Would you go abroad to buy a horse?

I did go abroad to buy a horse and I would do so again. Why? Because I had my heart set on a friesian and its rare that a nice quality friesian comes up for sale in this country for reasonable money. So, I went to Holland.
 
im again the same as bexwarren ,i went to holland to get my 2 friesians again you cant find a good quality friesian ,at good money that registered either , most friesians over here are not registered so are less money or rubbish quality
 
I have bought my last 4 or 5 horses from Ireland. Hate horse buying in the uk as invairably no one tells the truth and you end up driving miles to see horses mis discribed. In Ireland you can see lots in one place mainly in the raw and make a decision.
 
If i had the money i'd go to germany, having said that if i did have the money i could probably find a horse here too but i think i'd still like to have a hunt around germany first
 
I went and did it the other way round! Moved abroad then bought 2.
IMO consider all options. If you're struggling to find what you want in the UK why not try elsewhere.
Must admit though am spolit for choice. Germany, France and Belgium all within 2 hours drive.
 
No, horse buying is expensive enough in England without having to pay for travel costs for you, to see horses that may not even be suitable. Then even if one is the transport costs to get them back to England mean that whatever budget you have is hugely reduced. The language barrier can also cause issues, as can finding a reputable vet to check the horse over. I would rather support the equestrian scene in Britain and be able to afford a better quality horse.
 
Why not? Better value, often greater choice if you are looking for a specific breed.

I would have no hesitation buying from a European country, but would seriously wince if I had to ship a horse over from the US / Latin America.
 
No
There are plenty of beautiful english thoroughbreds on my doorstep available for peanuts!!
Pick a good one with nice conformation, temperament and athletic ability and they are just as good as any imported Irish horse or German warmblood for low level affilliated comps (which is what most people only want to do).

The only reason I would hunt for a horse abroad is if I was a professional rider and I wanted a top class dressage or showjumper, purely to widen the search area. Or if I was a dealer and I wanted to re-sell an Irish horse at a vastly inflated price to English buyers.
 
I would love to buy a horse from abroad as it would make a great holiday, can't think of much better than having relaxing week off trying lots of horses then bringing one home!
 
When I'm in a position to buy again I will buy from abroad... but that would be Britain or Ireland as I'm now in Holland. My last one was a KWPN and she was a nutcase and I want to go back to my TBs or TBxs which are almost unheard of here. So it will be a British or Irish ex-racer or something from an Irish hunting yard which is where my best 2 horses came from. Plus... horses are dirt cheap in the UK at the moment compared to over here!! And I can bribe my sister into coming for a visit with her trailer to get it over here so shouldn't have to pay a transporter.
 
No not unless I won the lottery and were going abroad to buy some top quality horses. Although I have just bought my new boy from Sussex when I live in Aberdeenshire so it involved a flight and hiring a car.
 
Yes. Thinking as a dressage rider, I almost certainly will go to Germany and/or Holland when I come to buy again, probably next year. Why? Because, while there are certainly some exceptionally good horses in the UK, they are

a) hard to find, involving lots of driving around to individual yards and filtering out unsuitable or misleadingly advertised ones;

b) often have been imported by someone else who then ads a few 00s to the cost of the horse in Europe;

c) the quality of the riding and training can be patchy, in professional yards in Europe you are pretty much guaranteed a certain standard of basic riding or handling.

d) while there are a few really exceptional studs in the UK producing potentially top class dressage horses (woodlander, for example), simple maths means that by going to Germany or Holland you are going to be able to see more horses in a shorter period of time, hence being more likely to find a horse you like within a budget. I can't afford a Woodlander horse! :)
 
Yes I definitely would. Its very hard over here to find someone honest to buy from, there are too many dealer horror stories. The only way I would want to buy over here is if I was buying an untouched youngster or an older horse I already knew. I'm not sure i'd bother viewing private ads as from past experience these are the worst for mis-describing the horse.

People on this forum have been very badly stung losing 000's from well known people aswell as the unknown and until there is some kind of dealer kitemark ( to protect the dealer aswell ) I wouldn't bother.

Yes it would be more time and energy to find abroad but you can see many horses in the same day and I actually like horse shopping.
 
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the problem over here is no one really knows how to tell the truth if it bit them on the bum , it like i have ayoung started working for me she brought a new forest about 2 yrago , she got it home and started riding it ,it keeped bucking ,she had the vet out and the said pony was only 18 months old . annd not 3 and ahalf as described .
dont get me wrong there are plenty of people that now how to tell the truth . but waiting double the money . for something you could easy go and pick up for half the price abroad and cost you 240 to import it back
 
No, I wouldnt go abroad - because I live in Ireland.

There are some amazing horses here, just takes a little while to sift through the mud to find the diamond :)
 
Why when there are plenty of cracking horses here already?

I might consider Ireland, would give me a fantastic excuse to go and see friends while I am over there and I also know of several people who have picked up just the horse for them at a reasonable price.

We do have some great breeders in the UK and some cracking trainers. Why go all that way when I could find something closer to home.

I am personally also against importing the "All Rounder/ RC type" simply because we have so many being bred over here then clogging up our rescue centres.

