Horse Shopping Stinks

[IdahoRider]

I lost my good boy last month when I had to euthanize after failed sinus surgery. I was prepared for and I wasn’t, both at the same time. I had been struggling making horse and barn time a priority dues to family issues, but finally got a handle on that and was loving life. And then he got sick and then he was dead.

I am looking. I miss my barn friendships and my barn time. I am welcome any time, but we all know that it just isn’t the same thing. I want my own hose again.

But it is rough out there. Prices are still crazy here. And when I ask how OBO they are looking for when the ad says OBO, I get ghosted or lectured. One horse that I have been in contact over is 7+ hours away and had an injury to his right front hoof. Sounds perfect on paper and looks perfect on video. But 7.5 hours when I don’t have a trailer? So impracticable.

I feel left of all the fun my barn mates are having. I feel like a whiner. But i also feel cheated.
Sheilah

[Dr_Doolittle]

I’m sorry

Fingers crossed for you in your search - horse shopping seems like it should be fun, but is in actuality very frustrating!

Best of luck

[2DogsFarm]

First off, sorry for your loss.
I’ve BTDT, except for the shopping frustration.
I lost 2 to a trailering accident - my TB of 20yrs & another I’d had for 5yrs.
I’d had them at home for 5yrs & facing my empty barn was intolerable.
I found a replacement here on the Giveaways thread & lost him 5yrs later.
Next horse was a gift from a friend who could no longer ride, he’s still with me.

What helped me was trying not to compare what I was looking for or gotten to what I’d lost.
I wasn’t looking for a competitive horse, just one to help me dabble with Dressage, go out on trails & just BE (if that makes sense).

IIWM, in your place, I’d look closer to home.
Especially without the ability to haul a trailer, cash in hand, to seal a deal.
When kids leave for college a lot of nice horses go up for sale.
Word of mouth is also a good source.
Your trainer - assuming you have one - should have some contacts too.
For OBO ads, don’t ask how low they’ll go, offer 20% less & be willing to go higher as your budget allows.

I hope you find your next horse sooner than later, but don’t rush into anything.

[NaturallyHappy]

[Paint_Party]

I know what you’re going through. Trying to replace a horse you loved that you lost traumatically makes the task of horse shopping even more discouraging.

I was encouraged do ISO posts on some FB groups. I ended up with tons of videos until I realized I need to see, handle and sit upon a horse before I buy it. I want to be sure it’s a match for me. I live in Arizona. A horse in Iowa, for instance, is just too danged far away for me to even consider. So I stopped with the FB ISO posts.

Here are the 3 tactics I ended up focusing on, which ultimately led to my current horse:

1. Look in your local nooks and crannies for horses that might not be widely advertised. Several of my friends have found nice horses on craigslist. They were backyard horses that lacked professional training, but they’re cute, safe and needed a new home. I also know of a couple of horses that were bought off of handwritten ads stuck on the bulletin board at the feed store. I know it sounds like a scavenger hunt, but you never know what you’ll find!

2. Make plans to attend a large production sale. Road trip! You’ll be able to see a lot of horses of a certain type worked in one place. You can do a PPE if you’d like. There will be shippers available, too, so you don’t have to worry about transportation. The only caveat is to do your research so you know if the horses at that particular sale tend to sell in your price range.

3. Consider contacting a sales agent (if you can find one in your area). While I didn’t end up buying a horse through the agent I went with, she was very helpful. She made all the contacts, weeded out horses that didn’t match what I wanted, sent me videos to screen and yea or nay them, and arranged days and times for me to try horses. Usually I tried a couple on the same visit. If I ever need another horse, I would use her again.

Good luck and don’t lose faith! Your next great horse is out there, waiting for you.

[rulex]

@IdahoRider

But 7.5 hours when I don’t have a trailer?

This is really the least of your worries as it shouldn’t be insurmountable to arrange a shipper. However you can burn a lot of travel money going to look at horses 7.5 hrs away only to get there and find they are not as advertised.

I do find horse shopping to be just the worst, so can commiserate there.

[StormyDay]

I swear horse shopping is an intelligent elusive creature that knows when you are looking.
Looking for a horse to buy? Suddenly there’s nothing and what there is, is extremely expensive. Not looking to buy and don’t have room in your barn? Every horse is 4-5k and perfect.

[atr]

Sheila, I’m so sorry.

Where are you looking and what are you looking for? I know that you are in Idaho, and I often see nice looking horses (not fancy dressage horses, but all round types) out your way, or at least not that far away, on the KSL.com classifieds.

And no, I shouldn’t be looking.

