I am guessing ego.
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I talked to her about it (since my first thought was also OTTBS) and she worked with a vet when she was younger. I guess that in that practice there always seemed to be a disproportionate amount of OTTBS with injuries/bad genes then any other breed. In her opinion, an OTTB is a medical gamble she just can’t take. She will look at non racebred TBs though.
Thank you you everyone who has given answers.
Yeah, not a huge TB fan myself…as a group, they just aren’t what they used to be. But if that was a route I needed to go, I’d look for the “war horse” that raced for years and stayed sound vs. raced lightly or unraced.
Or buy. weanling warmblood if there is something else available to ride for a couple years.
I found the ones that look like QHs tend to do better/stay sounder but that’s just my personal experience. Easy keeper OTTB=healthy OTTB 
She has a horse who is going to age out on her in a year or two, so a two/three year old could work and I have seen ones that are in her range at that age. Her worry over this though is that she is definitely an Ammy and temperament is #1 quality to her.
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They are out there! For me, the beauty of warmbloods is that the bloodlines can tell you a lot about what you might expect. They are all individuals, I know…but I bought an inutero with bloodlines that screamed ammy-friendly and great jumper and - surprise, surprise- that’s what I got!
There seems to be a disconnect between “I want a 1.20 horse for 4 figures” and “OTTBs are a medical gamble I can’t take”, seeing as it seems any horse already going at 1.20 or ones that have the true potential to go there at that price may have some hidden soundness issues, hence a firesale price.
I agree that looking at a baby would be her best bet - this is fairly contingent on her ‘eye’ for spotting good qualities in a young horse though.
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Words out of my mouth. If you want a horse to jump that height with but you only have 4 figures your only options are babies or horses that cannot pass a PPE. That’s really it. Especially for warmbloods and even then most warmbloods that are talented and can’t pass a PPE will still be in the lower 5 figures.
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If a buyer wants a quality equine athlete at a bargain basement price, one has to look in places that other buyers are not looking. If you are wanting to buy from a sport specific breeder, with a manicured barn and a full time gardener with proven sport bloodlines, you are going to pay a premium price for the horse you buy. Which is fine, if you have money to burn, and believe that the more you spend, the better the horse is. If you are looking for a bargain, you must look in less likely places, “the road less travelled”. The classic answer is the racetrack. Yes, there is soundness risk involved- there always is, no matter where you are shopping for your new horse. If you can not accept risk, you can not buy a horse. There is no such thing as a guarantee of success when purchasing a prospective equine athlete. A buyer must choose their risks, and accept them in such a way that they are comfortable with the purchase. It’s a bit like buying a lottery ticket, but a good eye for a prospect can raise the expectation for success.
If your friend is considering a young prospect, and is OK with TBs if they have not been raced, one option to look at is the TB yearling sales that take place around the world at this time of year. A buyer must have enough experience to be able to tell which yearlings are going to be sold cheap, which families and bloodlines are currently out of fashion. Yearling sales usually have a “knock down price”, a minimum bid where the auctioneer starts. Often, this is $1000, but will depend on the yearling sale. To bid, you will usually need to register at the sale office beforehand, and have acceptable funding available. Some yearlings will be passed out of the ring with no bid. These yearlings are often for sale at the barn afterwards for a “best offer”. If one of these “no bid” horses looks suitable, they can be purchased directly from the breeder or agent when they are returned to their stall. If this option is appealing, it is best to NOT mention that your plans are NOT to race the horse, because this IS what they have been bred for, and breeders would normally prefer that they DO race, to prove the pedigree’s value for the next year’s foal crop. Selling the yearling to you would be a complete failure for them, and they often won’t, if they know.
Repurposing horses from TB race breeding, whether or not they have been raced, is the classic option for buyers looking for a bargain. Successes in past decades are legendary and numerous.
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If she looks out west in Canada where prices are lower and the exchange rate is in her favor, she should be able to buy a high quality WB yearling for that price. If I really wanted quality and was patient/not in a rush, I think you could go that route and end up with a pretty nice horse after putting time and money in. I hope she has a good eye for choosing horses young though! What seems like a great jumper prospect may turn out to be a hunter or a dressage horse.
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Another option depending on how ready she is to make a decision fast is the Fall Classic Sale in Olds, AB. It should be coming up in the next couple of weeks I think. Lots of young prospects that can go quite cheap. Especially this year with the crappy hay situation!
ETA: Link to the horses in the sale - https://www.fallclassicsale.com/horses_by_lot_number.php
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GraceLikeRain’s advice is very good. As she points out, if your friend can increase her budget some, she’ll have more options. I’ve seen going 1.20m jumpers (usually OTTBs, usually older but with some good years left) advertised in the $15k range.
