I have someone interested in an ISH cross mare who has hunted in Va. Rusty, but always steady. What is a fair asking price?? 12 years, 16.1, sound, steady in a snaffle and saddle.
I think between 12k and 20k at most. I’ve only ever sold one horse, and he was an old schoolmaster that I had no place to retire to, so I sold him to someone I knew had the money and space for him, so I could be off on the prices.
Wow…thanks. I only sold one “staff” horse…I was thinking under $5k for a Hilltopper!! Guess times have changed!!
I mean, from what you’ve said she sounds like a lovely horse, even if she is a bit rusty. IMO a steady horse that is sound and can be ridden in a snaffle is a good horse, because seeing as she’s only 12 she can be sharpened up.
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I’d say 8k at the lowest. Ideally 10k, but maximum I’d say maybe 15 or 16k. I agree that she sounds like quite the nice horse. In my experience a safe, sound, and well-trained horse that is on the younger side, but not too young, is hard to find! Sounds like with some fine-tuning she can easily shake off that rust. 
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I also think it depends on where you are selling her. If she’s reliable and vets, she’d easily sell for $15-20k in Virginia; other parts of the country, maybe more like $8-10k. Especially if she can jump nicely around the ring or do dressage or trail ride the rest of the year.
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WNT makes a good point. In my area (northern CA) she could easily go for around 13k - 15k with that still being a reasonable price.
Thanks to every one of your answers!!
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Depends on how smooth and upkeep (injections, hard keeper, etc. things I don’t rule out) a horse with a huge trot or a choppy trot, something uncomfortable over distance will bring less. My husband found a smooth, unflappable cow pony that was being used at a stock yard for 5K. 11 years old. But a big, handsome, easy to handle and smooth horse that gets along well in the stable, I’d say 12k in VA. Also can the horse be excersized alone.
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VERY Smooth…has never even had a Bute pill in her whole life…NO soundness issues. Has been stalled/stabled in her lifetime, but now lives in a 20 acre pasture with 4 other mares…comes into a 36’x36’ loafing shed with stall dividers…stands tied on a piece of baling twine at her feed tub (as several others do) until everyone has eaten their grain…shares hay piles politely…will boss an “inferior mare”, but no kick or bite…leaves the group in the whole pasture to find more tasty grazing. She is not a “groupie”! The prices suggested are lovely…but considering that we are in NE Texas (Lousey “English” horse market) and shipping east will be close to $1000 more or less. And AFTER someone comes here to look!! If she sells as a broodmare it will be a fraction of those prices.
It still sounds like you could partner with someone in better hunt territory and both make a tidy profit. IME, the people looking for that kind of horse are old enough to be able to pay for pleasant and safe.
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I think shipping her to better hunt country is the way to go. When I was looking for a horse pretty much exactly like her, my budget was 10 - 15K, and I was having trouble finding something suitable.
A typical arrangement would be to set a base price, say $5000, send her to a hunting barn in VA/MD/PA to sell, and split the amount above the $5K with the seller. So if she sells for 12K, the seller grosses $3500.
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Sarah Greenway with Levremont Farm in Powhatan, VA has been selling hunt horses pretty quickly. She seems to have developed a good word of mouth network and actively markets them online. She is on Facebook and her farm has a web page.
Thank you. I have people who have contacted me from the “East”…knowing we were in Tx.!! I was just fishing for an asking price. Since I’ve owned her and her parents/grandparents and have two of her youngsters that we are keeping…I’m not eager to send her off to an agent and run up all those extra costs. I prefer to sell from home…and know who is buying her…no offense to agents…I’ve just never been successful doing that…she was “supposed” to be in Va. to be sold 6 years ago…cost me shipping both ways when the agent couldn’t get a price high enough to satisfy them…so I had her shipped home to Ok.!!
Have you contacted fox hunts in Texas and nearby states such as Kansas, New Mexico and Arizona? They might have online classifieds or help ut her out there word of mouth.
Can you look for someone local who is horseless at the moment and might want to do a free lease, just to get her going/ out a bit? It is much easier to sell this type of horse in work and if people can see it hunting, even if you have to pay some expenses (shoes and capping fees for example) it might be worth it.
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We currently live in “Cowboy Country” Tx…all ropers, reiners, cutters around here and exercise riders ask OUTRAGEOUS fees to get on a horse. The hunt near us…lovely, friendly people…but the territory is BLACK MUCK footing,I wouldn’t send a horse there to hunt…even if I was riding it!! I’m not looking to spend a lot on restarting this mare…selling “as is” for the most part…a nice, big, sane/sound broodmare who rides.
I looked on your website and your horses for sale page seems like it is old?
Our web page hasn’t been updated in years…my long time web master ran off with a new boy friend and took ALL of the codes and passwords with her. The Host Site management can’ t break her codes and her format…it is unique. I can’t “do” a new web page myself, so I just keep paying for the existing site as a reference to our breeding horses and produce!! The farm featured in the property section has been sold for 2.5 years. I now use FB and our new name is “JB Sporthorses” (Ok.)…no space between sport and horses…it was a typo, but my daughter created the site like that. There is another farm name like that in Ireland and somewhere in the USA…but with a space. When we move this next/LAST time…I’ll make everything right!! Sorry for the mix up!
This mare? https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/f…e-season-in-va
Broodie,that has not been ridden for 4 yrs and that you do not want to, or can’t ride before selling, will bring the price down quite a bit compared to a horse that has been brought back to, or is currently in work.:yes:
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