# Is it possible to make money buying young horses, training and then selling them?



## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

ButtInTheDirt said:


> I would not do this myself, but I was wondering if anyone actually turned much of a prophit doing that? There are always a lot of decent foals for sale around here for $300-500 dollars. (It is hilarious because these breeders produce their 5 foals a year and make absolutely no money off of it and keep breeding.) I see a lot of Quarter horse foals that are well built and people are just looking to get rid of them. Then theres a few arabs and arab crosses selling for even less.
> 
> Is it a realistic thing to do? If you really trained the horse getting it greenbroke and maybe taking it to a show or two what value would that really add on it? I would like to know other people's personal experience with this type of buisness.


In this economy that is a risky business. Really high end quality horses are having a hard time selling though the really nice ones still have a market but not like it used to be.
Then you have to figure the costs of raising it to full training age etc. 
Well trained young horses are out there for sale cheap already.


----------



## FreeDestiny (Jul 3, 2011)

A lot of people have what you explained as a career! Trainers do make a profit but, it does depend on how THEIR work was done. If the horse was taught the jyst of things but does really understand a barrel pattern, or doesn't stand for saddling etc. the resale value would be less than a horse trained to have almost no flaws.

Of course, you're not going to get back payouts of 20k, but buying a 3yr old for 300-500, and selling it a year later for 5000, does bring some profit.

Bringing the horse you train to shows will increase the popularity and get yours and the horses name out there, therefore increasing your business.

And also, some people send their horses to trusted trainers, or have said trainers come out to their barn to train their horse, and so the trainer isn't paying for the upkeep of the horse, they're solely making money by correcting the horses flaws and weaknesses for the inexperienced or the owner who has tried but can't overcome a certain problem (rearing, bucking, biting etc.)

Seems like I rambled a bit! Sorry! 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Yes, it's possible, but extremely difficult in today's horse economy. 

Here's a few more parts of the business equation that you need to consider: you need to add the maximum amount of value to the horse in the shortest amount of time to make this work. So buying foals or yearlings doesn't make sense, because you have the expense of keeping them for years before you can do anything to add value. Buying unbroken 3 or 4 year olds is a much better proposition because you can really change their value propostion in a year. 

However, a common mistake people make is overestimating how much value greenbreaking adds. If you take a horse from just halter broke to w/t/c both directions of the arena, trail ride, etc., you have only added a certain amount of value. Unless your colt has extraordinary potential in a discipline (in which case you'd have more money in the unbroken 3 year old) you've taken a $500 - $1500 horse and turned it into a $2500 - 3500.00 horse and you'll have close to that much money in expenses in him to get him there. 

The real additions to a horse's value comes in *finishing* it in a discipline, and that's simply beyond the reach of most amateur horsepeople. It also requires a certain amount of performance or show miles, and they cost time and money to put on a horse. 

I managed to do it successfully quite a few times when the horse market was better and when I was running a busy barn where I could always throw a greenie on an empty spot in the trailer to take somewhere with clients and get cheap mileage on it. I couldn't do it now, because I don't have the facility or set up, and frankly, the market's so risky.


----------



## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

If you have land with decent grass already and the facilities to keep your expenses down. Id look for older horses with issues, or rescues that you can get nearly free. If you get a good eye there are alot of decent rescue horses out there that only need food, DO some finishing work with them a few basic shows, events, trail rides or what not. Get them acting sane and more suited for a beginner to low level intermediate rider and flip them. If you have a good eye, you could take a free horse, put $100 of supplies and food in him, a month or two of training and come out with a $1000 horse. COurse you could also end up with a nutcase and have a $0 horse. 
Either way I think you are better off getting 4-8 yo's


----------



## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

Just want to add, and this may not be true in other areas, is that the price of horses of about $3500-$9000 is the hardest to sell. Most people want a cheaper horse play with and the other majority are people who show or compete and their price range is considerably higher. The horses in the middle either aren't up to "showhorse" standards or the people who just want a horse in the backyard don't want to pay that much.

I am just generalizing here, but I notice these are the ones that either for sale for quite some time or the owner ends up dropping the price considerably.


----------



## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

There are too many 'ifs' to give an answer.

NO! You cannot buy weanlings, yearlings or 2 year olds because you can buy 3 year olds and older (more ready to go to work and more marketable) for less than you can raise them. 

NO! if you do not have the skill and knowledge to 'finish' a horse. Prospects, 'well started' and 'green broke' horses are a dime a dozen.

