Today I want to spotlight some really nice horses who are selling dirt cheap (I am guessing due to the high cost of hay, gasoline, and life in general). I'm going to spread this out around the country so there's something for everyone. If you do breed, you should read this post with interest. How is what you are breeding different from the bargains spotlighted today? Are you ensuring yours can sell for more because of the training you put on them? This could be a bit of a wake-up call for some...I am a little shocked to see these prices myself, because all of these are quality horses in my opinion who OUGHT to be selling for more, but aren't. It is really good support for the idea that perhaps even the better breeders should consider scaling down their production or taking a year or two off, as many of you have already decided to do. Again, I am not and will never be anti-breeding. I am merely asking you to do a recheck of your program and make sure what you are producing is marketable right now and for a respectable price.
As far as I can tell from the ad, I think this is a Connemara cross pony. She is a small, and as you can see, it looks like she can really step under herself. She's an 8 year old mare who's just being started but that doesn't scare me like a 2 year old filly that's already well broke - especially when you are talking about embarking on a high impact career like jumping! This pony is in Lafayette, Colorado for $500. I reviewed the trainer's web site and all of her kids have helmets on, horses are in good condition, and safety stirrups are on hunt saddles. Here's a good resale project for you pony lovers who are petite yourselves or have a tween/teen daughter who can handle a greenie with your help.
If you want to show and win (or have a kid with those dreams) and are on a budget when it comes to purchase price, this is the sort of horse you ought to run out and get. This is a super well bred 19 year old mare who was trained and shown Western Pleasure in her youth. She has just been a broodie since. You know what? They really don't forget that much. I bought a 1986 mare early last year and started riding her. She did super well - I was impressed with how much training she had. Pivots, sidepassing, all sorts of advanced work. A little research down the road revealed she'd last been ridden as a 3 year old. Yet she was hardly rusty at all. It really doesn't take that much to get a show trained horse going again. For $500 and a bit of time and effort, you or your kid could wind up kicking butt on a horse who was surely worth 5 figures or more in her youth. If you're around New Carlisle, Ohio, go pick up this fabulous bargain!
Here is another fantastic bargain! This is an AQHA mare with a SI of 98 that goes hunt, western, and jumps. She has a pedigree full of AQHA racing royalty, and unlike many racebreds, has a pretty face. (I looove the AQHA racing bloodlines, but they are not always the prettiest). This mare is in Logan, Utah for only $500. She's 19. They rate her a 9 on a scale of 1-10 which tells me maybe a hot, light sided horse is not their cup of tea, but I know many of you (myself included!) LOVE this type. She sounds like a blast, and like she's got many, many good years of riding left in her.
I just have to show this one. I wanted so badly to feature her, but then I read that she is HYPP N/H as is damn near everything from this breeder. *head explodes* This is a pretty darn nice yearling AQHA filly. She has a lovely shoulder and hip, a low set tail that will look good in the show ring, an attractive head, a sweet expression and as far as I can see from these angles, the legs look good with nice pasterns. She looks a bit thick through the throatlatch, but there just isn't anything here that really jumps out as a big flaw. She's only $300, in Holland, Iowa. If I had a cure for the damn HYPP, I'd tell you to go snatch her up. As it stands, I won't recommend that anybody buy a horse who may flop over dead one day with or without warning, with or without a rider on their back. This one just makes me SO angry. So avoidable. Just stop breeding them!
Finally, I am afraid I have stumbled upon another asshat that needs outing. They are everywhere! This is, as you can all see, a lovely mare. Unfortunately, she is FIVE FREAKING YEARS OLD and NOT HALTER BROKE! Yes, in their own words "She is NOT halter broke. She wore a halter & lead as a weanling but we never got around to teaching her to lead. If we ever needed to move her, she was simply herded with other horses." ARRRRRGGGGGGHHHH! Why did you breed it if you were too busy to even do the most basic training on it? What did you think was going to happen down the road? Now it is available for "best offer" on DreamHorse. How is someone going to buy it and put it in a trailer and move it, even? Well, Jennifer Dorman of Boerne, Texas, I do hope someone with the skills to help this poor uneducated mare decides to go and get her and do the training (that would have taken all of 10 minutes a day when she was a weanling) that you apparently didn't have time to do. BTW with such a nice facility, why can't you afford to send her out for training and give her a real chance at life? You do not look to be financially destitute. Hmmm...
