Seller’s market?

[PSGdressage]

I saw over in the H/J forums a thread about horse shopping and how difficult it is…(we all know 😬). But, it was mentioned how much of a seller’s market it is right now. I have a couple friends horse shopping at the moment and with good budgets, it is still quite difficult to find good horses.

I guess we are all a bit surprised to see this due to the current economic/political/pandemic situation. But nope! Fancy dressage horses are still a hot commodity ha! Was curious if anyone else had experienced this recently?

[BrokenArrow]

I think the market is always dependant on whether you’re selling or buying.

If you’re selling, it’s a buyers market. No one wants to buy.

If you’re buying, it’s a sellers market. Everything half decent gets snapped up.

You can’t win either way.

[soloudinhere]

A friend of mine who does high end sales, like $80k and up, has sold more horses this year than ever.

My saddle fitter commented that she’s busier than ever because everyone has new horses.

[FjordBCRF]

As a buyer, I was actually not intending to buy this year. I was waiting to finish my MBA first and have my tuition reimbursement money not going in and out of my bank account each semester lol.

Due to covid and a swift switch to what has turned into a VERY long haul work from home situation which further turned into a norm now, it was ideal timing for me so I started looking. I seriously lucked out at every turn; visited the boarding barn I wanted to board out of, found my horse, secured what turned out to be the last stall available, put a down payment on him and had him hauled to me within week and a half. PPE was good and the rest of the money exchanged hands.

For what it’s worth, the seller told me well after the fact (we keep in touch about monthly), there was another potential buyer that was very seriously looking at him too, but I put an offer in first (really glad he didn’t use that as leverage as well!!). He also sold another one that wasn’t even listed for sale from someone who contacted him from my boys sold dream horse page. I was expecting more of what the other post detailed but something in the universe was aligned in my case.

In the other post someone made the every valid comment that it depends on the socioeconomic status of individuals how covid is impacting them, and now many who are financially secure may have a lot of additional time which is the bucket I fall into (with a 4 figure horse budget though haha). I was hesitant to buy a horse when I was working, doing my MBA, have two dogs at home, plus all the house and yard work and social crap. With being able to do work and school both from home and not having to juggle so much other stuff, this was ideal timing for me to at least start looking and boy I’m glad I did! It also was great timing as it really has given me something in my life that I LOVE and a pony to snuggle every day being a lovely distraction from covid and politics.

[FjordBCRF]

As a buyer, I was actually not intending to buy this year. I was waiting to finish my MBA first and have my tuition reimbursement money not going in and out of my bank account each semester lol.

Due to covid and a swift switch to what has turned into a VERY long haul work from home situation which further turned into a norm now, it was ideal timing for me so I started looking. I seriously lucked out at every turn; visited the boarding barn I wanted to board out of, found my horse, secured what turned out to be the last stall available, put a down payment on him and had him hauled to me within week and a half. PPE was good and the rest of the money exchanged hands.

For what it’s worth, the seller told me well after the fact (we keep in touch about monthly), there was another potential buyer that was very seriously looking at him too, but I put an offer in first (really glad he didn’t use that as leverage as well!!). He also sold another one that wasn’t even listed for sale from someone who contacted him from my boys sold dream horse page. I was expecting more of what the other post detailed but something in the universe was aligned in my case.

In the other post someone made the every valid comment that it depends on the socioeconomic status of individuals how covid is impacting them, and now many who are financially secure may have a lot of additional time which is the bucket I fall into (with a 4 figure horse budget though haha). I was hesitant to buy a horse when I was working, doing my MBA, have two dogs at home, plus all the house and yard work and social crap. With being able to do work and school both from home and not having to juggle so much other stuff, this was ideal timing for me to at least start looking and boy I’m glad I did! It also was great timing as it really has given me something in my life that I LOVE and a pony to snuggle every day being a lovely distraction from covid and politics.

[FjordBCRF]

As a buyer, I was actually not intending to buy this year. I was waiting to finish my MBA first and have my tuition reimbursement money not going in and out of my bank account each semester lol.

Due to covid and a swift switch to what has turned into a VERY long haul work from home situation which further turned into a norm now, it was ideal timing for me so I started looking. I seriously lucked out at every turn; visited the boarding barn I wanted to board out of, found my horse, secured what turned out to be the last stall available, put a down payment on him and had him hauled to me within week and a half. PPE was good and the rest of the money exchanged hands.

