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  Discussion on What does a jumper cost?
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Posted on Wednesday, Dec 29, 1999 - 2:18 pm:

Hi everyone:
Liz here again. Thanks for all of your suggestions on the hardiest jumping breed. I think I am going to buy another thoroughbred.

I realize that asking how much should a horse cost is a very nebulous question. So, here are my requirements and here is what I think the horse should cost.
I want a sound animal with low maintenance.
I want a "jumper" ie beauty is not that important.
I want a horse between 6 and 12 years of age.
I want a horse who is broke in that she/he can jump a 3' course and do it well. ie. scopy jumper who can take care of me sometimes. Most of all a horse that likes to jump!
I am planning to take this horse to schooling shows and maybe 1 or 2 "B" shows a year and show only in the jumper or equitation/medal classes.
I could care less about color or breeding.
I told my trainer I was willing to pay $10,000 for a horse who could fit this bill. Did I overstate my price or is that about right or will I get what I want for that kind of money? What do you think. Also consider I live near Chicago, IL. Does area make a difference? Please just give an opinion or let me know if I am silly for even asking this question. THanks, LIz.

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 29, 1999 - 2:58 pm:

Hi Liz!
I show in the jumpers and think that $10,000 is a fair price for a horse that fits your bill. You could pay less and definitely more. I think the area makes a difference on price. The Chicago area has alot going on as far as h/j's so prices may be higher but there will also be more horses to chose from. Although TB's are my favorite, don't limit yourself. You may find an outstanding horse of another breed or a lovely cross.
Good luck with your search and really scrutinize any horse you may consider! You should be able to get a nice horse for that price, or anywhere near it! Remember the price of any horse is what the owner is "asking", so there is usually room for them to go down on the price.
barbara

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 29, 1999 - 6:27 pm:

Barbara and Everyone:
Thanks Barbara for the information. The reason I am worried about the price is because I really want to get my money's worth this time. I got a bum deal with the last horse and he cost $9,500. He has respiratory allergies and cannot be rode hard or sometimes at all, 3 out of 4 seasons a year (spring, summer, fall). He was vet checked and drug tested as well, and the vet didn't catch it.( I bought him in winter).

This time I have hired an equine attorney to write a purchase agreement for me and I am using a very reliable trainer (which also costs $$) to find the horse and act as my broker. I just want to have fun with this sport and I realize that it costs. I just wasn't sure if I was going to get my money's worth or not.


Has anyone else bought a jumper for around this price and had a good/bad experience? Do you all think that this is reasonable? I just want to make sure or at least as sure as possible in the crazy horse world. Liz.

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 29, 1999 - 7:13 pm:

Another way of getting an idea on what you can get for $10,000 is to scan the internet. Search: Horses for sale, and go from there. There's all kinds of sites that can help you in your search. I saw a 6 year old warmblood for sale trained through level 1 in dressage and has some jumping training also for $8,000. The article was quite detailed, but if I was looking I'd definitely consider this one from what I read. Of course, if you go out of state you would have to pay for transportation, etc.

But I do believe you should have quite a bit to choose from with that $10,000 and being in the Chicagoland area. Who's the trainer you hired to help in your search. Again, don't count out some of your warmblood/thoroughbred crosses - you can get the best of both worlds.

When you're willing to pay that much money, you're very smart in getting an equine attorney to put a contract together for you. It should include some type of statement saying that the horse will be vet checked AGAIN 15 or 30 days after you take possession of said animal and if anything abnormal shows up, that animal will be returned to the previous owner and you will be refunded your full investment. Or something that states you will only put so much towards the animal and then after 15 or 30 days in your possession (after any drugs, etc. are out of the animals system), if everything is as it was when the animal was purchased, then you would give the rest of the money. I do believe if the seller is reputable and honest, they would have no problem with that. Of course the seller would not be liable if while the horse was under your possession during that time period it took a bad step and pulled a tendon, etc. The 15 to 30 days would only show if the animal had any "pre=existing condition(s)" that drugs could be covering up during the sale.

I do believe you could find what you want without having to pay $10000 also. Like someone already stated, don't let the cost be your guide and be a little more open to other horses. You'll need to do alot of test riding (test driving!) on potential mounts and it might take a while and get frustrating, but when you find the right one, you'll know it.

