A Community Guide to Pricing Horses

[EclipticEnd]

Hiya all! This is a community guide on the price of horses based on all of your opinions. Please let us know how you price your horses based on any and all criteria, such as breed, HGP, conformation, color and coat pattern, and more!

There's no official way to price horses, so I'm calling upon the HWO community to help make some basic guidelines for both new and experienced players to reference. I'll be putting the best advice up here in this post for easy viewing, but you're encouraged to browse through the replies and add your thoughts!

I ask that no one quotes this main message, but rather puts a simple reply. This one could get long, so it's best not to copy it into the replies and comments.

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Replies
BlackOak2

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Grinders
Horses that're used to grind money, pony tokens, and turns. Per BlackOak2's Grinder Guide, Grinders should be able to win Local Shows levels 9 or 10, have an HGP over 55,000, have at least one Green or Gold breeding report comment and absolutely no red comments, have a good conformation and stats, and be 7 years of age or younger if untrained. These are the suggested minimum requirements. Please note that this category applies for all of the below categories, as (as an example) even rare breeds can be Grinders. Much of a Grinder's value is from it's age. As such, younger horses are preferable.

It's suggested that you start here when pricing your horses as there may be more general interest in a horse advertised as a Grinder than one advertised as a Competitive Prospect or Rare Breed.

If untrained:

• BlackOak2 suggests that the horse could be worth at least $10,000.
• I (EclipticEnd) agree and would suggest that the horse be worth no more than $30,000.

If trained:

• BlackOak2 suggests that the horse could be worth at least $40,000.

If the horse comes from a known Grinder lineage, it may be more valuable in general.

• In a different post, BlackOak2 suggest that Prospects with Grinder lineage may be worth at least $25,000.

If the horse is a rare breed, it may be more valuable to collectors in particular.

• I (EclipticEnd) suggest that a Rare Breed Grinder may be worth at least $50,000 (Trained) with more value added if competitively proven.

If the horse has good color, it may be more valuable to color breeders in particular.

If the horse has good competitive results or competitive lineage, it may be more valuable to competitive breeders.

• I (EclipticEnd) suggest that a Competitive Grinder may be worth at least $100,000 if proven via competition results.

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Competitive Stock
Horses that're bred to compete in player-made competitions. These horses are specifically bred and specialized for various disciplines. These horses may be attempting to break the game's records and become Record Holders. Worth is found in wins per start (WPS) as well as HGP and BR comments. Competitive horses require high HGP and multiple Green/Gold BR comments. They should have at least 20 starts in each discipline that they're being advertised for with 6 of those starts being in Level 6 competitions or higher. This is to help prove their ability.

These horses tend to be more valuable than Grinders, but players looking for Competitive Prospects expect higher quality.

If untrained/untested (often called a prospect):

• BlackOak2 suggests that the horse could be worth at least $50,000.

If trained and proven:

• BlackOak2 suggests that the horse could be worth at least $100,000 depending on the following: 60%-75% WPS = $100,000 (especially if the parents are good competitors), 75%+ WPS = $250,000+. Additionally, if the horse is holding a 75%+ WPS in 4-6 disciplines, it may be worth $500,000+.

If the horse has a good WPS in multiple disciplines, it may be more valuable.

If the horse specializes in popular disciplines, it may be more valuable.

If the horse has a good pedigree and COI, it may be more valuable.

If the horse has a good conformation, it may be more valuable.

If the horse is of a popular breed, it may be more valuable.

If the horse is purebred, it may be more valuable.

If the horse is male, it may be more valuable as Stallions tend to out-perform Mares.

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Rare Breeds
Horses that're not often seen in the game due to their low population. This could be due to lack of interest or simply a difficult breeding recipe. Regardless, these horses require a bit of a niche as many players may prefer better developed breeds. You can view breed populations in the game's Breeds Wiki.

There's not a lot of interest in rare breeds at times, so it's suggested to check them for Grinder potential first. Some people collect Rare Breeds and may buy trained ones even if they're not great Grinders purely because training increases the value of a horse.

If untrained:

• I (EclipticEnd) suggest that the horse could be worth at least $10,000, but you may have a much easier time selling at $1,000-$5,000.

If trained:

• I (EclipticEnd) suggest that the horse could be worth at least $20,000-$50,000.

