# Can i make profit by buying, training and selling horses?



## paintedpastures (Jun 21, 2011)

You could make a go of it IF you could get that kind of $ at the end,but not likely:-(. With only 2-4 months training they will not be finished enough IMO to demand that kind of money:wink:. Then what happens if they aren't selling & you have to hang onto them & continue to have to pay their upkeep:-(.


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## Cielo Notturno (Sep 12, 2013)

Hi, I'm not an experienced anything, I just want to give you some ideas to reflect on.

Are you able to tell a "good prospect" horse? Some cheap horses just need some training and a possibility in life, some others have a mean attitude, or a conformation so poor it's guaranteed they will have soundness issues. 

Do you know the market in your area? What is selling for 4000$? What are local preferences? IE what do sell more, flashy paints? Appys? Arabs? Loud colors? Whatever has blue eyes? 

Is the kind of training you will give the same that local buyers request? Ar local buyers more interested in showing, in trails, in whatever?

Where do local people buy? Are you going to be present and well advertised there?


Other than this^ if you are able to do it, I would suggest you find people who have some kind of horse in mind and they would like to shop for it and then have you train the horse. In my area there is a trainer who is known to break young drafts, he has a deal with a kill buyer (we have slaughters here) that whenever he wants he can go where the horses are and pick one and have it delivered to his farm. So when someone is interested in saving a draft from the slaughter, this trainer goes with him, helps him choose a nice prospect (attitude and conformation wise) and then he teaches the horse the basics so the new owner has a nice safe companion.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

What about vet costs? e.g. vaccines, coggins, etc ?


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## horsemanship91 (Aug 12, 2013)

Yea it's a gamble. I have no doubts though in getting the horse there within that time ( I done it plenty of times) and IF necessary I always can tag another month to it. I done it plenty of times. It's not a huge problem for me to keep them  The horses will also be very calm and safe by that time.


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## horsemanship91 (Aug 12, 2013)

@ PaintHorseMares I thought about that, I have a friend who is a Vet and she will help me out with that. 

@Cielo Nuttornu Yes, I'm able to tell a good Horse. I also won't turn my back on "mean" horses. I know how to handle them and get them to be respectful and well mannered in no time. I know exactly what I want. I found many horses I'm interested in for a cheap price. many are very well bred. I will be mainly looking for Quarter Horses. In my area people want QH, TW, trail horses, barrel, pleasure, etc.


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## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

I don't want to rain on your parade, or hurt your feelings I just want to offer a point of view. There is always risk involved no matter what direction you take in life. You have to decided how much risk your willing to take. As mentioned above what if the horse does not sell for what you want to get for it, what if it does not sell at all. You also have to foresee vet bills expected and unexpected. I have never gotten a horse that was current with their teeth, I knew it when I bought them and the first thing I have always done is get their teeth done. But 4 months of training on a young horse is not that much training and will certainly not give you a bomb proof horse much less seasoned horse. The only thing that makes a broke horse is miles and miles and miles under their feet. You would be selling green horses and unless they have great bloodlines I doubt you will get what you want for them, and even then you can't ride a set of papers. 

Not to say that what you want to do cannot be done, just really take an honest look at what you want to do and have contingency plans and deep pockets. The best way to make a little money with horses is to start out with a lot of money. 

In the past I have had good luck a few times picking up older 6-12yo range cheap/free horses who were broke to ride and just in need of manners and some tuning. I spent 4 -5 months fixing them and tuning and sold them for a very small profit. That may be something to look at as well, you just have to be careful that you don't end up with one who truly has problems physically or mentally. Good luck to you. Remember anything is possible it just depends how much you want it.


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## disastercupcake (Nov 24, 2012)

I am playing around with the idea of doing this myself  

The things that I am concerned with are mainly economical. We have lots of cart racing here, so there are a lot of OTSB's floating around that could use a second career. 

My main concern is who my customers would be? What type of horse are they looking for? What skills should they have? As of current, I'm not sure I'm convinced that there is a large enough market for horses right now to support it. That said, I live in Michigan, and I have no idea what the market is like where you are, but that is the first thing I'd advise you to research- make sure you have a customer base!


