tips for selling a horse?

Question

ok i have to sell my horse :'( what do i need to look out for, what should the highlights be in my advirtisments? in your experiance what websites give u the most bang for your buck? how do i make sure she goes to a good home- fast (might be impossible i know) HELP\


sample of what i was thinkin:
Kamela Kate 10 yr old reg paint/ qtr horse dun mare. Goes english, western, bareback, trails, shows, games, 35 days prof. training last summer. Been ridden by 13 yr old girl for past year. Int- Exp rider. Recent shots, teeth floated, shoes. Must sell due to family problems. (then my contact info)

HELP

Answer 1

Your ad looks decent. I ALWAYS include price, and I always look for a price when I'm shopping. Many buyers will not call if there is no price, they don't want to waste their time. Yes, having a price will eliminate some buyers right off the bat, but on the other hand, they wouldn't have been interested anyhow.
I have a couple other minor suggestions for you. Example - a Reg Paint would not be labeled as a Paint/QTR (besides, the common apprebiation for Quarter Horse is either QH or AQHA) I would say that year your horse is born, and not that it's 10. People often want to know its height, too.If you are putting the ad into a website, you will have room for alot more info, and I would get pretty detailed. I have had really good success with free internet ads on horse websites, although some give you a very small space for free. I have used Dreamhorse.com, Equine.com, Acme.com all have free ads although you end up at the back of the pack behind the paid ads.
The total success to selling to selling your horse through the internet is 1)really good photos, especially ones highlighting your horse's strengths. There is a big demand for youth horses, as yours in, so I would really highlight that she has been shown, used in 4-H, whatever so that any parent who is shopping for a horse for their child pays attention to your ad. Hopefully you have lots of pictures of you and your horse at shows, show your horse headsetting, being handed a ribbon, or with you hugging it around the neck and people pay attention. The other most important thing is 2)be honest and upright in everything about your horse. People know that all horses have faults. Make sure that you don't pretend your horse has no faults, let the buyers know them while pointing out your horse's good points. That way they will be happy with the horse if they buy her, and they will know that you can be trusted. I would never trust a horse seller that refused to give me an honest opinion of their horse's good and bad points.
Using your description I wrote an ad for the internet for you. See if you like it. It is longer, and since I don't know the details about your horse parts are probably wrong. But it will give you an idea.

For sale: 1997 Registered Paint mare, dun overo, 15.2hh. Excellent youth horse for intermediate to experienced youth. Has been shown successfully in Western and English classes. Used for games, jumps 2'6". Sensible on trails, safe to ride bareback. Quiet, easy to catch, likes people. Sound, healthy and up to date on all health care. $5000 OBO

Good luck. I hope things work out well for you both.

Answer 2

Heres what I would do:
Kamela Kate is ten yr. old Paint/QH dun mare. She is registered. She can go english, western, trails, shows, games and bareback. She had 35 days prof. training the previous summer. Has been ridden by a 13 yr. old for the past year. Is mainly for a Intermediate to Expert rider. Has had recent shots, teeth floated, and shoes.
Must sell due to family issues.
Phone number
City
State

I'm real sorry you got to sell your horse. But, she sounds beautiful!

Answer 3

I think you really have to consider your audience when selling a horse. Make sure you post in your local newspapers and classifieds as well as at shows in your area. Advertising online is an excellent way to get your horse posted and seen by a lot of people. You probably do not want to post your horse in national magazines unless you are asking more than $20k or thereabouts because the people who look to those for horses are looking for a very serious animal. But, if you want to pay for the ad space, it never hurts.

Some things I would want to know if I were looking for a QH mare - breeding history? height? weight? activity level? How is she with the vet/farrier/trailering? What makes her not a starter horse? Be honest and say as much as you can without talking her down, that way you prevent people from asking a million questions and wasting your time. You don't have to say "Family problems" which can sound quite strong but perhaps "personal lack of time" or "getting out of horses." I only say that because you don't want a potential buyer asking about your family!

Also take pictures. Even if you aren't posting them, people will ask for them by email. Try to capture her in movement, cantering/trotting etc. If you are asking more than $5k you need a video of all gaits and jumping or any talent she may have. Also I find a good bath, a clip/trim, mane pull, hoof polish and show sheen go a long way towards a much prettier horse. It will also help people really see what sounds like a very unique coloration. You can put rice power or baby power on her whites to make them look whiter and then a little baby oil on the face (a little, just wipe on with a paper towel) to make her face shine and look delicate. You want to get someone to hold your horse while you wave a fan in the air to get her ears up and pay attention while taking a picture to get a good confirmation side shot. Best of luck.

Answer 4

I'd eliminate the horse's name and triim the ad if you are using a source that charges by the word. Example:

10 yr. dun paint/Qh mare. Rides English/Western, trails, shows, games. 35 days prof. training, recent shots, shoes, floating. Intermediate/experineced rider, ridden past year by 13-year-old girl.

