Horse Auctions... Yes or No?

Question

I'm looking for a horse. I've tried everywhere... I've looked on Horsetopia, Dream Horse, Equine Now, Rescue places, etc... etc... but I can't find a horse in my area that is suitable for what I need (and in my budget). I need a horse who is beautiful, at least over 4 years old, and would be a nice summer project. I was thinking about going to the auction, but I really don't know anything about the auction. Okay, so here are my questions...

What happens at the auction? What do you do... do you just look at and bid on horses? Like, what happens when I get there? When I find the horse I want? Like, I have NO idea how it works lol!

What kind of horses go there?

How much is it for a good horse?

Will I need to arrange a trailer?

What should I look for in a horse at the auction?

And most importantly, is it worth it?

Thank you :)

Answer 1

Find a trainer to go with you. You may not be a 'noob' but if 'beautiful' is your first criteria for a horse, your'e going to end up in a world of trouble at an auction.



People unload 'beautiful' but rogue horses at auction all the time, hoping folks like yourself get blinded by how pretty they are and buy uninformed and impulsively.



There's an old saying: Beauty is a beauty does.



All your questions can ban answered by a trusted trainer, because each auction house has different rules. But in short, IMHO... No, it's not 'worth' going to auction to buy your next horse.

Answer 2

I go to auctions all the time it is a good place to buy horses for cheap but u never know whats going to be there, mostly thoroughbreds and mixed breeds. Most auctions will have a row of standing stalls that u can view horses and make sure they are friendly, also some auctions have an arena so u can walk the horse around or ride at your own risk of course. U have to make sure the horse is completely sound and not drugged. You will get some many horses that are completely unbroken, old, yearlings,and if ur lucky u will find one that is already green broke and is manageable. The prices vary could could buy a baby for 100 if know one wants it or u get the horses that are a rare find at an auction and u will end up paying just as much as one that isn't in a auction. Look for a horse that has clear eyes and is responsive, has nice pink gums and isn't sleeping they need to be aware of u and obviously not aggressive. Don't worry to much about hoofs as long as they arnt to bad u will notice that most of them will have terrible hooves but if its the only thing u don't like about that horse then go for it it's prob nothing a good farrier can't fix! And u don't want a horse that's to under weight u will spend most of the summer nursing back to health unless that's what you want. And u can easily find someone to trailer for a price which could get expensive depending on how far u are from where the horse is going. Once u go to one auction u will get the hang of it it's fairly simple there will be an arena where the horses are brought in and u just bid like at any auction. I think it is completely worth going to auctions but it's not for everyone u will see some sad things.

Good luck and have fun! I hope I helped

Answer 3

When you get to the auction, if you plan to bid you must register at the front office so that you get a bidding card. They will need your license, phone number ect.



You can find just about every breed of horse at an auction - telling them apart is a different matter though. Some people write notes to go on the pen about the horses or tell the auctioneer things about them so the buyer has more information, but really you have no idea if what they are saying is true.



Good horses vary in price - I have heard of horses in America selling for under $100 that turned out to be great. It's best to walk through all the pens with a notepad and pen, write down all the horses that you have decided would be alright for you and then only bid to your limit (remember, at auctions they sometimes tack on 10% GST). They also vary depending on which pen they are in. At my local auction there are "kill pens" and "riding pens". In America, I think that every horse gets walked through the ring, however in Australia only the riding horses do.



Usually you would bring a trailer with you, but if you don't own your own and don't want to hire one in case you don't buy a horse, then call your local auction and ask if you were to buy a horse, could you arrange for the horse to be picked up the next day - in that case, you will need to buy some hay for the horse, because many have already been sitting there a considerable amount of time with no feed.



When examining auction horses, you need to be able to identify injuries or illnesses. The most important place to check for injuries are the legs - if a horse has a leg injury it may have lameness. I'm also wary of buying horses with shoes (although hardly anyone shoes over here). Start by picking up each leg and run your hands over it to feel the tendons, to feel for heat, to feel for scar tissue or bone deformities. Doing this also let's you know how much the horse has been handled - sometimes you can't get near a horse in a pen, sometimes they will walk up to you. Always look for the reason they are being sold at an auction - some horses are too "wild", some are lame, some are sick, some have simply been dumped because their owners are stupid. Make sure you look for needle marks, drugged horses (google the symptoms for that, it's pretty easy to spot though) and research conformation so you know what you are looking for, because you won't have time to test ride a horse first. You also need to learn (if you don't know how to already) to age a horse by it's teeth - the younger they are the easier it is to tell, but it's a skill that is very useful at an auction if you can do it.



