Am I naïve to think a 3 foot jumper should be attainable for a four figure budget? Back in my day (I am old) a 3 foot jumper had no value as jumpers started at 3’6", but it seems now they are worth a fair bit even at 0.85m. Seems crazy to me as pretty random horses can jump 3 feet. SO if your budget was mid-high four figures, where would you look for a 0.90m jumper prospect? (and don’t say the track. I have yet to find a horse that raced locally that will come close to passing a vet check).
I keep an eye on these horses for sale, because I’ll be buying one in a few years when my guy retires.
Based on what I’ve seen, you really cannot find a quality 3’ jumper for four figures (assuming you don’t want to buy one off the track). Not at all. Maybe not even as a two year old.
I’m thinking I’m going to need to budget for at least $20K. But then again, your area is more affordable than mine (at least it was when I went horse shopping there 15 years ago).
I personally don’t like TBs because I’m not talented enough to ride them! But as for soundness, I definitely have seen ones vet relatively well off the track. If they’ve only had a couple starts, there’s not much mileage on them.
For a while there, the pendulum swung dramatically towards hunters/derby horses and the jumpers were cheaper. Now I think it’s starting to swing back the other way, and once-affordable jumpers are no longer.
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It might depend where you live. An old trainer of mine has one that’s easily done the 3’ schooling jumpers well within your budget. But for her, there’s not value in jumpers until you get to the Low Adult heights, which is 1.0-1.05m in Michigan. Also, she’s an OTTB. And a mare. etc etc. They have plenty of C and B shows with jumpers, but they get C and B show prices. I’d have bought her a year ago if I could afford board down here.
Here in NC and surrounding states I see plenty in the high 4’s. But again OTTBs, old, quirky, or maxed out. Warmbloods, even babies, start in the 5 figures, and only seem to go down if they can’t move them. It seems that a lot of people who are selling the 3’ jumper assume they have scope for more and price them accordingly.
My best understanding is that it costs so much to campaign a horse now, combined with so many buyers expecting that show record, that a four-figure budget doesn’t cut it for a lot of sellers. Plus the economy is good so the horse market is up. There is a recent thread about finding a local-circuit (VSHA) hunter on a budget where many folks recommended appendix or other non-WB breeds as potential good options. Or looking at older horses, if earlier retirement is something your buyer could arrange? There is such a steep drop-off in prices as horses hit the mid-later teens and they can be such great teachers. . .
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A horse with a healthy show record at 3’, and/or currently competing at 3’, safe for an amateur, and still on the younger end of the age spectrum (<12 years) I would expect to see in the $12k-20k range assuming it basically tops out at 1.00m. If it has the ability to move up, the price would increase considerably. Occasionally I see an ad for one in the four figures, but as others said, they’re thoroughbreds or OTTBs, or an older horse stepping down.
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How about looking at a non-traditional breed like an AQHA or Anglo? You might be able to find something that has some experience at breed-specific shows that isn’t priced like an A-circuit horse.
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You can get OTTB that flunked out of racing so early it didn’t have time to get injured.
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I would look at County-level shows, or the equivalent in your area, and the trainers who populate those shows. I’d look in the generic sale horse websites and Facebook groups that are similar, maybe covering a geographic area. You’re going to see a lot of horses of various disciplines. Maybe even do an ISO in some of those Facebook groups or look through posts from people doing an ISO for something similar.
Here’s one example local to me.
https://www.dreamhorse.com/ad/2132909.html
My experiences with OTTBS that flunk out early are either A) they are insane or B) already unsound! Trust me I have two 😂 one of each.
Even those nice AQHA/APHA that might be jumping around the 3 foot are easily 12k and up. I think ones that fall in the 10k and under are either quirky, need maintenance, or have no record/formal training.
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Or C) just really slow and not worth campaigning - plenty of those around too or D) trainer is getting out of the business so horse didn’t flunk necessarily . Sound and sane are definitely common issues, but far from the only ones.
ETA - also back in the day .9m wasn’t a division. Now it is. Thus, there is more value.
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Interesting point. OP, when you say 3’ jumper prospect, do you mean a true prospect, like no or little show record at that height but expected to be capable? So per the above a nice AQHA/APHA/appendix/Anglo prospect might be within range, whereas we know the WB market starts too high for your budget.
Well if you think pretty much anything can do the job, buy whatever you can find for $2500 (you should be able to find a young greenbroke QH cross type if you’re not fussy about size/color/gender) put six months training on it and you should be good to go. But if you want it to have a show record and be ready to go in the ring with an amateur rider and be young and pass the vet and not be TB, good luck.
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Are you looking to bring one along or buy one with good mileage? Two very different price ranges 
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Absolutely. I still think it’s turns a lot of people off from TBs, especially ones directly off the track. Lots of nice ones without a race record.
When did .90 become a division? I haven’t shown in a million years and when I was I was going lows/and or modified. (Or maybe it’s bern a division for forever, I just don’t pay attention)
Even novice level event horses go for a pretty penny.
Unless it’s young and TB, off breed (Arab, QH, etc), or old with maintenance needs you’re not going to find a 3’ horse for 4 figures.
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.90 is the low children’s/adults. It’s been a division for the past 15ish years.
Got it. Wasn’t aware that was the height for the low children’s/adults. Makes sense why the price for a horse is in the 5s.
This is zone specific. As I mentioned, in Zone 5, the low C/A is 1-1.05m. Which is why 3’ doesn’t mean as much in their jumper market.
I think it depends what you mean by prospect. I’m helping with a youngish OTTB mare that flunked out of her first race at age 2 and had several years to grow up. She is fast enough in the pasture and definitely sound and sane. A real sweety. But no idea what she will jump like so no idea if she could legitimately be called a prospect. I don’t know what my coach paid for her if anything. She is just being restarted under saddle now.
If by prospect you mean something that has shown the ability to jump three feet already that’s another matter.
Lots of people like to pick on the hunters for offering lower and lower divisions but I was quite surprised that most of the Alberta A shows offer heights much lower than 0.90m. They seem to fill so I guess it makes sense from a show management perspective.
To answer the OP I would say no not really. I would bet that you’ll have a very, very hard time finding a horse that is somewhat sane and that will pass a PPE for under 10K.
Especially if they have the potential to go higher than 0.90m.
10k is the average price for a warmblood weanling in Ontario. Re-started ottb’s, older horses with maintenance issues, and horses with training holes would also fall around that price point.
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