miniature horse buying

[arealeyeopener]

I am new to the miniature horse world. I am wondering what questions you would ask a potential seller and what is a fair price for a quality miniature or a pet.

 

[Songcatcher]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum. If you have no experience with horses, I would advise that you visit some farms near you many times and talk to owners a lot before you decide to buy. There are lots of things you need to know about feeding. What and how much. Suitable fencing, etc.

Be sure to look at teeth and legs. Ask about any previous health problems.

The price of pet Minis can vary greatly depending on location, size, color, disposition, and other factors. Sometimes as low as $200-$300 and sometimes much higher.

 

[arealeyeopener]

The price of pet Minis can vary greatly depending on location, size, color, disposition, and other factors. Sometimes as low as $200-$300 and sometimes much higher.

I am familiar with horses. I would be interested in showing so would want show quality. How can someone afford to sell horses for $200.00? What would be a price for a nice show horse?

 

[Miniv]

As a new person in the miniature horse world (welcome, by the way!

) you need to visit lots of farms and visit with lots of breeders and owners.

If you want a mini as a pet, the price can be as low as $200 up to about $500.....When a mini is being sold as a pet there are usually conformation flaws, of if a mare - she probably shouldn't be bred or is unbreedable. Do not expect registration papers.

If you want a mini that you can possibley show at some level and have it registered? The absolute cheapest I have seen or heard about is $500, but expect to pay more - up to $2000. Geldings or colts to be gelded are more reasonable in price. This is where you want to start knowing what to look for in conformation - this includes legs and teeth.

For a breeding quality and a high-end show miniature, the least you can expect to pay may be about $1500 for a colt, but that partly depends on your location. Fillies/mares always are more. It's always nice to at least consider bloodlines at this point, but not absolutely necessary. (A good horse is a good horse - regardless of the bloodline, but it is wise to know what is in its background.) What IS necessary is great conformation. At this level, a buyer should not "settle" on the cheapest, but to buy the absolute best that they can afford - even if it is by making payments on contract.

Above all........get any sale you do in writing. If there are any agreements, guarrantees, or promises made verbally by either the buyer or seller.......get them in writing. The most common guarrantee you should expect for a show or breedable mini is a height guarrantee on an immature horse.

Lots to think about and lots to learn........but the more farms and people you visit with, the better.

Good luck and all the best in your new adventure.

MA

PS: Forgot to add -- Both the AMHA and AMHR registries offer information packets. I suggest you contact them. I personally am a member of both and feel it's a good idea to join both, but some areas of the country offer more AMHA shows while other parts offer more AMHR shows, so that is something else you may want to consider.

 

[arealeyeopener]

For a breeding quality and a high-end show miniature, the least you can expect to pay may be about $1500 for a colt, but that partly depends on your location. Fillies/mares always are more. It's always nice to at least consider bloodlines at this point, but not absolutely necessary. (A good horse is a good horse - regardless of the bloodline, but it is wise to know what is in its background.) What IS necessary is great conformation. At this level, a buyer should not "settle" on the cheapest, but to buy the absolute best that they can afford - even if it is by making payments on contract.

Thanks, I have been surfing the website for a couple of months to lots of different places and have been amazed. So with the prices you are giving me how are some of the people asking so much more for them. I have seen miniatures with prices of $20,000.00 and some that say they are show quality for $500.00. How can there be so much difference and is this normal? In other breeds bloodlines do mean alot, you have a good idea of the quality you are getting, are you saying in miniatures it doesn't?

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

I am new to the miniature horse world. I am wondering what questions you would ask a potential seller and what is a fair price for a quality miniature or a pet.

Before you ask a seller anything you need to decide what it is you want a mini for - a pet, possibly show, driving, serious show contender, breeding, etc. If you know what you want or at least have an idea that can frame your questions.

Any mini - regardless of price is going to cost the same to keep (the basics - feed, vet, shelter, etc.), and quality varies wildly as does pricing. I've seen some wonky horses being promoted as breeding animals and have picked up a couple of great 'steals' when someone needs a quick.

As for questions to ask a Seller - if you want a "pet", health, personality, temperament, age type questions would be important to me. Also housing, basic care, vaccination, trim, de-worming record.

If I was looking to show/breed then I would want to know about registration, pedigree, in addition to the pet questions.

Thanks, I have been surfing the website for a couple of months to lots of different places and have been amazed. So with the prices you are giving me how are some of the people asking so much more for them. I have seen miniatures with prices of $20,000.00 and some that say they are show quality for $500.00. How can there be so much difference and is this normal? In other breeds bloodlines do mean alot, you have a good idea of the quality you are getting, are you saying in miniatures it doesn't?

