Auction Report - Maryland

Very good auction report - thank you for sending this! If you're thinking about breeding, read this first. Is what you're going to breed really not going to wind up here? Remember, this is the EXPENSIVE side of the country! And those of you who defend your damn breeding of grade horses 'til the cows come home, look at the prices the grades went for. I rest my $!&$!& case. I bolded the grade horses if you want to skip through and mentally figure out the median price of a grade horse ... pretty scary.

From here on out, this is written by the person who submitted it...

Auction Report for Thurmont, Maryland on Friday, June 6 2008.

Minis / Ponies:
2 – Mini stud, pinto, thin - $90
4 – Mini mare, bay, thin, shaggy clumps of coat hanging off her - $150
3 – Mini mare, reg’d, 1987 model, white-gray, drives, 3 week old foal at side - $385
5 – Mini mare, sorrel, very pretty, triple reg’d, ch lines, “open” - No Sale @ $310
6 – Medium pony mare, grade, black, child rode through - $150
7 – Large pony gelding, reg’d POA, 8yo, super cute!! – NS @ $950, wanted $1200
8 – Small/medium pony gelding, grade leopard app, cute - $400
9 – Medium pony mare, grade, white-gray, hot & fast, gamer - $500
10 – Medium pony mare, grade, 10yo, pinto mostly white - $150
11 – Small pony mare, grade, 10yo, led thru but sup. broke, 2 mo filly at side, ch/wh pintos, cute - $450
12 – Large pony gelding, chestnut, grade, very cute, calm, “lesson pony,” ridden Eng / jumped - $435
13 – Medium pony mare, chocolate/flaxen w/ roaning, cute, grade, 10yo, in foal - $425
14 – Medium pony gelding, grade, 9yo, bay, fit, pretty and refined but coarse head - $110
16 – Mini mare, small child rode through w/halter, shaggy, silver-chocolate/flaxen, looked foundered - $150
17 – Medium pony mare, reg’d POA, “As-is,” red roan, small feet, well trained - $135
18 – Medium pony mare, “too much horse for my 5 year old,” super cute liver ch/flaxen, grade - $60
19 – Mini “stud colt” 2yo, thin, palomino, really long toes, tried to rear up on handler! - $60
20 – Medium pony gelding, grade, 9yo pinto, dirty, long toes, plain head but cute – NS @ $110, wanted $300

