Would you buy a horse now to sell in 6 months?

muckypony

muckypony

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As title really - would you?

I'm toying with the idea of getting a project over the summer as I'm really missing riding but don't really have time in the winter with my two as well.

Is the horsey market good at the moment? I would ideally be looking for something about 14.2 as they always sell... Just don't want to end up with something I'm stuck with!
 
If you buy well, find the right type and do not have to make a profit there is no reason why not, a good 14.2 with a decent record over the summer should sell to a PC home, they often move on to the next size at the end of the season.
If you are lucky you may cover all costs and even add a bit on top.
You will need a way of keeping if for some reason it does not sell, goes lame, fails vet etc.
 
^ That. Unless it's absolutely safe going to have trouble shifting it in 6 months time as will be October time.
 
Not the best investment strategy as you'll be buying at the top of the market (going into summer) and selling at the bottom of the market (going into winter) so any 'value' you add by giving the horse schooling/ competition experience etc. will be lost by the change in market and the costs to keep it for six months (livery, shoes, feed, wormer etc.).

Also you'd need a plan B if you couldn't sell - would you happily sell for a loss?

You could just about have got away with it buying in Jan and selling in June (time for school hols)
 
be positive said:
If you buy well, find the right type and do not have to make a profit there is no reason why not, a good 14.2 with a decent record over the summer should sell to a PC home, they often move on to the next size at the end of the season.
If you are lucky you may cover all costs and even add a bit on top.
You will need a way of keeping if for some reason it does not sell, goes lame, fails vet etc.
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This was my thinking, but I am worried about going into winter and not being able to sell...

My other option is to find something to loan for 6 months. I don't want to mess anyone around so it would be ideal to find someone who is going travelling for the summer or something... But I'm not sure how likely this will be.
 
People certainly do look for short term loans, if they are injured or having surgery or most likely people like me who are having a baby so will be off games for 6 months or so only.
If having an extra one next winter is a big no no then a loan for an agreed short period sounds like a much better option. Even if loaners aren't advertising for short terms it might be worth a call just in case.
 
I have a livery that is currently for sale, 14.2 gelding sensible age, done a bit of everything, he has been advertised twice as no urgency to sell, I had loads of interest in December but only 2 views due to bad weather and xmas getting in the way, the next ad 5 weeks ago I had very little interest, 2 views by people that were far more novicey than they thought and he is just about to be advertised again.
I usually find the end of summer purchasers are the serious buyers, they are not the first timers that all come out once the sun shines and have frequently sold in Sept/ October but they are usually competition ponies not first ponies.
 
yes and have done so 3 times. But now it is different. Horses are just not selling. If you do this you need to advertise in August not October.
 
Buying a horse to sell is the wrong attitude because to make money you have to turn them over quickly which means buying really cheap and pushing them out quick.
I have sold for more than the purchase price but that was not profit as the food, work ,time would far out way any profit made and the sale price was just turnover .
I have only sold one and just made a profit.
Purchase price £525
Transport home £20
Livery (grass) £50
Vaccination £30
Wormer £6
Tack and rugs £120
Hay 3x £3 = £9 x 3 weeks
No advertising fees
Advertised for £1200 sold after failing vet £1000
This horse was bought for a friend from the sales who then decided she didn't want it. Very nice novice ride horse but 17.2 part bred shire and failed on flexion test. Now I would be lucky to get £400.
If you add it up and I made a loss don't tell my husband.
 
No but then I have never sold any horse I have bought, they have stayed with me until the end even when they have not been exactly the type I have wanted but once the commitment has been made then that's it for me but I do realise that that is relatively unusual in the horsey world.
 
I'd be wary. Round here you can get a good quality pony on loan for nothing at present. Horses are proving hard to shift, ponies ditto. People will practically give you a pony if you let it be known you want one. But things may be different where you are.
 
No - in 6 months you are not going to add value compared to the cost of keeping, and then you are going to have to go through the expense and time of selling on, just as you are coming into winter.
 
Difficult one due to the market being not great. I've done a few summer projects in the past and sold them usually 6 weeks - 4 months later with ease. But in the current market, I probably wouldn't unless you were happy enough to keep the horse over the winter if you ended up not being able to sell. I wouldnt bother if you're only doing it to make money though, I did it purely for fun and ideally to just make back what I'd spent on keeping the pony (anything over was a bonus, I did probably make roughly £1k profit on each).

Definately 14.2hh's are the best size IMO. Get it out to a few different disipline events so you can sell it as a proper allrounder.

As someone has said - people are giving away horses due to the current market. I should know, I was given my current horse!
 
