I know this is gonna be a dumb question, but is there something wrong with auction horses?

Question

Please be patient with me but i am feeling so biased because i have this idea drilled into my head by my parents that all horses from an auction are either really old, have crazy behavioral problems, or have some health problem. We are going to a horse auction next month just for funsys so i need to stop thinking this about all auction horses! What are your experiances? Any super good horses from an auction that you want to tell me about? Thanks!

Answer 1

Sorry this is so long!



It depends on the auction. Is it a monthly auction where anyone can bring in a horse or is it a specialty auction that runs a few times a year. Some of the specialty (pure breed, TB racers or STB racers) can have horses go quite high, but they also tend to pull in trainers & big barns to do the bidding. A horse is very unlikely to be drugged as many of these auctions will even have vet on staff or facilities to do x-rays and other tests right there.



If you are going to a monthly auction I'd recommend don't buy anything your first time out. It is very easy to get caught up in the excitement of the bidding and take something home that isn't right for you. Also it will give you time to learn the signs of drugging, lameness, & behavioral problems. If you can go with someone who can help point these things out that will help. Go with them and make it a game. Pick out the horses you think are drugged, lame, etc and then compare notes during the auction. You'll learn a ton!



If you find something you are interested in look for signs of drugging. Drooping ears are a big one. A horse who doesn't seem to notice or respond to loud noises (doesn't need to spook but should at least look or flick his ears at it), or one that doesn't respond or has slow responses when you tap the skin around the eye may be drugged. The horses heart rate should be between 40 & 60 bpm (or higher if he's really nervous). If it is lower he is probably drugged. Look for low heads and loose lips, dehydration, glazed eyes,



Also look at the owners behavior. Does the owner not let you near the horse to check these things, is he quick to explain away any signs of drugging you see. A big red flag for me is when a horse or pony is led out with a kid on them. This almost always seems to happen on a horse that I've already flagged as possibly drugged.



Finally it is quite possible to find great horses at auction. In the past I've bought quite a few ex-racers (OTTB & OTSTB) at auctions to retrain and sell as jumpers/dressage horses. I was apprenticing to a trainer/instructor at the time and we usually did ok. Every once in a while we'd get a horse that was dangerous or had a problem we didn't see. It always amazed me that my trainer who did this for a living could sometimes be fooled.



I bought my 1/2 egyptian arab/appy at an auction. I kept that horse his whole life and I couldn't have gotten a better horse. I knew he wasn't drugged because he nearly kicked his way out of the arena and chased all the handlers out :) Needless to say after I bought him I had him sent to a professional trainer (a reiner even though I rode dressage). He told me he nearly called me at the end of the first week to tell me to put the horse down. The second week they had a breakthrough and at the end of the 90 days I had a sane, but high strung horse. He turned out to be the most athletic well rounded animal I ever rode. I did team penning, barrels, dressage, SCA events, jumper/eventing, and dabbled in many other events when I needed a break from the rigors of dressage.



I ended up running into the daughter of the guy who sold him at the auction a few years later. She told me they had bought the horse as a foal to raise together. So people who had never trained or raised a horse thought choosing a 1/2 egyptian arab was the way to go. When my boy became a yearling they couldn't mange him any more. She said dad beat the horse routinely and the horse finally got so aggressive they left him locked in his stall for two years. They never cleaned it and finally decided to sell him when he was up in the rafters and they were afraid he could get out and come after them. It explained a lot of psychological problems he had the rest of his life like you couldn't drag him into a stall.



Luckily the horse had excellent feet and kept them pretty worn by running circles in the stall so he didn't have any permanent damage, but he was so wormy you could see movement under his skin. With all the training and treatment I put into that horse I could have bought a champion, but to this day I'm glad I bought him. Just be prepared for anything with an auction horse and don't be surprised if you need to get professional help. Make sure you've got money in reserve to send him out if needed before you buy.

Answer 2

Ok first, thumbs up on saying "funsys," because I say it all the time too! haha.



Secondly, with many people not being able to afford their horses, there are a lot of decent horses in auctions now. One of my best friends bought a dead broke, 5 year old QH gelding at a local auction. He is the BEST horse my friend has ever had. My friend does western gaming (barrels, poles... other gymkhana stuff,) and this horse does amazing at them. He was won my friend a lot of money and prizes. But he isn't a speed demon like many gaming horses. He is also a great trail horse and is very beginner friendly.