You asked about bloodlines being important. The individual horse is the most important, but for my breeding program, if I'm buying a horse to show/breed (not a gelding), pedigree is important as I want an 'idea' of the type of horse this individual may produce, and is there consistency in that line (conformation, color, height, beauty, movement or whatever). I also want to know if there are bloodlines I'm avoiding!

As to the pricing - there isn't any rhyme or reason. Generally the well known ranches command the best prices and generally have excellent stock. As for show quality at $500 - that isn't the norm. Yes, it happens, but it isn't the norm.

I don't know where you live, but Miniature Horses are more expensive on the West Coast than much of the Midwest - I don't know if it's the number available, perception versus intrinsic value or ? I do know you don't find many minis at auctions in California, and a Miniature Horse auction on the West Coast is a rarity and generally flops.

Here in California you can expect to pay anywhere from $500-2,000 for a decent quality pet (the lower end would be a colt on gelding contract or older sterile mare or unregistered), and $1,500-$4,000 for a well bred mini with potential to be shown/bred. You can obviously spend lots more if that is what you want to do though!

For my .02 cents - buy a gelding. You can get a better quality mini that can be a fabulous pet, driving prospect, show horse without any 'hormonal' issues to contend with and pedigree won't be an issue!

Best of luck on your search - you've come to a great place to get an education!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

You have received excellent advice here, Oh, and Welcome, by the way form sunny England!!

One thing- No, sorry, TWO things more:-

Be sure in your own mind that YOU are happy with the horse, that you like him and he looks as YOU want him to- after that it is just everyone else's opinion- after all we all like different things!!

Anything you are set on- ie a particular height, the ability to geld a colt etc (There is a marked tendency in Minis for colts to "drop" late or not at all- if you want a gelding this is a problem) should be written in the contract and should be in plain English- using the gelding as an example:-

"If this colt has not dropped in order to be gelded by age two I will......."(The rest is between you and the seller)

The breeding bit is more difficult as any mare that is fertile can be bred, any colt the same applies- so be sure in your own mind of what you require.

As with any horse, if, a couple of years down the line, you find you have a lovely driving gelding and you want to breed, there is absolutely NO reason why you cannot find him a really good home that suits him, and start again- all the knowledge you have form big horses should and can be applied here.

 

[JWC sr.]

Boy, you are in for a fun ride, this world of mini's though is very addicttng I warn you. With that disclaimer here is my advice before you buy anything.

My approach is pretty simple when you break it down. Educate yourself before you spend your first dollar, if you don't you will end up doing like a lot of us have and that is having to rethink our entire approach to what we want in our "perfect Mini".

I would suggest you read as much as you can in places like this forum and ask lots of questions.

I would suggest you join a local MINI club and get to know the folks in your area.

I would suggest you attend several local shows and also if you can the regional/world shows for either or both registry.

Then after you have done all that you will see a trend towards what you think looks good and also what wins in the show ring.

As far as pricing we produce 25 - 45 foals each year and each year we have babies that range from 400-500.00 for unregistered pets to 15,000 or so for a world contender. The above average show quality colt will run about 2,500 - 5,000 and the fillies will average about 3,500 - 5,000. These are good quality foals that are bred well and have a chance to become excellent show horses in the halter and driving classes.

This last year we had several customers do very well in the show ring both here in the United States and in Europe. We also had good success there in the Open, Ammy and youth classes..

I have paid a lot more than those prices above for some of the horses we have on the farm, in order to get exactly what I wanted. In some cases the horses we have paid that much for are not our best producers of show quality babies each year. Each year our 18 year old stallion "Cherryville's Rio De Oro" produces awesome babies and we paid a whole lot less for him than that. I guess what I am trying to say is that price is relative and does not always equate to a winning show horse for the owner.

One word of caution also, realize that weanlings can NOT be judged as to exactly what they are going to turn out to be. Meaning that with a weanling it is always risky to expect one to be a world beater at a young age. They tend to change way too much from the time they are babies to the time they are mature horses. You can get a good indication but even the pros make those mistakes on a yearly basis, trying to fiqure out which baby will be the best mature horse LOL. On the there hand the older the horse the more proven they are and also the more expensive they are.

One other word of caution, when you finally do buy. Buy quality if you are wanting to show, over the long run it is less expensive than having to discard the orginal purchase and start over. It costs the same to feed a show quality horse as it does a pet quality one. One additional thing is the heartache of trying to make the decision to sell a horse you have grown to love, in order to get one that has better conformation.

I hope you do not get intimidated by all the advice we all are giving you, because the learning process will be a fun experience for you. Hopefully the results will be even more fun.

