How is the horse market?

[adelmo95]

Just wondering how other people are finding the horse market right now. I will keep this extremely vague as I am not trying to turn this into an ad…

Have the nicest pony project of any of the ponies I have worked with over the years and not a single email about him. Just wondering if I am doing something wrong this time around with marketing him or whether things are just really SLOW so curious to know other’s experiences.

As reference my last pony project took her new kid from intro to winning in the FEI pony division with scores high enough to be FEI high point at the show and this current pony has more natural ability than that pony had.

[Frosty_M]

IMO, sales of anything go in cycles. You’re probably coming into the market at a low cycle. The one thing that always pays off in sales is persistence. Keep at it and when the cycle turns over you’ll have buyers coming out of your ears, clamoring for your sweet, well-trained pony. Keep us posted and don’t give up.

[Malda]

You can only sell what people want. My pony is just a trail pony and I’ve had him for sale for several months and not a single inquiry. It’s definitely a seller’s market right now, so I keep listing him and hoping for the best.

Good luck to you.

[Tom_King]

At least I haven’t heard of anyone waking up in the morning, and finding new horses in their pasture, like a few years ago.

[moving_to_dc]

I hope it’s good… This is an ad that was just posted on my local Craigslist: “In search of broodmare for FREE or very cheap - one of my mares cannot be bred this year so I am searching for a replacement. Would prefer a Thoroughbred or APHA - papers preferred but not necessary. All other breeds are welcome. Age, color, height doesn’t matter. Can be pasture sound only! Please email me with description and at least one picture. I am in a desperate search since it is very late in the season. Thank you in advance”

Sounds like the making of a fugly-horse-of-the-day…

[Lady_Eboshi]

From what I’ve seen in the Northeast, prices are running high at the sales right now for ordinary riding/camp/pet type horses and ponies. As in, $600 range on up for something with 4 legs and a tail that you ~might~ be able to sit on, without a guarantee of soundness. Even minis are bringing more than $450 at auction, so if you want to exclude the KB’s I’d go $750.00 and up on CL.

Someone in another thread posting from Oregon said even the chased-through prices are running relatively high out there.

The GREAT HOLE IN THE MARKET is people who can get a horse from unbroken yearling to ammie-friendly 4 year old that someone wants to buy. Buyers want push-button, not something they have to know how to train.

[LauraKY]

[QUOTE=moving to dc;8203241]
I hope it’s good… This is an ad that was just posted on my local Craigslist: “In search of broodmare for FREE or very cheap - one of my mares cannot be bred this year so I am searching for a replacement. Would prefer a Thoroughbred or APHA - papers preferred but not necessary. All other breeds are welcome. Age, color, height doesn’t matter. Can be pasture sound only! Please email me with description and at least one picture. I am in a desperate search since it is very late in the season. Thank you in advance”

Sounds like the making of a fugly-horse-of-the-day…[/QUOTE]

Or a kill buyer ad. They have a great secondary market going now for the suckers who believe all those horses are going to slaughter if they don’t cough up “bail.”

[LauraKY]

[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;8203245]
From what I’ve seen in the Northeast, prices are running high at the sales right now for ordinary riding/camp/pet type horses and ponies. As in, $600 range on up for something with 4 legs and a tail that you ~might~ be able to sit on, without a guarantee of soundness. Even minis are bringing more than $450 at auction, so if you want to exclude the KB’s I’d go $750.00 and up on CL.

Someone in another thread posting from Oregon said even the chased-through prices are running relatively high out there.

The GREAT HOLE IN THE MARKET is people who can get a horse from unbroken yearling to ammie-friendly 4 year old that someone wants to buy. Buyers want push-button, not something they have to know how to train.[/QUOTE]

Kill buyers actually buying to ship to slaughter rarely pay more than $150. If they pay more than that, it’s for resale with the threat that the truck is coming.

[quietann]

I think the market is better now – especially for ammy-friendly, “packer” types or any horse with a “great brain.” Some buyers don’t seem to get this in that they want something very specific (color and/or breed, trained the way they want for a specific discipline while also being “versatile” and a “great trail horse” etc.) and ready to go do what they want to … for $5K or less. Not happening, at least not in the Northeast.

My filly’s breeder is having no trouble selling her babies before they are weaned, mostly to adult ammies, based on her reputation and her care in matching foals to buyers, as well as the wonderful training foundation all the foals get. A lot of them get their first few rides done by their owners, though most will send them to a trainer for “refinement.” She had 5 foals this year and 4 have sold. But this is probably the exception, not the rule, and buyers have to accept “losing” money on their purchases because of the several years it takes them to go from baby to under saddle.

[LockeMeadows]

[QUOTE=LauraKY;8203255]
Kill buyers actually buying to ship to slaughter rarely pay more than $150. If they pay more than that, it’s for resale with the threat that the truck is coming.[/QUOTE]

You are flat out wrong on this one. Last month at New Holland, unbroken, fat QH’s were bringing $800+. Most ended up at a kill pen in Shippensburg PA. Every single one shipped to slaughter. Rescues are not prepared to deal with 1,100lb horses that are barely halter broke.

Back in Sept when we picked up my personal horse at the kill pen, there were over 350 horses there that Monday. That Wed, all were gone except for the few that had been bailed and were waiting on their transpiration. Out of that 300, Coast To Coast had bailed 3, HORSE had helped rehome 14, and the rest SHIPPED. Yep, over 300 horses between Monday and Wed. There were 50 gallon barrel FULL of horse shoes. Those shoes are not pulled if the horse is bailed - they only pull off the horses that ship to slaughter. About 500 horses leave WEEKLY that ship directly to slaughter from this feed lot. WEEKLY.

