[QUOTE=back in the saddle;5924801]
NOooooo!! Seriously? The auctioner should be wearing a suit and tie at the very least and make an attempt to play the part of upper crust gentleman if it doesn’t come naturally. Seems quite obvious to me.[/QUOTE]
I don’t know how this auction was presented, but in the past, that has been the case.
I do believe the same group has been running Pony Finals Auction though, and that usually does quite well ??
The Spotlight Sale at Chestnut Lawn Farm has been handled by Eurosport Auctions. Jeff Marsh is hardly a “western” type. He has a wonderful knowledge of sporthorse bloodlines and you get an education at his auctions.
Having gone to high school in Herndon, VA with the PAS auctioneers, I don’t recall any Western twangs. We were in 4-H together and they did ride in the Western classes, but they run a good many auctions every year and their business is expanding. I don’t think their success comes from being hokey.
I suspect the major challenge with the auction is 1)bad weather and 2)a shaky economy.
[QUOTE=IronwoodFarm;5925012]
The Spotlight Sale at Chestnut Lawn Farm has been handled by Eurosport Auctions. Jeff Marsh is hardly a “western” type. [/QUOTE]
Jeff Marsh is absolutely the Country boy, western voice, country, “boy howdy” twang, western mannerisms, and lingo. I have sat thru many of his auctions and much of the bloodline stuff he says is not even true. He would often mix up horses and riders, sires, and accomplishments. I have seen so many eye rolls by people who did know when he was going on.
PAS auctioneers are a bit less of the Western type than Jeff.
They would be more likely to have a successful auction with a European, or Sotheby’s type voice. Somebody you would hire to sell fine art, not a rodeo bronc or cows.
People judge a lot by what they are hearing, and hearing a country/western twang is not giving the “elite” buyers confidence in the “art”.
An auction is a public game for status.
Our buyers flock to Europe so they can feel they are getting a European product - a fancy import, and sold by a European they can have confidence in. The more we simulate the experience, rather than just the horse, the better it will do.
An auction is a public game for status.
[QUOTE=Fairview Horse Center;5925120]
Jeff Marsh is absolutely the Country boy, western voice, country, “boy howdy” twang, western mannerisms, and lingo. I have sat thru many of his auctions and much of the bloodline stuff he says is not even true. He would often mix up horses and riders, sires, and accomplishments. I have seen so many eye rolls by people who did know when he was going on.
PAS auctioneers are a bit less of the Western type than Jeff.
They would be more likely to have a successful auction with a European, or Sotheby’s type voice. Somebody you would hire to sell fine art, not a rodeo bronc or cows.
People judge a lot by what they are hearing, and hearing a country/western twang is not giving the “elite” buyers confidence in the “art”.
An auction is a public game for status.
Our buyers flock to Europe so they can feel they are getting a European product - a fancy import, and sold by a European they can have confidence in. The more we simulate the experience, rather than just the horse, the better it will do.
An auction is a public game for status.[/QUOTE]\
I completely agree with this. An auction is a theatrical production that is staged to wind people up and get them bidding on the product. Jeff is a great auctioneer for the western horses, but absolutely the wrong one for sport horses.
[QUOTE=YankeeLawyer;5924803]
In fact the Washington International Horse Show has been taking place all week about an hour from the auction. But If anything I think that hurt the sale.[/QUOTE]
An hour away is forever away. Who at the show is going to drive back and forth? No one.
Needs to be at the same venue. Same show. Then, those exhibiting and/or spectating WILL show up for the sale (and better yet, can find time in their daily schedules to go look at and evaluate the horses prior to the sale). And drag their clients or trainers over to see them as well.
A lot of this seems like good old common sense to me.
Don’t schedule an auction when a major horse show is going on unless you’re at the SAME VENUE as the horse show.
Use someone that can showcase bloodlines and horses.
Sounds like a great opportunity for a new start up business.
OK, lets try a list
Needs to be a a venue that is close or the same place as many people with a lot of money to spend on sporthorse prospects (show/fancy benefit, entertaining exhibition, etc)
At a time when those people are bored and looking for something fancy to do while at the venue (audience to include area for Benefit dinner = $200/plate?)
Needs wait staff and fancy tables, champagne, etc.
% of sale price to go to MUCH loved charity/fund?
Ability of horses presented during the fancy dinner. (play higher and higher with a single jump for jumping horses? Trot lengthenings for dressage horses?
Needs to be a comfortable temperature
Need auctioneer with European accent and/or a very cultured voice.
People need to feel excited about paying a LOT (bragging rights), not getting a bargain.
