I’m not shopping yet, but just curious for the future- I’m an eventer, and am well versed in what event horses with different training/show miles go for, but what is the “going rate” for a good, western trail horse? Not a show horse, not for rodeos, and not even necessarily for a beginner or advanced beginner rider, but something that is quiet and has a nice walk/jog/lope that will happily go along the trails on a loose neck rein without much fuss? Would be looking in the New England area. And where do you generally look for these types? DH and I are on vacation and just did a trail ride at one of those trail strings and I loved the paint mare that I rode.
Maybe read thru here for such horses and prices?
Local catalog horse sales are also a good indicator of prices.
at the end of the summer the summer camp horse may be available
Keep an eye on any trail outfits or summer camps in your area with horses. Sometimes at the end of the season they’ll sell the string for pretty cheap.
I’ve been helping a friend look for something similar- It seems $5000-$7500 would be right although I think with some searching or a few concessions would def be able to find cheaper
Approach the barn where you took your trail ride and ask them the going rate. There’s Trail horses who are trained in western trail discipline ($$$$) then there’s trail horses who cart their owners all over hell’s half acre and don’t bat an eye ($). For the latter, especially if you don’t care if you have to do some maintenance, you can get them for <$3k. This is you going out and doing your own research, Craigslist/ Pennysaver/ Equinesite.com perusing and seeing a lot of nags. If you take a trainer, you’ll definitely pay more.
For some fun internet looking, google valley view ranch in Texas…she sells
loads of that type of horse, for varying prices…often prices seem sorta inflated but sometimes for a more reasonable rate if the horse is slightly older or grade.
If you’re finding that NE-based prices are very high, also give thought to doing a shopping trip to another region where these horses are plentiful and lower-priced. The lower prices may well offset your travel and shipping costs. For example, here’s a nice little mare in Iowa listed for $3k (I have zero connection to this ad, just putting it up as an example of what 3k can get you in this area) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9huyErl4a8&feature=youtu.be
Has anyone bought one of these types of horses from a sales barn? I follow a couple of them on fb in NE and they seen to always have western horses going through, look like some come from camps and trail strings. The appeal there is to be able to try several horses at one place- but I definitely have heard “buyer beware” type stories too…
I bought my first horse from the trail barn where I was taking led trail rides. Not THE horses I had been riding but a very nice hony, cheaper than I would’ve gotten him in the h/j circles in which I had been traveling.
I would avoid certain ‘sale barns’, though some folks like the return policy some sale barns offer. Me personally, won’t take the risk. Much prefer private treaty.
OP. if you are going to spend the time/money going to Nebraska then talk to local trail riding groups in the northeast to see if any of their members have stock for sale after all it is nearly the end of of summer, kids are head to school and often good horses are suddenly on the market.
But if you look one that was at least been on some competitive trail ride there will be the judging score cards to review on the horse’s trail performance and vet check cards as to their actual suitability
The magic number cost has not changed in at least three decades of about $3,000
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Sorry, didn’t mean Nebraska, was referring to New England 
I’m not in the market for a new horse now, this wouldn’t be for a few years, was just curious and looking for info to stash away for when the time comes. I was thinking that late Aug/September would be a good time to buy for the reasons you listed. Thanks for suggestions!
Slightly different approach --in MI there is the Michigan Trail Riders Association that has a large group of trail riders and a very active website and facebook page. If I were looking to buy a horse specific for trail riding, I’d post there and then ask that I be allowed to take the horse out on trails first with the owner riding, then at some point me. I’d ask to take the horse some distance away from its buddies to see if it is ok by itself. And I’d do that a few times. So look for a trail riding group near you. Get involved. Ask for what you want. Once people know you a bit, they will be willing to sell you good horses --and knowing they will see you again (and again) may make them a bit more reasonable on price.
