Ugh horse shopping

[Alterubi]

I’ve been shopping for going on four months now and have generally been underwhelmed by what’s available in my area. Admittedly I have a modest budget (low five figures) but I’m not looking for a unicorn or an Olympic level horse either.

There have been a couple of options that made me think “That one could work”, but nothing that’s gotten me excited and thinking I’ve found my forever horse. Not sure whether I need to settle, or keep waiting and hope that with spring there will be some new possibilities coming on the market.

Anyone else tired of horse shopping?

[Madison]

Horse shopping is one of those things that seems like it should be tons of fun, but actually isn’t!! But do NOT settle for something that isn’t a good match. Make a list of “I will not buy X” criteria so that you don’t let your lines in the sand slide! I looked for 6+ months and tried 23 horses before buying one, and compromised on greenness, so it really can take a while to find the right one. But the best advice I was given when passing on one I Tried was “better to be disappointed now rather than sorry later!”

[SnortyPants]

Five figure budget = modest??! :eek: I’m from the land of rehabbed OTTBs so to me that’s a considerable sum! As you have the means it might be more worth your while to take a few days and fly out to a barn/sale in a more concentrated area where you can try many horses in one place. Not sure if you’re working with a trainer or agent but a good one can take a bit of the leg/guess work out so you’re only seeing good prospects in person and has a network of horses that might not be publicly listed.

As Madison mentioned, sometimes it’s worth trying greener than you originally sought…I’ve found the most rewarding experiences with youngsters who improve every time I sit on them vs. a more jaded veteran that might initially be better suited to plug and play competition.

[IronwoodFarm]

It is unclear if the budget is modest or not given that the OP did not say anything about her intended use. She’s looking for excitement in her purchase and suggests there are a number of hopes and dreams attached to the future horse. I do understand the position of “I’m spending a lot of money for me, so I want my socks blown off by whatever horse I buy.” My experience is that it takes longer for these types of buyers to find horses. Nothing wrong with that.

[OneTwoMany]

@Alterubi

I’ve been shopping for going on four months now and have generally been underwhelmed by what’s available in my area. Admittedly I have a modest budget (low five figures).

There have been a couple of options that made me think “That one could work”, but nothing that’s gotten me excited and thinking I’ve found my forever horse. Not sure whether I need to settle, or keep waiting and hope

Consider drawing up a list of “must haves” and put that on the left hand side of a sheet of paper. Next draw up a list of things that “would be nice to have” and put that on the right hand sheet of the paper. Fold your list in half so you are viewing only the “must haves”. Rewrite the list so your “must haves” run from most important to least important. Now try shopping for horses using this list. Look at horses that have the potential to tick the most important “must have” boxes. Reevaluate the list periodically and adjust accordingly. Your budget is likely to be at the top of the list of “must haves”. However, with a bit of time and contemplation, somethings on the “must have” list may become less important like breed or height and open up a greater range of possibilities.

I agree with an earlier poster, if you are in an area that seems to have few suitable prospects, consider a trip to a prospect-rich area. Network with horsey friends for leads. Cast a wide net. Join FB groups and consider asking your trainer (if you have one) to post some ISO ads.

In summary, if your search is very narrow; i.e. “must haves” list is long or you limit the geographic scope of your search, you may inadvertently exclude completely suitable horses that would get you “excited”.

[Palm_Beach]

LOL my modest budget was low four figures. It taught me how to train. OP, I think you should be able to find a really nice horse with your budget unless you don’t want green. And yes, winter is awful for shopping for both horses and houses. Hope you find what you want soon!

[Alterubi]

Oh the horse world is a funny place. My budget gets laughed at for either being too low or too generous! It’s like there are multiple alternate realities and I’m clearly lost, shopping in the wrong one.

I am open to green (going under saddle). In fact my best lead right now is a 9 year old that had mostly been trail ridden until it was brought to the sales barn a few months ago to be schooled by the working students over fences. Not a breed that I would have sought out, but I am open to it. But the 15K price tag just has me pausing. Then there’s the 8 year old broodmare that is green but started under saddle, 25K.

And maybe I do need to be fine with not being “excited”. Initially I was approaching this from a perspective of “will this horse tick the boxes”, I had found a prospect in the high fours that ticked all my boxes on paper and my trainer talked me out of going to look at it because it didn’t get me excited. In retrospect I do regret not going to at least try that one. I don’t know. I feel like I’m only getting more confused and uncertain as this process unfolds.

But it is good to know that others have spent longer looking, and that winter is generally awful for shopping.