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

My biggest question is, can you afford to keep one long term if you can't sell it? This is what is keeping me from buying a second project to sell at fair (gives me 5-6 months to get a well broke all around horse started on games/jumps). 

I own mine, who will always be a project (mentality). I'm okay with that, I've kind of come to terms over it. I've owned her a year and still haven't finished her because I'm learning and having to find different techniques that work for her. I've broke, rebroke, fixed problems, etc but she's different than any of the others. I can canter a perfect pattern on her..but I put her on a circle and ask for a canter? Nope, not going to happen and she'll tank around leaning a ton. But her patterns are great for only seeing them three times.

Anywho..if you answered yes to the question I first asked, then you have to look at the other factors.
-How much are horses with the same training going for in your surrounding areas?
-Will you be showing the horse to promote it during the 2-3 months? Factor in those show costs as well.
-With full-time college and a part-time job, what acceptable time will you have to show said horse to potential buyers (my problem right now)?
-Are you willing to take a loss on a horse just to be rid of it if it's potential just isn't there?
-Is breaking even okay with you? Personally, I don't want to sell a horse for less than I have into it (just physical money, not my time).
-Are you sure you won't fall in love with the horse? If so, will you keep it or still sell?
-Do you know a good prospect when you see them? What if the horse isn't what it seemed when you bought and turns out to be dangerous/more than you can handle? Will you keep trying and hope to not be hurt, sell to anyone you can off-load it on, send it to auction, or..?

Those are just a few that come right to my mind, I'm sure there's more. These are all things to heavily consider though, a wrong answer on any of those or a wrong decision on a prospect can make or break you. Also, if you do get a dangerous horse or one that is too much, what you choose to do with that horse will be on you..and with how the horse world is, everyone will know what you did with it (or think the worst and spread rumors) and make their opinions about you.

Good luck though, I'm hoping I get my raise and division change so I can start flipping as well (like I planned two years ago xD ).
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## horsemanship91 (Aug 12, 2013)

@gssw5 Thank you for your honest reply. I'm extremely passionate about it I'm willing to take the risk. To begin I only would take one horse at a time and then I go from there. I know what I'm capable of training the horse like I mentioned above in that time. As of matter of fact, I'm training one of my clients "problem" horses right now. This horse is already a completely different horse after only 9 days. (I have some videos on my channel) If I can't sell it for that price I always can go down. like I said the money isn't the most important part for me. I'm fine with making only $500 profit.  

@ Disastercupcake what area do you live in?


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

I think there is a lot of risk to it. What if you have a horse for one month, its doing well and it gets hurt. Let say it blows a tendon and may or may not be sound again. It requires a minimum of 6 months stall rest before you even know if its going to be sound. That puts six months of stall rest and it may not be sound what do you do with the horse than? If you are counting on 4000 that just tossed that out the window. Likewise, what if a horse is not a good prospect or comes along slower.

I think if you have skill as a trainer and you don't own your own boarding/training facilities I think its easier and better to train horses that are owned by someone else. You don't have as much of the financial risk that way. 

In the end, there is money in horses I know I put it there. Which is a nice way to say that horses and training don't make a great way to make money. If you are a student and don't have a stable income than I don't think horses are a way to bridge that gap.


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## jimmyp (Sep 5, 2013)

This is something I have been considering for some time. I think there are some variables that need to be considered. First off, I think you need to have a market before you get started. For example,my plan is to be able to pick up 1-2 gaitedd horses and spend 90days apiece on them and sell them as field trial horses, because I know there is a market for field trial horses. Maybe you live in an area or are involved in a hobby where you have connections. However. I think the market is currently flooded with decent all around horses. Also you need to have a plan to keep any horses you can't sell. You also need to know when to throw in the towel and take a loss. 

However, I think the biggest thing is to concentrate on A horse market rather than THE horse market. I don't think you will ever get rich horse trading but you might feed a habit.