Please, if you don’t personally know these kill buyers, see what they are paying at the auction, and see these horse actually ship, don’t spread false information. It helps no one.

[LauraKY]

[QUOTE=LockeMeadows;8203279]
You are flat out wrong on this one. Last month at New Holland, unbroken, fat QH’s were bringing $800+. Most ended up at a kill pen in Shippensburg PA. Every single one shipped to slaughter. Rescues are not prepared to deal with 1,100lb horses that are barely halter broke.

Back in Sept when we picked up my personal horse at the kill pen, there were over 350 horses there that Monday. That Wed, all were gone except for the few that had been bailed and were waiting on their transpiration. Out of that 300, Coast To Coast had bailed 3, HORSE had helped rehome 14, and the rest SHIPPED. Yep, over 300 horses between Monday and Wed. There were 50 gallon barrel FULL of horse shoes. Those shoes are not pulled if the horse is bailed - they only pull off the horses that ship to slaughter. About 500 horses leave WEEKLY that ship directly to slaughter from this feed lot. WEEKLY.

Please, if you don’t personally know these kill buyers, see what they are paying at the auction, and see these horse actually ship, don’t spread false information. It helps no one.[/QUOTE]

Animals Angels says you’re wrong. $150 tops for slaughter. Anything else gets bought for the secondary market. I think I’ll believe Animal’s Angels.

[Malda]

The kill buyer stuff worries me. I really hope my pony doesn’t end up there, but once he’s sold there’s nothing I can do. He’s had a good life and is very trusting.

I’ve noticed a huge jump in horse prices in the past year. Some people are even re-posting their horses for sale at higher prices. One person seems to have started it and now they’re following along. At this rate I can’t afford to replace my pony.

[LookmaNohands]

I think the worst thing that you can do to your horse is not train it. It makes them destined for slaughter especially if they are older. It isn’t the only thing, of course but it makes them more likely to have a bad end.

[IronwoodFarm]

Dressage ponies are getting more popular. I would network to get the right market. I have found sales to be good IF you have the right horse, the right location and the right level of training. Short is harder to sell, green is harder to sell, no show record is harder to sell. I focus on an adult market, not kids even though I sell a “pony” breed. The adults are willing to spend more money on themselves than on a kid’s mount. The exception to the rule would be hunters, where the right kind of pony packer will sell for a fortune.

[dangerbunny]

I think that is a very open ended question. It really depends on the area, horse, training, price range and marketing.

If I had a horse that wasn’t getting any inquiries I would look at where I had placed the ad, multiple websites and listing is best. Then look at the ad, make sure I had great pictures and video showing what the horse could do (everyone asks for video now) a well written ad detailing specifics. Is your price range reasonable? Can you get the pony out to some shows for local exposure?

[DressageFancy]

I would like to say that the market also depends on where you live. The horse people in this area still want the western/english 4-H and open show horses. Around here the backyard horse market seems to be hurting as just not enough younger people can afford any kind of horse. And the show horse market—they want nice horses but, there are just fewer people in the shows so smaller market there too. I would say open your market area up to sites that are of a wider marketing are. And realize that people are taking longer to think out just “what” they want in a horse so really play up all the best points of your pony. Change and update photos on your adds often. Good luck finding the right home for him!

[adelmo95]

Ironwood thanks for the comments, I hadn’t thought to look towards the adult market more than the kids one. I knew hunter ponies went for crazy amounts and have sold one of my past projects to California as a hunter pony in the past but this pony is not going to be a top hunter pony (beautiful dressage movement, definitely not hunter). He is everything you would want in a pony and everyone at the barn I am at has fallen in love with him, unfortunately no one is in the market for a new pony at this time…

I think I may have been too vague in my initial post as I didn’t want to turn it into an ad. Not wondering about the not halter broke, fugly horses likely to go to slaughter I am more curious about the trained, ready to step into the show ring type of market.

I am located in Alberta and had figured that with the way the Canadian dollar is that it would be easier to attract American buyers as that was the case the last time the CDN dollar was this weak. I have the pony listed on the warmbloods-for-sale.com website, any other suggestions for good sites to list him on?

Thanks

[quietann]

[QUOTE=LauraKY;8203285]
Animals Angels says you’re wrong. $150 tops for slaughter. Anything else gets bought for the secondary market. I think I’ll believe Animal’s Angels.[/QUOTE]

I’m going to side with LockeMeadows here. There is NO secondary market for a barely halter broke, 1100 pound QH except slaughter, especially not when you can get a trained one for $1000-2000 (or less in some areas.)

I do agree that prices have increased a bit for horses known to have a secondary market, e.g. in breed-specific rescue. Morgans are a good example; the auction prices at New Holland etc. have crept up maybe 50-75% over the past few years as there are at least two rescue groups in the Northeast… but some DO still ship.

[Malda]

Definitely consider targeting the adult market, especially if he would be good for dressage. It’s easier for an adult to show a pony in dressage than jumping.

If you’re on Facebook try joining the Pony-owning Adult Support Group. It would be a good place to advertise your pony for sale.

At my age (51) I prefer ponies, especially for trail riding.

[red_mares]

If you’re pony was black, not perfectly conformed, road safe, and not especially for sale, you’d have people beating down your door in NE Indiana. Mom’s had bunch of offers on her driving pony. It’s kind of funny, because the pony is fairly ordinary.