Looking to buy my first personal horse and found that https://www.sporthorseauctions.com/ has nice warmbloods way below market value but it seems sketchy… has anyone bought a horse from that website? Or does anyone know any sellers along the east coast that sell lower cost warmbloods?
I don’t think they’re particularly sketchy, but I do think it’s safe to say that there’s a reason a horse ends up at auction.
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I would not buy a horse at auction, regardless of how well run or how good the reputation of the particular auction is.
I know of two people who bought horses sight unseen from auctions and while the horses were sound, both were much tougher rides than was ideal for the individuals. Buying from an auction means you have no opportunity to asses suitability or if the horse and rider are a match.
To add to @Tha_Ridge’s excellent point that in today’s market, there’s a reason why a horse goes to auction rather than a private sale.
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I have a friend who bought one from auction (may have been this one, but I do not recall). The auction itself wasn’t sketchy by the horse was completely brain-fried for jumping. I rode him once (on the flat) and he was extremely difficult- sensitive yet very dull to some aids. Took a VERY tactful ride. I remember her showing me the auction ad and he looked like a top tier show horse, which he might have been at one point but certainly wasn’t now. I don’t think she ever got him back to the show ring, eventually accepting he was just mentally done.
So… buyer beware. You are likely not getting what you think you are.
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I knew a horse who was purchased through that site. I would consider him to have been “dumped” with a career ending injury through the site by the previous owner. It is akin to buying site unseen.
Mine came through the younghorse.auction - I didn’t buy him directly but from the person who bought him from auction and imported him. When I read how they advertised him, they completely nailed him which is impressive considering he was barely broke at that time.
He’s the horse everyone wants in their barn - bombproof, quiet, easy to handle, athletic, and vetted great. I think he ended up at auction because he was very clearly not going to be a type most over in Europe want (not forward or hot, slow to develop/figure out where his feet are, and just overall very quiet). All things that make him very marketable in the US.
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I’ve never used that site myself BUT I am the winning bid right now on a spicy red head. (is my trainer going to kill me? perhaps…)
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My bestie has. However - the horse she purchased was not of riding age, was by a stallion of one of her other uber successful horses, and she knows the breeder and was able to go check out the horse in person. So - YMMV.
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He didn’t “end up” at auction. Young horse auctions in Europe are mostly for high priced young horses, they are fairly expensive to prepare for and sell through (required vetting etc) and people often pre-advertise particularly nice youngsters to get interest up. Your horse was likely bred and targeted at the US market from the get-go and marketed as such.
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He ended up at auction the same way he ended up for sale, and ended up in the US. Not sure why that particular phrasing bothers you.
My whole point was that European auctions do have very nice, quality horses for sale and people shouldn’t be scared of them. We’re in agreement - go argue with the posters who were saying otherwise.
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My point in replying to you is that European sport horse auctions are not in any way comparable to the US ones that OP is asking about. No-one is producing nice olympic discipline sport-horses to sell at an online auction in N. America. I think OP should in fact be scared of the auction she is looking at, especially as a first time buyer.
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I missed that the original auction was solely US based. Totally agree with you.
I know many people that have purchased from this auction and ended up with nice horses. I also know several consigners that had very nice horses they sold through them.
I bought an Oldenburg mare off this auction site. She happened to live 10 miles away from me.She was fabulous.
Sheilah
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