Where are people selling horses now?

[AllSport]

A year later and it seems this is still an issue. I had no idea how much I’d hate horse shopping. On FB you have to find all the groups first, you can’t filter etc. The buyers are mad about time wasters, the sellers are mad about time wasters, no one is happy. I’m not well connected, I’ve always been a “night rider” and prefer to be away from humans at the barn. I do have one person who will surf the net for me a bit which is nice. I also found a possible source for horses via Dream Horse the other day. But does anyone else have any magic tips or tricks that haven’t been listed here yet?

And why is it so hard to simply post 3 confirmation photos: front, back, side. State location, breed, height, age, brief bit on training, sneak in some price info and attach a video with WTC in BOTH directions. Post that FIRST, don’t make me go track down all this information constantly. I don’t need someone’s selfie with the horse, or other silly photos, I need information. Sorry, just frustrated.

[KandC]

Echoing narrowing the search by joining FB groups- can help with breed/budget/location.

I ended up finding my current guy on Facebook. (Ironically, I had inquired once, then had to pause the horse search due to life, and re-inquired on him a second time not realizing it was the same horse.)

[Aussie_2020]

I would suggest coming out into the daylight and talking to fellow barn members, going to other barns, checking out an auction, asking at your vet clinic, etc. Doing some walk and talk might open doors for you to find what you’re looking for, or at least give you more ideas of where to look.

[StormyDay]

@AllSport

A year later and it seems this is still an issue. I had no idea how much I’d hate horse shopping. On FB you have to find all the groups first, you can’t filter etc. The buyers are mad about time wasters, the sellers are mad about time wasters, no one is happy. I’m not well connected, I’ve always been a “night rider” and prefer to be away from humans at the barn. I do have one person who will surf the net for me a bit which is nice. I also found a possible source for horses via Dream Horse the other day. But does anyone else have any magic tips or tricks that haven’t been listed here yet?

And why is it so hard to simply post 3 confirmation photos: front, back, side. State location, breed, height, age, brief bit on training, sneak in some price info and attach a video with WTC in BOTH directions. Post that FIRST, don’t make me go track down all this information constantly. I don’t need someone’s selfie with the horse, or other silly photos, I need information. Sorry, just frustrated.

It’s the worst. My advice is if you have already purchased the horse that Facebook will start sending you ones that match what you were looking for

I ended up finding one on craigslist of all places. I’ve had him almost 2 years now. He was just a baby when I got him so he has had time to grow up.

[sassy]

Yep - Facebook.

Searching for what you want is like a full time job. I posted a few ISOs with no luck, so I spent countless hours (sometimes at work…) scrolling through and refreshing sales groups. I was on a mission. It worked out in the end, though.

[Belmont]

Facebook is still pretty good, but I think reaching out to trainers and consignment barns within the area you’re comfortable traveling is the best way.

[Annie10]

Selling isn’t that great right now either unless you have higher end $$$$$ horses and a big network . Ugh.

[tohorse]

It really depends on the type of horse you are looking for.

For a started horse without problems - going nicely under saddle, no quirks etc. and with a healthy budget I’d look at specific riders/sellers/coaches that produce the type of ride that I like. It’s worth asking directly and explaining what you are looking for as not all horses are listed. I personally don’t love the wheeling and dealing that often happens between coaches in North America or their agents and initially found it a bit difficult to “break through”. Eventer barns are better IME than H/J that tend to be a bit more cliquey. Still, this is the most reliable way to get quality leads.

If you’re looking for projects facebook sometimes can turn up some gems but all the best deals I’ve seen and gotten offered myself are word of mouth. This of course is heavily reliant on trust because often the owner is looking to offload a difficult situation - financially or behaviourally - quickly and without worry that the horse ends up in bad hands. It’s a lot easier if you have a mini reputation for being able to develop those diamonds in the rough into solid citizens and develop some contacts at shows/boarding barns/vet/farriers/saddle fitters etc.

Finally for young, unstarted horses always good to go straight to the breeders that are known to produce your type. Sometimes you can get a good deal if someone changes their mind, they’re reducing their stock etc.

I’ve recently seen a lot of nicely started horses in Europe and even NA going for much less than I thought they’d sell even 2 years ago. I think we are in a bit of a slump so now is a good time to buy the nicer ones.

[AllSport]

Yep, I’m looking for lightly started projects. I don’t mind behavioral quirks, to an extent of course. I truly enjoy the challenge of figuring it out. I don’t want a made horse, I want to do the work. Maybe that’s why the search is hard. I think often those horses sitting in the back of a barn somewhere because they aren’t considered ready to sell. I’m just not well connected. My best connections moved out of state awhile back. Okay, I’ll keep searching…and searching.

[Annie10]

In what area are you looking?

[AllSport]

Northern CA, but mostly close to the Bay Area. I’m a working mom, I don’t have time for travel!

[Annie10]

Ah ok. I was going to see if I had any contacts for you but I dont know anyone out that way that I know of