Jim


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## jimmyp (Sep 5, 2013)

I just read through the rest of the replies, and 1 thing I'm worried about is a comment you make about mean horses and "turning them". My experience is that a mean horse typically will always be "testy". What is your willingness to bite the bullet on one that comes back? You take the risk of having to possibly home and rehome one, or risk the bad publicity of walking away from one after it is sold. For example, I have a mare here that I could triple my money on at about $300 (I've been offered 10x that), but I can't risk someone else getting hurt on her. Are you willing to keep several lemons if it comes to that?

Jim


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Take a close look at what you can sell a horse for in your area. Where I live, it sounds like your finished product is about a $1500 horse. OTOH, a young trainer with good word-of-mouth could probably make $25-30 training someone else's imperfect horse, with no risk of loss at the end. IIRC, I paid $35/hr a couple of years ago for a woman we know (and with a solid reputation) to come over 4 days a week to work Mia, and it took 2 full months at that pace to get Mia rideable...and she didn't need to sell Mia to anyone at the end! 

Unless you are very confident on getting your end price, I wouldn't try it in today's market.


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## paintedpastures (Jun 21, 2011)

bsms said:


> Take a close look at what you can sell a horse for in your area. Where I live, it sounds like your finished product is about a $1500 horse. OTOH, a young trainer with good word-of-mouth could probably make $25-30 training someone else's imperfect horse, with no risk of loss at the end. IIRC, I paid $35/hr a couple of years ago for a woman we know (and with a solid reputation) to come over 4 days a week to work Mia, and it took 2 full months at that pace to get Mia rideable...and she didn't need to sell Mia to anyone at the end!
> 
> Unless you are very confident on getting your end price, I wouldn't try it in today's market.



I think doing something like this would be less risk,more steady income.
If you get good results after helping just 1 or 2,word travels fast & you could have lots of work:wink:


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Can you make money? Depends. How much of a profit margin are you really looking at? Let's say you buy a horse for $500 and put 4 months' training on it. How much are you spending in board? Gas? Feed? Farrier? Vet? Misc. supplies? 
Once you really start looking at the costs, your profit margin is going to be minimal, at best. Do you have your own place? 
I once bought a horse for $400 and sold it 6 months later for $3500. But when I looked at the actual costs, my profit margin was minimal.


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## horsemanship91 (Aug 12, 2013)

Thank you for all the replies, 

@Jimmyp that's a good question you had about the " mean" horses. I just have to be very careful. Even though I'm not too concerned " turning them" but you're right. There are a view horses that like to constantly challenge their rider and if the rider don't know how to handle it, could lead to problems. I wouldn't want to sell a horse like that to a beginner.


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## horsemanship91 (Aug 12, 2013)

@ JustDressageIt 

boarding is about $100/ a month food included, farrier about $100 and vet depends. I'm happy even with a little profit. I'm not trying to get rich of of it. Its just something I love to do and when I can earn a little extra money doing it, great! 

you look great with your horse btw  very nice pictures


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Thank you!

If you do it right, yes you can make a profit. However, there are so many variables that can make things go wrong, and fast. So, if you're okay with the risks - go for it! But know in the end you could end up with a lemon. Best of luck!


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## ForeverSunRider (Jun 27, 2013)

I'd imagine you could live and maybe make some form of a profit.

I have family friends and the husband is a horse trader. His job involves him buying and selling horses. His wife gives riding lessons and works at a feed store. His daughter is some form of a traveling rodeo rider I think and his son is a horse trainer so to be honest I'm not sure how much of their income actually comes fro the father.

They've managed to stay afloat though so I'd imagine if you can get them for cheap enough and sell them for more than you spend keeping them on your property you could turn a profit. Enough to make a living? Eh...maybe not. Enough to sustain the practice as a hobby? Probably yeah.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

Advertise to train other people's horses and give lessons. Usually the rider needs training along with the horse.

I do not recommend training your own horse. I've had bad luck. I did pre-purchase exams on both my horses. They both passed. And they are both lame. I bought my mare directly from the breeder. Looked at her, looked at her parents. Thought she would be perfect. She was 2 yrs old and not started. Nice straight legs. A few months after I started her under saddle, I noticed she was not quite right. Whatever it is does not show on X rays (normal). I've had 2 vets look at her and they have no idea. :-( Last vet said take her to the university for a nuclear scan which is an additional $1000 or more. 