I’ll keep at it and reevaluate in a few months. Who knows, maybe I’ll just switch disciplines completely. Get a mini and take up driving.

[Heinz_57]

@Alterubi

I am open to green (going under saddle). In fact my best lead right now is a 9 year old that had mostly been trail ridden until it was brought to the sales barn a few months ago to be schooled by the working students over fences. Not a breed that I would have sought out, but I am open to it. But the 15K price tag just has me pausing. Then there’s the 8 year old broodmare that is green but started under saddle, 25K.

$15K for a 9yo off-breed greenie? :eek: I don’t know your location, but that seems to be a very high price to me. Perhaps shopping out of your area might help? In some parts of the country, $15k can buy you a competitive horse with a good show record!

[TWH_Girl]

My $5k 5-yr old knocked my socks off. He’s exactly what I wanted. He fell into my lap when I wasn’t looking and a friend tagged me on FB in his for-sale ad. He was in KY (I am in WI). Considering looking outside your geographical area as well, and maybe don’t look so hard. Sometimes things find us when we stop looking.

[mmeqcenter]

I’d agree with expanding your search radius and factor in cost of traveling and shipping, if you’re having that much trouble. And definitely go look at an “unexciting horse” in person if it checks all your boxes on paper - it may be very “exciting” in person!

I LOVE horse shopping, but have always had a small budget and love myself a green OTTB. My superstar mare cost me a whopping $500.

[ace]

@mmeqcenter

I’d agree with expanding your search radius and factor in cost of traveling and shipping, if you’re having that much trouble. And definitely go look at an “unexciting horse” in person if it checks all your boxes on paper - it may be very “exciting” in person!

This!!! Especially if the horse is in your area and accessible to view without a lot of travel expense. I’m not sure why your trainer would discourage you from this? My most recent purchase would not have happened if I hadn’t tried her. Lovely mare, but grey, really tall and large bodied - so I thought she would be too clunky over fences for me. But she was local so tried her anyway, and it was a great match!

[IronwoodFarm]

And driving a mini is fun, if all else fails. I don’t have minis, but have switched over to mostly driving. It is harder than it looks.

[Libby2563]

@Alterubi

And maybe I do need to be fine with not being “excited”. Initially I was approaching this from a perspective of “will this horse tick the boxes”, I had found a prospect in the high fours that ticked all my boxes on paper and my trainer talked me out of going to look at it because it didn’t get me excited. In retrospect I do regret not going to at least try that one. I don’t know. I feel like I’m only getting more confused and uncertain as this process unfolds.

Yeah, I don’t know how productive it is to worry about whether you’re excited about a horse, especially one you haven’t even met or tried yet. YMMV, but my personal opinion is that once you have the horse and develop a bond, your initial impression of it won’t matter much anymore. (Which isn’t to say you should buy a horse you don’t click with at all, but that’s not something you can tell from just looking at ads.)

I wasn’t excited about my old man when the sales barn brought him out (I was looking for a 5- or 6-year-old gelding and he was a 4-year-old stallion, for one thing). The second I sat on him I knew he was right for me, but I wouldn’t have gotten that far if I had said no because I wasn’t excited from the get-go. He’s 21 now.

I hope this isn’t the case, but was your trainer perhaps not “excited” about the commission on a horse that was in the high four figures instead of the low fives?

[SnortyPants]

@Alterubi

Oh the horse world is a funny place. My budget gets laughed at for either being too low or too generous! It’s like there are multiple alternate realities and I’m clearly lost, shopping in the wrong one. :D.

:lol: aww I wasn’t meaning to shame at ALL, I think quite a few of us would love to have the budget! But I’ve also seen people with that budget get led to only one kind of horse (not saying this is you at all)…the safe proven veteran, or the platinum pedigree fancy breed (not that I wouldn’t love to own breeding worthy holsteiner mare some day).

And if your issue is not getting excited, well I might not be able to guarantee your safety but I can show you some very exciting greenies

Joking aside, if you can’t find a promising backed green warmblood for under 20k, then it will totally be worth your time to get out of your area. I’ve seen some startingly affordable prospects in Canada…road trip!

[fordtraktor]

You don’t need to be excited by the pics or the description or breed or anything. when you sit on it, Does it make you feel like the king of the world? If yes, it is a fit. It takes a lot of trying and sometimes results in unorthodox choices but I guarantee you will be happy with your purchase if you check that box.

i have always regretted purchases that just fit the list but I wasn’t excited to sit on.

