I apologize that my original post disappeared when i tried to edit it, but the issue isnt finding something in my price range, but more so if i want to take the plunge now and get something unbroke since thats whats available, when its been years since ive broken something myself, and partially just bitching about how much horse prices have jumped in the last few years and wondering how much longer ill have to wait to get back into ownership if i chose to wait and save more for something broke.
I will check for draft rescues though thankyou.
inexpensive horses are out there but they are not Ready to Ride,
For a person wanting a horse doing a specific task very well then there will be a cost. That cost is whatever some one is welling to pay. These days there are a LOT of people with more money than sense willing to drop a huge hunk of money for a horse they want.
We have never paid more than $5,000 for any horse, most have for some reason been $3,000 or $3,500. We usually do not sale any but have been offered absurd amounts for horses we were not going to sell because the horse knew its jobs and that person wanted that horse.
Everybody has different expectations and limits. You pay for the training, experience and years of vet work that has gone into that horse, not the horse itself. It is still a crap shoot BUT a well known, verifiable history lessens the risk of heartbreak. Many people will spend up for that.
IMO , increasing costs are making it difficult to keep any horse and the lower end of the market is taking that hit and shrinking.
2 Likes
Itâs been years since you broke something out, youâre keeping horse (and I hope at least one other) at home far from professional help, and Iâm going to assume that sending said horse out for training should you hit a snag is likely to be out of the budget?
I would not do this or suggest anyone do this. Itâs totally fine to take risks - heck I bought an OTTB sight unseen on a whim - but one or two risk factors is plenty. It sounds to me like the entire plan is a BIG risk in all directions - new property, small budget, life upheaval, lack of professional help, lack of unrusty recent experience.
Wait. Save up. Take some lessons when you can, make a plan, start making your property safe and truly ready for horses. Do you have a budget for the second horse? A mini or a donkey require different infrastructure from a regular horse, if you were planning on that. The neighborâs horses (if they exist) probably wonât be enough companionship. Do you have a round pen or arena to break the horse? Safe places to tie and work them? Truck and trailer if itâs clear youâll need to haul to vet and farrier until you can build those relationships? If not, start putting all that together while you save up for the horses.
The âlow endâ of horse owners - aka your average person - is being priced out of the hobby rapidly. It costs me just over $1k a month PER HORSE to feed, trim, vet, and house them, and my board is barely above the % of the mortgage it costs to have the space for them. Horses come straight off the track for around $4k, anything less is a fire sale or has something VERY wrong with it. You can still find safe, sane, broke older horses for around $5k that would be fun to putter around on and decently sound. Get your ducks in a row, $5k in the bank and some extra for vettings, and a little bit more for blankets/shots/gear. Then go shopping - itâll be FUN rather than stressful and discouraging.
7 Likes
I would wait, try to be patient, and also just let people know you are out there. For your situation a horse stepping down might be better than a young horse, and if you are known as reliable and safe and caring you may be able to find a friend-of-a-friend horse that needs a new situation without a big purchase price, maybe even a free lease situation.
A green horse takes so much time and energy and also IME often a backyard situation is a little dicey for them. You donât have help on hand to assist you with difficult moments (just even dumb things like someone to hold or feed treats while learning that theyâre afraid of the hose), you donât have an all-weather arena to make sure the horse is ridden every day, and you donât have lots of other horses around to help them feel safe. If you need a pro youâre going to have to haul out those hours and thatâs even harder than just going out for a riding lesson on the weekends⊠and thatâs assuming the baby horse doesnât forget how to self-load on the trailer.
6 Likes
Keep an eye on Kijiji if you donât already, particularly northern BC. With the auctions finding they need to charge people to send their horse to auction, there are some decent horses going for less than usual in that area. Good luck finding something!
