Why Shop In Europe?
“I’ve wasted a lot of money flying to see horses in the USA. Months later and all I have to show for it are vet bills, frequent flyer points, and hotel receipts. Help!”
"Dressage horse shopping in the USA can be frustrating, especially if you have high standards"
It’s always great if you can find the perfect horse for yourself or your student nearby, like one that’s already in your barn or within your trainers network. If you're reading this, chances are that didn't happen, and now, you're looking online, making inquiries, asking for videos, then traveling longer and longer distances to find that right dressage partner.
If you're frustrated right now as a shopper, you have good reason to feel that way. Many others find themselves in the same situation. The United States is huge. Many times looking at just one horse involves an airline ticket, being gone more than one day and a hotel stay. That’s often to see just one horse which when viewed person and ridden, is not a good fit or doesn't vet out.
It’s hard to qualify a horse by watching a video but you have to because you need to pre-qualify the shopping trip. You may like the look of a horse on video but when you travel to see it, you discover it isn't the right partner for you. It's nearly impossible to tell how a horse will feel by watching a video or if it's a good fit for you!
Most horses are somewhat misrepresented in ads and online. Sadly, private sellers, breeders, owners, and desperate owners sometimes contribute to buyers’ frustrations. They want to sell their horse so badly, that they have a "hyperbole attack" when they write the advertisement and they neglect to tell you a few things before you come to see the horse. It’s easy and common for a buyer to fly across the country to try a horse and end up feeling frustrated.
European Shopping Can Be Amazing!
The number of high quality horses in a central geographic area makes Western Europe the entire world's dressage horse shopping mecca. Done right, it's an amazing experience. You get to try a number of horses back to back in a few days. This makes it so much easier for you to know what you want when you find it. Besides, you'll not only find a great horse, but you'll make some lifetime memories of a time that is inspiring, educational, and fun.
We like to organize some shopping itineraries so they align with European dressage shows, for example, the World Championships for Young Horses, the KWPN stallion show, and CDI's. Attending one of these events and then taking a few days to shop is a dressage enthusiasts dream trip.
Our family of clients, both amateurs and professionals consistently tell us their time spent with us was a game-changer for their skills in evaluating horses, getting up-to-date with bloodlines, and raising their overall standards.
But what's better; we have an extremely high success rate for helping people find just the right horse for riders at every level, even shoppers who have been frustrated with their prior shopping experiences.
The Secret To Our Success
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Longevity: We have more than 30 years of experience in taking care of USA buyers
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Network: We have an extensive network of resources for locating horses for our loyal clients:
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Community of International Riders
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An extensive network of professionals, dealers, trainers from Holland, Germany, and every European country with a dressage interest.
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Breeders - with Reesink Stallions, we have knowledge of some of the world’s most successful broodmares, mother-lines that have produced world famous Grand Prix horses and approved stallions. Often these are found in the barns of simple farmers obscured in the European countryside. We have a long list of them!
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Track Record: We’ve sold more horses to the USA than most, and also the best horses the USA has ever had representing them in International sport.
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Culture: We believe in long-term authentic relationships and have built many in the dressage community over the years. Buying horses is inherently risky, so we do our best to look out for the best interest of our clients, protecting them as best we can, without telling them what to buy or putting pressure on them as they navigate the buying process.
Don't Make These Mistakes
1. They video shop. Some buyers try using their USA shopping model in Europe. They attempt to pre-qualify at least one horse by video in advance of purchasing a plane ticket. Based on our experience, this can work for some types of purchases, but not for most. Sadly, the horse may already be sold by the time you get to Europe. The European sales market is faster paced than in the USA. There are lots of shoppers from around the world looking at horses for sale every day. More often than not, when buyers travel to Europe to see one horse they end up not liking the horse on the video, then they buy something found serendipitously.
After three decades of watching US buyers shop in Europe, we have a pretty good sense of what typically works and what doesn't. Here are a few common approaches American's sometimes take which lower their chances of an optimal outcome:
2. They use a European trainer, not a European agent. It’s a common occurrence. A big name European trainer visits the US and gives a clinic a buyer (or buyer’s trainer) attends. Since that’s the European they know and trust, they organize a buying trip to their farm. The problem is, most trainers are not also full-time agents. They have very limited networks and usually try to sell one of their own horses to the naive US shopper. Yes, you may get lucky (and we hope you do!), but too often the buyer doesn’t make an optimal purchase.
