I have been in the horse industry for over twenty years and have sold more than my share of horses, including some for over six figure sale prices.
I have purchased most of my horses for resale and have also bred a small number.
I hope my insights developed over the years, as both a buyer and as seller, will help you sell your horse to the best home, for the best price, and more quickly.
Buyer Motivation Horse shoppers have one thing on their mind.
They want a horse that makes them happy.
Some people have very particular ideas of just what type of horse will make them happy.
Some horse buyers start out with a particular size and color in mind.
Some have age and training as a top priority.
Interestingly, horse buyers often buy a horse that is completely different than what they said they wanted.
If a buyer cannot clearly define what they want in their next horse, then how can you? The answer is that you cannot.
You can however, focus on some very important key ideas, and develop some skills to achieve success at the art of horse selling.
These same endeavors will be extremely helpful in other areas of your life as well.
Three Types of Information There are three kinds of information horse buyers need to know.
There are the facts, such as age, color, breed, size, and show experience.
There is the visual, which comes from photos, video, and physically viewing the horse.
Finally, there is the experiential.
That is, the actual experience of meeting the horse, bonding with it, and riding it.
You can easily accidentally filter out potential buyers along the way without even realizing if you ignore these tips.
You should understand that buyers are not looking for your horse when shopping.
They are trying to screen out all of the horses they do not want.
They do this firstly with specific facts.
This can be easily represented as an advanced search on a horse sales site.
Someone who wants to buy a mare excludes geldings in their search.
If you have a selling a gelding you are no longer in the running.
Horse Facts Are Important This factual information is the first filter people use to rule your horse out.
When selling your horse, be sure to convey all of the facts about your horse when communicating with buyers.
Include all available information in horse classified ad sites so that your horse shows up on as many queries as possible.
You should serious consider listing a reasonable asking price in any ads, if you want to be found in price searches and be taken seriously.
Providing no price at all leaves a big question mark in buyers mind.
They will likely move on to other horses, instead of making the effort to inquire about the price, then wait, hoping to hear back from you.
Make sure that any published information is correct and complete.
Avoid making unsupportable or potentially inaccurate claims.
You could have legal problems later for providing inaccurate information.
Additionally, disclose a horses bad behavior.
Not doing so could end up leading to a poor match between horse and rider, possibly leading to injury.
Create Quality Visual Information How a horse looks, the way it moves, and its level of training can be conveyed by the photos and video you make.
The photo and video you offer when selling your horse can be the determining factor in a buyer contacting you for more information.
The photos and video you create are one of the most important aspects of selling a horse.
Put as much though and care into them as you possibly can.
You should practice video taping your horse and taking photos regularly.
If you have hunter jumper horses for sale, consider showing them at a hunter show, or at least working over fences.
Likewise, a dressage horse sells best when the video features a well-behaved horse performing a nice test.
Keep in mind that a sales video is not an exam.
You do not need to show the feet etc.
You can always do clips of that later.
The job of the sales video is much like a resume.
The job of the resume is to get an interview.
The job of a sales video is to get a buyer to come visit and try a riding horse.
Get comfortable with and use the cameras zoom feature.
Try to have the light at your back if you are outdoors.
Edit your video, showing the strongest features of your horse and leaving out the worst.
Avoid boring your audience with endless footage and also avoid making them squint to see a horse that is too far off in the distance.
Pricing & Time On The Market There is a pretty strong correlation between the price you set and how long it will take for your horse to sell.
Do some research to find out what you horse is really worth.
Even if you do feel confident of value you should still review the state of the market.
If a more desirable horse is selling for close to or less than your horse, yours is unlikely to sell.
Be realistic when considering your horses positive and negative characteristics.
Understanding them may lead to price adjustments that speed up the sales process.
For example, if your horse is a cribber, you would not price it the same as an otherwise comparable horse.
Any potentially negative aspect about your horse must be seriously considered when setting a price.
Do Not Market Too Early If your horse is under saddle, ask yourself a question.
Can the average buyer realistically ride your horse? You might think so, but sometimes especially with a younger horse, the answer is no.
If this is the case, consider training the horse some more before you start marketing.
Often, just a month or two of additional training can make a big difference.
The more buyers that can ride your horse, the more demand there will be.
This will shorten the time it takes to sell and the price will be higher.
If you present you horse too early, and buyers see it before its ready, they will remember what they already experienced, and will not come back a second time.
If they are still interested, they will likely be less generous with an offer.
Places To Sell You can tell friends about your sale horse or pony, you can create flyers, and you can market online.
Marketing online will give you the biggest most serious audience.
Classified ad sites are the most effective place to sell.
Be sure to use the modern channels too, such as social sites like YouTube and Facebook.
Selling a horse can be a difficult, time consuming, and emotional process.
Focus on providing as much information to buyers as you can.
Make sure your horse stands out from the crowd with well shot and edited images and video.
Above all, do not filter you horse out of the running by leaving out key facts for searchers.
Learning to market a horse well is a great skill to have because these same skills apply to other things too.
Do not be afraid to put in the effort necessary to succeed!