I’d look in the ‘failed western horse’ market. I have a failed barrel racer who is constantly impressing me with how wonderful she is. I got her for a steal because she wouldn’t run the barrels. At least when I lived in Washington state, the English horse market in Idaho/MT/eastern WA seemed to be extremely expensive because there wasn’t a lot of horses despite the demand.
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A care lease is a GREAT option!
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When I was selling a mare, the prospective buyer asked if I’d take $500 less to pay for the PPE. Um, No.
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Yes, you are asking the seller to negotiate against themselves. I have (rarely) been offended by a genuine offer to buy something, but “what’s your bottom dollar?” gets blocked.
I know it can feel awkward because “OBO” can mean they are willing to go down $50 or knock half the price off - but I think you are less likely to offend people even if it’s a lower offer than they want.
To the OP - so sorry for your loss. Sounds like you are already doing this but I would definitely try to work any and all local and personal connections. Sometimes people will take an opportunity to move a horse along into a good home even if they weren’t planning on listing it publicly.
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If your price was low 4s I can see this being a Hard No.
But 5s & up, it sounds reasonable.
At least to me 
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Personally I’d be more miffed about the “to pay for a vetting” than a genuine lower offer (unless stated the price was firm). Sorry, vettings are optional and a part of the cost of horse shopping.
I don’t care for sob stories trying to get a lower price. I don’t believe them, and more than that if $500 is the difference between buying the horse or not… what about shipping? Or gear? Or that inevitable colic scare two weeks in? Just offer what you want and let me/the seller decide. A small percentage off (like $500 off $20k or whatever) makes me wonder if this is a good home rather than “every little bit helps” style of haggling. But that is me! (I also hate haggling, I’d rather pay a bit more to get out of there and be done 
)
I’m all for making genuine offers on horses. You don’t know unless you ask, and sometimes people are ready to just be done with the whole thing and you get a deal. But don’t waste people’s time!
Not that I think OP was doing all the above. Just expressing a general peeve.
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it was mid 4s is a closer assessment
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I think asking a seller to come down on price so you can pay for something else (PPE, transport, etc.) is silly. It’s not the seller’s problem you’re looking at horses out of your budget, so telling them something like that is bound to get a “Uh wut” response. Why bother telling the seller a reason and creating the weird vibe? Just offer the lower price, period, negotiating is normal.
Exactly!
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when asked that I always added at least 10% to original price, even more if I did not like the person
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savage. Love it
Years ago we had a small moving sale and my type “A” self spent hours putting price tags on all of the items. Inevitably, someone would pick up an item and ask " how much do you want for this?" I told them the price on the tag. “But what is the lowest you will go?” I told them the price on the tag. I’m not here to haggle over a $3 item. You either want it or you don’t. No skin off my nose.
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Sheila, I’m so sorry to hear you lost your boy. Fingers crossed this care lease is exactly what you’re looking for. 
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If you aren’t looking for something super tall - maybe check out some mustang groups. I see a lot of cute, all around types for way less than other breeds (and many seem to do well in lower level dressage). They do tend to be in the “hony” size range of 14-15 h (but thick). Generally easy keepers, low maintenance and easy going.
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This whole process has been difficult. Max showed signs of the sinus infection the first week in March. Put him on strong antibiotics and he was great after a couple of days. Continued with the full course of antibiotics and within a few days of finishing he started with the nasal discharge. Took x-rays. Did surgery and it went really well. And then four days later his face blew up and he had pus coming out of everywhere. The pressure from inside even popped the surgical staples out. I euthanized him that day.
I was devastated. Still am. I will be 62 next month and I know objectively that my riding days are numbered. I miss riding. I miss being at the barn. I miss thinking about training. My tack is all in my closet now and when I ever I step in there I smell all this good quality leather from the saddles and I see my bridles hanging up and I just feel like I am losing a very important part of myself.
I look online at sale ads and want to fix this hole in my life. I did not have the best childhood and one of the biggest ways I kept myself moving forward was knowing that someday I would have a horse. And one day I did and I have never looked back. So I think I am mourning Max, who was a very, very good boy, while also feeling like something has been ripped away in a more universal way than losing Max in particular.
Sheilah
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I’m so sorry that you had to go through all of this. Big {hugs} - and wishing you well on your search, I hope you find your next “best boy” - hang in there, and good luck!
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When I was looking, I had just about run out of horses in my price range. I started to consider ranch riding horses. I figured that I could take one of them, put my close contact saddle on, and have a horse that had a simple disposition that I could enjoy w/t/c. A qh, paint …that has an uphill body - and go from there. I didn’t get to that point, but I was close. I too did not want to source all over the US and other parts of the globe.
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Max was my first AQHA. He was an out of work racetrack pony horse. He tolerated dressage and had a lovely walk-canter transition. His real joy in life was just clip clopping down the road. Nothing phased him. Ears up, head down. We just walked on and watched the world go round.
Sheilah
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I mean this in the most sincere way possible: I understand.
There have been many times in my life when I knew that the only true thing keeping me tethered to this world was my horse. Swinging my leg over the back of a good horse made all the ugly, bad stuff in my life disappear. It refreshed my soul.
Don’t give up on filling that hole in your life. While you’re searching, I’d suggest riding whatever nice, safe horse is offered. It will remind you why you’re still, and will always be, a horsewoman at heart.
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Wonderful post, I completely agree
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Nothing made me feel poorer than horse shopping in 2025. I did end up buying a lovely horse. He had a few small things on the vettings, all things my vet and I are comfortable maintaining. If his vetting was perfect there is no way I could have afforded him. I’m very happy with the outcome, but I was starting to feel hopeless before I tried him.
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