Is his name Marvin, by any chance?
No not Marvin!
Yes, I love seeing a TB go for a decent price, he is a nice one. So sorry OP missed out on this one but I would contact his trainer and ask her to keep you in mind if something similar comes along.
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I kept trying to find reasons to tell you not to pay $40K for a TB…but for that one, I probably would too! You have an excellent eye.
It really does seem like a seller’s market right now.
It seems so. Kind of counterintuitive for what’s happening in many sectors of the economy.
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For what it’s worth people buy sight unseen from overseas ALL the time. We have 4 imports in the barn from the same seller (we work with Martin Leh at Equisales) and all have been worth the buy. We’ve had people try horses in person and even be permitted a trial and then ultimately have them not work out after purchase. So do what feels right, if you like one that’s far away and feel confident about it and the seller, go for it.
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It is 200% a seller’s market, it’s insane! I just finished horse shopping and it was not fun. Most of the ones I liked sold within 24 hrs or less. I ended up buying a 2 year old to get the quality I wanted in my budget. I was also at the point where I was looking at horses anywhere, and would have bought sight unseen for the right one.
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Just wanted to pipe up with my general thoughts on buying sight unseen.
Buying sight unseen is worth considering if:
- You can afford to make a mistake
- You have (or could have) more than one horse
- Ideally, you keep horses at home, so if you buy a lemon, it won’t cost you an arm and leg to keep until you can rehome it
- You are a very experienced rider/horseperson to whom “chemistry” doesn’t matter much (ie you can ride anything)
I personally am a one-horse ammy who boards out. I have to be extremely cautious about what I buy, because a bad choice could halt my riding career. To a middle-aged, intermediate ammy like me, chemistry is beyond important…and I must sit on a horse to know if it’s there. I’ve been horse shopping so many times to find out the horse(s) I thought I loved didn’t feel as I had predicted.
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^ This is me. I adopted/bought 8 mustangs from BLM’s online auctions this year…and if they do not turn out to be good mounts, by the time i turn them out with my herd, they’ll be tame enough to be caught, haltered, vetted and get hoof trims, and can spend the rest of their lives in relative freedom. But, i think out of the 8 of them i should be able to turn one or two into a good dressage horse.
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This is going to be what convinces me to buy an OTTB unseen, uffda
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I bought my last 2 essentially sight unseen. Rising 4 yo OTTB gelding in late 2017 that I’ve been bringing along. Bought him off 4 photos in a 10 minute decision. He’s gorgeous, with the best canter I’ve ever ridden and a temperament that I can put practically anyone on him.
I like him so much that I stalked his only sister out of the same dam, and bought her last month at 5yo based on grainy race videos. I didn’t even have a single conformation photo for her. She’s equally gorgeous, sweet tempered, really nice mover and braver than her brother, probably the eventer/jumper that I want as opposed to her brother who is better fit to hunter/dressage. Once I have her re-muscled and more weight? I think she’s going to be a jaw dropper.
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How have your experiences been working with Martin? Does he arrange local vettings, or do you have someone there you trust?
He arranges everything. If you’re interested in a horse that he has, he has most likely already had it fully vetted with pictures. He shares the vetting and images with us, we share it with our vet. Our vet responded with additional requests and he had the new images we wanted back to us in a day. We have never had anyone on the ground with him in any part of the process for all four of the horses we have purchased. We have requested additional video of some of the horses before (can you show us the horse interacting with kids on the ground or with a kid on its back kind of thing) and he turns those requests around as quickly as he is able to.
We have found he is as transparent as he can be depending on how well he knows the horse based on how long they’ve been with him. Our pro is not the type to sugarcoat or mince words and that seems to work well with him. He has not been interested in speaking directly to the amateur client with 348783967 inane questions. I think his view on that is he’s already told the professional everything he knows about the horse and answered all the important questions, if the client doesn’t want to move forward with the sale he’ll find someone else. It’s very matter of fact, he’s not inclined to hold anyone’s hand through the sale. Our pro has handled the communication with him but I am sure he would also work directly with the serious amateur buyer.
Seems pretty reasonable. Thank you for the thorough response! What types of horses does he tend to specialize in (discipline, price range, etc.)?
That would be me too, but with so few eventing horses available right now I’m seriously considering buying from Ireland or Germany because it’s either buy a lame or untalented horse in the US, spend 60-80 for a talented one with some miles, get a started 4-5 yr old with good jump talent from Europe for $40-50k or go without - I have been shopping for almost 6 months now and can’t find anything.
I hate having to take the risk. Hate, hate, hate it. But I’ve already spent $5k+ traveling around the US and vetting horses here (and one in Ireland) with nothing to show for it.
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He does hunters, jumpers, and eq horses. He covers a range of budgets and includes import costs in the price tag (and arranges the whole thing from point A to point B). I’ve seen horses started at just under $20k import included from him and then the sky is the limit of course. He is pretty good about working with you, for two of ours he was told a budget and what the person was seeking and got back to our pro when he had something he thought was a fit.
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That’s awesome. Thanks for the info!
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I do it several times a year! I bought my first import through Martin, although he was not in his barn. That horse has won everything including a small junior championship at Harrisburg. However prices in Europe have changed drastically. I buy when I find a specific horse I love, but they usually need a year to fully settle in and fix any issues, even experienced 1.40 horses.
So my advice is, if you like TBs, do that! This one may be sold but I can point you at one that is 17 hands and has been in a top program for 2 years with great show ring experience. I don’t own him but I tried to buy him before I bought my last import and at the time he was not for sale (boo). My best aa jumper was a tb and I know a couple of TBs that show regularly at the big shows and win. There aren’t a ton, but I think that’s because a lot of tbs don’t go to top programs. The thoroughbreds are easier for me to ride but it’s hard to find a great one because so few people produce them.
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I bought sight unseen for my daughter (well videos but no sitting on him). Horse was across the country… that said, the trainer that had it we have a close personal relationship with AND it was cheap enough that we could take the risk. Was love the minute she sat on him and we still have him 3+ years later. I think the key is that she’s a good rider and knows her type of ride, as did this trainer, and we could trust him.
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https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOKGaGkr1LmyepH2YvKKPcNOO7vAH7HCp_tv5dZRCnbn91W_71_Kinty28KMoYpnA/photo/AF1QipM5YWzgCIU-7cRLDpXagM_sVH_gQL4vjBut-VeX?key=TVI3X0txQWZkZEo0c3hGYl9tald1ZlNTX3ZrVEF3
This is one of Martin’s. He turned 5 this very weekend. 1st weekend doing Baby Green’s with my trainer and my 61 year old self doing the Intermediate Adults. This horse has been amazing! Bought sight unseen at a $ I could not match in the US.
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