Why do people have such overly-inflated ideas of what their horse is worth?!

Perfect_Pirouette

Perfect_Pirouette

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I put a wanted ad out on a couple of sites a few weeks ago for a dressage horse on Full loan/FLWVTB. I said I would consider a youngster with potential, however ideally was looking for more a schoolmaster or something that's competing at at least Novice level.

I am now exercising this lady's lovely mare so it's not really relevant anymore but I had a reply the other evening from a lady. This is how the conversation has gone (quote!)

Her 'Hi, I've seen your ad on 'XXX' I have a horse I am looking to loan/sell. He has not done a lot in dressage but is always willing to learn. He did his 1st Prelim and came 4th. I am unsure how far he'd take you though he is very willing to learn.'

Me 'Hi there, what breed is he how old, is he sane and sensible how much would you want if you sold him?'

Her 'He is an 8 year old anglo arab but quite full, not a fine type, 15.2/3 he is fab, not dangrous and loves his work hence why I'm looking for a new home as due to work commitments i can't give him the consistency he needs and would love to see him go far, straight to the top. I am looking to sell him for around £8000 depending on whethr he went with tack.'


I nearly choked on my popcorn :eek: I'm sorry, maybe I'm just being a cow. I emailed her back and asked if he had any affiliated results in any discipline and have had no response so I assume that's a no. That to me, is grossly overpriced. No way would I pay £8k for an unproved 8 year old, also as it's an arab. Don't get me wrong, I LIKE arabs but don't know of any doing brilliantly in any discipline although I'm sure there are some that are. But even if she was selling a warmblood, IMO, that's far too much.

I know a horse is worth what someone is willing to pay and someone may well pay that but I wouldn't. It's essenitally a buyer's market at the moment.

I am looknig to buy in the spring and so am trawling various sites and I have to say, I am seeing a lot similar to the above. I am tempted to email her and ask if she added an extra 0 by mistake :eek:
 
Just to add, I don't expect something for nothing and know if you want something young with potential or half decent results you're looking £5k plus. I'm also sure this lady is lovely and so is the horse and I'm aware people wear rose tinted specs when it comes to their horses.

It just shocked me a bit and similar that I've seen on various sites!
 
Not going to comment on price, just wanted to point out that Tamarillo was an Anglo-Arab so you probably shouldn't write them off as 'an arab' as though it means they don't get to the top levels...
 
I didn't write them off, I just said I didn't know of any that have done well in particular disciplines, although I'm sure some have/are.

I'm talking about arabs that I know personally here, a few of my friends have had them over the years and one still has 2 and whilst they're lovely they haven't ever really done particularly well in any discipline. Although that could be to do with the riders more than anything, one is doing very well with her ISH in eventing now though.

This isn't an 'I hate arabs and think they're talentless' thread as that's not the case and I don't! I just think for that sort of money for something unproven you're more likely to see WBs etc
 
SpottedCat said:
Not going to comment on price, just wanted to point out that Tamarillo was an Anglo-Arab so you probably shouldn't write them off as 'an arab' as though it means they don't get to the top levels...
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TBF Tamarillo wasn't a straight cross, he was 1/16th arab. If I remember rightly, the rational was to breed in toughness and a horse that can think a little more for itself.

But agree, £8K for an unproven 8 year old at 15.3, regardless of breed is too much.
 
But she said it was an anglo-arab, which is an entirely different thing from a pure bred arab! That was my point...

And 8K - lets assume that's with tack and full wardrobe as she does say depending on whether or not he goes with tack - so two saddles, a bridle and at least 3 decent rugs. You're looking at 2K for the kit (or thereabouts) if the saddles are fairly new. Suddenly that's 6K for the horse, which isn't unreasonable if it's as safe as she says....
 
SummerStars - I dont think you were arab bashing at all dont worry (I am ex-PBA owner). They are lovely, but that is not the point of this thread!

I agree. People over-rate their horses and try their luck on. Especially in this climate. But a horse is only worth what someone will pay for it. And I dont care what breed the horse you mentioned is, I would not pay £8k. Then I have never paid £8k for a horse in my life and have had some pretty outstanding horses.

I'm glad you have now found a horse, as I PMed you about one of ours who turned out to be too big and then this week nearly got my owner to ring you up because I saw your ad on HorseQuest, but then realised you were the same person!! So glad you have found a nice horse :D
 
Luci07 said:
TBF Tamarillo wasn't a straight cross, he was 1/16th arab. If I remember rightly, the rational was to breed in toughness and a horse that can think a little more for itself.