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If you are missing riding could you ride a friends horse. I would welcome some help riding mine as there is never enough time in the day.

Maybe put an ad in your feed stores or on a fb local horsey page.

People are giving horses and ponies away atm so I would doubt you could make much if any profit in the current climate.

On the other hand if you wanted one to keep it's a great time to buy ;) Agree with others hardy natives lovely and economical ;) I have 3 native x's that cost me less to keep than when I had one wussy horse on DIY :D
 
Dry Rot said:
Why sell in the autumn? A hardy native type will do well on just hay.
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Because I just don't have the time in the winter.

Beatrice5 said:
If you are missing riding could you ride a friends horse. I would welcome some help riding mine as there is never enough time in the day.
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I have been trying this, the problem is though everyone wants their horses ridden during the week and not at the weekends as they can do it themselves then, which still leaves me itching to ride at the weekends!!

I'm not doing it solely to make money, it would be nice but I think unless you have your own land., there is no money in selling horses! I think the best thing to do is to find something for short term loan. Then I don't have the worry of not being able to sell and always wondering where they will end up... Failing that I'll have to be one of those people that dreams of riding, although I don't like the idea of that top much!!
 
I'm not sure people are correct in saying people don't buy at the end of summer, especially ponies.

I bought mine in October and was told by quite a few people the market for 14.2 picks up as children moving up a size want the pony over winter ready for the next season.

It would never occur to me to buy in the summer as ponies will be held onto until the end of the holidays so wouldn't even look.

As an earlier poster said, it's seems to be the competing buyers who look in the autumn.

But then I am in the South and even this winter hasn't seen many instances of not being able to ride. This last lot of snow missed us completely for instance and overall we have only had about a week when the ground has been covered.
 
muckypony said:
Because I just don't have the time in the winter.
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In that case, I wouldn't risk it then. What if the pony gets injured over the summer, and needs rest, and then you can't sell it and need to keep it over the winter? I'd either look for a short-term loan, share or even riding school lessons, it would be much easier for you and fairer on the pony.
 
OP, if you have two of your own, don't you have one to ride or are they field ornaments?
The reason I answered no, is that I don't personally ever go out to buy a horse I don't intend to keep. I think that the first six months is always the worst with a horse. By the time you come to sell, you will only just be starting to form a close bond.
 
Wagtail - no, they are shetland yearlings :D

When I come to be able to more with them and break them to drive etc I'll be fine with that, I just want something in the meantime.

I've been having a look at short term loans which I think is the best idea. So we'll see... maybe I won't have to wait years to ride properly again!! :)
 
6 months is a very short time.

It could work if horse just needed little work and fitening and was a calm horse that settles quickly.
But the profit would usually be smaller unless you can get some good competition results.
 
muckypony said:
Wagtail - no, they are shetland yearlings :D

When I come to be able to more with them and break them to drive etc I'll be fine with that, I just want something in the meantime.

I've been having a look at short term loans which I think is the best idea. So we'll see... maybe I won't have to wait years to ride properly again!! :)
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Ah, now I understand!. However, surely two minis are not that much work in winter? Would you not have the time for a full sized horse?
 
Wagtail said:
Ah, now I understand!. However, surely two minis are not that much work in winter? Would you not have the time for a full sized horse?
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Its not that they are masses of work, but I work 9-5.30 mon - fri and I don't think it would be realistic for me to fit it all in when its dark before I finish work in the winter. My two are kept at a private yard so I do everything and can't ask someone to turn them out of bring in for me. I've been looking into sharing something a few days a week, that way I would only have a few days of the week where I'm rushed off my feet!

I think the bottom line is I need to find a rich man so I can have horses at home :D:D
 
In my experience,PC ponies are often hung onto until after camp,then their riders start looking for something bigger/more advanced once camp is out of the wa,[late July in our area].However,as the mother of PC children,I'd be wary of buying a pony from someone who had only had it 6 months,even if it was for sale for a genuine reason.The alarm bells would be sounding,but I'm the first to admit that at the stage we are at,we want reliability over competition results.
 
Not at the moment. I used to buy youngsters regularly to bring on and sell but the market is so bad it's too big a risk. I had one last year and he was a sort that would have sold easily a while ago but hardly anyone even enquired and it took a few months before the right people came and bought him. A chap I know who deals and used to import and sell a couple a month has stopped buying at the moment because there have been so few customers looking.
 
Kokopelli said:
OP whereabouts are you? Always looking for help with my boys just can't find someone reliable.
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I'm in the South East so quite far form you! But thank you! :) I've had a couple of pms from people saying the same thing, but all too far away, perhaps I need to relocate!! :D
 
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