But then again, I've got another friend who bought a horse that the seller claimed was broke to ride and pull a cart, come to find out, the horse had not been trained to do either and they sold the horse back.



So I think you just have to take a chance and make a smart choice. There are some great horses out there, but there are still some old, ill, or untrained horses with lying owners out there.



So best of luck!

Answer 3

That's not completely true. Yes, most of the auction horses are drugged so the buyer doesn't know about its problems and some of the horses are just plain over the hills. I work at a ranch where we are always looking for new horses that a child could ride, so sometimes we go to the auctions. We have found several wonderful patient horses there, and some pathetic pieces of work. So, if you look hard enough, you'll probably see something good.

Answer 4

Yes and no. There's a mix of horses, and sometimes, it just depends on someone's opinion.



It also depends on the auction. Look on Bloodhorse.com later, after some of the sales. There are young horses that sell at these auctions that go for 100K+ The King of Dubai usually spends a few million... sometimes on just one horse.



As for the cheapo stock auctions:



There are plenty of good horses there, just because the owners can't afford to pay for them anymore.



There are some that may have some health problems easily fixed, just the old owners are ignorant.



Bad breeders will dump horses there. They're unruly, don't know much, but could be fine riding animals with some elbow grease.



And sure, there are some that are a bit broken down, too, maybe they're just old, but they could be fine as just a pasture companion.





This has a list of horses from one auction: http://fuglyblog.com/?p=905

Answer 5

I got a horse that was auction bound. We where told that she bucked like a bronco as soon as a saddle touched her back. Now this was not your everyday grade horse... this was a registered QH that someone had spent a good amount of $ in training on (found out later just how much).

Scooped her up for a whopping $150 and brought her home. Not one single buck in her she is as quiet as a mouse



And tracked down the original owner (not the one that dumped her at auction) and they had put over $2000 in training on this horse before their daughter lost intrest



She had been shown 1 week before the auction and was still all spit shined and polished and the whole nine yards.

Answer 6

I bought my first horse at auction, in 1965. She was a four year old mare, and I kept her until she was thirty-two.



I bought a nice little foal at auction in 1975, and kept the horse for nearly thirty years.



The horse was half Belgian. I used him under western saddle, but heavy harness was really his thing. I started him in harness at about 15 months, just light training work, and he really took to it. Once he was strong enough, I would take him to haul wood, instead of my tractor. He pulled a few cars out of some snowbanks, too. That always impressed the city folks..



He was taken off the mare too young, which did create a certain lack of social skills, but I did overcome that to some extent. He was big, and he was always rough and not too delicate in action and behaviour.



I also bought a Percheron at auction. Beautiful harness horse, but he was terrified of saddles. I got the story years later. A saddle slipped under him, and someone got hurt, which is why he was at auction. When I got him home and discovered the problem, I sacked him out, and got him so he would take a saddle, but I could not trust him with a saddle, and he was not enjoying it.



If you buy a horse at auction, be prepared to discover things about the horse that you might not have anticipated.



Medications like BUT will cover lameness. What looks like a nice calm quiet horse, good for children, might explode when the tranquilizer wears off in the horse trailer on the way home. If you don't know the history of the horse, you will get a surprise.



A few of my boarders have come home with auction horses. A few of them have worked out, but often there is some kind of a problem, and without knowing the history of the horse, it is hard to anticipate just what you are bringing home.



When you go to look at a horse in a stable, you can try the horse out, ask questions to the owner, go home and think about it and so on. When you buy a horse at auction, all you can do is look at the horse from a distance, and flash your auction ticket as the auctioneer hollers out your bid. You will take home a surprise.



I personally think that it should be illegal to put a horse through the stress of the auction process. That is only my opinion. I don'tt think my opinion is going to stop auctions.



Anyway. good luck if you buy a horse there, at auction.. You might rescue a really good horse that really needs a good home.



Henry Steel

Answer 7

No there are actually quite a few decent horses at auctions. Because of the economy lots of horses are getting dumped at auctions when they are actually really good horses that could bring a good price. I would bring a really experienced person with you to the auction to be an unbiased judge of the horses conformation, movement and potential. Personally i have never seen an auction horse at any of my barns but i know lots of people have made auction horses into successful pleasure or competition horses.

Answer 8

Well, there are always the stories of the diamonds in the rough found at auctions. But generally speaking, the horses at auctions are not there because the owners could sell them normally, so I'd have to say your parents likely have a point.