My horse before that had navicular syndrome. X rays did not show any changes... It turned out to be soft tissue damage. She than went on to develop degenerative ligaments (most horses with it appear healthy, but it can strike at any age, and you can't test for it). 

So even if I had done a pre-purchase with X rays all the way up both horses would have passed! 

What is your plan for dealing with an incurable lame horse? Are you willing to put it down? Give it away for free and hope it doesn't end up with the meat buyer? Keep it and retire it? 

What happens if you get hurt while training (bucked off and break a bone)?

It is better to train for other people. At least than you don't have to worry if the horse goes lame. You don't have to worry about board and feed costs.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

If you are already taking in outside horses you probably have a pretty good idea of whether or not you can make money with ones you would own. 

I have done well with short term flips. Underweight, spoiled, or overweight pasture puffs. Ones fed too hot a feed and kept in a pen are my favorites.

I plan on keeping them 4 weeks (with the exception of underweight ones who may go to pasture). I start marketing them at 2 to 3 weeks, because by then I know how the horse will turn out. I own the pastures and the hay is home grown. Lower costs there too.

I do not bother starting young horses because they know so little and too often so do the buyers. I have friends who start colts and sell them as green broke, but only to good horsemen. They have the market base to do this.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

horsemanship91 said:


> I'm happy even with a little profit. I'm not trying to get rich of of it. Its just something I love to do and when I can earn a little extra money doing it, great!


From your post and replies, sounds like you're OK with the risk(s).
I say go for it. After the first horse, you'll have a better idea of how it will work out.

Good luck with your plans.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

We made a very good living doing this for many years until I developed very severe arthritis and degenerative joint disease. We are still trying to figure out what to do since I can barely ride at all any more.

Young prospects will not make you a dime. They will all lose money because of the reasons Boots gave. You cannot keep them long enough to get enough done with them. We have had such a good market for our breeding program that we could sell them, but training and selling ordinary young horses is a lost cause. 

Your best market will be in 'flunk-outs'! Reining, cutting and even pleasure horse trainers have customers that pay big bucks for very well bred prospects. Three to six months into training they find that many (sometimes half or more) are not going to be good enough to be competitive. The honest trainers will tell the owners and these horses are sold for a lot less than the training in them without even considering the original purchase price. I have bought cutting bred horses with 6 months of training for around $2500.00. Some of these horses sold for $10,000.00 or more as yearlings. Some had been spurred and yanked around and it took a lot of re-training, but they had papers to kill for and conformation and still had more ability than junk prospects --- if they are sound. Flunk-out reiners are by far the best deal if you can find them.

Anytime anyone buys a flunk-out, you want to have access to that horse's Vet records. I would not touch one if the trainer and/or owner did not authorize me to contact their Vet and see what had been done with this horse by the Vet. Some of these horses make great mounted shooting horses, team sorting horses and the bigger ones make roping horses. If you join a local group of shooters or penners, you can sell every really broke horse you ride at a practice session. The same is true if you can team rope. 

The next best prospects for trail horses and recreational riding horses are 5 - 8 year old spoiled horses or horses that people have turned out and lost interest in. Once you have the training in these horses straightened out, they are old enough for recreational riders to buy. These people WILL NOT buy young horses. 

The market is good (and was even through the recession) for, what we call, 'Dummy-proof' horses. These are horses that any Dummy can get on and ride off. We figured out a long time ago that the people that can ride anything, do not have any money. The people with all of the money to buy anything they want to ride, cannot ride very well or at all. These people will not buy young horses, but they have all of the money.

If you do not want unhappy customers, insist that they come and ride 2 or 3 times, free of charge, under your supervision. Explain to them that horses only ride as good as they are ridden. Explain that horses are not mind readers and if they do not know how to ask properly and do not know how to release pressure placed on the horse, they will go downhill very quickly. Try to teach them to 'push' instead of 'pulling harder'. If you do not do this, most of the people that will pay a good price for a saddle horse will quickly mess it up and will tell everyone that it is your fault.


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

You've put a lot of thought into this-sounds like something you really want to do, I like the list of what you will train the horse to do, Except for the slide stop-that is something I would not ever do & I just like a nice solid stop when asked. Just me 2 cents worth.