Another venue may be to do a sale in conjunction with the inspections - like Hilltop - do an east coast and west coast sale and maybe in the middle
Several years ago, they did do a similar sale in conjunction with Upperville-it was about 20 minutes from the show grounds, after the days’ events were completed so that people could get to the venue in plenty of time. Jeff was the auctioneer and we were in much better financial times-it still was not good, more no saled than sold. I just don’t think people are really open to auctions in this country. I have been to many that Jeff hosted, probably the best results were the Graf Bae sale (18-19 years ago??). Franky, it has to be done differently to gain the effect of being done, “right”. I think if they did do something at WIHS it just might be the right way to do it, just don’t know that location logistics in DC/timing, etc. would work since the schedule for the show is constantly filled throughout each day. Best idea I have heard yet.
Have to say though, yesterday’s weather was a huge factor anyway. I was out running errands and it took me twice as long to get things done even though the roads were not that bad. I would not have gone to look at horses, bargains or not.
Wha it needs is breeders who are willing to hold back a few or just one of their best horses/foals specifically for the auction.
[QUOTE=Fairview Horse Center;5924763]
That was also a problem with the Chestnut Lawn auctions. Maybe a Boston accent would be better? ;)[/QUOTE]
hmm. Jeff Marsh is from BOSTON,VA.
LMAO
But I’ll bet you knew that.
[QUOTE=back in the saddle;5925621]
Wha it needs is breeders who are willing to hold back a few or just one of their best horses/foals specifically for the auction.[/QUOTE]
Several have done that over the years.
[QUOTE=S A McKee;5925629]
hmm. Jeff Marsh is from BOSTON,VA.
LMAO
But I’ll bet you knew that.[/QUOTE]
Yep! :lol: Too bad not the needed “Boston accent”
[QUOTE=Fairview Horse Center;5925630]
Several have done that over the years.[/QUOTE]
Caannna (sp?) has sent nice horses and they’ve sold for nice $$. Others had too high reserves IMO. And the big big breeders have never sent anything. I’ve watched a few of these over the years.
[QUOTE=back in the saddle;5925621]
Wha it needs is breeders who are willing to hold back a few or just one of their best horses/foals specifically for the auction.[/QUOTE]
Why should breeders subsidize these sales? I’ve watched this happen year after year after year… Do the math. I figured it would cost me $3500 in entry fees, video, xrays etc., before the sale even started. Then add a total of 17% commissions (10% on buyer’s side and 7% on seller’s side). Even with a reserve in place, the no sale fees make this cost prohibitive. No thanks…
Sheesh… I didn’t realize it was that much. I obvoulsy wrongly assumed it was just the commission fee and maybe the cost of a stall/shavings. Yea… why would anyone do this? The auction needs to give some kind incentive to get it going well.
Well if you got tanked up on champagne that tuxedoed waiters were pushing and got to hear some foreign accented auctioneer (preferably one you couldn’t understand too well) – then you would just be bidding like crazy and those costs would just be eaten up by this wonderfully jolly setting. Everyone knows that Germans know far more about horses than us dumb Americans. In fact, their horses are so much better that we should just buy imports. Now that I have seen the light, I am going to stop breeding immediately.
My experience is that a good many horses at sporthorse auctions get sold as a result of the auction. It may not be in the auction ring, but the exposure at the auction can lead to sales afterwards.
[QUOTE=back in the saddle;5925979]
Sheesh… I didn’t realize it was that much. I obvoulsy wrongly assumed it was just the commission fee and maybe the cost of a stall/shavings. Yea… why would anyone do this? The auction needs to give some kind incentive to get it going well.[/QUOTE]
A dear friend of mine had a horse in this sale. At the end of the day, she would have been better selling her very nice, young warmblood horse (lightly started, lovely hunter type and movement) off her website for $3000.
Over the years, I’ve seen more breeders walk away with little to nothing and some who didn’t even break even, and this was before the market down turn.
[QUOTE=Bent Hickory;5926008]
A dear friend of mine had a horse in this sale. At the end of the day, she would have been better selling her very nice, young warmblood horse (lightly started, lovely hunter type and movement) off her website for $3000.[/QUOTE]
This is gutting.
I am not selling youngsters any more. I sold two recently - fortunately to lovely homes - but am done dealing with wackado buyers. No amount of money would make it worth dealing with those people, and certainly not the amounts involved with respect to youngsters.
I did the one put on by this same group at Dressage at Lexington this year (big show, so that didn’t help that much). Was a total waste of money for me and way too expensive. I NSed my horse. On line bidding failed which really hurt some of the horses including mine who had an interested person in NC. Seems like too many technical glitches to really bring this up to modern standards. And it was VERY expensive.
I think people here go to auctions expecting to get a bargain price for a great horse (I’m probably just as guilty of that as anyone) and you just can’t sell your good horses for those prices, market or not.
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