Horse Shopping Southwest

[blue_heron]

Maybe this belongs in the dressage category but I figured more people would see it here… I am trying to get a head start on horse shopping in the next 6 mos or so. My must-haves as follows:

• Dressage prospect exclusively, but I have no “real” ambitions for this horse, in the sense that if it turns out a halfway decent 1st or even training level horse, I am okay with the option of selling it.
• Would like to earn my USDF medals at some point but young enough that this is not the priority.
• PRE, Lusitano, Andalusian, Azteca, or some cross/combination/similar. I don’t want a TB, QH, STB, or Mustang, sns. Not really looking for a warmblood either until it’s small and meatball-ish.
• Not huge.
• Between 2 and 6, preferably started but no serious miles.
• Does not cost a million dollars.

A while ago I started a thread in the dressage forum about looking for a project horse and turned up a few options. It seemed like my best option was to find something out west and have it shipped to me (northeast). I’m imagining a ranch-type setting with lots of young horses with limited experience, maybe not registered with breed associations or in their ugly baby phase. I would love to plan a trip to go see some and purchase one while there. I know that there are ranches with these types of horses available, but Google is not my friend-- I’m looking at you, perfectly curated breeding farm website with yearlings for $25k. Maybe people from the southwest can help me. How do you find ranches or auctions with horses that might fit this wish list? Am I looking in the wrong place?

[Feathered_Feet]

@blue_heron

It seemed like my best option was to find something out west and have it shipped to me (northeast).

Wow, having lived and kept horses in Los Angeles for many years, and now in the mid-atlantic, this really surprises me. I never would associate the Southwest with cheaper horse prices, when here on the East coast we have fields and fields and water literally falls from the sky. In the Southwest, land is expensive, there is limited (if any pasture) so (very expensive) hay must be purchased, and many areas have been in droughts for years. None of that contributes to cheap horses. I guess the middle states would have the ranch-style setups where they could have horses on the cheap, but those would be almost exclusively QHs, which you explicitly say you don’t want.

To say nothing of fuel prices to ship the creature to the NE after you purchase it.

I have a friend horse shopping so I’m curious to hear what people say, but I would never thinking to look at the Southwest for cheaper horses then where I am right now (which is more or less the easiest horse keeping that I’ve seen in the US).

[js]

@blue_heron

I’m imagining a ranch-type setting with lots of young horses with limited experience, maybe not registered with breed associations or in their ugly baby phase. I would love to plan a trip to go see some and purchase one while there.

@blue_heron

• Dressage prospect exclusively, but I have no “real” ambitions for this horse, in the sense that if it turns out a halfway decent 1st or even training level horse, I am okay with the option of selling it.
• Would like to earn my USDF medals at some point but young enough that this is not the priority.
• PRE, Lusitano, Andalusian, Azteca, or some cross/combination/similar. I don’t want a TB, QH, STB, or Mustang, sns. Not really looking for a warmblood either until it’s small and meatball-ish.

Most ranch type settings or auctions will likely be QH, Paints, or Appendix bred horses i.e. stock breeds. It’s not likely you’ll find a Lusitano or Andalusian on a ranch at least in the Southwest. However, you will find some Arabians or Morgans here and there. Why don’t you look at Dream horse and search for the breeds you are interested in.

[blue_heron]

Andalusians and Lusitanos were at some point ranch horses. They still exist in that capacity in some of the southwestern states, Texas, and Mexico. Not at all in the NE, and very little in the SE. That was my thought.

I’m on Dreamhorse, Warmblood Sales, and a million FB groups, and my trainers have their eyes peeled. I don’t expect the horse I’m looking for to be advertised via classifieds.

[blue_heron]

I was not thinking CA, but more the NM/AZ and mountain states. Most of it comes down to where certain breeds are more popular. TB, WB, and Morgans are popular around here. There’s very few PRE/Baroque horses to choose from, and they’re priced accordingly.

I realize gas prices may become a struggle I could not have anticipated when thinking this out.

[suzyq]

I would look for Andalusian or Lusitanio breeders there are a few of them around

[js]

I’m in NM. This is showing two places in NM, I don’t know how reliable the site or information is.

Andalusian Horse Farms in New Mexico

[Feathered_Feet]

Ah, fair point about NM and AZ. Though I still think the cost of hay may be enough to keep prices a little steep. But you’re totally right - now that you mention it, I haven’t seen much in the way of big or even modest Iberian breeders here in the mid-Atlantic! (Which I recognize is not exactly the east coast, but I can at least see the east coast-Florida corridor from my little perch )

Good luck on your search - now I have to keep my eyes open for Iberians over here!

Ps. Have you looked at Canada, at all? When I was looking at warmbloods a few years ago, I found the price-to-quality ratio up there to be much better than that in the US. Not sure how many Iberians you’ll find up there, but may be worth a look.

[Paint_Party]

I’m up in the more northern/higher country part of Arizona, and the only Andalusians I know of are fancy imports. No ranches breeding them that I know of.

However, working equitation is becoming popular in Arizona, particularly in the southern/lower part of the state. I know that some of the members, as well as the clinicians and trainers, ride PREs, Andalusians and Lusitanos. Here’s a link to the association’s website. Scroll through it for pics, info on clinics and shows. I’m sure you can find people to contact for prospects. Good luck!

https://arizonaworkingequitationclub.wildapricot.org/

[suzyq]

Some breeders in Texas
Epic Andalusians
Owls Nest Farm Lusitanos
TP Farms Andalusians
Haras Dos Cavaleiros Lusitanos

There are probably more maybe IALHA or USPRE has listings?

[blue_heron]

Thanks for this!