I think it's worth it. I go to auctions, rescue, rehab, retrain or start them from scratch and then rehome them. I love doing that, I think it's so rewarding. For you, I guess it depends on the size of the auction because your issue is that there is not enough variety on the internet in your price range.



Good Luck =) I'm happy to help out more if I can.

Answer 4

There are a few things to note when dealing with horses that come from auctions.



1.) Their health. Even if the horse was healthy when it was brought to the auction, being around all of those horses and so closely confined is asking for a communicable disease. Even if the horse is healthy, it's always a good idea to keep him quarantined for a few weeks to protect your other horses.

2.) WHY are they there? I can honestly say I would never bring my horse to the auction, and you have to realize the horse came from people who do bring their horses to the auctions, which means they could be inexperienced, not knowledgeable, or not care about the horses much in general, all which can have negative affects on the horse.



All of that being said though, I have seen some of the best horses come from the kill pens. The price you pay really depends on the auction, I've seen horses (especially yearlings) that are offered for free. Sometimes the prettier ones/more broke go for a bit more, $2000 tops. Then again, I've been to some top of the line auctions where $10,000 is not uncommon. Bring a trailer and your critical eye :)

Answer 5

NO!! Ohmigosh. If you can't afford $2,000, PLEASE DON'T GET A HORSE! IDK how old you are, but I find myself telling this to teenaged girls all the time. You seem like a grown woman, so I'll save you the lecture, but basically, the initial cost of the horse is NOT the most expensive cost even if your horse costs $10,000! The vet bills, unexpected costs, training, getting ripped off (some people drug sick/psycho horses when you go to look at htem to buy) feed, board, tack, trailering (if you don't own a trailer), etc. are the most expensive things and will seriously bankrupt you.



An auction works like a regular auction. You will most likely be bidding against trainers, rescue groups and meat buyers.



It depends on who's buying that day! Anywhere from $100 to thousands of dollars. Unless you are a vet or a trainer, the people aren't going to tell you what a "good" horse is. You will need to be able to look at them yourself beforehand. You NEED to take a trainer with you or someone who is REALLY knowledgeable- not just someone "experienced."



Yes! I suggest you take lessons first. Most trainers will come with you and trailer your horse you buy home for you for a small fee, sometimes for free if you have been taking lessons with them for a while.



I would say not unless you are a trainer. A lot of the horses need training that a trainer can give, and you cannot. I think that LEASING a horse is your best option if you can't afford to buy one. Feel free to email me and ask about it:)

Answer 6

I have one quick way to solve all those problems. Bring an expert! Ask your instructor (if you have one), an experienced family member, or, best of all, (but the most expensive) somebody specifically trained to accompany you to see what horse would work. Te problem at auctions is that they go fast and allot of people get caught in the action and start bidding on bad horses. Also, the people selling the horses may try to cover up serious faults in the horse like injuries. At auctions, you also have no time to go in depth about the horse (ex. its attitude, health issues, etc.) which is super important. One way this can all be solved is with a professional who can, just by looking at the horse, give you not all, but most of the information required.

Answer 7

I go to auctions all the time. It's a love hate relationship. I love the rush and getting horses for little money, but I hate the people that bring their horses there and clearly havent taken care of them. So far I haven't been burned- knock on wood. So you can get a good horse or a really bad horse. My old boss picked up some real winners... one of which bucked me off and cracked some ribs, sprained some fingers, lovely concussion, etc.

My first piece of advice- go to at least 4 auctions if you can and see how it works and what a decent price to pay is. As a general rule never trust a single thing the seller will tell you. If they lied, you're not surprised and if they didn't- yay!

What kind of horses go there? It depends on where you are and what kind of an auction it is. For a general monthly sale: QH's, some TB's, a lot of ponies, donkeys, mules, paints, some TWH's, foxtrotters, occasionally a paso, etc. Don't expect any fancy breeds. Most of them are unregistered or grade, but not all.

How much is it for a good horse?

