Mini Prices?

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I would say that $500 for a well bred mare open or bred is a great deal. I personaly have not bought any bred mares only open and they cost thousands. Of course in this economy bargains abound. Hay is scarce, or poor and I'm sure some must sell and want a good home so are willing to let good horses go for a little. We all know that some of us are losing money just getting foals on the ground with the cost of vet care/feed/hay going up and sales are down in alot of areas. I would recommend as some of the others have stated to research this horses pedigree and that of the stallion, and I would go see the horse in person and not purchase from a picture only. That way you can check first hand conformation, bite, and disposition. also with a price that low you may need to pay for the coggins and health papers depending on the area it can run a couple of hundred dollars. Good luck in your search.
 
Agreeing with all that others have posted - is $500 a great deal? Could be, could not be. What do you want to do with her? I bought my first 2 minis at an auction, one was a bred 2 year old for $250 (had her aborted, as I did NOT want a baby, especially from such a young mare), the other an older mare who'd been shown for $425.

Sold off the older mare after less than a year, wasn't the quality or attitude I wanted for a performance show horse. The $250 one is now a star at 4 years old - many show wins in hunter, jumper, showmanship, driving, obstacle, etc.

Having said that, I was VERY LUCKY with her - have had horses all my life and had some idea of what to look for. My next minis though, I went to a good breeder, and spent more money to get as high of quality as I could afford (and I DON'T plan on breeding, just want show horses). My "Bargain" horses I was 1 for 2 in them working out for me; my higher money horses I'm 3 for 3 - all are fantastic.

Don't just look at the price right now - think about what you're going to do with her down the road, and will she continue to be what you want? Costs of reselling, looking for another one, etc., or of keeping one that's not what you want are too high to jump too fast on what seems like a bargain today.
 
Does she have any health issues? Has she been foundered before? Maybe that could be why her price is low...Also, if you are new do A LOT of research to be prepared for foaling and talk with your vet about being prepared to come out and assist, as problems often arise. Our first foal delivery went great, but the second 2 were tragic dystocias and we lost both foals even with vet assistance and thought we were going to lose one of the mares but she pulled through. I will not breed anymore as we have all the horses we have room to keep, and I do not want to see my mares go through that again...just not worth it to me. We have one in foal now that generally does not have trouble, and then we are DONE with any breeding. I would get on Craigs List and you will see how cheap nice pet quality minis sell for in your area-you may be surprised-people can hardly give them away around here. I know she has papers, but it depends on what your intentions are as to how important those are...breeding, showing, or just want a nice pet??? I am definitely NOT an expert, that is just my 2 cents!
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Sorry I cant help you on if 500 is a deal or not as I have never bought a horse because of it being a deal.

I would look at the horse as if you like her and she is your style and what you want to go out to the barn and

scoop up after go for it deal or no deal just ask lots of questions that you want answers for to make you

comfortable about buying her and if they live close to you and care about the mare ask them if they will

help you close to foaling time or they might foal her out for you for a charge just talk with them about

your concerns and I am sure they will be helpful.
 
Bear with me. This is a bit off subject, but getting into minis doesn't necessarily have to mean breeding minis
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Many people start out with driving geldings or non breeding mares to train, show, play with, and love. The sky is the limit for what you can do with minis. Therapy horses (nursing homes/therapeutic riding), 4-h, halter, obstacle, driving, walking buddy, giving kids horseback rides, a pet to love, etc. Even if you have a lot of previous experience in horses I think there's something to be said for starting out slowly before you know if breeding is what you really want. I know the desire to breed horses can be great, I certainly had it and still have it, but I thank God that I had a gelding first and waited several years to break into breeding. That way I knew for sure and put my whole being into the process. Still consider myself a breeder, but no mare is bred for next year, and perhaps none will be bred for 2013 either. I do not intend this as a lecture or condescension, this is just my opinion as a reflection of where we are as a breed.

That said, we all have different opinions one what is a good deal. Have you asked about the mares foaling history? Or if she ever delivered a foal with dwarfism? Is she a maiden? How old is this mare? Does she have difficulty getting in foal? Have you seen pictures of her previous offspring? A deal can be a deal or it can be just too good to be true. I have had the pleasure of dealing with very honest sellers in this breed. Every seller of minis in the past 13 years of mini ownership has been wonderful. There will be some sellers (of anything) that feel that they must not tell the truth, or at least not the whole truth in order to get ahead. You learn quickly that a good seller will tolerate all sorts of probing questions, whereas a bad one may take real offense at these questions. As a seller it is better to be honest to a fault, even if it means a lost sale, imo. As a buyer, the more questions you ask a seller the more they should realize that you really care.

As an addendum, I have seen more dishonest dealing in large horses. Lies about horses cribbing, lies about previous colic, lies about the amount of training the horse has received. There are many more honest miniature horse people in my experience.
 
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Hi

I agree with the others, it is hard to tell about what is a fair price or not? Too many variables to consider. If you like her and can afford her price, buy her. No price is too high if you like what you are buying.

Good luck, but I do agree, breeding is not for beginners. If only I had known "then" what I know "now", I would have done things differently I'm sure.
 
Not in my area!

In my area $100-200 is pet quality. Anything above is good!

I also live in Iowa - same thing. Very easy to find pet quality minis for $100-$200 or even free. Last week on Craigslist there were 2 free bred mini mares and a mini stallion:(. I wished I had more room so I could make sure they got a good home, but just a couple of weeks ago, I brought home a different free bred mare and mini gelding. Any of these show/breeding quality - very doubtful. The 2 I brought home are not, but will be very loved all the same. Really hate to think where some of these guys end up, not that price guarantees a good home, by any means.

Price really depends on the quality of the horse and your geographic area.
 
Prices are relative to the area, the market, the time of year, condition of the animal, etc.

Quality is relative to the experience of the person judging the horse. One person's "solid" conformation is another persons dwarf. One persons OK horse might be another's star show horse.

My advice is to bring an experienced horse person with you, or have them look at the horse. On a side note, years of equine ownership does not dictate experience or competency.

Pets around here sell anywhere from FREE to $1500. Show horses (and there's a broad spectrum of the quality of "show" horses) sell anywhere from $1000 to $20,000 in my area, and much more expensive if you venture to bigger farms, farther away.

I would say if the mare was sound, with no major conformation faults, and confirmed in foal to a sound and reasonably conformed stallion, than $500 is a more than fair price. Pedigree does not dictate quality and to most discriminating buyers it won't dictate marketability either so it really doesn't matter. And in that price bracket, it definitely does not matter.

That said, foaling out can go smooth and easy or it can go horribly wrong and your $500 mare and unborn foal could turn into thousands of dollars in bills and both could die. It may not be likely but it is a possibility. Breeding/foaling is not for a beginner or new person, at least not without the assistance of someone much more experienced.

In a perfect world everything would go well, and you could sell the foal for what you bought the mare for, leaving you essentially with a free horse.......

It's all relative....
 

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