Sadly, yes! Had a few that I was interested in get sold because the other buyer offered more than asking. I had severe sticker shock :eek:
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It’s not easy, is it!? Horse shopping is a process…don’t give up, and don’t rush into anything because the process sucks. Just stay the course and you’ll find the right thing.
I would just saleability in mind, then. Don’t line up a whole lot against you. If you do OTTB, then make sure it’s a decent sized, nice moving, bay gelding with a great mind and no jewelry. But I’d look for non-TB breeds too. There’s some cute diamonds in the rough out there, some nice appendix types. Buy brain - safe, easy, quiet. I think that’s what tough about OTTBs is that they can be hot and tricky.
And start to wrap your head around the idea that even when everything is perfect, things can happen and we can get stuck with them for longer than planned. Whether it’s the market or an injury or just some unexplained phenomenon when it doesn’t for any explainable reason…you could get stuck with something for longer than you want. That’s the horse business. So if that makes you totally freak out, maybe consider a lease or holding off. Otherwise, just start to prepare your brain for that. Expect and prepare for the worst, and you’ll be much happier.
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I am going to go out on a limb here- but if you have asked for advice in several different posts and you are still contemplating it, I think you know the answer. You said it was a smaller brown mare, not real special looks wise, but seemed to have a good brain? I think you should open your search and try other horses. If you are really attached and you can’t seem to forget this horse then buy her for you and your daughter and have fun with her. Don’t even put her future sale into consideration. If you and your daughter have fun with the horse and she is a good citizen then she may be able to get sold eventually to the right family that is looking for that type of horse.
I think you have gotten really good advice on both of your threads. I think you need to listen. Good luck and have fun.
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That mare sold before I pulled the trigger. Lesson learned :(.
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I had a friend (talented adult amateur) pick up a plain brown unraced TB that was a good mover with a cute expression and a nice square hunter jump for about $3k as a 3-4 year old and put around 2 years on him, including show miles at the 3’ at some area rated shows and then sold him for $21k (marketed for $25k expecting to be haggled down). In our local market he did well enough at shows to warrant that price tag. She did a couple national derbies on him too and narrowly missed the ribbons, might have been 9th once. So it wasn’t without investing some money into his record but the way we look at it, she planned to own and show regardless, we see that as sunk costs in the process.
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I don’t know why anyone ever shops for a horse in So Cal, it’s such an inflated market. We can’t quite get a foothold in it because the prices don’t match up nationally, and then you add in hauling and it doesn’t make any sense for non-west-coasters to shop there, no matter how nice the horse is.
But the inverse works great for So Cal buyers that shop the midwest or even east coast, as the inflation in their market is far greater than what it costs to travel & ship from back east. Even in the 15k-20k range.
Of course, whether horsey will happily go from overnight turnout in a Virginia field to 4 hours a day in a Los Angeles “sun pen” is a whole 'nother matter :lol: Knowing that heading in could honestly explain some of the price inflation.
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I think at the end of the day the most important thing is to not buy a horse unless you REALLY like the horse. Who knows what will happen down the road but I think buying a horse with the outlook of not wanting to get stuck with it kind of starts off on the wrong note.
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This is good advice for everyone. Any time I’ve bought a horse strictly for resale, without having at least a bit of a crush on the animal, it has turned out badly.
If I’m crying while I load the horse on the trailer to go to his new home, then I know the experience was a positive one.
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Let me throw this out there…
There’s show miles and there’s Show Miles. Who will be putting show mileage over at least 2’6”into the horse? You or your trainer? If so will the quality of the riding add value with no misses, crisp lead changes, primary colored ribbons and some tri colors? That would be Show Miles and those, indeed, can add value…unless you spend more on training and Pro rides then you can get back out of eventual sale price.
However if all the show experience it has is over speed bumps with average skill and mediocre results? Those show miles add very little to value and you will spend more on training and going to those shows then you can recoup if you cannot get most of the job done on your own.
The way to make any money in horses is to do the majority of work yourself and either sell it within a few months after just some groceries, polish and basics or keep it at least a couple of years and get Show Miles in higher level competitions. Not meaning rates, just bigger regional type shows with good completion.
