Just keep in mind that making a profit does not mean simply selling the horse for more than you paid. When you do the business plan you will also factor in an hourly rate for your work.
The business plan tells you whether a given idea is sustainable at all. Right now the horse market is hot but the cost of feed hay gas and board is also riding.
I’m sitting here like a dumb-dumb staring at my computer screen, because I literally had not even thought about what the breakdown to an hourly rate was. Somehow in my mind, I guess I’d assumed that if I was selling the horse for more than I paid, I’d somehow be making more than if I was being paid by a client to ride or riding at a sales barn.
I hadn’t thought about inflation at all. I feel like a real goofball now. 
Since @clanter and @Scribbler have both bought up accountants - and @Scribbler has REALLY helped me start to grasp the severity of just how much I really don’t know what I’m getting into!!! - do either of you (or anyone else on this thread) have advice for finding reputable business professionals - accountants, lawyers, etc?
How do you evaluate if someone is qualified or not for their job? Just as there are some equine professionals that take advantage of the inexperienced, I imagine there are plenty who do the same in other professions…
I assume that really good conformation shot is part of the ad that moved a person to ask for a video. No reason to add to the video length with a still shot.
The SBA has the SCORE program… These services are offered at no fee, as a community service that is adjusted to locality
The SCORE Association “Counselors to America’s Small Business” is a nonprofit association comprised of 13,000+ volunteer business counselors throughout the U.S. and its territories.
SCORE members are trained to serve as counselors advisors and mentors to aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners. These services are offered at no fee, as a community service.
The following lists some of the ways you can get in touch with SCORE and start getting the business advice you are looking for:
https://www.sba.gov/offices/headquarters/oed/resources/148091
I have not used this service but knew many retired high level Corp 500 executives who did volunteer, providing insight and advise They enjoyed working with the clients.
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I’d say get an iron clad contract drawn up with investor that gives you as much cover as possible. And do a deep dive PPE on the investor. Ask for their financials, experience, investment history, get their understanding of the horse business, who pays for what, and make sure they understand investing in horses can go any which way. Really, truly be sure they hear how things can go south without anyone making bad decisions. This is like venture capital, they should be prepared for the possibility they lose a certain amount. Cover your butt, because they have the purse strings.
Yes! I believe a playlist would be helpful. Everyone wants to see something different. I have been horse searching for a couple years now, so have seen a lot. I have seen where some sellers use playlists, and you can pick and choose what you want to watch. I also believe that if you are advertising a horse to do X discipline, I want to see that on video. You can’t believe how many videos there are of horses not doing what they are advertised to do!
Ok, so another recommendation for the op, my opinion only, is to keep all active sales videos in a youtube channel for their business. That way, if they have multiple sales horses for the same type of buyer, a sales ad for one horse can drive traffic to the channel and they buyer can look at multiple horses at once. Then a confo shot in the baseline video has value b/c the buyer may not have arrived at the video from an ad.
OP needs to think through who their buyer is and whether that is the right way to flow info to their customers though. Someone unfamiliar with youtube may not check the channel for multiple sales horses.
OP, if you are game for it, i am impressed by your organization and rubrics. You could cultivate a YouTube presence with short training videos demonstrating your process. Seems to be a popular thing to do these days!
Nothing to add but have to commend you on your writing ability. So refreshing to see in a younger person! 
I just sold a horse in under 2 weeks, basically off the video alone. And this isn’t my business. Now, I did put a little more than that in the ad I posted, but man, I was STUNNED when the money was in my account that quickly. I mean, she is a nice little horse, but wow…2 weeks.
Old saying that any form of the words investment and horse do not being in the same sentence is worth keeping in mind.
So is the sad fact that some are just not going to pass anything except a really skimpy (inexpensive) PPE with no (expensive) imaging or try to kill themselves the day after you post the ad and run up a big vet bill. Sooner or later you will be taking a loss on a sale horse, be prepared and prepare that investor person. That means you need a written CONTRACT so they don’t come after you for losses or abruptly pull the plug on your cash flow. And yes they can and will unless you protect yourself. It protects them as well. Its good business.
Am on the side of those who are skeptical of turning a profit flipping more then an occasional sale horse out of a commercial boarding barn. Have you asked the resident trainer and barn manager and/or owner if you can run a regular sales business out of their barn? Will they expect a commission since you are running your business on their property? Most probably will.
These are details that are often ignored…until they blow up and sink the business, possibly ruin friendships. Business Plan, CPA, attorney and contracts or don’t do it.
this my concern as ever penny spent will need to be tracked and recorded otherwise there is possibility money bags would go after OP for breach of fiduciary responsibility .
Yes it is fine to have the CPA/Accountant to help but the actual tracking of spending will require more than what we as average horse owners do. I know about what is spent but I personally do not what to know the total otherwise I might become depressed.
OP will need to justify every penny spent. Yes it can be done, but it can be a distraction taking more time than allocated in the business plan
Having Time logs or a Business Diary maintained daily would be a good proof of business activity
How long should a sales video be?
Long enough to show all of the horses skills that you plan to market him with but ideally 3-4 minutes.
What do you want to see in it?
Horse moving at all gaits and any other specific skills. If you say he jumps, I need to see it, if you’re marketing as a kids horse, footage of that is helpful, trail horse? Seeing horse ride out in the pasture may be helpful.
What annoys you in a video?