Good Luck and let Cindy & I know if we can be of help. Also welcome to the forum.

:aktion033: :aktion033: :saludando:

 

[Robin1]

You have gotten wonderful advice. I wish this board were around when I started 13 yrs ago.

:

To "try" to show the price differences I will give it a shot.

I have 2 stallions for sale

One is the son of a famous show horse, is a national champion, multi top tens and produces the same. He is priced at $10,000

The other has been shown locally and has done well, is in the smallest highth class, and both grandsires are National Grand Champions as Senior Stallions. and he produces nice babies. He is $4,000

So why the difference? The first one has competed and won nationally and produced foals that have won nationally.

The second has only competed locally and his foals have become beloved pets rather then enter the show ring.

The first is a pinto, the second solid (although a blue roan)

Pintos tend to go for more money. Blue roans are not quite as common so that helps his price. Nice appies tend to be priced higher and if you want to go really high, look for an overo, especially a frame, even more if its a visual frame.

There are certain lines that you can pick out. You will see a familiarity even after several generations. I can generally pick out a horse that has Buckeroo in its background, even if its a great great grandsire the look is there.

Another is a horse with the Orion x Bond Dynamo horses. There is just something about them.

Of course when you find a look you like you will be able to pick out the familiarities in other horses of the same breeding.

Where breeding isn't important is when you find a horse that YOU like. It doesn't matter if the horse has a gold plated pedigree if you don't like its personality or looks.

OK, its 4 am and I haven't been to bed yet so I think I'm wondering.

Welcome to the forum!!!

Robin

 

[kaykay]

Welcome to the forum!!

first educate yourself as much as possible on correct horse conformation and the standard of perfection. Then research miniature horse farms to find the "look" you like. When your ready to buy never be in a hurry.

Ask for the health history of any horse you buy. If you dont ask a lot of sellers wont tell. Its your responsibility to ask the right questions

Basically a horse is worth what someone is willing to pay. It can vary greatly due to circumstances etc. I have been lucky to be in the right place at the right time but those are few and far between.

I will spend the money to buy a quality horse that was properly taken care of (dewormed, trimmed, fed right, vetted)

If i was looking for a show filly i would expect to pay between 2500-4500. For a quality proven show stallion i woudl expect to pay 3500 and up. Now for weanling and yearling colts you can get a better price because they have not proven themselves in the breeding shed yet. But they are risky. Hard to know how a young horse will mature. Some look very fine as weanlings and then get very coarse as they mature.

For the higher priced horses i would always get a height guarantee, a health guarantee and a breeding sound guarantee. But keep in mind the lower priced horses wont come with any of that

Good luck!

 

[arealeyeopener]

Do you think breeding is a good thing to get into or is the miniature horse becoming overbred and the market is falling out?

 

[Cathy_H]

I have seen miniatures with prices of $20,000.00 and some that say they are show quality for $500.00.

...... I have seen several advertised as show quality but IMHO are not........Is there a reputable breeder near you that you can learn from? We have sold several horses to newbies & helped them as long as they needed us..................................... As for the prices some farms like to be known that they still sell high dollar horses. Not many people know that the horse is often times sold for less ( like getting someone to bid up your horse at an auction to a high price when in fact it has already been presold for a lower price). Lots of small farms have the same bloodlines & quality as bigger farms with smaller price tags.......... Check out a sellers reputation!!!!!!!!!!!!................. Thorough contract - sometimes a seller will intentionally leave out the thing (s) that is wrong with the horse.................. If buying a mare make sure you know how many live foals the mare has had & if she needed any help delivering......Does she need regumate in order to carry the foal to term........... Welcome to the forum from the bluegrass state of Kentucky....... :saludando: .............

 

[Cathy_H]

Do you think breeding is a good thing to get into or is the miniature horse becoming overbred and the market is falling out?

.... All you have to do is watch the saleboards & the auctions with the decreasing prices.................. If you already have an established herd then it is still possible to make some money in breeding.... If you are just starting up in todays market then MHO you will not make a profit....... Since the mid 90's Lee & I have seen so many people get into the mini's with the intention of breeding to sell. After a few years they sold their herd at a loss....... Best way to make a small pot of money in breeding is to start out with a bigger pot of money.

:

 

[mountain_waif]

....

 

[RJRMINIS]

And my advice is if you are buying online.........pictures, pictures, pictures............Make sure you see their bite....legs from EVERY angle........etc.

If you have to request picture after picture, then so be it, if they are not willing to do this for you, well then you don't want to buy from them.... PERIOD!!!

Most people are pretty honest, but there are a few out there that are not, or simply didn't realize!!!