For what it’s worth, the seller told me well after the fact (we keep in touch about monthly), there was another potential buyer that was very seriously looking at him too, but I put an offer in first (really glad he didn’t use that as leverage as well!!). He also sold another one that wasn’t even listed for sale from someone who contacted him from my boys sold dream horse page. I was expecting more of what the other post detailed but something in the universe was aligned in my case.

In the other post someone made the every valid comment that it depends on the socioeconomic status of individuals how covid is impacting them, and now many who are financially secure may have a lot of additional time which is the bucket I fall into (with a 4 figure horse budget though haha). I was hesitant to buy a horse when I was working, doing my MBA, have two dogs at home, plus all the house and yard work and social crap. With being able to do work and school both from home and not having to juggle so much other stuff, this was ideal timing for me to at least start looking and boy I’m glad I did! It also was great timing as it really has given me something in my life that I LOVE and a pony to snuggle every day being a lovely distraction from covid and politics.

[FjordBCRF]

As a buyer, I was actually not intending to buy this year. I was waiting to finish my MBA first and have my tuition reimbursement money not going in and out of my bank account each semester lol.

Due to covid and a swift switch to what has turned into a VERY long haul work from home situation which further turned into a norm now, it was ideal timing for me so I started looking. I seriously lucked out at every turn; visited the boarding barn I wanted to board out of, found my horse, secured what turned out to be the last stall available, put a down payment on him and had him hauled to me within week and a half. PPE was good and the rest of the money exchanged hands.

For what it’s worth, the seller told me well after the fact (we keep in touch about monthly), there was another potential buyer that was very seriously looking at him too, but I put an offer in first (really glad he didn’t use that as leverage as well!!). He also sold another one that wasn’t even listed for sale from someone who contacted him from my boys sold dream horse page. I was expecting more of what the other post detailed but something in the universe was aligned in my case.

In the other post someone made the every valid comment that it depends on the socioeconomic status of individuals how covid is impacting them, and now many who are financially secure may have a lot of additional time which is the bucket I fall into (with a 4 figure horse budget though haha). I was hesitant to buy a horse when I was working, doing my MBA, have two dogs at home, plus all the house and yard work and social crap. With being able to do work and school both from home and not having to juggle so much other stuff, this was ideal timing for me to at least start looking and boy I’m glad I did! It also was great timing as it really has given me something in my life that I LOVE and a pony to snuggle every day being a lovely distraction from covid and politics.

[FjordBCRF]

Gahhhh, I edited and shouldn’t have!

As a buyer, I was actually not intending to buy this year. I was waiting to finish my MBA first and have my tuition reimbursement money not going in and out of my bank account each semester lol.

Due to covid and a swift switch to what has turned into a VERY long haul work from home situation which further turned into a norm now, it was ideal timing for me so I started looking. I seriously lucked out at every turn; visited the boarding barn I wanted to board out of, found my horse, secured what turned out to be the last stall available, put a down payment on him and had him hauled to me within week and a half. PPE was good and the rest of the money exchanged hands.

For what it’s worth, the seller told me well after the fact (we keep in touch about monthly), there was another potential buyer that was very seriously looking at him too, but I put an offer in first (really glad he didn’t use that as leverage as well!!). He also sold another one that wasn’t even listed for sale from someone who contacted him from my boys sold dream horse page. I was expecting more of what the other post detailed but something in the universe was aligned in my case.

In the other post someone made the every valid comment that it depends on the socioeconomic status of individuals how covid is impacting them, and now many who are financially secure may have a lot of additional time which is the bucket I fall into (with a 4 figure horse budget though haha). I was hesitant to buy a horse when I was working, doing my MBA, have two dogs at home, plus all the house and yard work and social crap. With being able to do work and school both from home and not having to juggle so much other stuff, this was ideal timing for me to at least start looking and boy I’m glad I did! It also was great timing as it really has given me something in my life that I LOVE and a pony to snuggle every day being a lovely distraction from covid and politics.

[joiedevie99]

Yes, this is the best market I’ve seen in a while for mid to high end horses - $50k+. I was shopping earlier this year and it was quite competitive. Several horses were being tried multiple times in the week, and most were not advertised - these were all just word of mouth.

My vets are swamped with PPEs in a way they haven’t been in years, and my saddle fitter is running herself ragged ordering new saddles for all the new horses.

I think the situation is different at the lower end of the market, at least in some parts of the country. I’m planning to put my schoolmaster on the market this fall and am hoping for the best, as he won’t be in the high end of the market.

