Innovative showcase brings horse buyers and sellers together
An innovative idea for bringing horse buyers and sellers together will be put into practice this month.
Event rider George Hilton-Jones is organising a day where owners can showcase their horses to a crowd of prospective buyers.
“I do a little bit of buying and selling horses, and I think selling horses privately is getting more and more difficult,” George told H&H.
“I am just trying to bring everyone together in the same place.”
The event is not an auction — there is no bidding, no commission taken by the organisers and all dealings are done directly between the buyer and seller.
Horses will be advertised — with a price — on the website ahead of the day.
The only cost for sellers is the entry fee, which also includes advertising on social media, the sales website and some other publications.
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“I have organised for a vet to be on site, so if anyone wants to proceed with buying a horse or having one vetted then and there, they can,” George added.
The equine vet will be Ali Butler and all vettings at the event are at the cost of the prospective buyer.
The Event Horse Sales Class will be held at Washbrook Farm, Aston-le-Walls, on 21 February, and the horses will be shown over both showjumping and cross-country fences.
The rider will be given a few minutes before beginning their showjumping round to show off the horse’s paces.
They will then jump a course of showjumps before progressing straight into the cross-country arena, where they can choose which fences to jump.
Depending on the entries, there are plans to adjust the course to different heights and George is also hoping to book a videographer to film the rounds.
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There will be a separate arena for prospective buyers to try horses. This will be at the discretion of each horse’s owner.
There are currently four horses entered, but George is hoping to have about 15-20 by the day.
If it is a success, he also plans to run future events.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.