Your time frame of a year starting with an OTTB for an “ investment’ project is a very difficult time frame for an average Ammy with average skills and budget.
Breed doesn’t matter as much as type, type, type, size and the reputation of the person riding and training it. I mean, do you know a lot of people who paid what you are imagining you can get for a similar horse? Would they come to you or your trainer looking for one? That is often why you hear about prices on the higher side, who has been in the irons and who is presenting the horse. People with a history of developing sale horses who go on to success for new owners will get higher prices then others and they are your competition for the same buyer.
Save up and buy something you really like for the long haul, not a resale so you can put your “profit” into a better horse.
Agree looking at an Appendix type for more bang for your buck and a softer landing for your wallet. And keep it a couple of years.
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My friends just paid $30k for a 3’ OTTB, early teens, local show record only but super cute mover and really cute jump.
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yeahbutt if it’s a teenaged horse, it’s got many years of training on it since leaving the track, is proven safe and easy at 3’ and has obviously been going sound at 3’ for some time. It’s not a one year track to show ring “investment’ project.
Thats the kind of finished horse nobody cares much about the breeding on. Even then, if if was a WB, the price would have been higher.
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I just paid $15,000 for an OTTB here in Southern California too, and he has limited show miles! But he’s a cute mover and has huge potential in the jumpers plus he vetted clean. That price is pretty standard in Southern California. (BTW…he’s a 16.1 bay gelding with nice markings, so he checked all the boxes mentioned above!)
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It takes a special horse to make it in SoCal…LOL! I blame Hollywood!
I will third this. The nicest animal I ever owned was an off the track Appendix QH. I got him when he was still green (8, but over fences less than a year) but the folks who started him plucked him out of a field for next to nothing and sold him for mid five figures. Too slow to race (had the tattoo and everything!) but WOW was he something in hunter Land - plain Bay but hack winner every time. And looked just like a WB. You might want to see what you can find in the Appendix world.
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It actually was an investment horse - it had some training, the trainer got it for a screaming deal as it had been off the track for some time, trainer put some local show miles on it, leased it a bit to cover the carry cost, brought it up while it was being leased and then sold it. Not all investment projects have to be a turn and burn.
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My race bred appendix qh has been mistaken for a warmblood more than once.
This is true. I actually think part of the markup in California is related to soundness challenges. A lot of vet checks from Europe of elsewhere are fine for the east coast where the ground is so much softer. With the drought conditions, the ground is just so unforgiving so the feet, coffins, naviculars have to be absolutely perfect. And even then, your nice import might be tripping a bit the first few months as he acclimates.
I just spent way more on a 6 year old here than any young ones I tried in Europe. But he has fantastic big feet, perfect xrays and most importantly, he grew up here and is used to the climate. I also had 5 horses fail on xrays in a row. I was getting desperate! I think those sunk costs on vet checks that fail kind of make their way into selling prices when people are ready to move on from the horse. But I could be wrong.
Completely agree. A teenage horse that is safe and easy at 3’ with plenty of miles to prove it, could go for 30K regardless of the breed. However, safe, easy and proven 3’ takes more than a year to produce.
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A good horse is a good horse no matter what the breeding. I had an OTTB that I got later in life but his history speaks for itself. He was an awful racehorse. Raced 3 times dead last all 3 times. Bought and trained for eventing. Was the number 1 horse in area 1 at Prelim with a 12 year old riding him! So that means he could put down a really nice dressage test, 2nd level and jump around 3’7" XC and Stadium. He had shown to Intermediate with success also… He cost a pretty penny. He would have been a lovely Eq horse not hunters but certainly could do jumpers. He was forgiving and a true gentleman.
Next horse also an eventer but a Trakehner. Also evented to intermediate with a pro but is a training level packer. Could dressage and jumpers too. Liked XC too much though to give it up!
The breeding did not get the prices their records did. If a horse is doing the job that’s what’s important. They were both mid 5 figure horses in their prime.
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Well now it is 2022. The horse market last I checked has been more pricey. And remember eventers are often partial to TBs.