To address your friend’s concerns re OTTBs, I would advise she look at well-restarted OTTBs, not fresh off the track. If they’ve already been consistently doing a new job for months or a year, and are good and scopey jumpers, then the soundness concern isn’t really any different than it may be for a WB (and you can usually find out more about an OTTB’s soundness history by looking at their race record, if they have much of one). Also, a lot of the good restarters will have already had bodywork done on the OTTB, which means you have a better idea going in what the horse’s physical issues may be (as in, not unsoundnesses per se, but weaknesses/ which areas tend to get tight or sore–every horse I’ve met has these and I like knowing what they are!).
The horses I’ve seen being advertised in her price range are often TBs lacking a consistent lead change, are too hot for hunters, or maybe being sold by an eventer as they don’t love XC. They won’t have much of a show record, and are probably still a little green and/or a little quirky, but have enough of a restart that she would have a good idea of what she’s buying. Freejumping over a big oxer may be an option to assess scope and bravery.
Dream horse on a budget …. why they call it a ‘dream’ horse! :lol:
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Sure there are lots of TBs with soundness issues - but the same is true of WBs. Racing is tough on a young horse. Doesn’t really mean anything about the breed. Your friend should consider re-thinking her resistance to them - instead, look for ones who have been let down a bit so she can assess soundness without the residual body soreness of being directly OTT (and hopefully after their feet have been addressed :)) Then vet the prospective critter well - xray feet, joints, back, neck.
that’s the way I’d go, in friend’s shoes. OR look at a more “off the wall” breed or cross (I personally adore Morgans and would snap up a nice Morgan cross in a heartbeat).
She’ll likely need to find a horse under 3 or over 15 (with maintenance) with that budget. It’s possible but not probable.
I bought that exact horse about 2 years ago. She’s an imported warmblood but was 17 and a hard ride. She requires hock injections and monthly Pentosan to keep her comfortable over the bigger fences. I bought her for mid 4-figures and she’s just as talented as some of the upper 5 figure horses in the barn; just older and quirkier. She’s not a typical “ammy friendly” ride but nothing she does is dangerous. She’s just very hot and sensitive which I’ve learned to love about her.
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Yeah weird about the medical gamble. A horse that jumps that height even if it is sound and passes a ppe is inherently a medical gamble. Even if the horse is sound you should be spending money on maintenance, adequan and stuff like that. Also I feel like in general TBs can function better with little problems than warmbloods because they’re usually lighter. I’ve known plenty of young warmbloods that hadn’t even jumped very much that passed ppes that were train wrecks soundness wise so it’s always a gamble. I’ve seen plenty of train wrecks regardless of breed tbh. I think if you find a nice athletic horse in that price range you should take it and be happy whatever breed it is.
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Any horse anywhere is a medical gamble!
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I agree to look in Canada – also maybe event horses (although they are usually TBs)
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Canada…(with a quick stroll through the Alberta classifieds) Beautiful multi ring mare for sale. Excellent kids or smaller adult mount. 2013 grey warmblood mare with a great start to her showing career in dressage, hunter, and jumper rings as well as completing a George Morris clinic! She has been ridden by multiple kids at pony camp and has schooled to 1.20 with adults and 1.15 with two 13 yr old students. She is currently competing up to 3’ in hunter or jumper rings and training level dressage. She is extremely bold in any ring and not spooky. She has schooled x country up to 3’ with water ditches and banks. NO STOP or run out in this mare. Asking fourteen thousand. Located in morinville.
http://avinedaforsale.weebly.com/
Shes listed at 12k CAD, which is about $9 US
I will be the oddball and say it’s possible. My gelding fell into my lap, all the stars aligned. He was by the stallion I bred my mare to, but we didn’t get a foal. He had just turned 2, his sire was Hanoverian and dam was a huge Appendix. He isn’t registered, but he’s a gelding, so… She wanted 5k and we negotiated down to 3k. I drove 2 states away to get him. He has been amazeballs. He’s 5 now, I started him and trained him myself, and he’s exactly what I wanted. We are now refining his changes, jumping 2’6 courses, he’s done horse trials, trails, he’s totally chill, and 17 hands of awesome. I wouldn’t sell him, for less than 30k today. It’s taken 3 years, but his potential is there to be an A show horse. He might not win a hack, but he’s no slob, either. His brain is the best you can ask for, never, EVER stopped at a jump. I know what a unicorn he is, and I am very lucky to have found him before someone else did.
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But OP wants a 4’ jumper. How is a 2’6 hunter really equivalent to a 4’ jumper? There are way way way more horses capable of 2’6 than 4’.
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