Public Auction
Auction sales offer the widest selection and often assure fair
market values for horses. It is safe to say that they are the option
of choice for many buyers.
The table below summarizes the advantages and disadvantages
associated with purchasing a horse at the various ages:
|
Age/Type |
Months of Sales |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
|
Yearling |
Jul - Dec |
Large selection; can oversee all breaking and training;
pinhooking options. |
8-12 months until ready to race and will incur expenses
during this time. |
|
2-year-old |
Feb - May |
Ready to race; more developed; better able to assess
ability. |
Smaller selection; horses may be rushed through training for
sale. |
|
Weanling |
Oct - Feb |
Reasonably priced; pinhooking options; can oversee growth. |
Hard to evaluate ability this early; 18 months until ready
to race. |
|
Broodmare |
Oct - Feb |
Choose matings; can sell foals or enjoy success of
homebreds. Mares can be purchased in-foal (foal in utero),
barren, or with a foal at her side.) |
Pregnancy can be complicated; lots of risk, time and cost
involved. |
To familiarize yourself with the sales process, we suggest you
attend several as an observer; consider it a dry run. This exercise
should include selecting horses to inspect, evaluating them based
upon their pedigree and conformation and estimating their selling
price. As you compare your figures to the actual selling price, a
sense of the market will develop. In addition, through attending the
sale, you will gain an understanding of the auction environment.
The auction purchase process can be separated into three stages:
Before, during and after. However, each phase is dependent on the
other. The after phase is somewhat a misnomer as proper provisions
for this final stage, such as payment, insurance needs and boarding
arrangements, should be made in advance.
Go to Page - 2 : Before the Auction
