Do's and Dont at a sale

Talk about upcoming sales or auction results.

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zinn21
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Postby zinn21 » Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:20 am

I would pay close attention examining all joints. If there are xrays, review them.

magic code
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Postby magic code » Sat Oct 03, 2009 4:23 pm

Don't ask a horse to pick up a front foot if you're already holding the other front foot.

(Someone who definitely should have known better did this and got all het up when the horse, understandably, jumped.)

ageecee
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Postby ageecee » Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:40 pm

[quote="Sock Monkey"]Karen, good luck and happy shopping! You'll have a ton of fun! :D

Yes, be sure to register as a buyer before the sale. There's a form in the cat.

Wear comfy shoes 'cause you will be on your feet a lot.

There is a pretty standard way of doing things when you ask to see a horse. The handler will bring the horse out and a representative from the consignor may or may not be available to chat with you. You can see the horse stood up and walk. Ask before you touch the horse (it's preferable if you don't). The sales staff expects questions to be fairly brief - it's not like looking at a riding horse prospect. When you are done, say thank you and let the handler know they can put the horse back. A rep for the consignor should have a book with vet information in it that you can request to see.

You can also look at horses in the back ring just before they go in. There should be a sales representative with the horse that can answer questions and you can request the horse be stood up, etc., too. Not the best way to do it, but good for a last check and any impulse buys. :)

You'll probably want to go into the pavillion to bid. Catch your bid spotter's eye when "your" horse comes in and he'll help you through the process. If you get confused or have a question, ask him.

If you buy one, your bid spotter will give you a ticket to sign and you'll keep a copy that you will then take to the office - it takes about 30 mins before they have everything ready despite warnings all over saying you MUST head DIRECTLY to the office - and settle up. The office will give you Coggins and a receipt, but foal papers will be mailed later.

Once you have settled up, the office will give you a stable release - that needs to go to your van. Ask your van company how they want to handle that (so it's their fault if it gets lost, as that is a headache). Your horse can stay overnight at the sales ground, but it might be moved to a different stall. The office can tell you. (They were talking about people "abandoning" yearlings at KEE on another thread, but this is common practice, as vans need to wait until they have a load).

As soon as you sign the ticket the horse is yours. Don't expect much from the consignor after that. They will not help you load, they will not loan you a shank, etc. You can go back to the barn to see your purchase, but stay out of the way and leave your horse in the stall.

If you have questions, don't be afraid to ask. But, just remember - it's not like buying a riding horse and nobody has a lot of time to spend with you and they very likely don't know much about the horse anyway. You can safely assume that the horse has a current Coggins, has been dewormed, is up to date on vaccines, etc., etc. You can ask how s/he is to deal with, but they probably have only known the horse for a few days. Don't ask for the horse's life story or go in with the attitude that the consignor is hiding things from you. If you are unsure if a horse will be in your price range it is acceptable to ask the consignor if there is a reserve. They should be able to give you an idea.[/quote]







Sounds like you have lots of experince at buying at the sales. What sale are you going to next so i can tag along?

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Sock Monkey
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Postby Sock Monkey » Sun Oct 04, 2009 7:50 am

Sounds like you have lots of experince at buying at the sales. What sale are you going to next so i can tag along?


Yeah, we need to get you some experience actually parting with money at a sale. :wink: :D

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Postby ageecee » Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:15 am

[quote="Sock Monkey"][quote]Sounds like you have lots of experince at buying at the sales. What sale are you going to next so i can tag along?[/quote]

Yeah, we need to get you some experience actually parting with money at a sale. :wink: :D[/quote]






Im broke like a joke...

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Sock Monkey
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Postby Sock Monkey » Mon Oct 05, 2009 6:29 am

Im broke like a joke...


Yeah.... :roll: :lol: Look in your couch cushions, you can probably find enough to buy one at the next Lafayette sale. :wink:

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Joltman
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Postby Joltman » Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:53 am

Sock Monkey wrote:...

As soon as you sign the ticket the horse is yours. Don't expect much from the consignor after that. They will not help you load, they will not loan you a shank, etc. You can go back to the barn to see your purchase, but stay out of the way and leave your horse in the stall.

...


When I bought horses in the past, the trainer took care of this post sale stuff, but this is an interesting point. It would seem to me that it would be in the consignor's interest to do a good job in assisting in the post sale stuff like simple things like stall-hay-water. It seems really ticky tack to pull down $ thousands for the sale of a horse then not be ready to do a couple of simple management things to assist their CUSTOMERS as well as simply being good horsemen. I would think a simple form indicating willingness to offer hay, water with a release from liability might go a long way to helping buyers, especially those new and inexperienced buyers that everybody is looking for (!), to help them manage their new purchase. Post sale followup is important in any sale - making sure the customer is happy with the purchase becomes a business builder for the future. I realize that the machinery is churning at these sales, but the big guys should do what they can to help the customers however they can. It's in THEIR best interest.

jm
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Postby LB » Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:51 am

Joltman wrote:When I bought horses in the past, the trainer took care of this post sale stuff, but this is an interesting point. It would seem to me that it would be in the consignor's interest to do a good job in assisting in the post sale stuff like simple things like stall-hay-water. It seems really ticky tack to pull down $ thousands for the sale of a horse then not be ready to do a couple of simple management things to assist their CUSTOMERS as well as simply being good horsemen. I would think a simple form indicating willingness to offer hay, water with a release from liability might go a long way to helping buyers, especially those new and inexperienced buyers that everybody is looking for (!), to help them manage their new purchase. Post sale followup is important in any sale - making sure the customer is happy with the purchase becomes a business builder for the future. I realize that the machinery is churning at these sales, but the big guys should do what they can to help the customers however they can. It's in THEIR best interest.



