Billy Stud holds first ever online auction
The Billy Stud is hoping to revolutionise the way young horses are bought and sold in Great Britain by launching its first online auction.
Ten three-year-olds, with sires including Tangelo Van De Zuuthoeve, Billy Congo and Cevin Z, and well-related bloodlines, will go up for sale via the stud’s website next week.
There will be a chance to view the youngsters at the Billy Stud, run by William and Pippa Funnell with Donal Barnwell, in Surrey on 21-23 October. All will be loose jumped and five-star vettings will be available for each horse.
Online bidding for the 10 lots closes on 25 October.
The Funnells are hoping to emulate European auction events such as the world-renowned Hendrix Dutch Sport Horse Sales.
“This is the first time this has been done in England and we really hope it will work,” William told H&H. “We’re following the model of European sales where a lot is done online.
“The pound is at the lowest it’s ever been so we expect Europeans to show a lot of interest but it also means it’s far cheaper for people in this country to buy at home rather than to import horses, so we expect that most of the lots will be sold to Great Britain.”
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With no reserve prices, each of the three-year-olds will definitely be sold with sale values expected to reach between €5,000 and €15,000.
“They will be 10 nice young, unbroken jumpers, but the type to make eventers too — so really nice sport horses,” said William.
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“Pippa and I are both heading towards the end of our careers and the young Billy horses are no longer about our own futures.
“So we’ve decided to sell our best three-year-olds to shorten our production process and make it less intensive.”
For more information including loose-jumping videos of the horses, click here.
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Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.