Registration, vet reports, buyer's premiums and bidding tactics — everything to know before you raise your hand (or click).
Sporthorse auctions have become one of the most transparent ways to buy a horse: collections are vetted, pedigrees are published, and prices are set in the open. But an auction moves faster than a private sale, so the work happens before the bidding starts. Here is the process from start to finish.
Most sales on our calendar are run by an auction house or studbook acting as an intermediary — they select the collection, publish the catalogue and handle bidding, while the seller remains the breeder or owner. Sales come in three formats: live (in the ring, in person), online (bidding over several days on the house's website) and hybrid (a live evening with simultaneous internet and phone bidding). The format is shown on every listing in our calendar.
Catalogues usually go online two to four weeks before the sale. For each lot, look at the pedigree (sire and damline), videos, and — critically — the veterinary information. Reputable houses have every lot examined and X-rayed before the sale and make the vet reports available to registered bidders, often with the option to discuss them with your own vet. If a sale offers collection days or trials, use them: seeing a horse in the flesh still beats any video.
Register on the auction house's website before the sale — ideally a few days early, as some houses verify identity or ask for a bank reference before activating your account. For live sales you can usually also bid by phone through the auction office if you cannot attend.
The hammer price is not the final price. Budget for:
Decide your all-in maximum (hammer price plus premium and VAT) before the sale and stick to it. At live sales the bidding on a popular lot can take less than two minutes; online, be aware that most platforms extend the closing time when late bids come in, so there is no advantage in sniping.
You will typically pay within a set number of days, after which papers and the horse's passport are transferred and you collect or arrange transport. If anything is unclear — payment terms, export paperwork, when you can pick the horse up — the auction office is used to these questions; ask before you bid, not after.
Ready to look? Browse every upcoming sale, or start with auctions you can bid in from anywhere.