My advice - be honest. Does she have any vices? You need not list them but please tell potential buyers. You may lose a sale but your reputation will be intact and this will help keep the horse from being resold countless times.

Answer 5

Leave out the reason for selling until someone contacts you with interest and asks. The information that you put is excellent. I would include "Good home a MUST" in your ad and let the seller know that you want to keep tabs or visit once in a while if this interests you or is a feasible idea. I would suggest putting your sale price as well as this usually pokes more interest at people. I would say that equine.com and dreamhorse.com are the most frequented equine sales online as far as I know. Sorry for your misfortune but good luck with the sale :)

Answer 6

I would try listing the horse on Craiglist.org. Its an awesome web site, and its free to post, text and picture. Just be careful about scammers. Dont give your number on the ad as you will bombarded with phone calls. People shop like crazy on there.
I posted my 6 yr old medicine hat paint on there and I sold the horse the very next day. No joke! It was crazy, I did post my number and I had upwards of twenty phone calls and at least 15 e-mails about him in less than one day. Thus the warning about your number, unless you are prepared to talk alot. LOL
My advice on selling is to be honest about the horse. Tell everything you know, good and bad. They will find out the bad eventually and if you were not completely honest, your name could get smeared in the mud. You might sell to someone that knows someone you know that you showed with, then it could go downhill from there.
I told all I knew about my horse. Man he was super sweet on the ground. Loved to be petted, bathed, kids could walk all around him, pet him, brush him, hug him. He would follow you around the pasture like a puppy. That is until you got the halter. Geeze. And man was he a booger under saddle.
The people who sold him to me flat out lied, told me he was totally kid broke. It really sucks to lied to when your life, or your kids life is at risk.
Good luck and sorry you have to part with your horse. Maybe you could consider leasing her out for free. Having the leasee's pay for all medical and farrier care???? And you could still visit and ride. Just a thought.

Answer 7

My best advice is to advertise online, and then when you get some interested buyers, try to determine if they are good horse people before you sell. Set up a time for them to come see your horse, let them watch as you tack her up and ride her, then allow them to ride as you watch. Point out anything you think they should know about her, things you've accomplished with her, etc. Ask them a lot of questions about their plans for her, and what kind of horse they're looking for. You don't have to sell to the first person that comes along, and I would never sell to a person who wants to buy her without looking at her and riding her. You really want to find a good home, so scrutinize them as much as they're scrutinizing your horse.

About your ad, I agree with the others who said name a price. Online, you can ask for more, and then come down a little bit if you find a buyer that you really like.

I have used http://www.dreamhorse.com successfully, as well as http://www.equine.com . My favorite horse website is http://www.liverystable.net . I think all of them offer free text ads, and are reasonable if you want to place photos. Photos always get more attention than text ads. Sounds like you've got a great horse, so I hope you have success. Good luck!

Answer 8

In your ad: leave out the family problems part - and the horse's name. Those aren't important.

Also, speak with your stable manager for ideas - consider listing her with a broker/trader.

Finally, if you must rehome your horse quickily - consider offering her to a lesson barn - it's a hard life - but it's not the glue factory.

YOu might also consder one of the horse rescue orgs if you must rehome her immediately. Maybe someone can "foster her" until your family problems are overwith.

Answer 9

Your sample ad looks good to me. It has all of the information I would be looking for, unless you also want to list a price range you're hoping to get for your horse.

If you plan to advertise your horse online, be sure to include where you live (which city/county and state/province) so people who are only looking for horses in their local area can decide whether to ask for more information. Some people will only buy horses within trailering distance of their own home/farm/ranch.

Once you have a few people who have expressed interest in buying your horse, you will want to have a simple contract between you and the buyer to confirm the agreed-upon price, right of first refusal (if they want to sell the horse, they need to offer it back to you before selling it to someone else), terms in case they aren't happy with the horse (some people want a trial period to make sure the horse meets their needs before buying it), etc. You will want to make sure your horse goes to a good home. If more than one person wants to buy your horse, you'll have to decide which one you'd rather sell her to.

I volunteer for a therapeutic riding center in the Los Angeles area, and we're always looking for well-trained, sound horses that can be donated so that disabled children can learn to ride. If you don't find a buyer, you may want to consider donating your horse to a worthy organization.

If you are under 18, you will want to check with your parent(s) to make sure they don't mind you posting your contact information online. Watch out for online predators.

I hope this helps.

Answer 10

Most trainers in this area (colorado) that I know of are using Dreamhorse as their first website. The birthdate that you advertise is supposed to be the horses not yours. You have 1969 as the birth year which will screen out any searches based on the horses age.