Sort of that, I bought my last horse at a Ranch Horse Auction. I was allowed to take the horse home for 7 days, do what I wanted with him, and return him no questions asked, all money returned if he didn’t suit me. He’s the best horse I’ve owned in a long time —exactly what he was stated to be. If you want to come all the way to MI look up Stoney Creek Quarter Horses and Tyler and Jesse Flake —honest horse dealers with a long reputation for quality horses. They are on facebook and usually have a few for sale. They will look for what you want. They will also give you an opinion on price you have to pay v. what you want. I found them very helpful.
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I know a couple of people that bought from local dealers or sale barns. At the ones they used, the barn gets in lots of horses from locals and shipped from farther west. They offered a “return and replace” kind of guarantee. The horses generally had no verifiable background and the barn had only had them for a short time. First friend bought a big, pretty gelding and vetted it upon getting it home (vetting at the sale barn was not an option). It had serious issues, so she returned it and found the selection of “same price” horses was now quite limited. She found another horse, but it quickly became obvious it had behavioral issues so she returned it. This time she paid more money and that horse worked out well for her. Of course this took time, vettings and more money than she anticipated.
The other sale barn horse worked for the new owner even though it wasnt exactly as advertised. I think it helped that she wanted an intermediate rider trail horse and got a horse that wasnt flashy.
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No, no, no. Not if you’re thinking of the ones in NE that I’m thinking of. The ones that offer a 2-week trade back period? I know several people who have had to return multiple horses to try to find one that was sound and sane only to find that each time it required a bit more $$. Maybe only a coincidence, but I know someone who bought the “perfect” horse from one of them, didn’t draw blood in the PPE. Horse’s personality changed dramatically after about a month. Horse put two people in the hospital. Same place recently was advertising a flashy paint horse online. The original owner popped up and revealed very significant medical problems which had caused the horse to be retired. Buying a horse without a history is tough. Buying from a barn where the backstory is fictional is worse.
If you want a horse to trail ride, contact one of the clubs in NE that does trail riding (new england trail riders association, for example0. Ask if their members know of any horses for sale. Consider horses that have foxhunted, particularly hilltopped, or evented. Several of the eventing trainers in the area that I talk to always know of horses for sale, sometimes free. I’d expect to pay $5k-7K.
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well my error. :lol:
I suggested the trail riding competition horses just because not all of the horses are on those rides are being ridden by the super competitor but by regular folks out to see what their horse can do. We never had any problem selling one of our competition horses to others who were also riding. They knew the horse as the had seen it being ridden.
Another place might be from the show ring, again since at the end of summer parents are looking at the cost of college. We took several horses from the world of going around and around into the wilderness… nothing shocking occurred but there were many funny moments as the horse adjusted to outback… and it nice to receive complements on a pretty horse
Bay State Trail Riders Association is another group to try. They are mainly in southeastern Massachusetts.
Horses, like many other things, are more expensive in Massachusetts than in a lot of other places…
I know one dealer in the NE that has good trail horses–I’ve bought like 5 sight unseen and all turned out to be good western trail horses. If interested in who, send me a private message.
Just a little note about horses from tourist trail riding operations: some of them are so used to just following the horse in front of them that it can blow their minds a bit to be ridden alone or at the front of a group of horses. That’s just something to keep in mind if buying a former trail string horse. On the other hand, the horses that the guides ride can be better at being ridden alone.
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This.^ Look in the Deep South or Midwest and you can pick up most QH’s and virtually anything gaited for under $2,500.00. You can often find an unbroken youngster in dispersal sales going for under $1K. Pick out a nice colt and board it on-site for dirt-cheap (compared to NE), have them start it for you and even with the transport north it’ll cost much less in the end than finding something here.
Dealers do this every day. I know one guy who drives a massive gooseneck out to AR, OK, TX, MO, loads it up with nice cheap prospects, puts 60 days on them at home, and adds a couple zeros to the price when he flips 'em to grateful ammie owners who want a pretty, turn-key toy. The cowboys know how to turn these out like mass production.