If the horse is a new line for it's breed, it may be more valuable.

If the horse is of a very rare breed, it may be more valuable to collectors in particular.

If the horse has good competitive results or competitive lineage, it may be more valuable to competitive breeders.

These horses may have few or no interested buyers depending on the breed, which may make them more difficult to sell. This is especially true for lower-quality horses.

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Recipe Stock
Horses that're bred in order to create different breeds. These may be purebred horses or crossbreeds. Recipe horses get their value in their evaluations for the breeds that they create as well as the general interest in said breeds.

It can be difficult to find buyers for these horses unless there's an active breeding community for a breed that your recipe horse creates. You'll want to check the Breeding Communities section for any topics associated to your horses' breeds.

If it evaluates 4-5 stars for a breed:

• I (EclipticEnd) suggest that the horse may be worth at least $5,000, with more value lending towards more difficult or rare breeds.

If it evaluates 3 stars or less for a breed:

• I (EclipticEnd) suggest that the horse may be worth at least $1,000, with more value lending towards more difficult or rare breeds.

If the horse evaluates high for multiple breeds, it may be more valuable.

If the horse is proven to create the breed it's advertised for via it's foals, it may be more valuable.

If the horse has higher HGP and good BR, it may be more valuable.

If the horse may create a new lineage for the breeds it's able to make, it may be more valuable.

If the horse is young (less than 10 years of age), it may be more valuable.

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Color Stock
Horses that're bred primarily for their coat coloration and patterns. Breeders of horses showcase the various genes that the game has to offer by producing beautiful horses in a variety of genetic combinations. While horses with good stats may see more interest, HGP, BR, and Conformation may not necessarily be required for them to sell.

Many players within this game are casual breeders who might enjoy simply making beautiful horses. While you may get more money via Grinders or Competitive Stock, Color Stock also has its place in the game.

If untrained:

• Unknown, opinions required.

If trained:

• Unknown, opinions required.

If the horse is homozygous for certain genes, it may be more valuable.

If the horse has high expression patterns, it may be more valuable.

If the horse has facial markings, it may be more valuable.

If the horse is of a rare color dilution mix, it may be more valuable.

if the horse has a mohawk mane, it may be more valuable.

If the horse has high expression feathering (or no feathering at all) it may be more valuable.

[BlackOak2]

Grinder status is always the first default I go to. If the horse meets the minimum grinder requirements, then the horse is at least worth 10k untrained and 40k trained. If it comes from a confirmed grinder line, price goes up from there.

Rare breeds are usually more expensive, but harder to find buyers for. So I think the next thing is competition stock.

Competition stock, either a prospect (not yet competed or not even trained) or a breeder-of, is at least worth 50k immediately.
Proven competition stock... it really comes down to their WPS, heart and disciplines (and how many). I'd say proven starts at 100k and goes from there... I suppose anything between 60% WPS and 75% WPS is still good stock, as competition prowess can actually skip a generation.
Of course, proven stock that has 75% WPS or better, then comes down to how many disciplines they maintain such in and also, if they breach 90% WPS. I like to see at least 20 starts and at least half of them above level 6.
As these things creep up, the money they're worth jumps exponentially upward. For instance, a horse maintaining a 78% WPS in one competition, with 30 starts is decent. I'd easily pay 250k, 300k or 350k... of course, I need to be interested in such a thing, I don't just snatch up such horses willy-nilly. (I'm cheap, I'd probably pay in the 275k to 300k range for such a horse, if I were interested in it, closer to 350k for a mare)
But if that same horse was maintaining above 75% WPS in more than 4 disciplines, lets say, 6 disciplines, and there are no less than 20 starts in any of them, AND they have a good mix of levels... (assuming I'd be checking into their scores for false-pointing among other things), I'd be willing to pay 500k or more for such a horse. 900k... a million... 3 million... Comes down to my interest, the pedigree (including COI), outbreeding sustainability (some lines don't cross well), confo scores, overall on-paper.

So, the way I price and look at horses is usually: Grinder, competition ability, breed (including use in recipes), color and then usefulness elsewhere (i.e. could this horse be useful to correct something in one of the lines I have). Grinder is always forefront. The entire community needs them, we all use them and we all go through a ton of them.