If I were seriously into competing then I woudl consider it for something special but I am not, I just want something I can have fun doing a bit of everything on so why not give a good home to something born and bred in this country.
 
both my girls are from over the water, but kind of by accident. I bought Autumn back from holiday in Ireland almost on impulse, I had done everything with her in one week - an experience it would be hard to replicate here, she was perfect for my needs, only cost £1800, so the £200 to ship still made her cheaper than an unknown similar type in the mainland. no travelling all over England to see horses lame/not as described etc.
Brio is Spanish - someone else imported her a year before I bought her.
 
Yes! We have two lovely American TBs at the moment, one will go as a National Hunt horse and the other one is so nice he's been kept entire to offer the chance for British mares to be put to an American line without the cost of shipping semen over.

The ginger giant came from Holland, and I would definitely buy over there again, as all the Dutch horses I've had have come to me with exeptional manners and have all been very very good at the jobs they have been purchased to do.

You also can't buy a warmblood that will make jaws drop in this country (in my opinion!)
 
Yes, defo. If I had the money i would go to Spain to buy an Andalucian of my dreams.
*runs off to buy a lottery ticket*
 
I have bought a horse from Italy, it would not have been my first choice but I found out about him through a friend on here and took a short holiday to go and see him. So glad I did as there are not many horses in the world who you can take Novice eventing one day and then teach hubby to ride with the next!

I do think I was lucky though and had a good recomendation from forum member. I wouldn't go out and do it again without someone trusted to tell me it was worth it. As others have said there are plenty of good horses here in the UK.
 
I bought my youngster from Holland. He is a Friesian. I wanted a top quality horse, and was fortunate enough to be able to go out to Holland and see many excellent horses in a number of different studs.

I found the whole process very easy, from talking to the stud owners, to viewing and trying the horses, to getting the vetting process done, and finally transporting my horse home. My own vet in the UK gave me a list of reputable vets in the Netherlands, and we were able to be present for the full vetting procedure that was conducted to UK standards.

Horse was paid for using a BACS transfer which was simplicity itself, and transporting him home was even easier (I live in Kent, where John Parker's is based). They brought him home for me at about a quarter of the cost I could have done it for myself, AND they have the experience and knowledge of importing horses should anything have not gone exactly to plan (luckily it was plain sailing the whole way).

I would just like to add that I don't agree that it is impossible to buy a decent Friesian in the UK as other's have stated. There ARE a couple of very honest, scrupulous and decent breeders of Friesians in the UK, using top quality broodmares and carefully selecting KFPS approved sires. Sadly, these decent folk are heavily outnumbered by the quick-buck brigade, who sell poor quality Friesians at vastly over-inflated prices, often with suspect paperwork. So while it isn't impossible to buy a very good Friesian in the UK, it is easier in Holland due to the much bigger pool to select from.

I would DEFINITELY buy from abroad again, if I was looking for another Friesian, but I would certainly advise anyone who wants to do it to DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST!! I knew what sort of horse I wanted, what bloodlines I was interested in, and also got feedback about the various studs I was going to visit before I went there.
 
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Personally no because I wanted a nice safe alrounder and I wanted my instructor to come with me to try.Very pleased I did actually and found my lovely little welshie about half an hours drive away.However, if I wanted a specific breed i.e a Fresian or I wanted to compete to a very high level so wanted a nice warmblood, yes I would consider it.Take someone elses point about handling/training being patchy in Britain as well.Another subject.
 
Absolutely! Especially for dressage the choice (and quality) you'd find in Germany is not even comparable to what you can find elsewhere. Plus it costs no money to travel to Germany from the UK (I know of several people who have done it in one day, no overnight stay at all).

I travelled to Germany to buy all of my horses, one at auction, the rest from breeders. I remember when I bought Rauti I looked at / tried out over 70 horses in total, in a dozen different places, in Germany and Holland - at home I would never have had such a huge choice.
 
I would certainly travel abroad if I were looking for another ID. However it would be secondary to visiting breeders in the UK first. I was lucky to find my current ID here in mainland Britain however it did involve driving from one end of England to the other.

If I had any interest in owning a TB I probably wouldnt need to leave the county!
 
My last 4 horses have all been from Holland/Belgium, in fact I dont even bother to trawl through the ads for horse in this country for all the reasons that other people have mentioned.

If I want a showjumper I ring my agent/dealer in Belgium, tell him exactly what I want and to ring me when he finds it. He knows how I ride, what feel I am looking for from a horse and my budget. We have mutual respect for each other, I am dead straight about my ability and budget, he is straight with me about the horse. If it doesnt work he will swap it for me. He is extremely professional and it is his job to constantly view and assess horses. I know he will be making money on any horse he sells to me, he has to, it is his job, any dealer whatever country they live in has to make a profit. However I do not object to that as he does all the leg work for me and therefore ultimately saves me much time and heartache.

The whole system on the continent is geared up differently to that in the UK and as such makes it far more economically viable to breed horses. IMO until things change in the UK then british bred horses are always going to be expensive. I also like the fact that breeding on the continent is so much more structured, it is rare, in my experience, to find a horse without every detail of its parentage. Even more fascinating is the depth of knowledge people have of the bloodlines, traits of various offspring etc.

For me personally it has to be a vote in favour of going abroad.
 
Yes if I had the money as there is only a small choice of finished reiners in the uk
and it would be fantastic to travel round the trainers in say texas or california trying them out....
 
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