Answer 9

Well, 90% of auction horses are either old, sick, unsound, abused, untrained, or have some big issue. Of course abused and untrained ones can usually be fixed. And there is the occasional nice horse, but you are never sure what you are getting. The problem really lies in the dealers. They'll say anything to make a quick buck. And you don't know what the horse is really like, don't have time for a vet check. And if you are lucky enough to test ride the horse, it could be drugged to stay calm or not feel pain if its really unsound.

Answer 10

Back in the day that may have been true, but now with the shitty horse economy, more good horses are going into the auction because their owners have lost their jobs and can't pay for them anymore.

Answer 11

What your parents have told you could be true about some auctions...HOWEVER...i have never been to one like that...the auctions i have been to sell very nice show horses...most of which are still young and need to be continued in training...there are still a lot of older horses there but when i say older i mean like 15 max nothing usually over that...



the one auction i have been to over and over has been the favorite of my riding instructor for many years...she has found ALL of the lesson horses there and most have turned out to be the best lesson horses you could imagine!!! a couple however...well lets just say one of them was a total brat lol





anyways...this sale is also where my friend bought her show horse...she bought her at auction for $2,000 took her to a trainer, showed her, and then turned around and sold her for $10,000 to purchase her reiner



here's pictures of Lexus (RR The Spotlights On)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45638116@N05/sets/72157624002362716/



i have however went to a kill pen auction...those are a little more like what you have described...generally they are for the older or misbehaved horses...



a lot of good horses can come from the kill pen though...at my old barn they adopted a little welsh cross bay gelding...to begin with he was hardly worth anyones time when they brought him home...the vet placed him around 4 and we were guessing he had never been under saddle before... we also don't think he had ever been kept in a pasture...the first time we ever turned him out he decided to "jump" the electric fence when we tried to catch him...instead he cleared the bottom two wires and took down the top one...he wasn't hurt he just never did that again...



anyways...one of the girls who boards out at the barn decided she needed a new "project" horse and took him on...after months of hard work and dedication he turned out to be the best little lesson/show pony ever!!!



every show we took him to he was one of the calmest horses there...he placed first in just about every class...he did everything on a loose rein and made the best little western pleasure pony the all breeds had seen...he is now the lesson instructors daughters pony and they are working on teaching him the sport of reining :)



here's pictures of Malibu (Malibus Most Wanted) the rescue pony

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45638116@N05/sets/72157623878033109/

Answer 12

I just had my first lesson on my new horse that I rescued from slaughter at an auction today! W/T/C and jumping. I am planning on using her as my hunter/jumper for a few years (only because she's 19yo). My instructor got a registered Appendix at the same time as I got mine. Although he is super skinny, he has 4 new shoes, a shiny coat, great clip job, and a freshly pulled mane. She got on him for the first time, and went W/T/C also. Think of a well trained and beautiful PERFECT hunter...that's him! She told me the other day she tried jumping him. Absolutely perfect. Great distances, rhythmic, simple changes (probably knows flying, just haven't tried them yet), etc. Unflappable on trails also. Had his first lesson today. A friend got a pregnant mare at the same time. She got on her for the first time, took a short walk (only because she's SO preggo!)...perfect. Although they each had minor health problems and fears, they've gotten over most in the short time we've had them. Mine was very healthy, just has really long feet. If you want to find some REALLY good horses to save from a scary death at the slaughter house, check out this site (where we got our guys). http://www.nj-feedlot-horse-rescue.com/availablecamelot.html Although it's a big risk (not being able to try them out or meet them unless you want to drive to the place on Wednesday during the auction), it has proved to be really worth it for us. So far, none of us have regretted it. And even if it ends up that one needs to be put down, at least we saved them from a very scary death in the slaughter house in Canada (they are still awake while they cut them apart. I hate to even think of it! ='[ ). And honestly, these rescues have proved to be the sweetest horses you will ever meet. It's as if they are willing to do anything to pay you back for saving them. =')



My girl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NfeiGuArYU



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ADD::

I forgot to mention that, yes, a lot of auctions are full of horses with problems. That's why they're there. Some of them though, have wonderful horses (such as the site I gave you).

Answer 13

i think it dpeends on the auction you go to. one might have a bunch of perfectly good horses, another may have only 1 good horse. i dnt believe its tru that allll have bad tempers, health issues, etc. i agree with the first poster. with this economy people are havin to sell because they can afford thier horse anymore. sad):