There is a HUGE market for any horse that is ready to go and do a job. I do not care if it is a team roping horse for a #1 or #2 roper, a Ranch Sorting horse, an Equitation horse, or a SOLID trail horse. It can even be a SOLID backyard horse that is safe and can be taken on a trail ride or go to a 4-H program or ????? If it is SOLID, SAFE, has no holes in its training and is pretty much 'Dummy proof', there is a market for it. 

If it is 'almost' finished, or --- 
OK BUT you have to longe or round pen it before you ride it ---
If it is OK BUT it does not load very well ---
Or he is OK BUT it does not get along well with other horses ---
Or he OK BUT hates dogs and isn't very good around little kids ---
A horse has to stand for shoeing, clipping, mounting, blanketing, bathing, saddleing, etc.

Are you getting my point? If there are any 'BUTS' forget making any money on a horse. 

What we have found is that knowledgeable horse people are not buying horses -- The so-called Dummies are. (Not really 'dummies' but they are people that are a LONG way from being professionals and do not want to deal with problems.) These are Doctors, lawyers, bankers, business men -- people with 'day jobs', people that make good money and are people that want to keep their wife and kids safe. 

What we call a 'Dummy-proof' horse is one that you can hand the lead-rope to someone and tell them to go have a good ride. It is a horse that does not come with a 'list'. If a horse has a list of instructions or 'don'ts' that come with it, you cannot give it away in today's market.


----------



## TexasBlaze (Oct 4, 2010)

You have to train them to do something worthwhile. I take racehorses of the track and retrain them to jump. Free registered well conformed plus No waiting for them to mature and be breakable. Plus theyve already been backed and worked with. Then you retrain them to jump or do dressage. There is still a bit of profit in these types of horses so i do make a bit of money from it.


----------



## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Cherie, 

I wanted to like your post several more times but it wouldn't let me.


----------



## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

You cannot get rich doing it, but you can turn a little profit. It's been a few years since I was involved in any kind of flipping, but I used to do a tiny bit on the side, going in with a horse trader on horses he had. Bought a cute pony for $1200 and sold him a couple months later for $2500. This was before the market crash, too, but I don't think things would be all that different now. Some people are still searching for good-looking, well-broke horses....but let me tell you, when I was shopping for one 2.5 years ago, they were in _very _short supply.


----------



## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

I love playing with horses and in the past I have owned the property to make it possible to deal in horses. But never once have I thought to become a dealer.

For me it is not the horses which present the problems - it is the humans.
Some lie, some conceal the truth. Some should never be left alone with any horse. I would find watching a horse being driven off by some perfect stranger very distressing.

I earned my living as an international trader but I have no regrets that I never bought a horse with the idea of selling it for profit. I never mixed business with pleasure.

Anyway, there's no money in it until the economy picks up - either in the US or in Europe. Those bankers and economists have to get their act together first.


----------



## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

One of my best friends makes money "Turning" three day eventers. Before her divorce, she still had a net worth of 6 million on her barn. But of course, she had been doing this forever and was selling to grand prix riders who COULD pay well for these horses.


----------



## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Grand Prix three day eventers?


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

It may depend on where you are at. Last week, we were given a mustang pony. He's 14, in good health, was born wild in the desert, used for a kid to barrel race, spent time on a ranch working cattle, and been a lesson horse. He can carry me at a gallop comfortably, and after his first "I'm really nervous' ride here, is proving easy to stop, slow, turn, change pace, etc. He's been available for 5 months "free to a good home". 

Last December, I sold a purebred Arabian mare, outstanding temperament, comfortable with her paces but still green, but absolutely willing - and sold her for $600.

A charity sent out 9 (IIRC) horses needing adoption to professional trainers for 2 months of training, followed by a public 'competition' to show off what they had accomplished with them. 2 of the 9 have been sold for the adoption fee - I think around $1000. The other 7 are still available.

Around here (s. AZ), it would be tough to add enough value in 30-60 days to cover your feeding expense for that time.

The mare I bought for $800 and sold two years later for $600, ridden by my then 12 year old daughter for one of my daughter's first lessons:


----------



## xiamsvetlanax (Aug 8, 2011)

I'm really glad this post is here. This is something I want to do when I "grow up" lol I'm 24 but I didn't know if it would've been profitable, or if I'd be worried about feeding these trainees every month for a year or so. Great post!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Another thing to consider is who you know and what market you have the capability to get into. Me, personally, I could make a pretty decent profit buying older broke horses that don't have a lot of training (lots of riding and are very broke but lacking "handle"), putting 30 days on them to get them handling nice, start roping off of them, etc. I know of a market where there are people looking for nicely bred horses that they can take and start using tomorrow as ranch horses. A friend runs a select horse sale down around the Fort Worth area and if you can pass muster to get your horse in there, you are guaranteed a pretty price tag on him. Their average price for a well broke horse with nice handle is $8,000-$10,000 because they can guarantee them broke, guarantee them sound, and there are zero holes or issues that you have to worry about when you buy with them.