Horses and a Mule:
25 – 15.2 2002 mare, ch/white overo reg’d APHA, has 2 WP points, cute, clean X-rays – NS @ $1700
26 – 15.3 2001 reg’d QH gelding, bay, NICE horse, HYPP N/N, super well trained – NS @ 3500 wanted $4000
27 – 15.1 1994 mare, reg’d QH, sorrel, tiny feet, sold w/ papers but no transfer (?) - $675
28 – 15.1 1999 gelding, reg’d solid app, chestnut 2 front socks, ridden by child – NS @ $1400
30 – 14.3 2yo grade stallion, black/brown, led thru, stepped on owner in flip-flops J - $25 (yes… $25)
31 – 14.3 2yo grade stallion, chestnut, very pretty, lofty prancing trot, very cute - $80
29 – 15.2 1998 reg’d APHA gelding, gray/white, ridden west. but looked like an Eng. mover – NS @ $1200
32 – 15.2 1996 red dun QH, nose rubbed raw, nice build, seemed well trained and calm - $2500
33 – 15h grade QH gelding, gorgeous body but calf knees, led thru, supposedly broke, “cow bred” - $385
34 – 15.2 2002 reg’d Friesian/TB sport horse mare, bay, cute, slightly posty back legs – NS @ $1200
35 – 15.1 2005 reg’d QH mare, black, glossy, beautiful, petite, well trained for WP in snaffle – NS @ $1000
36 – 15.1 4yo grade (full sib to #33) gelding, sorrel/flaxen, led thru, supposedly broke, “cow bred” - $360
37 – 15.2 2003 reg’d gelding, grulla/white tobiano, pretty WP horse, small feet – NS @ $2400 wanted $3000
38 – 15.1 7yo reg’d APHA gelding, stock/ranch build, mostly white, great hip and shoulder – NS @ $1500
39 – 14.3 2001 reg’d pinto gelding, chestnut/white tobiano, little skittish - $400
40 – 16.1 1998 reg’d grey/black points gelding, looks like a TB, well trained, child rode thru – NS @ $1800
41 – 15h 1997 QH mare, black, NRHA points, very cute, spins/stops well, super compact build – NS @ $3800
43 – 15.1 2002 reg’d QH bay gelding, HYPP N/N, photos of horse eventing, cute – NS @ $900 wanted $1500
44 – 15h reg’d QH strawberry roan w/4 socks and blaze, overbite, balky, whipped a lot with reins - $475
45 – 15h 5yo reg’d APHA, cutting horse, bay tobiano, good build but straight(ish) shoulder – $3400
46 – 15.1 2003 reg’d QH, poor skinny sorrel, nervous, led thru but supposedly broke, clean/groomed - $160
50 – 15.2 fugly grade bay pinto, tovero, RF toed in horribly, 2 small kids rode through (no helmets) - $675
47 – 15.1 4yo reg’d APHA cute mare w/7 halter pts, bay w/belly spot and chrome, well started – NS @ $2000
53 – 15h 1993 reg’d TWH mare, black w/hind socks, kids slid all over rump and yanked tail - $800
49 – 15.1 7yr reg’d QH mare, black w/star, reiner, a little green but pretty – NS @ $2300
57 – 15.1 1993 reg’d Standardbred gelding, bay no white, trotter, short steep croup, led thru, “As-is” - $235
74 – 15h 5yo grade pinto gelding, overo, black with some roaning, average build, green broke - $200
51 – 15.2 reg’d QH, red dun, good build but straight shoulder, big solid muscled mare, well trained - $2400
59 – 16.1 2004 TB unraced gelding, bay, cute front but flat short croup, sound on old bows, sweet face - $400
55 – 15.2 1999 reg’d Appendix mare, sorrel, HYPP N/N, bay/white tobiano foal at side – NS @ $1400
54 – 15.2 5yo reg’d QH mare, chestnut, WP trained well but built like stock horse, “no Impressive” - $2100
61 – 16h 9yo poor skinny rough-coated TB mare, ribby/wormy but nice conformation - $175 (good home) FHOTD in: Thank you for noting that. I would have been upset about her.
56 – 15h 6yo reg’d QH gelding, black, no white, good build, W-W brand on left hip - $2500
66 – 15.1 1996 reg’d solid paint gelding, sorrel, paddled, small feet – NS @ $550 wanted $800
58 – 16h 6yo reg’d QH gelding, sorrel, cute, horse acted up and was NS by owner before bidding could start.
68 – 14.3 grade QH palomino trail horse, polished up, balky, plain head - $800
69 – 16.2 10yo Appendix gelding, gray, 3’ fences w/ auto changes, nice mover, ridden by child - $1650
60 – 15h reg’d solid paint mare, black, low front socks, good feet – NS @ $1500
70 – 16.1 reg’d TWH, big grulla gelding, well trained, calm – NS @ 2900 wanted $3500
62 – 14.3 6yo reg’d QH mare, palomino, petite, cutting lines, “bred last week, sells with LFG!” – NS @ $1400
71 – 14.3 15yo grade sorrel kids’ mare, “go anywhere do anything,” maybe just fat but looked in foal - $400 72 – 15.3 5yo Appendix, sorrel, looked very TB, well trained, child rode thru – NS @ $1800 wanted $2500
64 – 15.2 10yo reg’d solid paint, sorrel with 4 high whites and blaze, super cute – NS @ 2500 wanted $2800
75 – 15.1 1997 bay QH gelding, “lost the papers,” plain but cute, well trained - $535
76 – 15.1 10yo Foundation QH gelding, black, “As-is,” led thru, “will flip over, crippled a man up.” - $385
77 – 15.2 14yo grade chestnut gelding, small child rode through, calm - $775
78 – 15.2 grade QH mare, fleabitten gray, bump on side of head by eye, rode her bridle-less - $375
80 – 16h 10yo QH gelding, “lost the papers,” well trained WP horse, “As-is,” moved short in hind - $410
81 – 16.3+ 5yo TB/Clyde cross, bay gelding, very cute and very leggy, green broke - $960
79 – 14h 9yo grade mare, bay, very fat and very cresty, feet OK, led thru - $275
82 – 14.1 1995 grade QH gelding, dark palomino, quiet, long back / disproportionately short legs - $1000
83 – 16.2 19yo TB mare, bay, gorgeous, sold w/breeding to nice WB, “can’t afford her anymore” - $260
85 – 15.2 14yo grade chestnut gelding, youth games horse, hot and up - $525
84 – 15.2 TB mare, chestnut, “As-is,” led thru, nice trot, petite - $285
86 – 15.1 fugly 9yo QH gelding, chestnut, led thru, supposedly broke, antsy, very tiny feet - $410
88 – 15h grade QH gelding, small feet with flare - $360
87 – 15.3 2yo grade Perch/TB cross (yet somehow a pinto), started U/S 2 weeks ago, calm - $1900
89 – 15.2 7yo QH/Morgan, cutest face, reared and almost flipped in the aisle - $275 (was bid before the rearing)
95 – 15h 4yo white Mule gelding, had dark eyes but pink skin, cute but hard to steer - $550

