What to buy for California horse market please

[lmlacross]

I suppose that depends on a number of factors, too. How immediately are you hoping to be competitive at Novice? How much training are you willing to put in the horse on your own dime? How far from NorCal are you willing to go in your search in order to seek out more affordable pricing?

I am in the process of buying a horse for myself (unglamorous looking draft x, gelding, bay, some white, cute face, 6 y.o.) that could reasonably go Novice by the end of next season, I think, if the stars of soundness and life align to help us. I paid $5k in the Midwest (which is most decidedly NOT the Bay Area). He’s not presently at that level. He’s larger than the size you mention, but here, in general, I think his 16.3 brings his value up for must buyers, not down. That said, I think LH is right about potential resale of lg. pony vs. “hony” (15hh-ish) horse; you’d be better off with the one who sticks a pony.

I’m in the “buy in the states” camp, too. Lots of horses here who would tick the boxes you mention, and they don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Also, given their good horseflesh and relatively weak dollar, Canada is becoming a great place to shop these days.

[Outyougo]

I am a big “Connie” fan. the market for the under 14.2 hand is in the pony hunters much more than the Event ponies. Here small kids ride ginormous horses. Fran O’reily on Vashon Island (near Tacoma Washington State) does have very nice Connemara pony/horses she is a USEA judge contact her she may have the best insight.

[Xanthoria]

@arlosmine;8709644

Bay
Gelding
Friendly
Great feet
Jumps whatever you point it at out of a 12’ stride in stadium
Jumps whatever you point it at from any distance cross country
Will pack some one through their first BN courses and be to get through prelim safely with the same rider
16-16.2

Extra points/$:
Cute face
Some white
Nice dressage mover
Excellent ground manners

Agree with this and will add only that not only will some white markings help, but if you have a bright dun / buckskin, palomino or true black you’ll have that thing sold in no time flat. (Some will prefer a bay no doubt, and some will snap up a dapple grey)

I would not go below 16h, or over 17h, and if it’s an IDSH great, but know there is a breeder of IDs in N California so check her prices (Lone Tree Farm) - if you bring something over the less drafty the better: don’t bring a draft x that’s anything but IDSH for sure, unless it’s winning at Prelim already. Pedigrees and breed registries are important to a lot of US buyers, and playing up the Irish connection always helps

Also know that they will pre-purchase exam that horse up and down with lots of xrays so be confident that your horse will pass that type of exam.

I am in the camp of bring something over: there’s little to choose from here in the price range you’re looking to pay. Travel to Canada to look at horses will cost a lot and you have more selection in a smaller area in Ireland.

[RockstarPony]

[QUOTE=Bluemoon1234;8709841]
Thank you so much everyone for your replies. The difference between the Irish/uk market and what I would consider as one of the wealthiest areas in the world is fascinating. So a new question please - if bringing my own capable and competitive 148/158cm is going to be too complex, what should be my budget for buying locally to be Competitive at your novice level if I don’t want a horse as big as 168cm? Or at least very safe and sane? Thanks again.[/QUOTE]

For a warmblood-type pony that’s truly under 14.2, nice jumping form, and will absolutely blow everyone out of the water in dressage, I would say anywhere from 15k-30k. Price tends to run a bit higher for young sport ponies that are getting marketed mostly on future potential.

For a sane and safe small horse, probably 10-15k, maybe even less if they haven’t been competing recently. I think your best bet would be to get one from a kid that’s moving up to a larger horse or is headed off to college. They might not be the absolute top of the line in terms of movement or breeding, but a lot of them will already have experience at Training or above, and can absolutely get around a Novice event with nice scores & a minimum of mishaps. The 14.3-15.2ish range should be especially cheap, since they can’t be marketed as pony hunters, but they’re smaller than what a lot of people are willing to buy. (I would note that a lot of these types aren’t marketed that aggressively; trainers sometimes hold on to them for the next batch of kids, since their experience is often more valuable than the money they could bring. They’re definitely out there, though, if you’re willing to do a bit of digging!)

I think you should also look into leasing. It might take a while to find the right situation, but you would avoid the stress of trying to resell an oddly sized horse while you’re also trying to move.

(Also, final thought! The Silicon Valley area is wealthy, but there’s plenty of areas nearby that really aren’t. The Bay Area horse market is always affected by the fact that everything’s cheaper if you drive an hour or two towards the east. I would definitely recommend looking at Sacramento & Fresno area horses for sale, not just what’s in the immediate Bay Area.)

[bornfreenowexpensive]

You perhaps have an odd perspective for how things work in the US. First off…this country is HUGE. Even just CA is HUGE. How things are done in Southern CA is very different in Northern CA. In the US…far more riders are geared to western and rodeo than English. In English riding, you have huge differences to. The client/trainer sort of relationship you are describing is really only in show hunters type barns. And that was certainly NOT my experience in riding nor those of friends in CA. There is a lot more out there than that.

I’ve lived in CA. It WILL be a lot more expensive than what you are used to but that is because EVERYTHING is more expensive. And the personality of the barns are all very different depending on what direction you head. A fancy show barn in Pepple Beach or Palo Alto will be very different from smaller place further East.

All that said, I would move first. Find a good place and look to either lease or buy something here in the US rather than import something. This is also because how horses are kept in the US is different too (and in CA is different than say in PA). So you want a horse already used to it and happy. And if you are thinking short term anyway…I would look to lease.

[Mango20]

I don’t think you should look at this as a way to make some extra money. Just come to CA, buy a large pony/small horse of the size and type you like, get it competing Novice, and when you’re ready to sell, take what you can get for it. Life’s too short to ride horses you don’t really like (or train for a discipline you don’t really like) just on the possibility that you might make a little bit of money or break even.

I have a horse who would be a perfect example of how things could go. I bought her 3 years ago for $3500 as a green 5 year old who had done some event clinics and one combined test, but never competed all three phases. Her price was low because she is 14.3 hands - too big to be a pony, but people looking for horses generally think that’s way too small. She is also a chestnut mare of no particular breeding. Three years later, she is a very strong Novice eventer, ready to move up in jumping but needing more work on dressage first. She went to Pony Club championships for eventing last year at BN and will probably go back this year for Novice. She also qualified for PC champs at show jumping the last two years at 3’3". I have no plans to sell her, so I don’t know exactly what I could get for her, but she would definitely have gone way up in price compared to what I paid 3 years ago.