Brightwells

[Bumble]

Did anyone go or buy anything ???? sounded great

http://www.horseandcountry.tv/celebrity ... ing-banter

[Archie]

That does sound interesting! Some of those prices... !!

I've only ever been to pony auctions and I find them so interesting, sometimes sad and very unpredictable but if you've never been to an auction it's well worth a visit. I go to the New Forest one's and it's a good job I never take a trailer or I'd be bidding like crazy and coming home with who knows how many ponies!

[Absolute_shambles]

I think Brightwells is great. I love sales in general. You need to keep your wits about you, know what you are looking at. It allows you to get your eye in and see a lot of horses. I suggest you go about it this way;

Order a catalogue, different times of the year offer different stock. Jumpers, ponies flat and yearlings.

Go through every single page and read and circle interesting points about that lot, turn the age over so when you get to the sales you know which lots to look at.

Plan your viewing, you need to look each horses up and down at least twice before you bid. View them in the stables with no-one fussing them, then view them out of the box and trotted up.

Measure the amount of interest from other people, and what type of people are these? Are they breeders, polo players, trainers, amateur cross-country etc etc... Then you can be assured that what you've noticed is interesting to other people, you might also get to hear their comments about it.

Distance yourself from the fact it is a horse so you can get on with the job of picking a good one, your attachment to it will start on the way home as it all sinks in!

Set a budget, don't go over it as that is set for a reason and your horse might not turn out to the what you expect anyway so best that you stuck to it. Also, if you select 10 possible horses, you don't want to overbid for the first one and find out the one next is in your price range.

Remember, sold as seen.

Don't forget a head collar and a Chiffney.