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## EquineObsessed (May 24, 2013)

I'm working on making a living the same way- although its a mix of buying/training/selling and having clients. This thread is really good for me to read and think about. I currently have two horses for resale, a reasonably broke horse that a client wants kid/husband proof, one horse coming in for work on becoming a trail horse, and another woman who just wants me to ride her 20 yo Arab mare to keep her in shape. I know that I don't have the discipline to budget larger chunks of money every couple months, which would be how it was if I only did resales, so I like a mix. I don't make much, but I love it. Being poor is not new to me, so its no hardship! As I build up more connections over years and warmer months come (hopefully sooner than years, but I'm starting to wonder!) , I know I'll be busy!


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## ridemcowgirl069 (Jul 29, 2013)

With the economy the way it is no ones is in the market for horses. In fact people have just been abandoning horses all over the country and rescues are filling up. The last thing you need isto sink money into buying horses then having to pay to feed them in the hopes people will buy them. You might find yourself going broke in the process. Plus another thing to think about, the way our society is going, less and less people have any interest in horses because people don't go outside anymore lol. I would give it a year or two and see where the horse industry is going. In the mean time be a trainer. That's something horse people need and at least that way if it doesn't work out you won't be out any money. Best of luck to you
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I don't think the markets good enough right now to make a real profit selling at the end of it you're interesting in - there is money at the top end if you can sell a horse that's competition ready but you can't do that in the timescale you're looking at if you buy unbroken horses - because they will still be classed as 'green' when you sell them
The horses on this website are all under $1500 and some are being sold as 'great on trails' and quiet to ride
BargainCorral
I think you'd make more money training other peoples horses especially if you can undercut the opposition and possibly be prepared to travel to clients and work on their horses on their own property


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

I think you need to look at the market around you and the horses currently for sale. What are the horses around you selling for and what does their advertisements claim they can do?

What kind of horses sell in your area? What can you buy in that price range? Do the two match up? If registered QH's are the big seller in your area, then investing in OTTB's (for example) may not be the best choice to make.

Are these going to be trail horses? Do you plan on getting some show miles and away-from-home miles on them?

Are you going to have PPE's done on each horse? If not, what is your plan should you get a horse and it turns out to be unsound? What about if it's injured under your care (accidents do happen) and it becomes permanently or temporarily lame?


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

ridemcowgirl069 said:


> With the economy the way it is no ones is in the market for horses. In fact people have just been abandoning horses all over the country and rescues are filling up. The last thing you need isto sink money into buying horses then having to pay to feed them in the hopes people will buy them. You might find yourself going broke in the process. Plus another thing to think about, the way our society is going, less and less people have any interest in horses because people don't go outside anymore lol. I would give it a year or two and see where the horse industry is going. In the mean time be a trainer. That's something horse people need and at least that way if it doesn't work out you won't be out any money. Best of luck to you
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


This is really not the case for very broke horses. While the prices for them dropped in 2008, the demand never did. The prices are now coming back up.

In 2011 (I think), the national Finals for team sorting were held in Ardmore, OK, 35 miles away. They had over 4000 entries. Every hotel was full up here and all around. I did not go in 2012, but I heard it was even bigger. They outgrew the facility (3 indoor arenas) and moved the event to Fort Worth because there was no place available with enough stalls around here. These are mostly families. Most of these families keep 2 or 3 horses each. They do not buy 'junk' horses.

The Cowboy Mounted Shooting and the Extreme Trail events are growing just as fast. These people do not buy horses off of Craigs List, either. These people buy from recommendations and referrals and from ads in their trade Journals. I have never seen a point in time that a 'good', well-trained, 'dummy-proof' horse was worth less than $5000.00 since about 2000. many will bring $10,000 even without having been competed on. The problem is that very few people can train a horse that does not have a 'list'. 
http://www.horseforum.com/horse-training/does-your-horse-have-list-340538/
If you can train a horse like this, there is ALWAYS a market for them. If they have a lot of 'handle' on them -- all the better. The people looking for them are the people that got wealthier during the great recession. They never lost their jobs. They just capitalized on those that did.