At this point it was midnight and I had to go home, but a friend told me the remaining 6 horses (who were all skinny, unkempt, and wormy with long cracked feet) sold for between $30 and $80 each.

All horses not sold “As-is” have a soundness guarantee for 3 days following the sale, and have the word “sound” on their hip tags… however, there is some fine print. The guarantee does not cover a failed flexion test by itself. It also does not apply to horses selling for under $600 (like half the horses selling “sound” were disqualified because of the low price!).

A lot of the no-sale horses that reached the $1500-3500 range were owned by the same dealer; he brought 8 and only sold 2. He encouraged people to come speak to him after the sale.

What I realized:
People will bid more for your nice mare if she is not in foal.
People pay more for the horse if it is already gelded.
Color doesn’t count for much when the training and/or conformation suck.
“As-is” and “lead-thru” horses don’t sell for much.
Tricks like standing on the saddle and riding bridle-less count for less than good old-fashioned training.
Late numbers = fewer bidders = no $$. So it’s in your best interests to scratch, wait ‘til next time and get an earlier number for your horse.

Comments on horse #89:

Okay, I got to the auction and thought, “Whoa, I know that horse!” He was the cute liver chestnut gelding who was boarded at my barn up until a month ago. When his owner bought him last spring, he was green broke and had a few bad social habits. He would run up right on the horse in front of him on trails, never mind getting kicked. He wouldn’t stand for mounting. He was a tiny bit barn sour when going out alone.

His rider was not able to deal with these things, and over the last year they got worse. He never did learn to stand for mounting, which was a problem because his rider couldn’t mount without a block. He was never made to back off other horses’ rumps, and so was a constant annoyance on the trails. As a quick-fix he was put into a gag bit with a single twisted wire mouthpiece, and threw his head from the pain. A friend of the owner’s who fancied himself a cowboy tried to muscle him around, reins tight and hands high, and so the horse started rearing.
Now the gelding has been sold for a whopping $275, and the owner said she doesn’t care where he went. So, let me ask… Was it the horse’s fault he got this bad? Was it his fault you wouldn’t get a real trainer to help you with him? How exactly did you fail to realize he was too green for you, when it took you 45 minutes just to get on, every single ride for over a year?

People, please… If you have a problem, PAY for some damn HELP. No, not from the yahoo kid, from a real trainer who knows what they’re doing. And if you don’t want help, then SELL the horse BEFORE it gets so bad that even experienced people won’t touch it. I think of that nice, sweet-tempered horse, and how all he needed was a few corrections in the beginning. Now, he’s almost flipping over backwards… and if he doesn’t end up on a shipment to Mexico, he might end up crippling his next rider.