Good luck in your search....that special horse is out there just waiting for you!
Jo

Posted on Thursday, Dec 30, 1999 - 6:17 am:

Hello Liz,
I continue to maintain that the second most important part of a physical exam is a thorough review of the past medical history of the horse. You will not believe the resistance in the horse and veterinary community that this simple but effective way of identifying chronic health problems meets. As you have pointed out there is very little way for a veterinarian to identify a allergy while it is not acting up or an inability of some horses to stand up to hard work after they have had a lay off. The trick is to avoid just getting the vaccination record.
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Dec 30, 1999 - 8:25 am:

I agree totally with Dr O. When buying a horse I try to get as much history as possible, if the sellers have nothing to hide it shouldn't be a problem. The horses I currently own I bought from the "original" owners. So, getting their history was easy. The internet can be a good tool for finding a horse, the problem I found is that horses are too often misrepresented. I went from VA to UT to look at a horse that was suppose to be a "10 mover" and a bunch of other incredible things. She was about a "4" mover and when I got there she had a swollen hind leg and 3 different "bumps" on her leg! I had been told that she was clean legged. So, unless they are close by you could be wasting your time and money.
Barbara

Posted on Thursday, Dec 30, 1999 - 1:40 pm:

Hi!
Thanks for all the great advice. I am going to take your suggestions and definitely get a medical history. That's a great idea. I am not going to shop on the internet however because I really want the trainer to do the screening. Last time I bought a horse I went all over (Illinois) to look and it was a pain. Now, I just don't have the time. I'd rather have him find them and pick from a few (like 5 to 10).

Also, I am definitely going to have a trial period with this new horse of at least one month. That's an excellent idea to have a before and after vet check too. I love this website!!!!! You have all been great!

Jo you asked who my trainer is - it's John Schomburg. He's been really helpful with the "heavy" horse and has a real good understanding of exactly the kind of horse I want/need.

I told the trainer not to start looking till after the 1st, so you all will be hearing from me sometime in the next few weeks I hope!!
THanks, Liz

Posted on Thursday, Dec 30, 1999 - 2:04 pm:

I wish you luck in finding your ideal horse for $10,000. I live on the east coast and when I was looking for a first horse with a bit of show mileage for $10,000 or under, I found that they started at $12,500, which was more than I was willing to pay. Needless to say I settled on a great TB at half the price and we are learning shows together. So, I have no regrets that I couldn't afford a ready made horse. Darwin is fantastic, an extremely cute jumper and has done very well in the H/J shows we have been to, even coming reserve champion at his second show. Another person in our barn also wanted a horse for around $10,000 and found that none were available that had show mileage and suited her. They ended up by paying considerably more for their horse than they wanted to which they bought 3 months ago.
So best of luck in your search. I hope you find a horse for the price you want to pay.

Carol

Posted on Thursday, Dec 30, 1999 - 6:07 pm:

Liz,
I live on the East Coast and I was able to find a packer of a horse for $7,500. He is a 17h tb gelding. He is beautiful and is shown as a hunter literally on the buckle. We were even champion at at big show Upperville! I also had an App mare who did very well in the 3'6" jumpers at A shows and she was only $3,500! She wasn't all that pretty or the best mover but boy could she jump and turn! She is sound as a bell, no vices! I sold her last summer for $6,000. So from my experience I think $10,000 should buy a fine horse!
barbara

Posted on Wednesday, Jan 5, 2000 - 4:03 pm:

Liz,
I live in the West Michigan area, and spent the whole summer searching for a good hunter/jumper. As I am new to the horse world (having taken lessons for only the past 1 1/2 years), I needed to find a horse that was not only sound, but that had a nice temperament. In this area, most of the jumpers are TB's. I looked at horses from $1500-$20,000. $10,000 was my limit but I wanted to compare the more expensive horses to those that cost less. I ended up finding a beautiful TB gelding, 7 years old that had won reserve champion at a spring show here in the area--and I paid $7500 after negotiating down from the original asking price.

Nice horses are definately out there at all prices--it just takes a lot of time and effort to find one. But it's a lot of fun searching (just think of all the horses you get to "test drive") and well worth it.
Frankie

Posted on Thursday, Jan 6, 2000 - 3:21 pm:

As far as looking at horses -

Never get on until the owner/agent has gotten on and shown you what the horse can do and it is safe to mount.

Ask to see the horse's show record. Don't be over sold on potential and a pretty face - see what the horse has actually done. Look at physical conformation. Ignore color. Try to evaluate work ethic and attitude.

I agree with Dr. O. Show me the vet record before I scheduled a vetting.

Find out what the horse is doing now and for the last year. If it is actively in training for the discipline of your interest, that is good and worth some money. If it has been hanging around the pasture all year, well, I'd expect a better price.

Show me the horse ties, hauls, loads. Let me lead, groom, tack and handle, after the seller demonstrates this is safe.