I have had several good and bad experience buying online.....

SO I recommend your first purchase be one you can visually look at and check over.......

If you find a reputable breeder most likely you can trust what they are telling you on the horse.

People always tell me I am too honest..........but I would rather be honest, then transport one of my horses out and have someone unsatisfied.

I tell of every scar, flaw, Everything I can think of, even if you don't ask!

I have learned just because you ask if the horses legs are straight doesn't mean they will be when they get off the transport truck........granted.........some people can pick up flaws others can't.

Also, I truly believe everyone measures differently.......

I wander sometimes If I measure wrong or if it is them, I bought a 28" mare, 28" on her papers, I measured her at 29"

I bought a 30 1/2" stallion, I measured at 31"

Granted hoof trimmings have something to do with it, but that is something to be aware of if you are SET on a certain height.

Ok...I guess I am done rambling!haha

:

 

[sdmini]

I see your looking for a pet that is show quality. First refine what it is your looking for. Do you want mare, gelding, stallion? Which association is most important to you AMHA/AMHR or do you want both? Do you wish to stay with the under 34" division or do the 34"-38" hold your attention more? Are bloodlines important? Are you looking for something mature or any age? Do you want to show performance, halter or both? Is color important or any color will do? Do you want to shop locally or do want to shop Nation wide? What is your price range?

The clearer you are in what you want the easier it is to shop.

You should also acquaint yourself with basic horse conformation. There are several different styles of miniatures but bad conformation is bad conformation.

As said before price is subjective to location.

Here is a colt I have up for sale.

He is $400 as a gelding. Is there anything wrong with him? Not in the slightest, actually he is very nice and what I consider show quality. Decent pedigree, AMHR registered and AMHR futurity nominated. So why so cheap? In my area, the Midwest, generally straight across the board horses bring a little less (both big and small). So when shopping don't assume if one horse is priced higher than another that he is better quality.

As far as if there is a market for minis the answer is yes...and no. I know some breeders who have less than quality stock but can consistently sell them for higher than others breeder who have better stock. A lot of that goes back to location.

Good luck on your search and have fun.

Marlee

 

[kaykay]

marlee

i just went and looked at your colts other pics. he is awesome!! someoen is going to get a steal at 400.00!!

 

[JWC sr.]

I can't answer for others, but the mini world from the business side is pretty good to us. Yes the market has changed in that the medium quality and less horses are not as easy to sell as they used to be.

But with that said, the market continues to be strong for the upper end horses. Which is encouraging folks to breed for that type horse which is good for the breed. At just about any sale you go to here in Texas it becomes very evident, very quickly which horses are good quality and which are not as the price ranges are very wide. The run of the mill horses bringing less than a 1000.00 and the higher end horses exceeding that many times over very quickly. It is also interesting to watch how many bidders are on the better quality horses.

So yes the business side is just fine as long as you don't get caught in "No Mans Land" so to speak.

:saludando:

 

[Seashells]

I always ask: How long have you owned this horse? Correct bite, strait legs? Weak fetlocks? Any bad habits? Stands nice for farrier and grooming? Easy to catch? Friendly? Gentle and easy to handle? Ever tried to bite or kick? Any bad habits, such as cribbing? Finally, why are you offering this horse?

Price: I learned that people buy what they like or what they can afford. I noticed most minis seem to run about $1000 to $2000 and sometimes under a $1000. But if one has proven show record, special training, correct balanced conformation, and calm, sweet, friendly disposition...I'd consider more for the animal. Again, people buy what they like or what they can afford....but sometimes we get what we pay for!

 

[arealeyeopener]

It just seems to me that if you end up selling a horse for $400.00 how are you making a profit. You can't be. You are feeding both the sire and dam for a year and then the foal and have to keep it for any time. And if you register them, there are costs. So why are people breeding miniatures? I have been watching the sale board and the prices, sorry, at not good. And alot of the horses are not anywhere near what I would use for breeding and they advertise them as good.

Also if I was to keep emailing someone about a horse, and keep asking for pictures and then don't buy it, how fair is that, if I was serious I should either take the time to go look at it or have a good contract that I can return the horse. I can understand someone wanting more pictures. I have sold some QH and had people keep emailing and then, OH it isn't what I was looking for, after I have spent days taking pictures or the price is too high or Oh I have to think about it after I have wasted days and they never email back, ect ect. It is very frustrating to the seller and it seems like maybe it would be the same or worse with the miniatures. I have talked to a few people that say the same people email them all the time and they are very frustrated.

I am trying to get a good picture of if this will be similiar and how the politics for showing are. I am not looking for a pet but am trying to get a picture of prices, ect.