Oh so you are able to turn down a bid if its not high enough or some other reason? And people are able to ask questions about the horse?
Thanks for the post, it helped alot!

GOOD! I sure miss his big ol' head, that's for sure! Hubby just informed me that he "broke the water line to the other side of the house..." I'm coming to visit Thunder, OK? Like NOW! LOL...

lol is it an even trade?? lol if so..Ace is on his way!

Alot of horses are actually sold before the auction even begins. In those cases, you just pay the no sale fee and tell them you changed your mind about auctioning him. You have to register them, but no... you don't have to sell them. You can set a reserve, or you can leave it blank and just "no sale" him the bids aren't high enough.

The auctioneer normally asks you a few questions...what breed, what's his history, that kind of thing while he's being presented. They want short answers, that's about all. The bidder can't really ask questions.

The last auction I went to was last year, and they had a run on registered PMU babies. Highest big was for a beautiful buckskin filly. She was a yearling and went for a whopping $400. The paints, bays and chestnuts went for as little as $20 each!

If he's registered, you might do better going to a registered sale. I've never seen a "meat buyer" at any of the auctions here, that's a plus, I guess. However, I've seen alot of folks get stuck with something they weren't prepared to handle (like me!! lol). One other thing you need to look out for is stolen horses...alot of auctions in NC aren't as strict with checking ownership as they should be, and alot of stolen horses from in and out of state go through auctions. I had a friend find her $30k barrel racer at an auction where he'd just brought in a $500 bid! Can you imagine?! LOL...I don't know who Susy wanted to kill first, the guy that stole her horse or the guy that placed the ridiculously low bid!

Lacey I think that if you have to move him then you have to..I'm not here to judge you. There are plenty of people that go to auctions looking for riding horses. I'm not sure how the aucitons work but can you put a reserve on him so he's at least not going for kill price. Of course the auction your friend knows might not even be a problem. I'd visit there first to see how it all works and what comparable horses are going for before taking Ace. In the mean time try putting ads up online again with the price that you are expecting from the auction and maybe raise it slightly. If you sell him online then you're done..if not you've already checked out the auction and know whats going on. Good luck and let me know how everything works out for ya. Feel free to PM if you don't wanna talk about it here Good luck..and don't feel bad for doing this

I am not surprised at the number of people who are aganst selling at auction but.......
I get more money for a horse of his price range at an auction then I can selling at the farm.
Go early and ride the horse very where.

As you were told it is up to you if you want to sell to the highest bidder or not.

Make sure he is looking as good if not better then he would for a show.

Be sure to take a bucket to water him in and hay so he will not become tucked up.

Most states require that the horse sells with a halter and lead.

You can let others ride him or not depending on if it will be a good idea or not. Usually the people who want to ride are not real good riders ad will make him look bad.

I would never take a horse to an auction. It is just a quick way to rid yourself of the horse not knowing where it will go. I know that many of the lower priced horses go to slaughter, I'm talking $600. This is your decision but you asked. I don't have it in my heart to do this to a any horse.

Last I checked kill price was way down, so..... 1000 pound horse would be about 300.

I go to our local auctions all the time. Another one of my addictions. LOL

They are not really all that bad. You get the final say if you do or do not want to sell him to the buyer.

You just have to really look the horses over. You can tell the good ones from the bad ones. And your're being realistic in knowing that you are not going to get top dollar for him. The good thing is that you can ride your horse around and see the people interested in him and get to talk with them. And if you don't like the place, don't take him in at all. It's still your choice. Good luck.

Lacey, no one is trying to make you feel bad about it...we are only concerned. I'm sorry that you and Ace are just not clicking and I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to have to ride a horse that is not 100% trustworthy especially in your job.

I don't have any auction advice because like others here have pointed out you never know where the horse will go and I know you don't want anything truly devastating to happen to Ace.

I personally don't think an auction is your last hope. Advertise him in your local newspapers for $500. I wouldn't be too hasty to point out his faults. Potential buyers will see that he is a nervous boy I'm sure. The fact that you do use him daily has got to be a plus. He just needs to be a pleasure horse and not a work horse.

Overall you have to do what you have to do so no judgement coming from me. I'm just sorry for you and Ace that it has come to this. I'll be praying for a positive outcome for both of you.

I see youve decided to give private sale another try..that is honestly the best way to get your money for a horse..The sales Ive been to(and these are cataloged, registered sales) have sold wellbroke, OK bred youngsters for a song and a dance, many no sales.

Yes, I will not say no kill buyers visist the weekly auctions, but they are not ALL going to the those people..sometimes I think people hear auction and they go up in arms..auctions can be found excellent horses, a lesson barn I kept my horse at got all their lessons horses from the local auction and they were all very nice horses.

Its a last resort, but I for one hate to loose money, or I try to loose the least as possible!

