I have now seen two such ISO ads for six-figure beginner horses.
I also saw one recently for a competitive adult amateur hunter for a “mid-six figure” pricetag.
The ISO ads are what really make me think the market is wild. Sellers have always asked for high prices. But it seems like buyers are seeking them now, too.
At the other end of the spectrum, not a hunter but an eventer. Ad went something like this:
ISO upper level prospect, gelding only, between 4 and 7 years old (or something like that), good mind, if OTTB, restarted off track training with some jumping. Budget mid fours, including PPE and shipping. I just say “Good Luck”
In the case of the helmet with the electronics it did happen at a show I was at. Maybe the trainer will be sanctioned or maybe someone else has or will be.
In the case of the person importing another horse from Europe, they posted the details on social media; photos and video. Pretty horse caught my eye while scrolling.
Have a super day.
I hope some of the sellers market translates to more people looking to buy considering OTTB’s and rescue horses.
I guarantee you they mean 150k, not 500k. It is my pet peeve.
I saw at least one of those 6 fig 2’6" ads, and it was oddly worded to say that it was for an “undisclosed celebrity client”, which I thought pretty weird to mention. But I guess doing so makes us un-celebrateds feel a bit better about our Joe Schmoe budgets 
OTTB can make nice jumpers but are generally not a first choice for dressage. There are exceptions. I decided a while back I was too old to deal with TB sproing.
Honestly, I follow several rescue horse FB groups and organizations. I have yet to see a horse come down that pipeline that I would take home, that checks all my boxes of sound, sane, broke, and good functional conformation. And I am a low budget ammie that doesn’t even compete. It may be different in other areas but in general horses in the rescue pipeline because they don’t have market value. Every once in a while a horse catches my eye as having decent conformation and being under 15 years, and the fine print says manageable navicular or being evaluated for kissing spines.
I think it’s true the horse industry contracted after 2008.
I guess this makes me feel slightly better. The prospect of a market for half million dollar 3’ horses was concerning.
I mean, they do exist, but no one’s shopping for them on facebook
I saw that too. I was like “way to guarantee your client overpays.”
This is a crazy horse market, also a scary horse market for the uneducated/inexperienced.
Example - my friend (who is new to the current horse industry) has a pretty Friesian/Pinto cross mare. I think she’s 10 or so, trail rides but no other training that I know of, no papers, about 16h. She wasn’t looking to sell however…
A person who came to help her drive a pair of mini mules said that he could take the mare to a “select sale” where she would probably sell for $35,000. The “select sale” is for draft/driving/Amish market which the man attends regularly to buy and sell miniatures. It would cost $9,000 to get her to the sale (the guy told her these “select” sales are “expensive”). So in the end he told her she’d probably make at least $26,000. He told her the Amish will pay a lot for this type of horse! I don’t know how much Amish pay for “this type of horse” but I find it hard to believe it would be $35,000.
She is a wonderful intelligent person and my friend, just green in the current horse world. I tried to warn her that this sounds like a scam or just him bragging. Who charges $9,000 to get a 10 year old unregistered mare with minimal training to a sale? This guy convinced her that the horse market is hot right now and he knows what he’s talking about.
She just hates it that I’m Debbie Downer on some of her horse ideas. Maybe I could have been a bit more tactful than saying - "$9,000 to get her to a sale, where’s the sale, Europe? 
I also wonder how many of the horses advertised at high dollars (I’m not talking six figures, I don’t know that market) are actually selling.
When prices started to get crazy my trainer pointed out that when the financial crisis of 08 happened a lot of people got out of horses or scaled down their operations, including breeders, so fewer foals were born in the following years… and those foals would now be in their prime as sporthorses at age 10 - 12.
I don’t know if there’s hard data on it but it makes sense to me as another component of why horse prices are so wild right now.
This is 100% a scam. Guy’s probably going to take her money and her horse and bolt. She’ll never see that mare again.
I grew up in “Amish Country” and I’ve been to some of those auctions (well, not “select sale”, but amish draft auctions). Very little that’s actually “nice” ever comes through there. Horses are commodities to Amish, not status symbols. They don’t care about flashy expensive horses - they care if it can pull a wagon or a buggy from point A to point B, which most any horse can technically do.
Just saw one local, very similar. Don’t think it said upper level prospect specifically but implied, age 4-6 with some training, no spook or vice, min 16h, 20k. Seemed reasonable??
I agree. The Amish are not paying top dollar for any kind of fancy horse. If they want something they breed it themselves.
There seem to be two primary players in the market right now…
Sellers who realize it’s a seller’s market, have a good horse, and are trying to get (and often getting) top dollar.
Idiots who see this happening and figure they can flip a 4 figure horse for mucho bucks without realizing that the hot seller’s market means these el cheapo sales flip prospects are also going for top dollar right now.
I know of two such horses that sold this year, checked all those boxes, and you are correct, $200k wouldn’t have taken either one of them home. It’s mind-boggling.
It is also surprising to me that the high-5 or 6-figure budget for a 2’6" teacher is a thing, and you definitely see it these days, but having ridden in the 2’6" ring some in recent years, I have a few observations. First, if someone can afford it and it makes them happy, so be it, that’s their business (although it is annoying to see prices get pushed up). Second, I saw plenty of situations where someone bought that horse but struggled with actually being able to ride it, so if someone thinks buying a fancy teacher will produce immediate ribbons, they may be disappointed because you still have to learn to ride it and be able to find the jumps. Third, I’m convinced the addition of the 3’3" divisions started pushing prices up - the 3’ horses with room for a little more got bumped up and immediately marketed as a Jr/Am horse not a Child/Adult horse, and priced accordingly.
Finally, as for the relationship between the current market and 2008, I think it is notable that in 2008, the top layers of the economy were heavily affected - finance/ investment banking, professional service firms, etc . . . all took big hits so you saw people’s budgets for participation in horse sports drop. During the COVID times, those same layers of the economy have been able to continue to work remotely and still prosper (many firms quietly had stellar years because overhead and costs were down while revenue held steady or increased), and suddenly have a lot more time on their hands to devote to the suddenly very desirable outdoor activity. And I think the prices in the horse market are reflecting that demand.
You could also say “move to New Zealand”. That might create other issues for them, though! 
In my area looking for a decent prospect OTTB is realistic at low fours. Not kidding my friend got a REALLY nice OTTB 3yo UL potential for free. Mine was low fours and she is my sound, sane, willing amateur superstar. She was lightly restarted when I bought her in late 2019. Per my coaches with a more skilled rider she would be UL. So no these folks are not insane but they need to look in the right areas. My friends at the track keep trying to throw $500-$1500 horses at me even today. They aren’t UL, but they aren’t crappy either.
In my opinion that person is asking a tall order with PPE, etc but low fours is the usual market value for nicer OTTB in this area.
Well if she can find the needle in the haystack, more power to her.
This is my fear for her. While the person she talked to is local, it sounds like he would “contract” with another person to get the horse to the sale. At that point - the horse and the money are gone. Or almost worse, the money is gone and the horse comes back in bad shape.
That’s what I thought. However, she is not likely to listen to me because I have no knowledge of that market, which is true. I do have knowledge of unscrupulous people in many markets of the horse industry, if it sounds too good to be true it usually is.
What I could have bought for low 4s in 2019 would be over $20k right now. That’s the point of the conversation, how the market has changed in about fifteen months.
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