[bitranchy]

I’ll second (third? fourth?) the notion of shopping out of your area, if it’s possible. The price for that green mount seems pretty absurd. The broodmare, if a proven broodmare, is perhaps more understandable, but yet and still. In a lot of areas, $25k could get you something awesome, even $15k. SnortyPants isn’t too far off with their Canada comment! In the area I live in, you could sit on a lot, a lot of horses for those prices. You could save a few grand after the exchange, too, if you’re from the US and not incredibly far from the border. Otherwise, I’d say find the most heavily horse populated town or city that’s a few hours out from you, and try looking there.

I like the ideas of writing down must haves and would be nices. Don’t compromise on what’s truly important to you. I wouldn’t necessarily think about “forever horse” going into it. I don’t think it’s uncommon for new horse and rider combos to take some time getting to know one another well, so sometimes a relationship of that depth takes longer to build. You do want to get that sense of that being the horse for you, though. Compromising too heavily or buying something because it’s in your price range and you’re getting impatient will certainly make that relationship less likely, if it’s even going to happen at all.

[Alterubi]

@TWH Girl

… and maybe don’t look so hard. Sometimes things find us when we stop looking.

Yes I need to do this for sure. Refreshing FB endlessly is not going to make the right horse magically appear!

And thank you those who gave me some perspective on that green horse. Admittedly it could be a case of a sales barn pricing a horse based on the shoppers budget, who knows.

I am in Canada so those are CAD prices. Sadly I don’t magically get the 30% discount for looking across the border. In fact I get a 30% jump up and a 5% tax on top. But admittedly I am not in the part where horses are cheaper. I’m waiting for spring to start looking there.

@IronwoodFarm

And driving a mini is fun, if all else fails. I don’t have minis, but have switched over to mostly driving. It is harder than it looks.

I’m excited to try it. It will give me something to take my mind off shopping.

[TWH_Girl]

You will find the right one…just let people know you’re interested, and keep an eye out but don’t be obsessed or feel pressured. It usually happens when you least expect it. And everyone’s right horse comes in different ways. My first horse I rode a few times and hubby got him for me for Christmas- he was perfect for me at the time. My second horse I still didn’t know a whole lot…he was big and pretty and I bought him, realized he didn’t know as much as I thought, and invested time and training in him, and now he’s a BTDT perfect horse. My third horse was a sucker buy and he has a bum stifle and is retired, but he’s a perfect goofball and he led me to my next one… By my fourth one, I knew what I wanted and needed , and bam!- there he appeared one day.

It’s hard to let go when you really want something…but I tell ya, that is when life throws it at you

[exvet]

I hate horse shopping and it’s one reason why I got into breeding. I also don’t like taking on training issues that others created. So again, I mostly breed and train my own. Having said that I found myself one year ago looking for a horse that was already on the ground with specific criteria. Did I say I hate horse shopping? My challenge is that even when I tell people I’m a vet and ask if they believe their horse will pass a PPE, all say yes. While some may be sincere, the number of lame horses or those with medical issues seems to be rampant. I’ve taken more than a year to find the ‘right’ one before (when I was looking for one for my daughter) and got to thinking I would never find that prince; but, I wouldn’t compromise and it paid off way back then. The right one always comes along eventually and as others have said, it will be when you least expect it.

Networking is immensely beneficial in horse shopping, especially with breeders if you have a breed or bloodlines of choice. Even if they only have youngstock and you want something older, they often can find it (or hear about one of theirs that’s up for sale). You have received lots of good advice in terms of developing your criteria and sticking to that list.

I did eventually find the perfect horse last year and honestly on paper he would never have been on my list; but, he caught my eye, not once but twice within a 30 day period (he changed hands in that time). I went to look at him and got on him and knew immediately that he was the one. I had gone to look at many others just before him and none of them ‘spoke’ to me or gave me the same feeling even when they did meet my basic must have criteria. I’m glad I waited. Now a little over a year later, he’s still just as ‘perfect’ for me and turned out as expected.

Good luck in your search.

[piedmontfields]

I had a similar budget when shopping for a dressage/trail horse (US25k/under). It took about a year of looking, including lots of phone calls and some visits. I found a number of 7-12 year olds who didn’t hack and whose owners were kind of afraid to ride the horse (the trainer was handling the sale). I’m an adult amateur who rides alone a lot, so those were a no go for me. It might be true that people keep (and don’t sell) good horses who are schooling 2nd+ level and are good on the trail!

I eventually found a horse that matched my wish list exactly! And she was very inexpensive. Being willing to look at different breeds and travel to see something interesting did make a difference (and didn’t cost much in the long long). I think it is worth being patient and getting the match you want.