Before you bid. Every auction has its own conditions of sale, and they decide what you can and cannot do after the hammer falls. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Read the conditions for the sale you are attending, and check the dates on the organiser’s website. Schedules can change.

Auctions are one of the most transparent ways to buy a horse in Europe. Prices are public, horses are presented under the same conditions, and the organiser usually collects veterinary documents in advance. They are also fast and final. Preparation is what separates a good buy from an expensive surprise.

Before the sale

• Read the conditions of sale. They set out buyer’s premium or commission, VAT, payment deadlines, when ownership and risk pass to you, and what remedies exist if the horse has an undisclosed problem. Conditions differ between auction houses and between countries.

• Ask for the veterinary documents. Many sport horse auctions make clinical reports and X-rays available to buyers before the sale. Have your own vet read them. If something is unclear, ask whether your vet can examine the horse on site and what the organiser allows. Our guide on X-rays in a pre-purchase vetting explains what the images can and cannot tell you.

• Watch the horse work. Most riding horse auctions hold presentation and trial days. Video is useful, but watching in person, or sending someone you trust, shows you how the horse copes with a busy environment.

• Register in advance. Bidding, whether in the ring, by phone or online, normally needs registration and may need proof of funds or a deposit. Online platforms often ask for this days before the auction closes.

• Set your limit including costs. Add the buyer’s premium, VAT, insurance, transport and, for cross-border buyers, health certificates and import formalities. Our guides on moving a horse between EU countries, to the UK and to the US cover the paperwork.

On the day

Decide your top price before the bidding starts and stick to it. Make sure the auctioneer and staff can see you clearly. If you bid by phone or online, test the connection first. Once the hammer falls, the horse is usually your responsibility from that moment, so arrange insurance and stabling or transport in advance.

After the sale

Pay within the deadline. Collect the passport and any ownership documents. Check what the conditions say about complaints: some only accept claims for specific defects and within a short period after the sale.

Upcoming European horse auctions

We checked each date on the organiser’s official website in October 2026. Racing sales (Tattersalls, Goffs, Arqana) sell Thoroughbred bloodstock. The others are sport horse breed societies and auction houses.

United Kingdom and Ireland

• Tattersalls, Newmarket: Autumn Horses in Training Sale 26–29 Oct 2026; December Yearling Sale 23 Nov; December Foal Sale 24–28 Nov; December Mares Sale 30 Nov–2 Dec; February Sale 4–5 Feb 2027. Sale dates

• Goffs, Ireland: Autumn Horses in Training Sale 2 Nov 2026 (Kildare Paddocks); Autumn Yearling Sale 2–4 Nov; November Foal Sale 16–19 Nov; November Breeding Stock Sale 20–21 Nov. Upcoming sales

France

• Arqana: November Online Sale 10 Nov 2026; Autumn Sale, Deauville 16–19 Nov; December Breeding Stock Sale, Deauville 5–8 Dec; December Online Sale 15 Dec. Catalogues

• Fences, Ventes Élite: 2027 dates TBA (the 2026 sale was 2–5 Sep). Ventes Élite

Germany

• Hannoveraner Verband, Verden: Verden Auction Online 26 Oct–8 Nov 2026; Verden Auction High Level 7 Nov; dressage stallion licensing and sales 20–21 Nov; jumping stallion licensing and sales 27–28 Nov; Verden Auction Online 11–23 Jan 2027; High Level OnLive 6–20 Mar 2027. Events

• Oldenburger Verband, Vechta: Oldenburg Stallion Days with licensing and auctions 23–25 Nov 2026; 16th Oldenburg Special Edition 5 Dec; Embryo & Youngster Online Auction 9 Dec. Events 2026

• Westfalen: Online Auction for youngsters and broodmares 23 Nov 2026; Kleinpferdekörung (pony and small horse licensing), Münster-Handorf 5–6 Dec; Winter Auction (online) 17 Jan 2027; Spring Auction, Münster-Handorf 18 Apr 2027. Westfalian auctions

• Trakehner Verband, Neumünster: 64th Trakehner Hengstmarkt 26–29 Nov 2026. The provisional schedule lists the riding horse auction on 27 Nov and the stallion auction on 28 Nov. Hengstmarkt 2026

• Holsteiner Verband, Elmshorn: Elite riding horse auction with young stallion licensing 10–11 Dec 2026. News and tickets

• P.S.I. Auction, Ankum: 11–12 Dec 2026. P.S.I.

Netherlands and Belgium

• KWPN Select Sale: 2027 dates TBA (the 2026 editions were in late January). KWPN auctions

• Zangersheide: Quality Jumpers auction 2027 TBA. Online auctions run throughout the year. Zangersheide auctions

Missing an auction you use? Check its official site first. Dates can move, and organisers usually publish catalogues only a few weeks ahead.

Auction checklist

• [ ] Conditions of sale read, including premium, VAT and complaints rules

• [ ] Veterinary documents and X-rays reviewed by your own vet

• [ ] Horse seen in person or by someone you trust

• [ ] Bidder registration and funds confirmed

• [ ] Top price set, including all costs

• [ ] Insurance from the fall of the hammer

• [ ] Transport and health paperwork booked

Sources

• Auction dates: the official organiser pages linked above, checked October 2026.