But agree, £8K for an unproven 8 year old at 15.3, regardless of breed is too much.
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He was more than 1/16th wasn't he? The mare was 50:50 arab x TB and the stallion was a part-bred arab as well...

ETA: And the only reason I bought it up was because the OP made it sound like the breeding was a major reason why the horse wasn't worth the money. As it stands, until you see it in the flesh, and ride it, how can any of us judge? Maybe the owner is deluded....or maybe it is a seriously smart horse with low milage that someone will go a long way with.
 
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give that price..... id get 4k for my little warmblood thats done some jumping/dressage (placed) and has potential .... :D

sheeshhh 8k??!?! madness.
 
There's a 15"3 (I think) being advertised on here for £3k in Devon (again I think). Placed plenty of times in it's first Intro season. 6yrs! I think that's a pretty decent pony to go see..................

My friends 15"2 which never goes clear S/J and has yet to go clear around an intro is up for £7k...

Go figure!!
 
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Surely most horses 'have potential' anyway so it's a fairly loose term! Dante has potential to at least get to a prelim dressage comp (if I ever get transport! ;)) but I don't think he has potential to win a gold medal in dressage at the next olympics.... :o :D :p
Will probably buy my next horse from a dealer like all the others, make up for the lack of breeding with training and praying :p
 
ZXP- Thank you :) its just until I buy in the spring but she is lovely and I'm really enjoying riding her.

Your mare sounded just what I'm looking for, but because I'm a shortass, I struggle to hold something together if its anything above 16.1 :( I hope you and the owner manage to find her a lovely home!

I feel a bit sorry for her if she does genuinely want rid of him as I just don't think she'll get much interest at that price! I was going to email back and ask WHY he was for sale for that price, not to be bitchy, just because I'm geuinely interested in why she values him that high.
But its not my place so won't.
 
There was an arab in H&H the other week that was winning at advanced level dressage, think it was PSG level but can't remember. I do think 8k is a lot for a horse that has come 4th in one prelim but maybe he really does have lots of potential who knows, prehaps owner has only been able to get him out once, he may not have had much done with him etc?
 
Well i've come across the TB who in a season of be never got Ronda an 80 - 8.5K. One that had never gone dc 15K.

Think these owners are posting how much threads on hho
 
my mare has been proven at medium dressage and novice cross country and always gets a rosett for me and i only just know what im doing lol and she was only 5k as a 14year old and only 6k as a 9/10 year old. i do think for 8k id expect something that would win anything up to novice level localy without much work and have potential for more then medium level
 
People have a tendency to overestimate the value of things they own (a phenomenon known as the endowment effect). This effect applies to objects and it is possibly even stronger for animals (I don't know of any studies with animals though).

Also, maybe the person who is selling the horse does not really want to let go just yet and is therefore subconsconsciously sabotaging the likelihood that people will come and view it.
 
anglo is such a broad term it could be very like or nothing like an arab!

With regards to what people think their horses are worth. I thought a friend really overpriced her mare, by about double but she wasn't short of takers.
 
A horse is only worth what someone is prepared to pay at the end of the day and sometimes that seems a lot and sometimes its not much. How a horse is presented and a clever advert can make all the difference IMO. :)
 
I think many people price their horses through rose-tinted spectacles! But then if it is your "baby" and you have to sell for whatever reason it is probably worth more to you than someone else




Think I've explained what I meant badly :o
 
Angle - thank you for explaining the endowment effect - I always wondered why people would buy a horse, do nothing with it for a few years, then believe that they would get double what they paid back when they sold it. This happened to us in reverse a few years ago with an event horse. When we sold it it had gone from never having competed to getting placed at CCI** in one calendar year. The girl who bought it couldn't ride a side of it and tried to sell it back to us another year later, having ruined its record, for more money than we got from her - wtaf is that all about? Now I know - its the endowment effect. Love it!
 
Way too overpriced! An 8yo with no competition record is not worth more than about £3.5k - if that :(

I also agree with SpottedCat, an Anglo Arab is nothing like a pure arab, not that I have anything against pure arabs.

Incidentally, I had a PBA who got to medium, won Best Newcomer at the Side Saddle Championships as a 6yo and won at the Nationals, she then went on to win County Workers - so they can and do do well in competition.
 
He could be an amazing horse with paces to die for- who knows- not me as she never sent me any pics/vids or anything.

