Most Expensive Horses in History: Top 9 Costly Breeds
Many people love horses and don’t mind spending a boatload of money to adopt and care for them. Humans and horses share a very ancient bond.
Although these enthralling beasts are one of the most time-consuming and costliest companions (both in maintenance and adoption costs), the cost of owning an equine companion can vary widely. If you’re looking to buy a competitive performance horse for a championship, you’ll spend more than you would for a pasture puff or pleasure-riding horse.
Regardless of your objectives for purchasing a new horse, here are the most expensive horses and horse breeds in history.
Arabian
Cost Range: $1,000 – $100,000
Most Expensive Horses: Sefora, $350,000; Pepita, $1.5 million
Arabian horses are popular for being versatile, beautiful, and expensive. After centuries of refining the ancient breed through strategic breeding, the bloodlines still influence them. In the eighties, these horses fetched hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Individuals collected beautiful Arabians like artwork and invested millions into Arabian broodmares that produced superb foals.
Currently, a championship broodmare or foal in the United States can cost $30,000 and more. However, there are several Arabians (including Arabian crosses) that you can get at a lesser cost. You can adopt an Arabian horse with less than a thousand dollars if you need a seasoned pasture puff, rescue companion, or a trail horse.
Thoroughbred
Cost Range: $500 – millions
Most Expensive Horses: Green Monkey, $16 million; Fusaichi Pegasus, $70 million.
Thoroughbreds are popularly known for their stamina and strength. At auctions, most professional racehorses with excellent track records can cost up to hundreds of thousands, or even millions.
However, many Thoroughbred horses have short racing careers. After retiring, the horses move to other fields, such as eventing, pleasure riding, or jumping. As a result, the cost of Thoroughbred horses varies widely, depending on their talent and training.
Some of these horses have excellent careers in events, while others get rescued off the track with a few hundreds of dollars. If you need a relatively affordable pleasure horse with little work routine, your best bet may be to adopt a Thoroughbred off the track.
Friesian
Cost Range: $7,000 – $100,000
Friesian horses are amicable, beautiful, and perform excellently in various disciplines. They’re equally one of the costliest horse breeds
The Friesian horse is used in war for its color and features. It has a sturdy body, and it’s brilliant. Friesian horses have shiny bodies with long hairs that enhance their look. They’re among the most beautiful equines worldwide.
It costs between $7,000 and $10,000 to acquire a registered Friesian foal with solid bloodlines and good conformation. A well-trained adult Friesian horse costs from $40,000 upwards, and breeding stallions sell for over $100,000.
Quarter Horse
Cost Range: $500 – $50,000
Most Expensive Horses: Sixty Brown Eyes, $180,000; Moonin The Eagle, $2.1 million.
The Quarter Horse breed is one of the most popular and most versatile breeds in the US. Quarter Horses perform excellently on race tracks and the rodeo arena. Top earning potentials come with high price tags, so you’ll need between $25,000 and $50,000 to buy a good rodeo quarter horse.
On the racetrack, a young Quarter Horse at auction costs between $2,000 and $200,000, depending on bloodlines and racing records. Private owners often buy these horses, train them for stock work, and increase their costs.
However, since Quarter Horses (including crossed breeds) are so many, you can find an excellent Quarter horse that suits your needs between $1,000 and $5,000 (or even less).
Andalusian
Cost Range: $3,000 – $60,000
This Spanish horse has a long tail and mane. The versatile, gentle, and beautiful horse easily attracts attention and is very expensive, even as a foal.
Andalusian crosses and unregistered Andalusians cost about $3,000, and even more. Also, most quality Andalusians are brought in from Spain, and you may need up to $50,000 to purchase a well-performing Andalusian.
Gypsy Vanner
Cost Range: $4,000 – $30,000
Gypsy Vanner horses are friendly and beautiful beasts. The horses turn heads anywhere they are. They’re excellent jumpers; they can jump as high as four feet with ease. Bred initially by Irish travelers for carriage, the Gypsy Vanner horses got to the United States in the 90s and currently perform remarkably in several disciplines.
Given the somewhat new status of the horses in the US, they’re scarce and expensive. Registered youngsters and unbroken foals tend to cost $4,000 and more.
Dutch Warmblood
Cost Range: $4,000 – millions
Costliest Horse: Totilas, $13 million.
Dutch Warmbloods stand out in showjumping, dressage, and eventing. A competitive and highly skilled breed can cost as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions.
If you need a horse to excel at lower levels, you can get a typical Dutch Warmblood from $40,000 to $100,000. Imported Grand Prix breeds can cost more than $500,000. However, if what you need is a horse for local competitions, Dutch Warmbloods are perfect and cost from $4,000 to $20,000.
Oldenburg
Cost Range: $4,000 – $500,000
Initially developed by Germans as a farm horse, Oldenburgs have evolved to become sporting horses, popular for their superb jumping ability and impressive gait.
Elite broodmares can cost up to $100,000. For amateurs, a well-trained Oldenburg may cost between $4,000 for a summer competitor and $200,000 for a German-bred Oldenburg stallion.
Selle Francais
Cost Range: $15,000 – millions
Costliest Horse: Palloubet d’Halong, $15 million.
Selle Francais horses are exceptional in the Grand Prix arena and Olympics. The costliest showjumper to be sold (about $15 million) was Palloubet d’Halong, a Selle Francais horse in 2013. However, you can find private sellers who sell less costly jumping horses to amateur riders. You’ll still need to spend between $15,000 and $20,000 if you need a well-performing Selle Francais.
