I have been looking at some horse ads lately, in the back of my mind I am thinking of purchasing a new show horse to replace my older guy. I found a very nice horse who is priced at $15,000 negotiable to the right home. What is your take on that? What would you expect to pay when this price is stated as “negotiable”?
Thanks for any help. I have only dealt with prices that were listed as “firm” in the past. 
It totally depends on the owners. Some will really negotiate quite a ways down if they feel the horse will get a great home. Some are only talking about negotiating a few hundred to a thousand dollars. Not very helpful, I know, but you won’t know until you’ve spoken to the seller.
When I see “negotiable” I usually firgure about 10%. But best bet is to call and discuss the horse and “feel” the owner out. Perhaps financial, time or other constraints may make the price a bit more negotiable than usual
I would expect to pay anywhere from $10,000-$14,500 depending on a whole bunch of factors such as:
You just never really know. I would go try the horse and if you like it, make an offer you think is reasonable and see what happens.
I think it will depend on the situation… I would ask them what they mean by negotiable. Sometimes it means there’s a bit of wiggle room, sometimes it means that if you’re they’re dream buyer for the horse, they’ll come down a lot.
I know of one outstanding mare who recently sold for very little because her Breeder/Owner was getting out of breeding, absolutely adored the horse to the point of having trouble showing her, and really wanted a specific person to be able to take her.
And you never know, the sellers might just like you enough to really be negotiable. I had a woman drop the price on a horse from 10k to 4500 once, because it was what we could afford at the time, and she wanted the mare to go to a good home with a kid. Needless to say, 17 years later, I still have the mare, and we’ve gotten to be friends with the seller, so I think she’s happy with her decision. Lol. Call the sellers and feel them out. Can’t hurt.
I agree with the others… it depends.
I don’t have a “show” horse per se. I was just looking for a pleasure horse. My mare was advertised at $5,500. I had a budget of $4,000. I was honest with the seller before even seeing the horse since I didn’t want to waste her time. She said to come out anyway. We got along well - both me and the owner and me and the horse. So, she sold her to me for $4,000.
Everyone has a different idea of negotiable. I recently bought a horse that was listed for $8500 for $2800, because the owner really needed to sell, the horse had some behavioural issues and we were a great match. I
As a seller I had a horse for sale for $5000 and was offered $3000 for - said no. Also had one listed for $8500 and was offered $5000 and turned it down. But sold her for $7000…
Your best bet is to be honest with the seller straight off the bat (ie, first email/phone call) about your budget and go from there. Nothing pisses me off quicker as a seller than spending hours showing a horse to someone when their budget is WAY lower than I will actually sell for.
Another vote for the maddening “it depends” answer. I would say that if you have a firm budget of x dollars under the sale price, to be very upfront to the seller. As others have said, there are many factors that a seller considers when wiggling prices around, and you may be just the kind of buyer he or she is willing to come down for. On the other hand, they may have a a limit as to how much they’re willing to come down, and if it’s still higher than your budget, it makes the whole process much easier if you’re upfront. The seller won’t get annoyed at what could be perceived as “tire kicking” and you wont get your hopes up or waste your own time.
If the horse is priced within your budget, and you’re simply trying to eke out the possibility of a bit of a deal, I’d say a feel-out phone call is probably in order, just play a bit closer to the vest.
If the seller is the breeder, it may behoove them to sell at a significantly reduced rate to get the horse into a situation where it will be developed and shown to full potential.
[QUOTE=selah;4598737]
If the seller is the breeder, it may behoove them to sell at a significantly reduced rate to get the horse into a situation where it will be developed and shown to full potential.[/QUOTE]
As a breeder that is pretty much the way I see it! Negotiable to me depends on WHO is buying the horse. The WHO is made up of several factors - does the person show and will promote the horse (and thus my program and promote it well)? Is the person looking for a “forever” type horse (so it isn’t someone that is going to buy my horse, then “flip” it a month later)? And btw - forever doesn’t necessarily mean forever, just will they keep the horse and love on it the way the horse deserves? 
Do the horse and the potential buyer get along? I don’t care who you are - if you tried my horse and it truly hated you, I’m prob not going to take your money even at full price as you would both be miserable. There are other things that could change the price - and DRASTICALLY change the price, but those are the highlights.
It never hurts to ask and if you are interested in the horse, it never hurts to look at the horse. Believe me, as a breeder, I want my horses to go to places where they will succeed and be happy! Sometimes the negotiation can also be things like including shipping to your place, or I’m even open to a breeding to my stallion with purchase of the horse (if it is a mare/filly of course LOL).
