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pawprints

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Hi All! Im new here (obviously) at least for posting, Ive been reading the fourm for ages though! Anyway, I would like to know if anybody can inform me of good auctions that generally will have miniatures. I have tried searching the net for months now and i really havent found that many! The few I have found have already passed
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I would be interested in auctions and sales in the states of Virginia, West Virginia, N.Carolina, Pennsylvannia, Ohio and Maryland. Dates, locations and how you would rate the auctions would be great. Rating as in pertaining to quality and selection of the minis. Ive been in minis for 3 years now and I just cant get enough of them! Thanks for any and all help and advice.
 
Hello and Welcome!

There are several fairly good mini auctions in Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina. Sometimes they have some pretty good horses. Since you asked, my advice would be don't buy anything from an auction until you have lots of experience with minis and can judge what is good and not so good at a glance. If you go to an auction, sit on your hands and observe. You can soon tell who the players are and who you can trust. Horse traders will go to many different auctions and will always have "Just what you are looking for". I would go to lots of auctions before I bought anything and even then be willing to take what you get and give them a home. Horses at the auctions are not always what they seem nor are they always what they are said to be.

Your best bet is to find some good and honest breeders in your area and find what you want that way. The sale board is another great source. We have bought several wonderful minis from the sale board and never been disappointed. If at all possible, pay a refundable deposit and go see the horse before you pay for it. Sometimes they look very different in person than in a picture.

Lastly, don't beat yourself up if a horse doesn't turn out to be "the perfect match for you." We all started somewhere and we all have made less than perfect choices. Just be prepared to find good homes or live with you boo boos. Aren't minis great? I hope you will have as wonderful an experience as we have. We have four mares in heavy foal and one precious little filly on the ground this year. It is a very fulfilling and exciting hobby. This forum is a great resource and there is always room for more "Minipeople".
 
BUYER BEWARE at many auctions."Running with a stallion" may just mean the mare never stopped to do anything like getting bred."Bred to a certain stallion" doesn't always mean the mare is pregnant.Some auctions can be dumping grounds for horses with problems.You don't usually get to see siblings or sire and dam.Production auctions from a certain farm are often better than general auctions. I would suggest as others have said, finding a reputable breeder near you who will offer to help you find quality Minis and mentor you.There is so much to learn.I have been in Minis almost 20 years and love it when I get a "Newbie" who just loves the Minis and is willing to listen and learn from my experience.I have made lots of mistakes and if I share my mistakes hopefully it will prevent others from doing the same.
 
Welcome!

Be careful buying at auction. Too often folks are getting shed of problem horses, and it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of bidding, and YOU end up with the problem. You most often get what you pay for.

This said, I would imagine that with the high price of hay, and rising cost of feed, there may be some sellers with some nice horses just trying to get themselves out of the financial pressures of too many horses to feed.

If you are close to western NC, come visit! We love to talk minis!

Lisa
 
I have to agree with the others. Go and watch some auctions but until you have a lot of experience I would buy from indivual sellers where you can get complete histories of the horse etc. Be sure you buy though from a seller with a good reputation. Ask around for referrals and you should be able to find some really good ones.

You can get what seems like a good deal at an auction that can turn bad and expensive very quickly. I had a friend once that got a nice horse for 300.00 at auction. Brought it home and turns out it was sick and infected her entire herd. Vet bill was 2000.00 plus the stress and worry of sick horses. So the "cheap" horse turned out to be a very expensive one
 
I'd be very leary of general auctions...

But would like to welcome you to the forum
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From the areas you're looking, I'm thinking you must not be too far away
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A lot of the time these horses at auctions also have not had the best of care. If you have other horses be sure to quarantine the new horses due to illnesses they may carry....and they usually have worms. (We quarantine any new horse coming on our farm, but it is a bigger problem with most auction horses). Once some people, not all, don't want a horse anymore they quit taking proper care of it. Horses are usually taken to auction after the owners have been unsuccessful selling it themselves. So many times you have a horse that is not as friendly or trusting as is normal.

There is just so much that you don't see looking at a horse standing in a stall or walking into a ring. It is so much nicer to buy from a breeder or owner who lets you take time to be with the horse and has answers to your questions about the horse's history and temperment.

I hope you are successful in your search for the right horse for you. All horses need homes. Just be aware what you may be getting into.

btw, I am not a breeder.
 
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I think there is a big difference in a general horse auction and a Miniature horse auction. The auctions that I have been to that are Miniatures only generally have better stock, better cared for than what is found at a general auction.