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## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

i didn't read all of the replies --- but will offer a little some thoughts anyways

1. research research research

2. start with a business expense spreadsheet detailing weekly/monthly costs as well as -just in case- costs for things that could potentially go very wrong

3. run a pilot program with 1 horse and see how it goes (i really stress doing this with a single horse and not multiple horses for 2 reasons -- 1. reduces the money needed to minimum -- 2. tells you the cost and time per horse to get the desired result)

4. keep extremely detailed notes (extremely extremely important)

5. do an after action review to compare actual costs/time vs. what you projected (you may even find ways to reduce costs for future projects)

6. do a business cost analysis to decide whether or not this is something you can do or even afford to do


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## CandyCanes (Jul 1, 2013)

horsemanship91 said:


> I done it plenty of times.


Sorry, peeve, I *have* done it many times


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## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

Do your research of what prices horses are going for in your area and what kind of horses are selling. Maybe get on dreamhorse and look at horses sold, talk to trainers, etc. 

I think you should try it as long as you are prepared not to make a profit, which it sounds like you are. You also need to have a plan in case some of the risks become reality. Horses that just have a few months of training around here don't usually sell for more then 1000-1500 and I think you should keep that in mind. Do you have resources to increase a horse's value above being green broke? Horses that have several months of riding and extensive experience on trails, started in a specific discipline, taken to playdays, etc go for more like $2500-$3500. Do you have a trailer to take hm places or show experience that you could take him to a few shows? I'm often one of those people who are looking for green broke horses for $1200ish and I"m much more likely to look at something if it's gone places. 

There is always the chance you could get a horse that will fall apart, require unplanned vet expenses, etc etc but that is always a risk when buying a horse. You could get a PPE with an xray, but honestly that eats up any profit you may get. I have actually never xrayed my own personal project horses and that is a *huge* risk that I take mainly because I work for a big lesson barn that would buy a walk trot horse off me should it not be sound enough to do more. That is a luxury to have that kind of cushion but I have actually never had a horse that didn't pass a PPE with their new owners. I once found the perfect prospect I was mildly concerned about so I got a lameness eval with flexions done and he passed so I bought him. When his new owners bought him his xrays came out perfect. Do you have a plan should a horse fall apart?

Despite the risks, I STILL think you should try it. Why? There are fewer and fewer people willing to start horses these days and I think that is a market that will become more readily available but you won't get your foot in the door if people don't know who you are. If you want to be a trainer you need to start somewhere and start "making" things that will prove to people that you can train a good horse. Experience, history, and connections are so important that IMO it is worth buying/selling a few horses even if you lose a little money (a LITTLE) in the process. Think of it as the cost of advertising. I have bought several ponies for about $12-1500, put a year or two of show training into them and sold them as show ponies for kids for about $10,000. I did NOT make $9000 profit once my expenses were taken care of but now I have sold enough that people have started coming to find ponies for sale and I have connections out of state on top of the people I know from horse shows. So it can be done if you are careful, do your research, and have the right resources. Good luck!


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## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

Just to add to my previous post: 

A couple things that I consider non negotiables when buying a prospect....

1) of course soundness. Since the horses you'd be buying aren't proven I look at all conformational faults, feet especially, lumps and bumps, etc. Even scars. Even if they seem 100% sound horses with ugly or scarred legs are hard to resell.

2) personality. I have never had a person turn a horse down because it was too sweet. Always assume the future owners are going to be beginners. So even if it's green it needs to be super laid back and not spooky by nature (some horses spook bc they're lacking experience and they get better over time but some horses are spooky by nature and this is too hard to get rid of). 

3) attractive. Whenever one of my clients wants to buy a horse I give them a firm lecture about how COLOR DOES NOT MATTER but when it comes to buying a prospect for myself? It's always easier to sell a flashy dappled grey over a plain bay with no white. yes, I have known some uglier horses that are worth their weight in gold but you want someone to see your horse and fall in love at first sight. An attractive face, maybe some flash like socks, maybe a cute color. 

4) take someone with you for another opinion! Its always so much easier to talk pros and cons with someone. There have been a few times my friend and I had a long discussion about whether a horse is worth buying or not and we came home with an empty trailer.