Most consignors care about their horses and their buyers. I've never bought from one who wouldn't happily pull a horse out for me post-sale so that I could take some pictures of my new purchase.

However, at least at the Keeneland sales, the consignors are working under a huge time crunch. On each day as their horses sell, they have to be moved out of that barn by day's end. Also, most are usually simultaneously setting up in their new barn for the next book's offerings.

So there are two issues: first, the consignors have moved on. They are no longer in the location where the horse they sold that day remains until pick-up. I should add that most consignors leave a horse with hay and water, usually enough to last at least a couple of hours. It's not unusual however for horses to be left for a day (or longer) before being picked up. We've had horses that we sold shipped out within twenty minutes. We also had one that wasn't picked up for three days. (!!)

The second issue is the horse has been sold and now belong to the new owner. Technically the consignor no longer has any rights to the horse, as their agreement is with the old owner. Once ownership has changed hands, it's only sensible for the consignor to return the horse to its stall and leave it there. Liability is a murky issue at that point and if no one does anything with the horse there's much less chance of anything going wrong.

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Sock Monkey
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Postby Sock Monkey » Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:53 am

Joltman wrote:When I bought horses in the past, the trainer took care of this post sale stuff, but this is an interesting point. It would seem to me that it would be in the consignor's interest to do a good job in assisting in the post sale stuff like simple things like stall-hay-water.


Well, I don't know of any consignor that would deliberately neglect a horse. And, if you let them know the horse will be overnighting, I have never had a consignor not provide enough hay for the night. Most sale companies will provide buckets and will provide a stall for the night (which the consignor will make sure the horse is in). So, it's not like you are completely on your own - at least at the larger sales.

But, the consignor does expect the buyer to be able to handle things/hire someone who can. It would not be appropriate to go to the consignor and ask them to send some grooms to help you load. Or to borrow a bale of hay. Or to loan you a shank. Or any of the other things people frequently wind up asking for when they pick up a horse on the farm.

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Sock Monkey
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Postby Sock Monkey » Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:54 am

LB and posted at the same time and she did a much better job! :D

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madelyn
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Postby madelyn » Tue Oct 06, 2009 6:42 am

Whenever I have bought a horse at KEE or FT, it is usually without my trailer and the horse will overnight. I head over to the consignor's barn with a $10 OUT IN MY HAND to pay them to take care of my horse for the night (I find the person in charge of the barn to give the $ to). I've never had a problem - and one or two consignors refused the money. But it was offered. And I have BOUGHT a bale of hay if I needed it - never "borrowed." Fall of the hammer MEANS fall of the hammer.
So Run for the Roses, as fast as you can.....

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karenkarenn
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Postby karenkarenn » Tue Oct 06, 2009 9:09 pm

Hello everyone!
Im back from california. Is everyone advised out on sales? I know I know but Im not too sure if I should start a new topic on horses at the sale. I saw a few horses that I liked, they were alert but lost it while coming out of the stall. If anyones out there that can talk about horses at sales, can you give me a sign? :P 8)
Karen

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Postby Rachel Alexandra » Wed Oct 07, 2009 4:22 am

karenkarenn wrote:Hello everyone!
Im back from california. Is everyone advised out on sales? I know I know but Im not too sure if I should start a new topic on horses at the sale. I saw a few horses that I liked, they were alert but lost it while coming out of the stall. If anyones out there that can talk about horses at sales, can you give me a sign? :P 8)
Karen


:?: :?: "they were alert but lost it while coming out of the stall" :?: :?:
Are you looking for a trail horse or a race horse?

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Sysonby
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Postby Sysonby » Wed Oct 07, 2009 5:21 am

karenkarenn wrote:Hello everyone!
Im back from california. Is everyone advised out on sales? I know I know but Im not too sure if I should start a new topic on horses at the sale. I saw a few horses that I liked, they were alert but lost it while coming out of the stall. If anyones out there that can talk about horses at sales, can you give me a sign? :P 8)
Karen


I take it you didn't bid on any. Who were you interested in and what did you think of Barretts new pavilion?

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Postby Fair Play » Wed Oct 07, 2009 5:21 am

Rachel Alexandra wrote:
karenkarenn wrote:Hello everyone!
Im back from california. Is everyone advised out on sales? I know I know but Im not too sure if I should start a new topic on horses at the sale. I saw a few horses that I liked, they were alert but lost it while coming out of the stall. If anyones out there that can talk about horses at sales, can you give me a sign? :P 8)
Karen


:?: :?: "they were alert but lost it while coming out of the stall" :?: :?:
Are you looking for a trail horse or a race horse?


I was thinking the same thing.

They are yearlings that someone is likely losing their shirt on. I would not be deterred if they don't seem as "broke" as usual. Some places charge $200 per day at the sale, and $50 or more per day at the farm for prep. I am sure a few breeders cheaped out there. That can be fixed in no time. (We have sold horses before at Maryland where 100% of the money went to the sales company and agent. Live and learn.)