Where does the UK auction market stand against its European counterparts?
In part three of a series investigating the current UK horse sales market, H&H considers the sport horse auction picture.
In the UK, there are established auctions for foals and sport horses, but on a small scale compared to Europe – to which many UK buyers still turn. Caroline Ironside of MFS Studfarm in north Scotland believes buyers have “confidence in the established European system”.
“What I think sometimes gets overlooked is the environment these foals are being sold in. Some of the best foal auctions in Europe are held alongside major international events,” she told H&H.
“If you're at the World Breeding Championships for young dressage horses, you’ve already got the right audience; breeders, owners, riders and investors who have travelled specifically to look at top horses. The marketing is already done. The buyers have confidence in the studbooks, auction houses and in what they're purchasing.”
Caroline added that the UK has some “excellent” auction outlets, particularly for showjumping, such as Bolesworth and The Billy Stud, but she said dressage options are limited.
“Various people have tried dressage foal auctions over the years, but they never seem to gain the momentum seen on the Continent,” she said.
The 2026 Bolesworth Elite Auction, for showjumpers, included three-year-olds this year and final prices ranged from £11,000 to the top lot at £39,000. Bolesworth managing director Nina Barbour told H&H the UK auction industry is “still small, but in a good place from a showjumping point of view”.
“You’ve got good reputable people running auctions that are in touch with the industry,” she said, but added that ridden auctions are a tougher market.
“I think it remains difficult if you don’t have a set-up like The Billy Stud to do ridden auctions. Generally, and for no particular reason, confidence is low in that area, and I think it’s a harder environment to sell in, having dipped our toe into the water before.
“If they don’t sell, there is a risk it sort of marks their card a bit, so it’s hard to get sellers to put their best ones in. Whereas if they’re foals or yearlings, people have a much more relaxed mentality about it and everybody’s on a level playing field.”
The Billy Stud has been running auctions since 2017, which attract buyers from across the globe. Roger McCrea of The Billy Stud told H&H the challenge lies in securing UK interest.
“It’s funny because in my experience, UK buyers are nearly always happier buying from European auctions, rather than the other way round. Somehow we have to change that mentality,” said Roger, adding that he believes part of this is down to habit.
“Years ago, it was easy to pop to Europe, look at horses and bring them back. Now you’ve got import tax, and this is the bit that sort of baffles me; UK buyers should be looking here. British-bred horses for me are showing better now than their European counterparts in age classes. You’ve got people working hard and doing very well here, not just The Billy Stud but people like Jake Saywell and his team.”
In terms of prices, Roger said they have “levelled off” since Covid, when auctions became particularly popular. The 2026 spring Billy auction prices ranged from £12,000 to £110,000, but prices abroad still tend to be stronger.
“I genuinely don’t know why, but everything is a work in progress,” said Roger.
“We are selling horses in our upcoming auction that have either been at the young horse World Championships or the British young horse championships, and done very well. It’s showing people we’re putting horses in, but those horses still have to reflect their value, and that’s going to be interesting for us to watch.”
H&H has long reported on record-breaking European sales. Last year, C-Bra Van Het Bokt became the most expensive jumping foal sold through the Flanders auction at €402,000 (£350,916). In September, an eight-year-old mare by Toulon, Tabea W Z, broke the Dutch Sport Horse Sales record when she sold for €1.28m.
Nina said global demand for top showjumpers has increased.
“Some of these opportunities abroad are pretty exceptional. The European horses tend to, or historically have, the depth of bloodlines. What really puts value on a foal is when the mother has been consistently producing top horses,” she said.
“There are many broodmares in Europe that have multiple 1.60m grand prix horses competing, so when there’s an opportunity to buy progeny or an embryo from a mare like that, they have a much higher value because it’s a very special opportunity.”
Showjumper Polly Shaw has bought multiple horses via The Billy Stud and British Performance Horse Auction (BPH Auction).
“You’ve got these good horses on your doorstep. Why travel abroad when you’ve got a good selection in the UK? Plus, you’re not paying all the extra costs to get them here from the EU,” Polly told H&H.
“Over the years, horse prices have gone up, but everything has gone up. I’ve always been happy to pay what I have for them and I’ve come away thinking I’ve done well.”
Auctions are not just for professionals – The Billy Stud counts amateurs among its buyers, as does BPH Auction, founded by Danny Dunne and James Wilson in 2021 as a “platform for British breeders to sell their foals”. Jake Saywell joined the team and they now host sales for foals, two- and three-year-olds and ridden young horses.
“Buyer-wise we have all sorts – amateurs, five-star riders, horses have gone to America and Sweden,” Danny told H&H.
“The foals might not be as expensive as some at Bolesworth or the EU market, but you’re getting good value for money. I think people assume the grass is greener going to the EU – there’s amazing shows and facilities, but not every horse is amazing.”
Danny added that there are benefits for amateurs buying from an auction.
“With the ridden auction, you can come and try five to 10 horses, all with vettings, in one place. With the price of vettings and X-rays, it makes a difference,” he said.
Ross Hill Sport Horse Auctions was new for 2026. At its first sale of showjumpers and eventers in September, the top lot was a five-year-old eventer sold for £45,000 to Canada. Ross told H&H he set up the business as he believed there was a gap in the UK market for a regular online auction. The next sale is 7–10 November, then Ross plans to hold a dressage auction shortly afterwards.
“Abroad, they’ve got auctions every month,” he said. “When selling online through a single platform, the reach can be very limited, but through an auction you’re reaching a wider network of people. Our auctions are open to everybody, whether you’re an amateur or professional rider.
“We’ve invested in the marketing and auction system, there’s all the videos, photos and vet reports. Everything is transparent for the buyer and it’s very similar to how they do things abroad.”
In Ireland, a notable auction for event horses popular among professionals is the long-standing annual Goresbridge Go for Gold sale. In 2025, Goresbridge reported “a further increase in averages across every age group” and a clearance of 83%. The average price for three-year-olds was €22,942 (£19,378) and €38,090 for four-year-olds.
Monbeg Sport Horses had the top lot last year, a four-year-old sold for €90,000 – but Monbeg’s Marti Rudd told H&H their other four-year-olds made below the average.
“We had a five-year-old that made €50,000 which was a bit under what we estimated, but it really depends who’s there on the day and whether they like the horse,” Marti said.“We’ve been lucky, we’ve topped the sales a few times. As far as deciding which ones go, when we buy a horse we would always think, ‘That’s good enough to go to a special sale’ – we probably wouldn’t buy one we didn’t think was. From there, it’s up to the selectors which ones get it.
“The reason we target the sales is purely a time factor. We have three small kids and it’s a lot easier to have seven horses all sold in a week than trying to organise childcare around private sales. The rest of our time can be spent quietly producing them.”
Have you bought a horse from an auction? Share your thoughts with us. Write to hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.
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