Don't get in a rush to buy. Look at a horse several times. Arrive early for your visit just in case the horse is being "worn out." Stop by because you are "in the area" and judge whether the horse is just as quiet and tractable. (Call about 10 minutes before you arrive.) Get suspicious if this isn't allowed.

Ideally, you will already know the horse before you buy and have seen it at shows, in the school, ridden by friends, etc. But this is seldom the case.

Now, if I'm selling a horse, it doesn't leave the property unless it is sold, no strings. I've seen too many instances where a horse goes out on trial, pending vet, etc. and comes back a wreck.

Hope this is helpful.

Posted on Friday, Jan 7, 2000 - 12:06 pm:

Dear Chris:

Thanks its very helpful. I have already stipulated to my broker/trainer that any horse is going to get a one month trial at my barn where I can ride it, load, brush, etc. and probably get two vet checks, one cursory and one more extensive. I will not buy a horse that I cannot ride for a month.

But any information is useful.

Posted on Thursday, Dec 6, 2001 - 11:37 pm:

Hi Liz,
Well, you'll definetly be able to find a good horse for 10,000 dollars. I bought my daughter a 9 year old, grey TB and he's a great sound horse. He loves to jump and can jump well over 4 ft. We paid around 8,000 and it was well worth it. The best way to find a horse is to talk to other horse people and ask them if they know anyone or if any of their friends know anyone whose selling a horse and go from there.

Posted on Saturday, Dec 8, 2001 - 7:54 pm:

Hi Liz!

You are singing my tune! I, too, bought a heavey horse unknowingly. I don't think his allergies were full blown when the previous owner had him, but she was in NY and I am in FL. Quite a change in climate. So although I think it is unfortunate, I don't think she diliberately misled me. I believe she just didn't know the early warning signs.

However, I took the opposite stance that you have. Rather than upping my price, I became convinced that I would never spend that much on a horse again. (Mine was $8000 the first go round and he developed the heaves one month after purchase.)For the "made" horse you mentioned I think $7500-10,000 is reasonable. (Though you can always pay much more)One thing that you didn't mention was size. If you are not needing a very large horse, the deals get better. 16 hands seems to be the magic number. It instantly adds a couple thousand to the price. I'm not talking about getting a pony, here. I'm just talking one to two inches. Could you suitably ride a 15.3h horse without being undermounted?

I also agree with the "don't be in a rush " statement made earlier. When I started looking at horses it was very half-hearted. I figured we were coming into winter so my other mount was going into a good season anyway. I refused to look at anything that wasn't "too good to be true" If it wasn't the steal of the century, I wasn't interested. I only looked at one other horse before I got my new girl. She is a 15.3 bay TB and very pretty. She vetted extremely sound (the vet was amazed that she couldn't find anything wrong)and she is only 5 years old. She does need a little work but not much, and I am not in a hurry. I got her on a month trial and since the owner was away at college and behind on board, all I paid was a portion of back board. I got this wonderful girl for $1000. So, you can pay whatever you want for a horse. Just take your time and the right one will come along. Best luck to you! :-)
Heather

Posted on Sunday, Dec 9, 2001 - 7:10 pm:

Feeling foolish!!!!!!!!

I was just responding to the post Suzan made a day ago, and didn't realize that the original post was almost 2 years old!!! Oh well. (grin) Guess you didn't notice either, huh Suzan? Liz, hope you got a good one!

Posted on Monday, Dec 10, 2001 - 9:24 am:

I just went to Holland and bought a 3-1/2 year old Friesian gelding. I brought my trainer with me, who is also my best friend, and we had a blast. It was Friesian heaven! Anyway, I had an upper limit but still looked at horses which cost more than I could afford; just to get an idea of the full range - - my trainer's suggestion.

Also, since the prices are negotiable, I was able to talk the seller down by 40% without even trying. I had told him what I was looking for, basically someone to love who would love me back, someone to take care of and have fun with - not show, I didn't want to stress him too much, etc. When he realized what a loving home I would provide, he came right down to my price. So, you never know!

Posted on Monday, Dec 10, 2001 - 1:48 pm:

Thanks to all of my horseman's advisor's friends. I just received all these emails about purchasing a horse. I have owned my "new" horse for almost 2 years. He is wonderful. I purchased a green 4 year old TB and he's turned out better than I could have ever expected. I did spend $12,000, which includes a finder's fee to my trainer. He's been such a blessing. Many people at my barn spend about $30,000 on a horse and there are some people who spend upwards of $100,000. So, I felt that I was getting the bargain basement horse. I don't really show so the price was right. I hope the rest of you out there have as good of luck.
Liz.
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