Call seller if you do NOT have the 15K and see what they expect. If you don’t want to spell out how much you do have (but it’s not too far from the mark) tell them you’re “a bit” off in price difference.
Try to start with a range:
“a bit off”
“between 50% and asking price”
Less than 50% - BUT here’s why you might want to allow me to come try out your horse anyway…
Whatever you do, most of all, try to be nice about it:). Some people act like the seller is the enemy – but rudeness won’t usually get anyone far. I am much happier to deal with, and negotiate with, pleasant people. As far as “how” negotiable someone is, it really depends…
I had a buyer recently who was flat out rude when I wouldn’t let her come try a horse I had for sale – because she said the most she could spend was less than 1/2 of his asking price. She was so unpleasant that by the end of the conversation I wouldn’t have wanted to sell the horse to her even for full price, lol. If she was lying about her budget to try to “negotiate”, she failed and missed out an a nice horse which was already very fairly priced. If she truly only had the amount of money she said she did, she should have been better prepared to hear “no” and not turn nasty, if she was going to call about horses which were more than double her budget.
BTW, I sold that horse about two weeks later, to a lovely buyer.
[QUOTE=inca;4598106]
I would expect to pay anywhere from $10,000-$14,500 depending on a whole bunch of factors such as:
I’m currently lookingat a pony that was priced at $10k or Best Offer. Insight on what I could offer for him?
You just never really know. I would go try the horse and if you like it, make an offer you think is reasonable and see what happens.[/QUOTE]
So, anyone know what I could offer? Is $6k way too low? (He’s a hunter, primarily, by the way, and that’s what he’s been shown in.)
[QUOTE=Sparkling_Sunset;4600347]
So, anyone know what I could offer? Is $6k way too low? (He’s a hunter, primarily, by the way, and that’s what he’s been shown in.)[/QUOTE]
$6K for a $15K horse is a huge insult in my opinion. But IF you make an offer like this, then be PREPARED to buy if they say yes. Nothing is more IRRITATING (and it has been happening frequently to me) is to have someone make an offer and then for me to say “OK I will take that” and then have them not show up, not contact me, and not buy! I think if you are making an offer you are stating you WILL buy. I would email the people and say what you have to spend and find out if that is even ballpark, but be prepared that they may find it a rude insult and not be very nice in their reply, or may not reply at all! I try and be “tactful” when someone gives a low ball offer, but I also will be pretty blunt! When someone recently offered $2K for a horse that had already been reduced by my client from $7500 to $4800, I told them NO WAY! And the owner agreed! She did sell for the $4800 shortly afterwards!
Maybe contact them and say you have 6k, do they have anything in your budget. Say that you like horse x but cannot afford that. See what happens.
6K on a 15K horse is only 40% of the asking price. I don’t think that is what most sellers have in mind when they say “negotiable.”
If 6K is all you have to spend, tell the sellers that UP FRONT so you don’t waste their time or your time.
Nothing would irritate me more than spending hours answering questions, getting the horse prepped to show to a buyer, having someone ride the horse and THEN they tell me all they can afford is 40% of my asking price.
[QUOTE=inca;4600394]
6K on a 15K horse is only 40% of the asking price. I don’t think that is what most sellers have in mind when they say “negotiable.”
If 6K is all you have to spend, tell the sellers that UP FRONT so you don’t waste their time or your time.
Nothing would irritate me more than spending hours answering questions, getting the horse prepped to show to a buyer, having someone ride the horse and THEN they tell me all they can afford is 40% of my asking price.[/QUOTE]
The horse (well, in my case, pony) I’m looking at is priced at TEN thousand or best offer, NOT FIFTEEN thousand as was the one in the OP’s question. So $6k is only $4k off. I do not think that’s a huge insult.
Plus, there’s always the option for the seller to counter someone’s offer.
[QUOTE=Sparkling_Sunset;4600453]
The horse (well, in my case, pony) I’m looking at is priced at TEN thousand or best offer, NOT FIFTEEN thousand as was the one in the OP’s question. So $6k is only $4k off. I do not think that’s a huge insult.
Plus, there’s always the option for the seller to counter someone’s offer.;)[/QUOTE]
That is still an awfully lot to expect, at 40%. Most people don’t mean 40% when they say negotiable. In my opinion (and when I advertise a horse as “negotiable”) I am thinking 10%, MAYBE 20%, off the price. Not 40%.
Negotiable to me on a 15k horse is more like 12k minimum offer. Beyond that there should be some reason why…ie you LOVE THE HORSE…but he requires extra maintenance for example he requires special shoes or weaves or whatever.
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