The Mt. Airy Miniature Horse Auction in Mt. Airy, North Carolina has a good reputation.
 
Come on over to Delaware. I love to talk Minis and show you my horses. I have ages from yearlings to 20 plus years here.We have a nice show in Harrington,DELAWARE this weekend with 100 plus Minis entered.Good luck with your Mini search. Minis are such fun and you meet the nicest people.
 
I have to say you have been given some great advice when it comes to "buyer beware" with auctions.

With that already being said, if you are looking to go out for a nice afternoon and see some pretty horses, Reece Family Miniatures in Delaware puts on a production sale around late August. It is still an auction, it is still buyer beware, but there are some very nice horses there, and it is not your typical auction. While it is buyer beware, alot of the farms have a reputation to uphold.

Carolyn
 
First of all Buyer Beware. Having said that and you asked about auctions, Mt. Airy in North Carolina has several auctions every year with catalogs online beforehand.

You might want to go to a few farms and look at dam or sire (if available) first to get a good idea of what you want. If farms have consigned horses to a sale and you can see the animal beforehand, that is great too.

My personal experience is that I have bought horses direct from the farm as cheaply as I could from a sale sometimes and feel like I have gotten a lot better animal for my money. Plus I have made a lot of new great horsey friends that way.

A plus for an auction setting would be less travel involved sometimes to view a wider variety of animals for sale. The minus factors are you don't get a lot of information on the animal for sale most of the time and if you don't have time to do a lot of research beforehand, you are basically buying a pig in a poke sometimes.
 
DO YOUR HOMEWORK. I bought a mini mare at a MAJOR Mini horse auction, got her home and then really got a look at her. Wow. Her forelegs were literally bent- hard to describe. Almost bow-legged, like a cowboy. And when her feet grew out, she toes in- BADLY. And I paid a pretty penny for her. But, when you see one you really like, all caution gets thrown to the wind sometimes.... and I honestly thought she was a different horse but forgot to check the hip number well.

Live and learn!

Lucy
 
Bingo!! Horse buying should not be done on impulse....and many times that is what happens at an auction.
 
I know lots of people have had bad experiences at auctions, but I would like to tell you that I sometimes have to cut my numbers and need to take some to auction. I like to go to Mt Airy for many reasons, but one of the main reasons is that there seem to be people there that appreciate a good horse. I always take good stock with no hidden problems. They are all up to date on their shots, wormings, teeth floating and each of them are in excellent condition, have great conformation and perfect bites. I love my horses but sadly some of them just do not fit the long term goals in my breeding program (for example, may not mature quite as tall as I would like for them to be). That certainly doesn't mean that they will not be a gem for someone else that has a little different set of goals. I have received many e-mails and phone calls to thank me for bringing such nice horses to Mt Airy. One of my fillies went on to sweep the local show circuit up that way and she was sold as a yearling at Mt Airy for a very reasonable price.

When I take horses to auction, I personally take great pride in what they are and how they look. It is a direct reflection on my farm. Now mind you, not all sellers are not this way. I just wanted you to know that sometimes a true bagain can be found at an auction just because someone needs to sell a few horses. I am taking six head to the Mt Airy Auction in July. One BEAUTIFUL blue eyed sabino filly that will mature around 29 and another very nice filly out of a Fire & Ice daughter and an AMHA National Top Ten son of Sierra Dawn Uno De Mayo. There is nothing wrong at all with these fillies except that one will mature at 29 and the other at 30. I NEED some taller mares. Also taking a bald faced sabino mare and her 2007 filly (selling seperately of course). The mare has a colt this year that I am getting ready to wean and is vet checked back in foal to a beautiful tovero son of Fire & Ice. She is a great mother and her 2007 filly will be there to be a testiment to what she can produce. Once again, they are both a little smaller than I like, but I hope someone appreciates their quality and my commitment to bring horses to a sale that will make someone a very happy owner.
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Yes, be careful at auctions, but I promise you, you can get some GREAT deals.
 
If you want to go to an auction, take someone with you that knows the ropes. What to look for, what to stay away from. Mt Airy is a very good auction but you still have to know what is what to not come away unhappy.
 
Hi

I would also like to recomend Reece Family Miniatures Sale in August. I will be there, and would love to help you in any way I can. I deal with Toni and her daughter, Peas (the ones putting the sale on) and I havent had any problems whatsoever with either of them!. Let me know if I can help

Jay Chupp
 

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