Long videos, poor quality and lighting, people excessively gabbing in the background
Do you like compilation videos that show an overview of the horse’s skills and attributes?
Yes but would prefer to see longer unedited videos. Not snippets patched together
What makes an ad stand out as professional?
3-4 minute video that gets straight to the point and demonstrates the skills the horse is advertised to be trained in. Neatly dressed and groomed rider and horse
What gives you the feeling of “they’re trying too hard?”
20 minute video of everything under the sun including things that don’t matter. I don’t care that you can stand on your horse, only the circus does
How do you feel about attire, polo wraps, saddle pad color, etc?
neutral colors that don’t detract from the horse. Navy, hunter green, black, white, burgundy. FYI, if you have a horse with white legs, put white polos on him, black legs get black polos. Don’t draw a potential customers eye to stare at legs
What enhances the horse to you, and what do you find distracting?
In good flesh, clean and well kept area where horse is being videoed, neatly dressed rider, horse has been clipped and not over do for the farrier.
Where is the line between showing that a horse has breadth and versatility in its training vs. giving the sense of “jack of all trades, master of none?”
show on the video what you’re marketing the horse for, if you’re marketing a Jack of all trades, then video that but if the horse excels in a particular area, focus on that. IE; you’re marketing a hunter so you video that way but you can also mention that he loves to trail ride.
What sort of horse do you wish you would see more of on the market?
everyone is looking for well broke quiet horsss in every discipline
How do you feel about seeing tricks in a sales video? Desensitization? Bridleless riding? Do you think seeing a horse tolerating traffic, water, tarps, other stimulus, etc, shows evidence of solid training or temperament, or do you think it looks tacky or somehow disingenuous?
again, it depends what you’re advertising the horse is. I don’t want to see a hunter walk over a tarp. But if it was a versatility horse, I would.
What information do you wish sellers in general would make more accessible or readily available?
x rays on file are a plus, if you’re selling a show horse, show videos are a necessity to me. Show record if they have any, any bet work that’s been done.
What are your best and worst buying experiences?
I don’t buy much but I sell a lot.
What budget/price bracket do you tend to buy/sell in? (If you feel comfortable disclosing that)
20-50k
Do you like seeing groundwork? Lunging? Free lunging? Loose movement in the pasture?
yes, if I’m buying a horse not started under saddle, otherwise, no.
What are some ideas for conveying personality and temperament of the horse through visual footage?
don’t video a horse in an elevator if you say he has a snaffle mouth. Don’t ride him on a super tight rein if you say it’s a kids mount. If you’re selling a mare, she better look pleasant going around. I’m already turned off if I’m a gelding person considering a mare and she looks miserable.
Obviously conformation photos are a must, but - do you like professional photos and “glamour shots” of the horse, or is that a turnoff?
conformation pictures and pictures of the horse doing it’s job are the only things important to me
Yes and include the show name! So many people embellish or outright lie about show records.
I would pay heed to the business specific advice you’ve gotten here, much of it is very important.
As for the videos etc. The shorter the better. if your advertising platform, website supports it, I’d recommend a couple of videos. If you are selling all rounder types, show briefly what they do. Loading/unloading, crossing water, bridges, ditches, jumping (video at advertised heights) cow work, reining etc.
It sounds like you have a fairly broad base of knowledge but while you have the time, you might want to fine tune a few “channels” of expertise. Maybe spend some time working with a trainer who specializes in OTTB’s or hunters or a western or dressage discipline so that you would be better able to take a horse to a higher level if needed or to build credibility. As a hunter/jumper rider, even if I was looking for a lower level “all round” fun horse, I’d probably not look to a seller who seemed to know far more about reining than jumping.
If you can make up a solid citizen type horse from not much, lesson barns should be beating a path to your door. Plenty of H/J lesson barns are looking for solid types that can get around a 2’3 course and maybe handle going to local beginner type shows. This might require that they spend a bit of time with a regionally known jumping trainer.
I agree that with the added information that the OP wants to buy and flip horses, rather than just market other people’s horses, the quality of the training and its effectiveness is key. More important than the videos.
So the real question is not, what kind of videos? The real question is “How can I put enough training on a low cost project horse to double or triple his value in 6 months?” Say from 3k to 9k.
What kind of horses sell in my market? What prospects can I get cheap, and why are they cheap? How focussed is my training?
I sent an unbroke problem project horse to a good colt starter last year for 90 days. While the problem dangerous behavior was not fully solved I was really impressed with how sophisticated a ride that horse had off seat etc after 90 days. Way better than most ammies get with 3 years of lessons.
So the ability to turn out a well trained horse in a compressed time frame varies a lot and requires tact and skill. If you are doing this for money you need to be faster than if it’s your own horse. And that means having a clear focus on the basics of one discipline.
Since OP will be using an investor’s funds, to me the question would be what is a realistic and acceptable carrying cost of this inventory that eats/poop/and needs other services.
There really needs to be a clear document that explains this before entering into an agreement
Oh absolutely. That’s key to the business for sure.
In terms of the idea of the project, with or without an investor, the question of ability to train is more important than videos.
Videos can bring you a potential buyer for a trial ride. But your training will sell the horse.
I flew to Arizona to find out the 16.0h horse was 14.3! I am STILL mad.
OMG! I thought it was bad when my husband and I drove to Oregon to look at a horse advertised at 15.1 hands and was in reality barely 14 hands. But yours takes the cake!
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