Are you looking for a hunter or an equitation horse? It’s not completely clear.
If your goal is to do the 3’6" eq, not sure why a top mover is necessary.
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Doesn’t need to be a top mover but a decent mover…if that helps. Equitation is really what I’d like to do but dabble in the hunters…so no it doesn’t need to do the 3’6 hunter but yes someday I’d like to do the 3’6 eq. In the back of my mind I’ve contemplated going to Europe with someone who knows the business over there - but it just seems like a lot and who knows if it’s worth it??? Anyone have a comment on time and money doing a European trip to get something you can’t afford here?
I think the “very good mover” bit is where you are going to see the price go into the 6 digits. I know of someone who recently bought a green but kind/attractive horse who was doing the 3’. Horse was $75k and definitely not a “very good mover”.
My own horse fits your criteria, minus the rated show record. He’s a hack winner in top company, jumps anything, a bit quirky but basically anyone can ride if they can put their leg on occasionally. He’s absolutely a 6-figure horse.
Any reason you’ve got your heart set on a top mover when your plan is to do the EQ?
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This thread has been on my mind.
If one can take a hit on the “very good mover” (in fact, I’d almost argue that a dressage mover =/= very good mover for H/J), an event horse or jumper lacking scope or XC bravery would definitely be a mid-high 5 figure option to do the Eq. With the right brain, of course. The event horse would also have a lot of the test buttons already installed (aka less time spent teaching them, more time spent learning the horse and showing). The changes would be the only thing that might be sticky, but those horses are almost always auto over fences.
Now brb to go window shop event horses with the Eq in mind…
What you are looking for is doable if you drop the “top mover” requirement, and are looking at younger horses (8 is not young for what you are looking for).
Europe is pretty clued into what Americans are looking for in terms of hunter prospects-- especially once you factor in travel, shipping, etc., it’s hard to find a “crazy good” deal.
As someone else mentioned, if you’re looking for something with a dressage start, you might find something over in event land that fits your budget.
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Decent mover…is fine. Where do event people list horses at these days?
Facebook, mostly. Tons of groups to join, if you can weed through the spam.
Worth a trip to Europe to save money?? I don’t have a lot of extra time (and money for that matter) so it would definitely be a PITA but I’ll figure it out if I can get a nice horse for less…anyone gone over and it’s been worth it?
You can potentially spend a little less in Europe but it will still be hard to find one that checks all your boxes. My friends there complain about the lack of suitable horses for what you are looking for. They were still on the upper end of mid-5s a few years ago before import costs. But you might find greener and dressage started for less. Again the good ones sell super fast so it is hard to plan in advance for your trip. Even auction prices for the more experienced horses are pretty high these days.
I got a not as good a mover but otherwise similar type (eq type who does well enough in the hunters, has a lot of flatwork/dressage buttons and can do some eq) from Europe a few years ago through a good connection for a steal. He did take some “Americanizing” though. He got hurt and I tried to find another one just like him, and it was impossible without spending a ton. And even if I wanted to spend more, difficult to find good options. So I wound up with a 4 yo prospect instead.
Perhaps reach out to people like Courtney Cooper and Pippa Moon, who sell event horses but frequently have some that are suited for the other disciplines. Courtney Cooper also has an import business.
I would also consider going down to Ocala when the WEC summer circuit starts up. End of winter circuit there would have been a good time to catch sellers willing to negotiate, but my sense was the market was pretty flooded this year and there may be a decent selection still there. Put an ISO post in the FB groups like WEF WEC and HITS Community and WEF WEC HITS Venice Horses for sale with the dates you are going and your budget range, and you may find that people send you some good options. There will be some that don’t fit at all, but you can weed those out and line up the ones you want to see. Also, I’d probably drop your movement requirement out of anything you post, and just weed out the videos you get to the ones that are not offensive movers and otherwise fit your criteria - any time you say you want even a decent mover or piece of the hack, it’s going to cost more.
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This is great advice. It’s pretty easy to weed out movers you don’t like from video, but just saying the words “hack” or “good mover” will have a nice premium slapped on a horse.
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I agree the above is great advice and very helpful… the Europe part is interesting…
I don’t think Courtney’s horses are going to be cheap. She knows what value horses have in the hunters, even if that’s not her primary market. She does have a good eye though!
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unless OP has an established relationship with a breeder or broker it is not likely that they are just going to wonder upon a fantastic deal
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Not to mention that it’s SO SO easy to get scammed in Europe if you try to go shop without a good broker/trainer who maintains relationships with farms over there. I’ve seen it happen to good, knowledgeable horse people.
Sale barns are there to make money, and a random, one-off American is quick cash to them (or, similarly, a way to offload a horse they’d never otherwise sell). Very different from a repeat customer or one with some pull. Best case, you get a decent horse but at a markup vs what it is actually “worth”. Worst case, you get a different horse than you have a vetting for, or it’s neuro/lame off the plane.
Not to say you can’t wing it, or take a knowledgeable person, but I’d be VERY cautious- and personally would just pay someone who goes over there enough to know what’s what.
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back when horse slaughter for human consumption was legal here when as horse was not cooperating with its training I often told it (the horse) if it was interested in a one way trip to France since American Airlines was flying the meat to Paris
Usually 40k for a “starter” prospect in our experience.(Europe shopping).
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I now know of 2 horses sold in FL that had microchips that didn’t match the passports. Please do your diligence with a PPE and have those checked first. Now these horses that were 60k are of unknown parentage. Don’t believe first then verify. Have your Vet scan and match everything before the PPE starts.
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