3. They work with the wrong US Agent. Successful riders know just how important it is to work with the best trainer if you want to go the distance. The same is true for choosing someone to help you find a horse. Sometimes, buyers end up gettnig help from a US based agent simply because they got involved with them in another transaction, conversation, or introduction. People can make decent money on commissions and this business requires no licensing or training. Many are in the business in their season of "fake it till they make it" in their business. They go to Europe one or two times a year. Be careful because I've seen buyers get into trouble getting this kind of "help." Here’s why; every horse trainer, breeder, and dealer in Europe eventually has a horse/horses they’re not proud of and they need to get rid of them. It’s a universal problem. Americans are the ideal market for unloading these “almost good enough” horses, and agents that only shop in Europe once or twice a year, who aren’t fully immersed and respected in the European community are an ideal network for selling this category of horse. Be careful who you partner with.
4. They partner with one of the unscrupulous agents in Europe. Horse dealers in the US are generally thought of poorly and are associated with dishonesty and bad business practices. In general, that’s not true in Europe. In fact, you are more likely to get cheated by a private seller in Europe than a dealer. A private seller has nothing to lose except to disappoint one buyer. A dealer has their reputation to uphold, European horse industry laws to behold to, and association with other dealers to maintain. Most are honest and forthright most of the time. But not all. There are some very unscrupulous horse dealers in Europe. It’s hard for the average American to know whom to trust as there is anecdotal evidence about most people in the horse business. But one good testimonial doesn’t mean a dealer is trustworthy. Everyone sells some good horses. And one bad story doesn’t mean a dealer is bad. Every honest dealer has at least one person saying bad things about them. It is important to do a lot of research. While we are not the only reputable choices for agents to help you in Europe, be sure to choose someone with a lot of successes behind them, and association with many other American riders and trainers who continue to do business with them.
Should I Shop In Wellington?
"Why not go to Wellington to shop during the season instead of going to Europe? Aren’t there a lot of horses there along with agents who can show a buyer any number of horses in south Florida?"
In theory, yes. And it’s wonderful to travel to the sunshine state in the winter at a place where there is a concentration of horses.
Pros:
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No passport required and a shorter flight from your USA city
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You can see a number of horses on one trip
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Great weather and may be some beach time
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You don’t need to import your purchase
Cons:
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It’s busy! Many horses have already been seen/passed over by others
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Many of the horses have been imported. If you think you're saving on importing costs, you're not
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Horses are marked up to make up with the expense of being in Wellington
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Most of the horses we’ve seen for sale in Florida represent the middle market in terms of quality, not the elite, top quality. These horses are mostly sold in Europe.
Our Recommendation: If you are afraid to fly or can’t go to Europe to shop, Wellington might be the best 2nd choice for you. It really depends on what you’re looking for. If you do decide to shop in south Florida, consider shopping early in the season and no later than mid-January before the best horses have been sold, or at the end of the season when trainers are desperate to sell inventory before heading north. Use a local agent. Of course you can shop online and find horses in advance to try out, but you may have a better outcome if you work with a local agent. They’ll often have the “inside story” on horses for sale They can show you horses you wouldn’t find online They can help facilitate your buying trip They can help you negotiate, and be hands on the ground for the pre-purchase vet exam and shipping.
Maybe it's time to go to Europe to find the best horse you've ever ridden.
We can help you organize a successful buying trip in Europe when you'll see a number of quality horses within your buying parameters. Let us know when it suits you to travel, or join us on one of our scheduled trips to Europe and enjoy an educational and fun event while you're there.
Please take a moment and contact us if you'd like to learn more.
Should I Go Horse Shopping In Europe?
If you are curious about taking a trip to Europe and want to explore the idea, your next step is to reach out to Steve Wolgemuth. In that initial communication we can help you better understand if it makes sense for you to do that. A lot has to do with what you're looking for and your targeted price range.
Testimonials
"Hey Steve! My name is Laura Graves. You helped us purchase a foal from Holland in 2002. We are now riding for the US on this year's WEG team in Normandy. Just wanted to send my thanks!"
Laura Graves and Verdades