Torturing myself...

[jettgirl24]

With all of these videos of the gorgeous horses that will be at the Hanoverian Auction in Germany in a couple of weeks.... Can't wait until I'm in the market for my baby! I'm seriously considering saving up a little extra $ for the trip to go to one of these auctions. That much quality in one place can't be beat and the prices were much more reasonable than I would have guessed at the one last November.

http://www.hannoveraner.tv/app/_vie...p=23.07.2011&tab=HANNOVERANER_sommer_23072011

 

[welsummerchicks]

I'd really recommend you take an agent or dealer with you who will act on your behalf, a Wolgemuth or Poulin type.

There's good and bad at those auctions too.

And...there's lots of babies in the US...though, I understand the down side of here - very uneven quality, and long costly trips to go to look at just one horse.

 

[jettgirl24]

Very good to know, I'll look into it when the time comes. I've had a couple of barn-mates go over there to buy young horses this year and the nice thing about Europe in general is that you can go see a bunch of quality horses on one trip... I'm sure you could do that here but it seems to be much harder. Like you said - quality is very inconsistent. On the downside the cost to import has gone up quite a bit over the last several years from what I've been told. I shouldn't be looking at babies yet at all, I just bought my current horse a few months ago and don't plan on getting the younger one for another year at minimum, probably more like two or three

I can't help myself though... I've got a pretty clear plan of action and I can't resist seeing what's out there!

 

[welsummerchicks]

I think since import costs have gone up so much, a couple things have changed to shift the balance a little bit over towards buying in the USA. One is there are more savvy warmblood breeders here now. Two is that some people still are bringing over plane loads of weanlings and selling them after a few months. THe import costs are cheaper that way, so hopefully not as much is added to the price of the youngster.

I honestly wouldn't recommend you get a baby. You'll spend a lot more money than you think. There are so many risks with babies and warmblood babies need very very different management from American breeds. A couple years ago my friends bought a warmblood and fed him like a quarter horse or thoroughbred - he had to be put down at 1 year. Osteochondrosis - they grained and fed it supplements so it would 'grow big and strong'....the breeder was so upset with them. He later said to me...'you know what they feed them in Europe???? STRAW!!!' (not really, but they don't overdo the grain and supplements).

Then there are accidents, and also the not knowing what you're going to get. The temperament might not turn out to be compatible. If you get a six or seven year old, it may seem to be more expensive, but there is less risk, and they're usually not as tough to ride as a 3 year old that is going to be scared of some things and bolt here and there and just be a baby huey at times, no matter how quiet it is. You're looking at getting a trainer to break the horse and do the early work, with most youngsters, and given that you may as well buy a six year old.

BUT....babies are cute.......

 

[jettgirl24]

It's funny how hit or miss it is here with the young guys. Sometimes I find a boat load of great looking horses and sometimes the market seems totally dry. I'm definitely not going to get a foal, too many risks with that and you really can't tell how they are ultimately going to be put together until they are closer to three. While I realize nothing is a guarantee, I'm looking for my Grand Prix horse this time around and at the very least I want to know that they have the movement to be competitive and conformation that I'm not going to have to fight with when we get to the more challenging work. I love my horse now, he has an amazing personality, really nice movement, and he's exactly the right horse to solidify my skills at the upper levels but realistically he's not flashy enough get the 8's and 9's and his build makes collected work very difficult. My plan is to get something that is three or four, maybe 5 (we'll see though, mostly I just want the right horse!). I want something that's already broken for sure. I've worked with quite a few youngsters in the past, both my own horses and when I was a working student at a stud farm, and I don't want to deal with the breaking process. I really enjoy working with the babies though - I have a lot of fun helping them through those early challenges

My trainer is amazing and despite working full time and running the farm here I manage to get myself to the barn 5 - 6 days a week so I feel comfortable that I have the support and dedication to bring a youngster along correctly. It's a risk for sure, but something I'm really excited to take on when the time comes!

 

[willkatdawson]

This is a link to my cousin's facility in North Georgia. She has just the most talented and lovely stock.
Good luck in your search!

http://www.centaurfarms.com/

 

[welsummerchicks]

I'm going to say something even more horrible, jett....if you want to buy Grand Prix, if that's where your heart is, buy a Grand Prix horse. Yup, a trained upper level horse.

Yes, because many people spend 30 or 40 years buying youngsters and babies, training them up the levels, and still don't get there. And 30 or 40 years of riding is all most of us get - anything past that is a gift, but one can't count on it.

I know it sounds awful, but that's the truth of it. The best thing you can do is just hang out with some dressage riders and trainers, and just let 'em tell you their stories.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Quote:
Don de Marco has filled out beautifully!!! The palomino TB is just awesome too, and I have to give props to the Friesian--she truly does have lovely stock!

OP, you should check out Yancey Farms---international quality warmbloods with proven competition records at the very highest level. She is also in FL, so state-side.

You may be interested in browsing Chronicle of the Horse's online forums, they have a breeding section with a lot of warmblood farms logging in daily(some being from Germany), a great place to network. I believe the link is www.chronofhorse.com/forums. Scroll down on the "voices" button to "forums".

Good luck, and I hope you find your next partner!

 

[jettgirl24]

Welsummer - It's not horrible

It's probably the best advice one could give. The problem is the bank account isn't that well padded! LOL. If I had $100,000+ to spend I would definitely go out and buy an I-1/I-2 or Grand Prix horse... Sadly I don't and likely never will have that to spend on a horse. I'm going to get the best horse I can with the money that I have but realistically it's probably not in the cards for me to buy an already trained upper level horse. I'm looking at younger guys but I'm definitely open to whatever I think (and my trainer thinks) will be the best horse to achieve my goals if it's within my budget. And honestly I don't exactly know what that budget will be just yet, it will depend on how the next two years play out. I'm crossing my fingers that they play out well

LOL.

I got really lucky with the horse that I have now - you just don't find 3rd/4th level horses for the price I paid... It may have been a once in a lifetime deal unfortunately! But my trainer is one of, if not the best, trainers in the region and she is extremely well connected. I am confident that when the time comes to start looking seriously she will be able to help me find the right horse. I know she is used to working with unlimited budgets but I've been told she can find the needles in the haystack even when you're semi-limited in what you can spend. Let's hope that's true

Luckily my chicken habit isn't as spendy as my horse habit... I just ordered a batch of absolutely gorgeous eggs yesterday so at least I'll have my dream chickens to tide me over until I can afford my dream horse! Hahaha