Benchmark Sporthorses?

[alteredcarbon]

I’m helping a friend shop for an OTTB prospect (this is a very capable amateur and not her first restart) and she has found some nice ones advertised at Benchmark Sporthorses in Delaware. They seem legit, move a lot of horses, and the ads match the horse seen on video.

I’m just wondering if anyone had bought from them, and if the horses were generally as-represented? This would be a basic PPE and sight unseen ship situation - my friend has some specific desires and is willing to ship something to get it. My role is to be supportive but keep her from doing anything TOO crazy.

[zpsid91]

Yes - I did this exact thing with Benchmark - I told Jessica what I wanted, what my dealbreakers were and she set me up with a really neato guy!
Their vet for PPE (at least the one I used) was great, quick and easy to communicate with.
What she represents seems to be what you get from the others I know who have bought from her as well.

[kt-rose]

I have a horse bought from Jess, my daughter has a horse from her and countless friends do as well. They are all exactly as represented – tell her honestly what you need and you’ll get it. Very professional in every way.

Jess is one of those people that if you run into someone saying anything negative, you know the issue is them and not Jess – she does the right thing at every opportunity.

[Highflyer1]

They are legit. She has a good eye and a lot of connections and gets nice horses.

[arbeegirl]

I know several people who have bought their horses from Benchmark. All have been really nice horses.

[alteredcarbon]

Great to hear - obviously she’s planning to be careful and will vet the horse (just the basics) but I’m here to be the voice of caution. It’s easy to get caught up about a nice looking horse.

[staceyk]

A recent fairly-well-known podcast interviewed Emily Donaldson (dressage rider) and ED actually mentioned Benchmark Sport Horses – positive mention, some inside knowledge, didn’t come across as an infomercial but a reference in the context of the conversation as it touched on TBs. I’ve drooled over some of those horses so took note.

[endlessclimb]

I purchased one from her, and she’s a nice horse. She was approved Hanoverian last year.

She likely won’t meet my goals of what I want to do (trail ride solo without getting spun off lol) , but that’s not always easy to predict with a 3 year old.

I know several people have NOT had good experiences with horses purchased through her, and they were experienced and capable riders so not a case of “bought too much horse.” Some post on here, perhaps they will chime in.

Every horse is different. She has a great eye. The horses are not in her care long enough to have a super good view of how they will be long term though, she can only speak to the week or two they’re with her before they get moved.

[Tha_Ridge]

I’ve done a lot of business with Jess in varying forms; she is trustworthy and honest.

[frugalannie]

Just mentioning that if Jess doesn’t have what you are looking for, check out Hound Run Farm
https://www.houndrunfarm.com/horses-for-sale. Stacy Iacono works with Jess and is frequently the rider in Benchmark videos, but also runs her own operation. I was interested in two horses she had listed, trying to choose but couldn’t travel to try them. Stacy was straightforward about each, and actually recommended the less expensive one. He turned out to be exactly as represented and an OTTB that this 70 plus year old women has a blast riding.

[Laurierace]

Extremely legit. Jess has a great eye for a horse and wonderful connections at the track.

[AmmyHour926]

Great eye. A bit of rose colored glasses, but I find most flippers that way. Usually doesn’t have the horse long enough to know a ton about them, but always has quality critters.

[Amberley]

Slight counterpoint: I was in the area for a wedding last year and I tried to make an appointment to see some horses in person and they made it very difficult to the point I just didn’t bother. I think their business model is selling off video and they aren’t very open to showing horses. As outsiders and with the way they present the horses (no jump chute, ridden very short and tense) it wasn’t worth pursuing the few we were interested in, although they looked very nice for OTTBs.

[Jleegriffith]

Just wanted to respond (this is Jessica) that while I am sorry you were frustrated I actually work a full-time job and only have limited help here to show horses. That elusive work/life balance thing is hard!! Showings take hours and hours of time. Sometimes it can be very hard for us to schedule appointments quickly and we do not have any weekend availability which I know makes it hard for many people. My riders have had jobs outside of working here which just makes it really tough! We do show a lot of horses in person but it is true that a good majority still sell off videos. I found that during Covid there was a massive shift in the market and people still have been buying more off videos than coming in person. I suppose the market is also still extremely strong and horses move quickly. Some sell in days and others are here months. We can never really predict those sorts of things but it can make scheduling very difficult which I understand can frustrate shoppers. It seems like the horses that seem to go “viral” in terms of interest sell before people can get here. That is not something we do on purpose but it happens frequently.