If you can find a nice horse like what I just described, put some good months into him, take them places to increase value, have a market to sell a horse in, and a little luck! you could make some money and have fun in the process.


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## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

I have done this many times. I usually would buy a nice prospect that someone didn't have time for, neglected or mishandled. Then I would spend 4-6 months training, and sell the horse. Sometimes I would break even, rarely make a profit, and sometimes take a loss. I did it because I love the horses. Some things to think about:

-lameness/injury. Had this happen to one gelding, and it took 6+ months to heal.
-major personality/training issues. Some horses don't train as fast as others, and some issues take a long time to work through. I had a filly that I spent a year on before I felt she was ready to go on to the next owner.
-economy. I had a project when the economy crashed, and I kept her for almost 2 years before I could find her a home.
-Hard time rehoming. I had a fantastic filly that I just loved, but she was particular about people, and worked best for someone she loved. For the rest she was very unenthusiastic. It took almost 10 months to find her the perfect owner.

Make very sure that you are in a position to keep the project if necessary. Don't do it for the money, and be very selective about which horses you buy.


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## horsemanship91 (Aug 12, 2013)

I'm surprised so many others are thinking of doing this. I'm glad this tread helps.

I think I will just try it. I can sit here and worry about all the risks. If I do this, I just will never find out. I know I'm good at it, I know my horses will be safe to ride and I'm just so passionate about it. I will only get one horse at a time, so if I don't get to sell it, it won't be a problem. I will still train my clients horses and continue to give riding lessons. I also will make videos for the buyers. I want them to see how well behaved and save the horses are on the ground and while riding and I will go on horseshows (if possible) 

@ Jmike and Upnover thank your very helpful input I will keep that in mind and research more.

@ cherie and boots I will take your advice and start out with 5-8 years old. Cherie, I will show and explain to the costumers how to handle the horse. I think that's a great idea you had. 

@ equine Obsessed I think we have a lot in common  you sound just like me lol

@ Candy Canes English is my 2nd language so my grammar isn't perfect


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## CandyCanes (Jul 1, 2013)

horsemanship91 said:


> @ Candy Canes English is my 2nd language so my grammar isn't perfect


Well, your English is brilliant as it is not your first language... I'll go away now as I'm hijacking your thread!!!


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## EquineObsessed (May 24, 2013)

It sounds like we do! I love to hear how other people are getting into it. It's great to hear success stories, because training is HARD and most people don't encourage it. I'm lucky and had a lot of help, but I've certainly had my share of people tell me I'm not cut out for it and I'll never make a living. I love coming on here and seeing folks like Cherie and others- great advice and its nice to see people have done it and made a decent living.


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## horsemanship91 (Aug 12, 2013)

@ EquineObsessed to me training isn't hard at all anymore. What methods do you use? I was lucky too, I have a friend who is one of the best horse trainers in our area. He thought me everything for free, so that I can help him with all the horses. Maybe we should start a thread for us with our stories and show the horses we bought, trained and resold with all the cost and profit. This could help other to make decisions too.


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## EquineObsessed (May 24, 2013)

Great idea for a thread! I didn't mean the actual training is hard- but making money, dealing with certain people- horses are the easy part. I use a mix of natural and traditional horsemanship. Basic pressure-release. I do most of my training on the trail, would love to get into ranch/cattle work but there isn't much of that in New England! So I stick to the mountain trails.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Your best market is the empty nesters who have money to spend and want to live a life time dream. They want older horses with a reputation of being good solid horses. A young well-trained horse is still a young horse with an immature mind.


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## rhosroyalvelvet (Sep 5, 2013)

Yes you can make a profit doing this, and people at the high end of this business are known as dealers.

My mum is not a dealer, but she did buy and sell a few horses and worked in a dealers yard. I think the biggest profit my mum made of a horse was one she bought for a couple of hundred and sold on for between 5 and 10 thousand euros can't remember exact price, and she only had him about 6 months. He was a school master when sold and was jumping courses and capable of lower level dressage.

So yeah..


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## kimberlyrae1993 (Mar 20, 2013)

It's a possibility but not everyone makes a profit it's hard to say
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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