[exvet]

My neighbor is in the business of flipping reining horses and he’s seen the best year yet with high prices. I didn’t plan to purchase a horse this year but due to Covid, I needed a project - no where to go, nothing to do…but…I found a bargain after looking at a few I considered over priced for their lack of training; so, they are still out there.

[Lunabear1988]

Well unfortunately I’m in the position that I was shopping last year and now I’m shopping again. My budget is 10k and I think it seems like horses are going a lot quicker and for higher prices this year. It does surprise me a bit. And it’s a bummer but I’m sticking it out for now!

[TKR]

What do you think is the best marketplace online for sellers?

[xQHDQ]

How does geographic area play into this? I can’t find anything within driving distance of NJ. With COVID, are people willing to fly? Do they buy without trying? I can see high-end horses moving b/c those people may be more comfortable buying off a video.

[joiedevie99]

@xQHDQ

How does geographic area play into this? I can’t find anything within driving distance of NJ. With COVID, are people willing to fly? Do they buy without trying? I can see high-end horses moving b/c those people may be more comfortable buying off a video.

I think very few people are flying right now, maybe a few with access to private air travel. I last flew the last weekend of February (which was an unsuccessful horse shopping trip). I know several people who have bought youngsters (weanlings to 3) without trying recently, but most people are shopping regionally and trying horses. I set a range of 6-8 hours one way as a max driving distance, but ultimately found two excellent candidates within an hour on the same day and made a choice.

[FjordBCRF]

@xQHDQ

How does geographic area play into this? I can’t find anything within driving distance of NJ. With COVID, are people willing to fly? Do they buy without trying? I can see high-end horses moving b/c those people may be more comfortable buying off a video.

My gelding was a little over 400 miles away. I asked for photos and videos to review with some specific asks before moving forward with my offer…and I took a gamble. I paid some cash up front towards hi purchase prince plus the hauling to my barn with the condition he needed the PPE from my vet and a test ride, and hotel and meals for the seller and his wife to stay overnight.

If something didn’t work out, I would have been out the cash. I could have driven to see him and had a PPE done by a vet in his area, but with covid I didn’t want to drag things out, nor did I really want to make a 14 hour round trip. I also like seeing how they are in a new environment. He checked all my boxes each step of the way, so short of something terribly wrong on the PPE or a really bad personality fit, I was pretty confident he was the droid I was looking for.

[Boomer]

I suspect in my budget <$15k it is always hard to find something good.

I drove all over looking at horses- I live in SC and went to SC, NC, GA, KY, VA, PA… emailed every friend & trainer I knew. They were probably tired of me, lol. Burned up waayyy more vacation on horsey-shopping road trips than I wanted too because of the distances (and I didn’t want to fly).

Did the online search thing… looked at tons of ads, emails, videos, pictures, various breeds… followed leads that didn’t pan out. Looked at so many I filled pages and pages in a notebook to keep up with them all.

Vetted 4 horses before I found 1 that had a few acceptable issues. So far he’s been awesome! Took lots of searching, but they are out there.

[soloudinhere]

@xQHDQ

How does geographic area play into this? I can’t find anything within driving distance of NJ. With COVID, are people willing to fly? Do they buy without trying? I can see high-end horses moving b/c those people may be more comfortable buying off a video.

I “tried” a 6-figure horse virtually over Skype. The seller is a partnership where one half is an average amateur rider and I asked for her to ride while I watched “live”. It worked out, and they now know what I want, so even though that wasn’t the right horse, they are looking for one for me.

[equinelibrium]

In my experience it’s definitely a seller’s market in the lower price range too (under 10k). Had a PPE scheduled for one, and it sold the day before the vet was going to look at it for more than we were going to pay. Pretty sure the buyer didn’t even do a PPE. One horse I inquired about sold within 6 hours of being posted!

[NC001]

@equinelibrium

In my experience it’s definitely a seller’s market in the lower price range too (under 10k). Had a PPE scheduled for one, and it sold the day before the vet was going to look at it for more than we were going to pay. Pretty sure the buyer didn’t even do a PPE. One horse I inquired about sold within 6 hours of being posted!

Exactly what happened to us this spring

[cheektwocheek]

I ended up with a PSG schoolmaster, sight unseen and older than I had wanted. I was willing to take a chance on him due to Covid and not wanting to travel. He is beyond perfect for me, although a schoolmaster is not always an easy ride.