FOR an Irish Sport Horse breeder with a promising youngster and €10,000 available for its production, where might that money be best spent to maximise the chances of seeing a return in the sales ring?

There are no guarantees. Previously published Horse Sense calculations estimated that breeding and raising a sport horse from foal to four-year-old could already cost €15,000 to €20,000 or more before its athletic potential is fully known. So another €10,000 should be an investment decision, not simply a production budget.

Recent UCD research provides some useful clues. Alison Corbally and Alan Fahey analysed 42,799 Irish sport horse auction records from 2003 to 2022, examining factors associated with price from foals through to older horses.

But perhaps the first question is: is this the horse to spend the €10,000 on?

A second UCD study examined 307 young event horses sold at Irish public auctions during 2022 and 2023. Of 37 conformation, movement and athletic traits assessed, eight emerged as particularly relevant to sales price. Head-neck connection, quality of legs, walk stride length and scope were highly significant predictors, while croup length, trot elasticity, trot balance and take-off direction were also significant (Corbally et al., 2025).

For breeders, that is important. Money spent on production cannot manufacture the underlying conformation, movement and athleticism the market values.

€1,500: health and physical development

Before spending money making a horse more saleable, invest in appropriate veterinary care, dentistry, farriery and nutrition. These may not produce an identifiable sales premium, but they protect the much larger investment already made in breeding and rearing the horse.

€4,000: appropriate professional production

This deserves the largest allocation, but the research does not support simply backing horses earlier.

Corbally and Fahey found that young horses not started under saddle were positively associated with price in the overall and higher-priced groups. In Dr Alison Corbally’s subsequent explanation of the results, however, both “started under saddle” and “not started under saddle” performed better than horses where training status was unspecified. Among higher-priced horses, those recorded as started under saddle attracted an additional premium of more than €2,400.

The message is appropriate production and clear information, rather than rushing a young horse.

€500: registration and documentation

Studbook registration was positively associated with price across age categories. Among foals, registration was associated with a premium of more than €1,300 compared with identification documents alone.

€2,000: useful experience

For a sufficiently mature horse, carefully selected outings and professional schooling can demonstrate what the horse can do. For older horses, recorded training-show experience was among the factors associated with positive price effects.

€2,000: reach the right buyer

Budget for professional photographs and video, sales preparation, entry fees and transport.

Market choice matters too. Overseas purchasers were associated with positive price effects across several age groups. Among young horses, being 165-172cm, studbook registered, sold in November and bought by an overseas purchaser were among the characteristics positively associated with price. Dr Corbally’s analysis estimated the overseas-buyer premium for young horses at close to €3,000.

For sport horse breeders, then, the evidence suggests that the first investment decision should be which horse merits the money.

Assess the youngster objectively, particularly its conformation, movement and athleticism, before committing another €10,000.

Then spend on health, appropriate production, documentation and reaching the right market.

Sometimes, the best financial decision may be recognising that the horse in front of you does not justify spending the full €10,000.

BEFORE investing €10,000 in producing a young sport horse, it may be worth asking whether the horse already possesses the attributes buyers value.

A 2025 UCD study examined 307 young event horses sold at Irish public auctions in 2022 and 2023, assessing 37 linear conformation, movement and athletic traits against their eventual sales prices.

Eight traits emerged as significant predictors of price:

Highly significant

Also significant

Some of the figures were striking. Within this particular group of auction horses, the optimum score for a light head-neck connection was associated with a €4,813 premium. The optimum score for walk stride length was associated with a €2,991 premium.

What does that mean for breeders?

It does not mean improving a horse’s walk will automatically add €2,991 to its value, or that a particular head-neck connection guarantees another €4,813 in the sales ring.

These are statistical associations within the population studied, rather than guaranteed increases in value. But the findings make an important financial point: production cannot manufacture every characteristic the market values.

Before committing thousands of euro to professional production, competition outings and sales preparation, an objective assessment of the young horse’s underlying conformation, movement and athletic qualities could be one of the most valuable investments a breeder makes.