The only thing is, they have to be registered, well bred, _very_ broke (like Cherie said, absolutely no "buts"), have a nice appearance (ugly horses _will_ sell but it's the nice looking ones that are bringing in good money), have _good_ handle (think reining horses), and ready and able to do whatever you need doing whether it's let your kid carry the flag in the grand entry of a rodeo or have the horse track a cow for roping across rough *** country and then drag it into the trailer. The horse has to pass an inspection before they are even allowed into the sale.


----------



## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

smrobs said:


> Another thing to consider is who you know and what market you have the capability to get into. Me, personally, I could make a pretty decent profit buying older broke horses that don't have a lot of training (lots of riding and are very broke but lacking "handle"), putting 30 days on them to get them handling nice, start roping off of them, etc. I know of a market where there are people looking for nicely bred horses that they can take and start using tomorrow as ranch horses. A friend runs a select horse sale down around the Fort Worth area and if you can pass muster to get your horse in there, you are guaranteed a pretty price tag on him. Their average price for a well broke horse with nice handle is $8,000-$10,000 because they can guarantee them broke, guarantee them sound, and there are zero holes or issues that you have to worry about when you buy with them.
> 
> The only thing is, they have to be registered, well bred, _very_ broke (like Cherie said, absolutely no "buts"), have a nice appearance (ugly horses _will_ sell but it's the nice looking ones that are bringing in good money), have _good_ handle (think reining horses), and ready and able to do whatever you need doing whether it's let your kid carry the flag in the grand entry of a rodeo or have the horse track a cow for roping across rough *** country and then drag it into the trailer. The horse has to pass an inspection before they are even allowed into the sale.


When do they have this sale? You have piqued my interest...


----------



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

From what I understand, they do one about once a month. It may slow down in the winter months, though, I'm not sure. It's Brother's friend that helps put it together.


----------



## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

smrobs said:


> From what I understand, they do one about once a month. It may slow down in the winter months, though, I'm not sure. It's Brother's friend that helps put it together.


Do you mean "Brother" as the name or "Brother" like your sibling? If you don't mind...could you PM me some info. I would like to go since I am only an hour and half away from FW.


----------



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Brother like the sibling :wink:. I'll have to contact him to see if he can get me the information. He'll probably have to call Shane to get the dates, times, locations, etc. It may take a couple of days but I'll get it to you.


----------



## soenjer55 (Dec 4, 2011)

The economy is horrible right now, but it is, actually, a business for a lot of people- my neighbor does that, actually! He buys horses for almost free off the reservation, then trains them (he's a very good trainer, too) and sells them for a lot more... or he used to get a lot more, not now. He's not been able to do as much lately... But still, there are people who do this for most of their living.
I think in the right hands, this is a good business.


----------



## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

It's much harder these days. In the late nineties and early 2000's it was pretty easy to pull a TB off the track for next to nothing, put a few months training on it, go to a few shows and sell it for several thousand but the market won't support that kind of turnaround on a regular basis any more.

You can still get them for next to nothing but it is much harder to sell them at a profit.


----------



## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

smrobs said:


> Brother like the sibling :wink:. I'll have to contact him to see if he can get me the information. He'll probably have to call Shane to get the dates, times, locations, etc. It may take a couple of days but I'll get it to you.


Thank you, that would be great. If you don't mind I would love to know, however don't go out of your way.


----------



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Eh, won't be that big of a deal to get the info. Brother is actually riding a colt right now that he plans to take down there in the spring so he and Shane keep in touch .


----------



## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

smrobs said:


> Eh, won't be that big of a deal to get the info. Brother is actually riding a colt right now that he plans to take down there in the spring so he and Shane keep in touch .


Thanks gal!!! Greatly appreciated!


----------



## allisonjoy (Oct 8, 2011)

Idk if it could be a full time career or anything due to the times, but you might be able to score a little extra cushion money if you play the game right. 

I do this every once in a while if i feel the urge too lol. I go to sugarcreek, the big horse auction in Ohio, pretty frequently and every once in a while i'll find a good looking well built young horse. Buy it for anywhere around 20$-50$, test it out in the parking lot, run it around bareback then go ahead and run it through the sale again, but this time "ride" it in. Can usually pull in a few hundred. Did it two weeks ago. Horse was 25$ sold it for 375$. But hey it was taken off the meat truck so i"m happy for the little booger. 

(his might seem wrong but for an 18yo girl it can be loads of fun in moderation!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------

