The Mystery Behind EquiRatings Horse Sales
I officially joined the EquiRatings team in September last year. However, this story begins a long time ago when I first spotted a cool company doing cool things in 2017 while I was based in New Zealand. I had been following them ever since, and when Rozzie reached out at the back end of 2023 to discuss whether I would sell one of my horses, I jumped at the opportunity to learn more.
The truth is, I didn’t want to sell. But I used the chance to get Rozzie on the phone and do some digging! The idea of approaching horse sales with a data-driven mindset made complete sense to me. It was something I was passionate about because it addressed so many questions I had been considering throughout my time in the sport.
The Big Questions in Horse Sales
From a sales perspective, I had often wondered:
- How do I price my horses if I do want to sell?
- What if I don’t want to sell but could be tempted by a particular number?
- How do I find a professional who will present my horse to specific clients, rather than splash it across the public market?
- How do I price horses in New Zealand (or anywhere else for that matter) versus the UK or USA?
- How can I trust that someone isn’t adding more than 10% commission when I work through an agent to sell (or buy)?
From a buying perspective, I had questions like:
- How do I find horses with lesser-known riders where the value might be better?
- How could I find horses that align with my strengths and weaknesses as a rider?
- How do I know what I should be paying for horses of different ages and abilities when pricing is such a taboo subject?
And from a personal perspective, I had thought about:
- How can I use my ability to spot a good horse to help others in their buying journeys?
- How do I focus on a reduced number of horses while giving my staff more opportunities to produce some themselves?
A Leap of Faith
After six months of pondering all of this without taking action, fate intervened. I was accosted by Sam Watson in the warmup at Kilguilkey Horse Trials. Sam mentioned that EquiRatings could use someone with an eye for a good horse—someone who could add a human perspective to their already strong, data-driven team. So, I took a leap of faith (not for the first time!). I created a CV after 10+ years of riding full time and started strategising how to find more hours in the day.
The Two Service Models We Offer
I’ll be sharing insights I've learned along the way, but as a starting point, let me explain the two service models we offer if you are looking to buy an event horse.
1. Horse Search Complete: The Premium, Data-Driven Approach
Our Horse Search Complete service is for buyers who want a comprehensive, all-inclusive experience.
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- Tell Us Your Goals: You share your objectives for your purchase (e.g., a horse for LA 2028, a junior medal contender, or one to gain upper-level experience). This drives how we weigh dressage, reliability, experience, etc.
- Set Your Criteria: You provide your preferences regarding age, gender, characteristics, and current level.
- The Search Begins: We filter through over 8,000 horses competing at FEI level to develop a “draft” of approximately 100 horses that best match your criteria.
- Price Discovery: We reach out to each of these horses to find out if they might be for sale and at what price.
- Comprehensive Presentation: You receive a list of available horses with performance and price comparisons, along with video links and my personal analysis.
- Support Through the Purchase: We help create your shortlist and guide you through the vetting and negotiation process.
Why Choose This Service?
- Access to every horse globally that matches your specific performance goals.
- Direct contact with riders and price transparency.
- Education and understanding of the market as a whole.
- Pricing: €5k upfront with a 5% success fee commission on the purchase price. This will actually work out cheaper for any horse over €100k since the industry standard commission on sale is 10%.
2. Horse Search Lite: A Traditional, No-Risk Model
For those exploring their options, our Horse Search Lite model offers a no-purchase, no-fee service. Instead of a flat fee, this service operates on a 7.5% commission of the purchase price, only if a sale is completed.
- We provide a smaller selection of horses that meet your performance criteria based on horses already in our database.
- While you don’t get the full market picture, it offers flexibility without upfront costs.
Knowledge is Power
So here I am combining my passions, feeling like I am living multiple lives, but loving it! They say knowledge is power, the learnings I am gaining from access to the market is power I feel should be shared for the betterment of the industry as a whole.
Cheers,