned 9, a middleweight Irish cob (poss cob x?) who is safe as houses and the kind of horse that anyone can handle, and I can dressage school then pop a toddler on for a walk, I can wobble my way round a couple of mini jumps, then my friend can take proper jumping and I can get straight on after no probs. He can be left for a week or two and be no problem. He pretty much just hunted before I got him, so not much schooling, but bold and bombproof. He is a safe, sane cob that anyone can be around, however non-horsey, but at the same time he is responsive and has nice paces, and multiple dressage instructors have said that his paces and rhythm are good, and he could easily affiliate at elementary in the next 18 months - not bad for an irish hunting cow pony that had never been schooled before :D

Can you tell I love my pony? :rolleyes:
 
For slightly more I got 16h black Irish draught cross at 7years. Had hunted, hacked, ace cross country. Quite green in the school but have discovered he has beautiful paces for dressage. Vvvvv sane and quiet to ride and handle. Absolutely no vices. Hadn't competed.
 
A nice 4yr old with good confirmation, and manners on the ground - good temprement when ridden. Willing to learn, showing good potential on the flat and over fences. Hacking out nicely.
 
mine was 5000

i got:

a 14 year old

fully trained to her top ability which was novice eventing and medium dressage.

she had been in the riding school for 3 years and did need refining but 95% at her best

not been sad or sorry for 6 years and i know this.

really good confirmation from what i know of it

only down side is she takes the words moody mare to a whole new level but i know that and i love her some days because of it and some day in spite of it.

i know that i can go to a comp and she will jump for me or do a decent dressage test even if i mess it up. knowing your horse can get you out of trouble in front a jump can be priceless
 
safe, reliable, has done everything and knows everything to a high local/pony club level or highly specialised in one area. never refuses jumps, well schooled, always happy to do it's job, happy to hack.:)
 
The perfect RC allrounder is what i would expect for that money able to compete most open RC comps in all disciplines.

I personally wouldnt pay that or a horse, I would rather buy un broken and do it all myself, wouldnt even pay half of the above for a horse. Never have never will, my most expensive horse was my gelding who was bought at 11 for my mum. My other horses have all been less than a grand from youngsters, my first proper pony (ie not a shetland ;) ) was bought for less than 50 quid at a sale, a welsh x arab with no mane or tail (bad inmanaged sweet itch, he had a mane and tail after a year of it all growing back and had both till the end of his life ;) ) who was the BEST little pony a girl could have and really taught me how to ride :D Tolerated little and had a tremendous buck and flying buck :D Bless his soul!
 
I would be looking at something to go up through the grades so would have to be a foal as its unlikely that anything more than that age would be at that price and being realistic if a breeder has done a good job and bred something with real potential its likely to be more than that.
 
Don't think you could get alot for that, maybe get lucky and get a nice unbroken youngster. Doubt you could get anything with much potential to compete from that price tag. A riding club horse most likely .
 
For 1250 I got a 12 year old mare tb who has a reasonable record at BE up to BE100 is a complete allrounder safe to hack can put a novice on her although she will just plod round or someone competent to get the best out of her. At the moment we have just done unaff xc, showing , jumping and dressage and.brought home rosies in all however next year we will start BD dressage. Reason for low price .. had a foal so was out of work for a year, knew the person selling her, person selling always has low prices. Seen him sell a novice ready to move up to intermediate eventer for 3500 with an extensive record flew a 5 stage vetting and the lot and still events now.
 
* should add had the budget available by op just happened that she was the best of the bunch I tried and trust me I dragged a friend 3 hours down.the country and 3 hours back up the country on the same day :) said friend was not pleased went both the horses were in his words c**p and one was lame :/. Next horse is a 4/5 again looking in said budget for just broken ridden away well ready for me to take to a prelim and not necessarily be placed but works well enough to take and hacks out.
 
I'd be writng down a wish list of everything I want the horse to do now and in the future, then I'd look for someone in the know with a good eye and a sucessful past and track record to find me a real bargain or at least point me in the right direction of right ones to try.

That sort of cash nowadays can buy a lot of horse/pony.
Get a wish list drawn up !!! post it on here if you dont know anyone, see what comes back.
 
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