She just said he was 8, he hasn't done much but has done one prelim where he came 4th. She also said she's sure he will go straight to the top (of what I don't know!) And then that she'd want around £8000 for him if sold.

Now ME personally, if I was going to spend £8K on a horse (which I doubt ill ever be able to do!) I would want something around 7-8 yes, but with a PROVEN, affiliated record. It would also have to be lovely and have no vices, she just said he wasn't 'dangerous' well, most horses aren't dangerous!
 
It's all relative to the amount you can afford I think. For me, I could never see me paying more than £2000 for any horse(and even then I'd have to save for a few years!) because I just couldn't justify spending more on just a horse but for many of you, that would be bargain basement or the dregs of society. I understand that completely in that many of you have so much more disposable income so to even think of looking at what the owner calls an £8000 horse just blows my mind away, poor simple soul that I am, lol!
I have some very nice youngsters here for sale (not my words but professional eventers and show judges) but perhaps I'm pricing them too low because of my own prejudice of paying bigger money than I would even think about, the fact of them being in the lower price bracket means people think they're duds or something which is far from the case. It's a difficult one to pitch right as what might be seen as top of the range pricing for someone could be too low for the serious experienced buyers to even think about.

FWIW, I've known several Anglo Arabs make far more than that if they are at all good enough to show; would I pay it, no, of course not but those that have think they've got bargains and have done well with most of them.
 
Im not going to go into the whole Arab argument except to say that mine will take on any ish/warmblood/tb at any discipline within his scope (up to 1m/elementary level) and he'll have a damn good chance of bbeating them, he's probably won more rosettes over the years including BE and BD than most of the other horses (14 of them) on our yard put together!
Anyway, that's by the by, as the truth is it's an 8 year old with no real record so unless it's a serious showing prospect I think she's rather over inflated her ideas there. My friend has a similar aged horse for sale with more plus points to her and she was on for £4k. For £8k id want something to be winning everything at a low level with scope to go on to be honest!
 
I definitely think there are an awful lot of very overpriced ordinary horses out there!

Everything has "potential," whether it's ever going to realise that is another matter!

For that sort of money I'd at least want something that had done a decent amount of unaffiliated competing, not one prelim dressage test!
 
I agree. I hate the word 'potential'. With the best will in the world you could have the very finest bred horse in the world but if you are a naff rider you ain't gonna go anywhere! LOL

All horses have potential. Its the way you shape and nurture the potential into great things that is worth all the gold in the world.

There are some fabby horses on the continent, really good quality horses that go for a song from some unknown dealers yard. By the time the middle man has his hands on them the mark up is in some cases more than double! Best thing to do is get a dealer you trust to sell you a horse, or go over the continent with the dealer and get a horse directly from the contact over there. By cutting the middle man out you are already saving yourself thousands. Take my horse for example. Super horse, super looking, super moving, willing, kind, often gets placed, turn his hoof at anything and has done so many times over. Paid under £4.8K for him as a 7 year old. Grandad Nimmerdor. If I'd have toddled over to Holland he'd have been 3.5K maybe touching 4K.

Beautiful horse I saw last week on H&H http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/classifieds/Horses%20for%20sale%20%20Holstein%20$b2967$i77.xhtml



£5K. It speaks for itself. People pay over the odds. Would go and try this like a shot if I didn't have Bails.
 
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I've accompanied a friend who is looking at the moment, she wanted me to go with her just as another pair of eyes, she'e very experienced, but likes someone else along.

We have been absolutely amazed at the amount of horses with 'potential' 'destined for great things- with the right rider' etc etc. many many four year olds that have done nothing but the price tag is 6 or 7 thousand! the same with 5 and six year olds that have perhaps only been to a handful of competitions, one we looked at was priced at £8000, and the advert said 'moves exceptionally well' he moved averagely well, needless to say she has still not found anything.

So I totally agree with OP, you are quite right for the mostpart. As for the arabs there are not that many in top level competition, but the ones that are there are obviously very good.
 
I am sure you were not Arab/Arabx bashing but I must say I never liked them much either and then got a X (long story but felt sorry for her.) Her comp record is outstanding.
I was dressage judging at the w/e and a couple of Arabs were well placed. Not an Olympic warm up but a decent standard. And one has many miles of endurance under his girth as well.
It is funny how people think their horses are worth lots of cash. I went with a friend recently for a youngster and got it for half the price they wanted for it. Perhaps the woman would take a cheeky offer ;) ??
But it seems hugely overpriced. Mine cost a pound!
Good luck in getting a fair priced beastie next year xx
 
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