Sometimes I do some research and won’t set an appointment because I don’t think someone is the right fit for my program, have heard something negative or myself had a bad experience. I am sure plenty of others do the same. The horse world is small! I’m not interested in selling a horse just to sell a horse. Not saying that was the case but I try to research everything the best I can.

Some love us and some hate us. We sell around 200 horses a year. I try to do my best but I will never get every sale right. I will help rehome horses and have bought horses back. Sometimes the program just isn’t a fit and someone else will be a better fit. We often don’t have them long. You will get more info than buying from the track but not as much as buying from a show barn.

[ake987]

I’ve window-shopped your business for years now and have always thought you had lovely horses that appeared well represented. I’ve often thought that if I were to be in the market, your website would be one of the top three places I would look first. This response was so classy with genuinely helpful context (I can’t believe you all do this while also juggling full-time jobs - sometimes it can be challenge just to keep my own in steady work!) that you will be the first place I look now.

[Merrylegs]

I bought a horse from Benchmark in the last couple of months and he is exactly as advertised and will be perfect for my current goals. Jessica was really helpful with setting up long distance shipping. I will absolutely do business with Jessica when we get a second horse.

[beowulf]

Echoing what others have said: Jess advertises them honestly (if she knows about it, she will tell you) and has fantastic connections. The main thing to remember is that it is a business of selling off track thoroughbreds; they have different training, soundness expectations, and career limitations than what a sport horse barn might. What a race horse flipper says is sound will be different than what a sport horse person will. Some of it is residual soreness from the track. Some of it will be something more. It’s always a good idea to do a PPE and have multiple eyes looking at the horse.

It’s a risk buying a horse off the track. Go in with that in mind; no one has a crystal ball. Some horses come off the track with brewing injuries that may not be obvious in person. Even a PPE isn’t a fail safe. If you shop for an OTTB remember that any connection only knows as much as the other connection they bought the horse from told them. So it’s always best to go with a trusted source and a trusted connection that knows the horse’s whole history.

As with any horse seller there will be good stories and bad. I wouldn’t discredit either side. Some people get lucky and get everything they hoped for. Some people end up with a horse that has something pre-existing that no party knew about, and they’re stuck unwrapping layers of physical problems. There’s been enough threads on Benchmark over the years you can read both sides. When you move many horses every year, there’s bound to be a few failures. I wouldn’t phrase it as those people being the problem. Sometimes, that’s just how it is.

I will say I had a few friends looking for OTTBs in the last few years, and I suggested they check out Benchmark as most of my connections on the track have retired and I no longer maintain my own. Both came back saying they felt brushed off. I imagine in that line of work Jess deals with a lot of tire kickers, but I was sorry to see my friends feel discouraged about that.

[wanderlust]

I’ve messaged Jess about a few over the years. Most were pending sale before I even got to them. A couple times she’s straight up replied with something like: “It has a buck.” My impression/experience has been if there is a problem and she knows about it, she will be completely up front about it.

[Libby2563]

@endlessclimb

She has a great eye. The horses are not in her care long enough to have a super good view of how they will be long term though, she can only speak to the week or two they’re with her before they get moved.

This. My one Benchmark purchase (after much drooling and window shopping) did not have a great outcome but I suspect the issue just didn’t crop up in the week or less that she had the horse. Trial ride and vetting were easy to arrange. I did not get offered help rehoming the horse when I reached out about what was going on though.

[wanderlust]

@beowulf

Both came back saying they felt brushed off. I imagine in that line of work Jess deals with a lot of tire kickers, but I was sorry to see my friends feel discouraged about that.

Honestly I felt this a bit too. I’m sure it’s a function of doing the high volume of horses on top of a real job.