[applelover]

Dear Sheilah, I am so sorry for your loss. When my first horse was injured and finally had to be retired, looking for a new horse was so hard, partly because I never thought another horse could equal him. Now I finally have my “new” horse and I am so grateful to have been led to him. I ended up looking all across the country and finally found a horse in my budget + shipping to have been worth it. But it took a year of searching and heartbreak over a few who I thought were “the one” to find the one who really was the one…

[Amberley]

Agreed and facebook makes it so much worse as people post teaser ads and it’s not sortable in any way. I often wonder how people who cannot communicate simple information or figure out how a camera works acquired the money to start a breeding program. Or why people who supposedly make their living selling prospects think that size and decent x-rays are trifling resale details that no young horse producer should concern their pretty little heads with.

I do enjoy reading the “why won’t people buy my indeterminately sized horses with bad x-rays that I refuse to answer simple questions about? Who do they think they are??!?” rants on Facebook though. Those are fun.

The people who create and post good ads, are professional and pleasant don’t seem to have these problems. But they are mostly selling going horses, not prospects which I am usually looking for.

[IdahoRider]

@rulex

This is really the least of your worries as it shouldn’t be insurmountable to arrange a shipper. However you can burn a lot of travel money going to look at horses 7.5 hrs away only to get there and find they are not as advertised.

The idea of putting that much effort into even going to try the horse had me stressed. The gas and the hotel and time off from work. I was so anxious.

I think I have been lucky in the past. I have always been able to find local-ish horses at good prices and people happy to haul for the cost of gas. That is not the situation now, for sure. Kind of messing with my head.
Sheilah

[IdahoRider]

@atr

Where are you looking and what are you looking for? I know that you are in Idaho, and I often see nice looking horses (not fancy dressage horses, but all round types) out your way, or at least not that far away, on the KSL.com classifieds.

I am looking for an all rounder (no jumping) that can handle a couple of dressage lessons a week and hacking out (often alone). Age 9-15, some easy maintenance is okay. Safe for a para-rider.

I am down near Boise. I am shocked at how many horses are way, way over priced here.No wonder they have been for sale forever.
Sheilah

[moonlitoaksranch]

I’m sorry about your loss. I had one that survived sinus surgery and then I lost her two months later to colic.

Best of luck to you in finding another friend. I wonder if the economy will favor buyers soon? If you can afford to wait until the fall, it’s always a bit cheaper because people don’t want to feed through winter.

[IdahoRider]

@moonlitoaksranch

I wonder if the economy will favor buyers soon? If you can afford to wait until the fall, it’s always a bit cheaper because people don’t want to feed through winter.

I told my coach that some of these prices make me think the sellers were drunk when they listed the horse. I am trying to be patient! It is difficult to wait.
Sheilah

[Amberley]

The run up in land process since 2019 means that probably half the horse properties near me are sitting empty on the market because no-one can afford to buy them and the elderly owners have let them get into disrepair. I don’t know if it’s the same in Idaho, I would imagine it’s worse, but the lack of places to board or people buying farms is bound to eventually affect the availability of riding horses.

[sparkygrace]

Shop in Canada! You are close enough. Horses are more reasonably priced and there is a great selection. That’s what I did, and I found a lovely mare at a fraction of the price I would have paid here.

[FitToBeTied]

My approach to horse shopping is to let very few people know that I am looking. I usually only tell my trainer and a couple of trusted friends who understand what I do and what type of horse I like. If you broadcast widely I find you have to sort through a lot of nearly dead, severely lame and multitudes of inappropriate horses.

But the first thing I would do is ask what kind of horse do like to ride and what kind of horse can you ride well. These aren’t breed questions, just a good self assessment that will help narrow down the field.

[c0608524]

@Amberley

I do enjoy reading the “why won’t people buy my indeterminately sized horses with bad x-rays that I refuse to answer simple questions about? Who do they think they are??!?” rants on Facebook though. Those are fun.

We have one of those sellers in my local Facebook group right now. Post starts with a “need to sell, lost the lease on the farm”, continue on to describe a lame, unbroken, and/or stallion at a massive price tag that has one extra zero on it, and ends with a nasty sentence about people needing to stfu about the price of them.

I always sort of feel bad for her when reading the posts until they end with her being miserable. I can’t imagine why she thinks she needs to add that part in

[mmeqcenter]

@IdahoRider

Prices are still crazy here. And when I ask how OBO they are looking for when the ad says OBO, I get ghosted or lectured.

Getting ghosted is rude and unprofessional, and getting lectured is weird, but from the seller’s side - this is incredibly annoying. “What’s the lowest you’ll go?” is not an appropriate negotiation tactic. It is clumsy and rude, and it makes the buyer look cheap. You negotiate by making an offer, and the seller can respond with “No,” “Yes,” or a counter offer.
When someone asks me this question, I simply respond with the posted price. With no actual offer made, my asking price is the lowest I’ll go.

Perhaps try asking if they’d take $XXXX (an actual number), instead.

[IdahoRider]

@mmeqcenter

Perhaps try asking if they’d take $XXXX (an actual number), instead.

I think you’re right about making an offer and seeing where that leads. I have a lead on a care lease right now. We’ll see what happens.
Sheilah