Mostly dreaming...

[greenanimal]

This is an 11 year old gray Arab gelding for sale in southern California.  Based on the information given, what would you expect his asking price to be?

http://horsetopia.horse-for-sale.org/classifieds/ad342251

Thanks!

Comments

[alex51324]

With no picture, I'd be suspicious that he has some sort of glaringly obvious conformation defect, or he's in terrible shape. If that's not the case, he sounds like the type of horse that the market for is very weak right now (that is to say, a backyard, 4-H, general pal-ing around with type of horse, rather than any kind of performance or breeding prospect). Where I live, if I were looking for that type of horse, I'd expect to find something I liked for around a thousand dollars, possibly much less (especially if he is on the skinny side or behind on vet/farrier work, which is happening a lot in this economy). I'd go a little higher than that if he's as all-around nice as they say, and I really really liked him, (which, again, is a big assumption), but not much higher. Prices might be higher in CA, but from what I've heard, probably not.

That said, the asking price could be a *lot* more than that--a lot of sellers haven't done their market research or are totally barn-blind about what they're selling. It wouldn't shock me to hear they were asking, say, $5000. It would shock me if they *got* it, but not if they were asking it.

If you see him in person and like him, and they're asking an unrealistic price, you could give them your number to contact you once they wise up.

Edited to add, I took the part about his show experience to mean Pony Club/4-H type stuff. Since they didn't include any details (such as what height he's jumping at, or what shows he went to), and higher-level show horses do not typically participate in gymkhana, I think that's a fairly safe assumption, but I could be wrong on that, in which case they could realistically want more for him. The same could be true if that level of showing is really competitive in their area.

Still, this sounds like the type of horse that there is a fairly decent market for when the economy is good and lots of people are buying first horses for their kids (or for themselves as adult re-rider)--which is not the economic situation we are now in.

[greenanimal]

thanks, I am an adult re-rider lol so he's what I'm looking for, but I don't have any experience buying so I don't know what to look for

[alex51324]

It's definitely a good time to buy a horse, if you have the money to maintain one. Lots of people selling, few people buying. You have to remember it's like buying a car--there's only so much you can tell from ads; you have to look at him in person, take a test drive, check Consumer Reports (OK, that's where the metaphor breaks down--have him evaluated by a vet you trust and, if at all possible, by a more experienced horseperson). If you're semi-seriously interested and not just window-shopping, why not ask for some photos? I'm not a conformation expert, but I'm sure people here would give their opinions, and help you decide if it's worth checking in person.