Would you be suspicious of a horse advertised at a bargain price?

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langside

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Just wondering what you would do if a horse is advertised at a price which seems like a bargain in comparison to the rest of the market?

If you question the vendor and ask all the normal question and get the right answers would you jump in that car and speed along the motorway with cash in hand or think something was fishy?

Would you question why it hasn’t sold if on the market for over 2 weeks or just put that down to a slow market?

:o Sorry for all the questions but could I also do a guess the price too:

Mare, 16.2hh, Dun, ISH, by primitive rising, 6yrs, good to catch, shoe etc, clean limbs, done unaff dressage (and placed) and 3ft HT and SJ BN and Amateur on a ticket only flaw has sweet itch but can be managed

Will be interested on prices :)
 
interesting

lets just say its nearly half the price that cotswoldsj quoted

would you expect them not to be telling you something?

also should have said before we have asked for video but woman says she doesn't know how to upload one - one of our main issues as its a very long drive
 
Agree. Sweet Itch is going to put a lot off so price has to refect this.
Not really got a comp record worth noting either so £2.5 k to £3k max
 
i would be wary at less than £1500. If its anywhere near Northampton I could go give it a quick look for you before you waste your time travelling.

PS dont worry, I'm not in the market for any more horses :eek:
 
One persons issue is another persons run of the mill. Take each horse as you see it.
 
I'd say around 3k as well, for a straight forward youngster and provinding its hacking out nicely on its own though as well, I wouldn't really of expected it to have done much anyway at that age, less the better I think, I'd say that was a reasonable price...if you chuck some tack in.
 
At £1,500 it probably means severe sweet itch (but this can still be controlled) and that it really has not done much!

I would also hazard a guess that its scared its rider

I'd go and see at that price, because its an interesting colour (good for saleability) and reasonable breeding.
 
I'd be bit wary, it may have been placed unaff dressage but could have come 6th in w&t test out of 6, could have been elim at HT and racked up 20 faults at BS, no way of knowing... also could be an absolute gem!
 
The only other slightly odd thing is that Primitive Rising died in 2002. So this would have been an expensive AI (£1,200+)

Just wondering whether this is really right?
 
I wouldn't be suspicious at all - a lot of people would be put off by the sweet itch, I have a mare with severe sweet itch, to look at her you wouldn't know she had it but she requires very strict management that a lot of people wouldn't have time for..

They may of advertised her before for a good price too and had no takers and need to move her on quickly for personal reasons. I'd def be going for a look
 
thanks juno but its near bournemouth (from us according to AA its 6hrs)
its actually on at £1750ono but ad went up on june 25th - so nearly a month just not sure if thats a reflection of the market or the horse ;)

LEC i know but when its ad is under potential eventer it suprises me someone hasn't picked it up to re-sell after a few months work but there again not sure if im being sceptical ;)

kenzo thanks for your input i agree less is more for my search as im looking for a potential grassroots level/pc horse not the next 4* winner

CW - the breeding was its big plus for me as the beast is by PR and i seem to click with them

firewall thanks im just slightly worried as not viewed many but phoned up quite a few and been lucky so far that owners have been honnest and told me the horses suitability in this case the lady isn't being awkward but at the same time shes not exactly helping me :rolleyes:
 
Ask for lots of pictures of it jumping, if it makes a decent shape, and is giving them air, then resale is pretty much guaranteed.

They also might be having problems selling as Bournemouth is not a very horsey (as in competition centres) area IMHO.
 
CotswoldSJ said:
The only other slightly odd thing is that Primitive Rising died in 2002. So this would have been an expensive AI (£1,200+)

Just wondering whether this is really right?
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thats really interesting CW i knew he'd died but wasn't sure when

lady def said by and not bred from a line that included PR
 
Some horses sound nice,and then when you see them they have poor conformation or a glaring fault. I wouldn't be put off by the price as sometimes people just want to sell quickly, but I think if you are travelling 6 hours you would at least want a picture first.
 
langside said:
thanks juno but its near bournemouth (from us according to AA its 6hrs)
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Might still be able to check it out. I'm down in portsmouth at some point next week (not sure when) so just a little pop along the coast.
If you're still interested in it next week and want me to have a look let me know
 
Ah that's a really nice offer by Juno!

I would be really wary of travelling 6hrs to view the horse. As someone who has had their fingers burnt by buying a horse that seemed a bargain I'm sceptical.
Is he being sold by a dealer or a private person? If private I know if I was selling a horse I would bombard you with everything you might need to know and a 100 photos lol. Therefore it's a bit odd if the seller is being a bi cagey and the horse has been up for sale for a while..
If dealer then they are selling cheap for a reason.
 
yes thankyou juno for your offer
a few other HHOers are looking into it as we speak but if they have no ideas i may have to take you up - so thankyou again :)

firewall im not 100% sure
typed number in search to see if dealer name came up and it didn't but like you said shes not being great re photos and videos - attitude is look at the photos on the ad and then come down if you like what you see

im hitting a bit of a brickwall as a there are a few horses up for sale atm that also fit the bill and are nearer but for more money - money that could go towards say a well fitted saddle and the lesson fund
 
Why does she need to upload a video? Can she not just attach it to an email?! Baydale managed to do that when she emailed me videos to upload for her because her youtube was not playing ball.....

If it was close I'd go and see it, if it was 6hrs away then I'd probably pass TBH.
 
I'd be very wary, may be a horse that has been overfaced and had it's confidence knocked. Fair enough she can't upload a video but could she not post you a hard copy?
 
I bought a horse from a show jumping yard who was advertised as a "bargain", and probably was about 1/3rd of what they could have got for him. I kept him until he died about 18 years later so not all bargains are bad. I was told owner didn't get on with him and needed to sell one of her two. I can imagine he may not have been over brave cross country but was a super show jumper and show horse. His only problem was that he could buck when you first got on which may have been the reason he was cheap but it was to me manageable, you just got someone to hold one to him for those first few seconds (and no they didn't tell me about it, I found out a few weeks later when he bucked me off). As someone else said what one person considers a problem another may not. Will be interested to know if you get her looked at or find out more.
 
Sorry, Langside, I would be very suspicious. No one would sell a horse that cheap unless they had something to hide or were very ignorant, and would you want a horse from either type of home? My theory is that if it sounds too good to be true it probably is although I do accept that sometimes a bargain is there to be had. With his colour and breeding I'd still be suspicious at £2,700...

Good luck whatever you decide.
 
Easy enough to check the breeding as it must have a passport - you could ask her to send you a photocopy of the breeding....
 
measles said:
Sorry, Langside, I would be very suspicious. No one would sell a horse that cheap unless they had something to hide or were very ignorant, and would you want a horse from either type of home? My theory is that if it sounds too good to be true it probably is although I do accept that sometimes a bargain is there to be had. With his colour and breeding I'd still be suspicious at £1,700...

Good luck whatever you decide.
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i agree tbh, especially as its 6hours away...
 
I'd be wary - very wary. Something doesn't quite add up. Passing on my words of looking to buy wisdom ;) It sounds dodgy at the price & distance i really would give it a miss. You could travel 6 hours and like it or you could travel 6 hours and hate it. Its a 50/50 chance your giving yourself. Does she have any references she can give you? Photos lots of photos! A video hardcopy is a must. Try and get everything you can before travelling 12 hours and possibly wasting a day that could be looking at a horse nearer to home!
 
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