Be prepared to be flexiable on his price private sale, you take him to an auction, dont expect to come home with more then $500, at least from what Ive seen posted about him.

Best of luck in your descion!
Sarah

Hi Lacey - in case you are still reading this I just wanted to add my two cents worth also.

Like you I am sorry you have to think along these lines but understand needing to move your horse. I obviously don't know your area but around here the auctions are not kill oriented - one of them is a major place to find a decent horse at a reasonable price.

In Jan one of the boarders sent her horse to auction (for many reasons) - the horse acted up in the ring and only brought about $300 - then part of that goes to the auction house and to the person who drove the horse there and I think someone was paid to take the horse into the ring as the owner and hauler couldn't/didn't want to.

Anyway, I asked my knowledgeable BO at the time if the horse would go to killers - he said it was unlikely - generally he has noticed the horse gets bought, worked with a bit and then taken to another auction and resold there. I didn't think that was too bad.

As for re-advertising Ace - start all over with a fresh start date - do not just renew your ad b/c if your horse has been for sale for a long time buyers will suspect something is up with him. Not trying to be dishonest here - just helping you sell b/c everyone looks for something different in a horse so you want to make the best presentation possible. As I was horse shopping I also noticed how goofy sellers are (not you of course ) - they don't reply to me at all, they don't answer my questions, they have no pictures, they don't expect us to ride the horse when we visit, they have an unhelpful, ungracious attitude - very odd!! Just be your nice self and make the visits easy.

About selling at a lower price - you will get a whole new group of lookers. For example one of the boarders at our barn buys the least expensive horse she can find b/c it costs so much to keep them (board, vet,incidentals, etc) - and she takes very good care of her horses and is very good to them. I tend to also look in the lower price ranges figuring there are always hidden gems. So - just saying I think readvertising at a lower price is a good idea.

Good luck - I hope it all works out well for both of you.

When selling at auction you need to consider the cost of hauling there and back.
10% or so comission.
Pack some food and drinks unless you want to buy lunch &/or dinner.
Plus I hardly leave an auction with out buying something.

Usually the horse needs to be sold with a halter and lead, Cheap one is ok, just dont take him up in you best and not bring one to go with him.
Depending on the auction you can ride them yourself or have the "hand" do it. Usually the auction riders are good with horses and figure out very quickly what the horse can and can't do. If your horse stops good it'll show if he doesn't then the rider wont stop more than once. Their job is to sell the horses and they do a good job.

You also have to consider that if your horse does not sell and you bring him back you might bring diseases too.

Make a nice sign for his pen including bloodlines and a pic. Say he is up to date on shots worming etc if he is.

Stay with your horse as much as you can to be availbe for answering questions. Answer questions truthfully but don't ramble on. Let your horse sell himself. I wont buy a horse I wasn't allowed to ride. But you may have people that highly overestimte their riding ability want to ride. Hard call to make but in the end it is your rear that is on the line.

Once a horse is signed in, it is extremly rude to sell outside the auction. After all the auction house has expenses that your comission helps pay. You wouldn't have met the buyer had you not been at their facility. Alot of the time they will pay more when they bid.

If you do take him there you need to be prepared to let him go. No more worrying after the fact. Dont go to the auction untill you're SURE you can live with it.

Good advice. I just want to say that you may want to watch the auction's riders ride and handle horses before asking them to do yours. Some are great, but even at nice auctions I've seen some morons who think they're rodeo showoffs trying to do spins and slides on horses who don't know how on bad footing in small rings... very upsetting for the sensitive horses, and from what you've said about Ace, those particular guys wouldn't do you or him any favors.

A friend of mine was once in a similar situation to yours and she did finally take the horse to auction (a good one she knew), rode him herself and didn't overface him (he tended to be quite nervous too, which is why he couldn't do what she had wanted him for). The buyers were a really nice family who just didn't have a lot to spend but did have lots of time and patience and a great trainer, and now my friend gets to see the horse, happy and relaxed, at local events! It took lots of time and work and the right situation, but he's turning into a nice little eventer!

Just a reminder that auctions aren't always bad, although you do want to choose carefully and of course, you still don't have as much control over who takes your horse home as you would selling on your own.

You're in a very tough position and I don't envy you nor judge you. Good luck.

I haven't read on, so this may be redundant, but instead of taking him to an auction, where he'll probably not present well because of his high-strung temperament, can you find a reputable horse dealer and trade him for the guide horse you need? Sure you'll probably have to pay something to boot but the larger scale dealers can provide a good choice and a better opportunity for you to try the prospects than you'd have at an auction. One of the dealers near me even guarantees his horses for soundness.

This would give Ace a much better chance at achieving a sympathetic home with someone who appreciates a spirited horse with a few quirks and can devote more time to him, not having the pressures of your guiding work.