Oh no! That was my last trainer! My current trainer immediately helped me get rid of my last two horses and has known me for quite a while. He is considering horse #2 simply because he knows I have the ability to handle him and because he personally thinks its the better horse, but he does agree I fit 100% more with horse #1
1 Like
I would go with horse #1 in a heartbeat. If you buy horse #2, you are essentially buying a horse for your trainer to ride, as that is what will happen, at least for a while. This sport is way too expensive to buy a horse that doesn’t make you feel safe or happy to ride.
As for the “aging horse” concern, where I am there is a huge market for older horses that have had to step down to the lower fences but are still sound and have a kind personality. They are perfect for beginner/novices to buy or lease.
1 Like
I sold her of course. She became an eventer.
2 Likes
Hey guys! Quick update, (I am way too often on here XD) so I can finally bring him home but I asked once again for the price (just to confirm) and it seems that the owner rethought his price… I mean I can still afford it thankfully but it seems to high for me so dumb question how do you guys price your horses?
How much should you price a horse like him? What would make a horse expensive/not expensive? My hony (finally found out what that meant lol) I priced him a bit high but he is a national champion and my trainer helped me price him but now i have no idea how pricing works to be honest
Generally people base their prices on what comparable horses sold for plus how much they think this buyer will pay. They may or may not be expecting the buyer to bargain and the seller may or may not be taking a commission from the owner. Also in cold climates at least people will sell cheaper in the winter.
At the more expensive levels I think pricing is… impressionistic. I mean is any given horse worth $50,000 or $40,000 or $60,000?
Horses are each unique luxury items, like artwork, and the value of a horse, like the value of a painting, is exactly what someone will pay for him.
4 Likes
Wait what? People sell cheaper in winter? How come?
The first time I asked the price, over a month ago almost, I was told he was 30k, now its 35k but I’m not sure if he’s worth that much or not but I’m pretty new at this so I wanted to ask for some advice on here.
Because in cold climates it costs more to feed, people can’t ride much, and there are no local shows.
3 Likes
For horses of this caliber and price tag, would the seller allow someone to try and set up a course of jumps at the heights the op is interested in (down the road) to see whether or not the scope is there to go higher/faster?
1 Like
Sometimes the price goes up if the horse is in training and achieves a new milestone - moves up a division, confirms its changes, becomes more broke/ammy friendly, etc.
4 Likes
Ah ok. Gotcha. Hadn’t thought of that!
Thank you! Between this & the OP’s other threads & needing my reading glasses to figure out the rigging in the picture of Horse #1 – the safe option – OP would be better off with a woman or older man. I don’t think this trainer is bad. I just get the impression he has absolutely no clue how much stronger an adult male is than a teenage/early 20’s woman. The whole riding culture in Mexico/Latin America strikes me as being more masculine & aggressive in general, based on what I’ve seen.
4 Likes
I dont want to kill your buzz but 2 things stood out.
1 ) Your trainer and the owner are good friends.
2) The owner now knows you really, really want this horse.
You’ll have to decide for yourself if you want to take the risk of losing this horse but i would not go from 30k to 35k.
Unless this horse went to a show and did really well and the owner now has multiple offers I dont think the horse suddenly improved all that much.
If you feel it’s too great a risk I understand. I would counter offer at say, 31K. And go from there. But ultimately its your decision.
I personally dislike this kind of horse dealing. I know the seller is in the business of selling and not a charity and it is his horse, but even if I liked a horse and could afford the increase, i dont like being treated that way.
Good luck. I really hope you get this horse.
10 Likes
Oh no, my current trainer isn’t the one that used to throw me into courses and tell me to hang on. That was my old one, a young woman who honestly made me cry daily. My current trainer is an older man who helped me out a lot with a current horse when I first got to the barn. We used to crash into 90cm jumps and we became champions that same year.
You are right that in Mexico the riding culture is a bit aggressive but I promise it isn’t as bad as some people think it is.
Also, question, what is rigging?
The horse and rider have still been competing and recently they entered at the 1.20, mostly to see how he’d do to see if he’d make a good horse for the 1.20 and up, and he won all 6 classes of 1.20 he went into but since I don’t have much experience I’m not sure if thats a good reason to raise his price or not ;-; Is it normal to raise his price after something like that?
2 Likes
Yeah, that would be a reason to raise the price.
6 Likes
Do you think its way to expensive for a horse like him? I don’t know much about horse prices but I feel its a bit high though I’ve seen 90cm show jumpers go for up to 40k
Yes. I can see the price rising. And the seller getting multiple offers.
However, from 30K to 35K is a big jump imo.
I freely admit that I know nothing about evaluating the value of show jumpers . You need some experienced advice on what is reasonable and when the price is too high.
Good luck.
2 Likes
Thank you, yeah I’m in the same boat XD Pretty new at buying and selling and since I’ve seen horses i personally think are pretty meh go for almost 50k I have no idea how to value horses.
And I think the fact that the owner actually wasn’t selling the horse and just decided to sell it to me also affects it a bit. Originally the owner wanted to keep him and just let me ride him after a bad ride trying out a different horse at the same barn and I just fell in love so thats probably why he might be pricy
A horse is worth what someone will pay. His demonstated experience level changed from when he was offered at 30k till now. He won all the classes at the new level, showing he easily has more.
1 Like
If you really want this horse and I can see why you do, then make a counter offer above the original 30K and see what the seller says.
I dont think it an insult to make the seller a counter offer since it is above the original price .
The seller can accept your offer or counter again.
I would also say dont wait too long because the more this horse shows the higher the price and the more offers the owner will get
That’s the risk.
I dont want to steer you wrong or confuse you. I hope it works out for you
3 Likes
