Buy, sell, swap: the difficult world of horse sales
Nothing causes as much tension in the equestrian world as the buying and selling of horses. Despite a growing list of websites and magazines devoted to the horse trade, it’s still a murky, confusing and often unpleasant experience – no matter which side of the transaction you’re on.
As with sales of any kind, the expectations and abilities of buyers and sellers often vary wildly. At its worst, these unfortunate transactions end in dramatic legal stoushes, with lawyers firing sternly worded letters at forty paces.
Because in the wrong hands, one man’s gentle schoolmaster becomes another’s buck-jumper, the talented youngster a useless mule, the bold eventer a cowering wreck.
This horse certainly falls into the 'bold' category
It’s the unfortunate nature of our industry that so little can be guaranteed, and in a world that’s increasingly searching for certainty and assurance, as sellers we can unfortunately offer none.
Of course, when you’re the buyer it’s just as hard. Can you afford to believe everything you read in an ad? Who do you trust? And how high should you set your expectations of a horse – and on what basis?
This is the difficult grey area of a generally unregulated industry – an industry in which ‘buyer beware’ is about the only fixed rule we can hold onto. Beyond that, you’re really only left with your common sense – something many horse people dispose of the minute they first swing their leg over a saddle.
How much would you pay for a horse with an intelligent looking head like this one?
So in the absence of any other clear guidance, here are some short principles to remember next time you’re buying or selling.
Every price is negotiable
Some people just realise it sooner than others. Unfortunately, horses have little inherent value – unlike a car, a washing machine or even a house, their component parts don’t necessarily add up to anything.
As a result of this, it’s only the forces of supply and demand propping up the equine market. Despite the attempts of some to load the costs of feed, competition, training and shoeing into a sale price, in reality a horse is only ever worth what a person will pay for it.
Which leads me to my next point.
Only spend what you can afford to lose
Think of it like gambling. If you can’t afford to lose the money you’re about to spend (or reject if you’re a stubborn seller), then you shouldn’t be spending it. Horses are fragile and unreliable creatures, and unlike gold, property and government bonds, are far from a safe investment.
Before you buy your next horse, picture standing outside on a windy day with that amount of cash in your hand. If you’re happy to throw it up in the air and watch it float away, then you’re ready to buy.
Expect the unexpected
That quiet horse you’re about to buy? It shies. And the perfectly sound one? It has as much chance of going lame tomorrow as the one you already know has the joints of a 24 year old. The truth is, you just can’t tell.
And perhaps that’s what makes the horse game so addictive.
See you somewhere out there.
Hamish