Completely depends on the look, training, the sale, who's at the sale, how much time the auctioneer spends on the horse, what you're looking for, what time in the sale it is, how the horse acts in the ring, etc. I saw a really nice reining QH mare go for $500. Her training would have cost way more than that. Do not get involved in a bidding war- set a limit and don't go over it. I usually spend around or under $400.

Will I need to arrange a trailer?

Yes, if you're planning on buying you will need to bring a trailer, a halter and lead rope, some grain, and hopefully a friend or experienced person to help. The seller will almost never be there to talk to you or tell you about the horse, they won't sell anything with the horse either. Generally if they're the kind of owner to sell a horse without caring where it ends up, they don't care at all. Not always true, but generally. Oh and bring cash. Most sale's wont take anything else. I usually bring $800-1000 just in case. I'd rather have too much than not enough.

What should I look for in a horse at the auction?

If it's the kind you can walk around beforehand- go at least an hour to two hours early. Bring a notebook and pencil- check out all the horses and write down the number and characteristics of the horse's you're interested in. Look at their feet- if they're long and splayed the horse probably hasn't been well cared for and worked much. Hair that's matted and tangled usually means it's been out to pasture for a very long time and hasn't been ridden much or for a while.Look for old scars, proud flesh, rub marks, good knees and joints. Check their top-line and conformation- very important. Look at height and things like them being ewe-necked. Check for bites and cuts. Gashes on the legs and face generally mean the horse struggled when they tried to load it. This means it hasn't been trailered much if ever and usually not worked much. Check for old glue residue around the tail or butt area- this could mean it was just at another sale and the person took them right back. See if they kick and bite. See if they'll come to you if you have a carrot or something.

Look for: Horses tied up away from the others, horses tied up very short- both could indicate a kicker or striker. Horses with the seller around to answer questions- a good seller will be there and may even let you ride the horse. Saddle sores, good hooves, teeth/age, sway backed- do not trust a horse with a saddle on and tied to be broke. If you see a sweet horse and pet it and it just stands there no matter what you do, has glassy eyes and is in the same spot after 20 minutes- give it up, it's drugged. Extreme sweat marks before entering the ring- has probably been run to exhaustion just before the sale. Just because there's a kid on it doesn't mean it's kid broke. There's not a lot of room to move and more horses are so scared they won't do much. I rely a lot on my gut- if I dont feel good about a horse I wont get it.And most importantly, is it worth it? If you know what you're doing, know the type of sale, know who the dealers are, feel comfortable working with all types of problems, including physical and mental, yes. If there's any type of horses you don't feel comfortable around- no. The first thing I do when I get them home is worm them, feed them, trim their feet, show them the water and salt block and get them on supplements if needed. You could get a great horse or a terrible one. Be careful when grooming and riding them at first. The horse probably hasn't had food or water for at least a day so watch for complications.

Answer 8

Well, really it depends on the auction. Good auction there may be good horses. Bad auction most likely bad horses. There can be any type of horse: any age, any breeding, some are even registered. I went to a really high end one it had 100's of horses, but i saw one i wanted she was only a yearling and not very pretty, but now she is truly a perfect Angel. Registered,wonderful conformation beautiful markings (she's a paint). We got her really cheap. I even go t to pick her registered name. When you or if you go look at their feet, teeth, conformation, the way they walk, legs, everything, be careful. Bring a trailer and other horse people who know what to look for, another pair of eyes is always a good idea. Just pick a good auction and you will know which horse is good for you. Good luck :)

Answer 9

Also watch out for drugged horses.

It is not uncommon where I come from.

People drug the horse, and the horse acts like an angel, the horse sells for more money, and you end up with a crazy horse.



Buying a horse from an auction is a gamble. It depends on what's important to you in a horse. If all you want is a "beautiful project", you can probably find more than you can count at an auction, but there's no saying they have good health, no lameness issues, trust issues, or behave at all in general.



i would personally just keep looking, you can also post a "Wanted" ad on the internet (I know you can put free ones on Kijiji)



Good luck!

Answer 10

the only way you're really going to find out about auctions is to actually go to one.



go to one without planning to buy and get a feel for it. talk to people there.



one auction is not the same as all.



they're all different. there are awesome auctions that have vets on hand that check every single horse to be sure it's the real deal and healthy....there are auctions that are mostly feedlots for horses headed to slaughter.



If you're not new to horses, you must know some horse people you can go to an auction with.



All your questions can be answered if you just go and watch.