I have to say, I disagree on the less than 16 hands issue… I’ve sold three in the past couple months and two were mares 
I’ve actually had requests for smaller horses lately, usually from small women, sometimes who are a little older and wiser about what they actually need.
[QUOTE=eventer215;8919011]
I have to say, I disagree on the less than 16 hands issue… I’ve sold three in the past couple months and two were mares
I’ve actually had requests for smaller horses lately, usually from small women, sometimes who are a little older and wiser about what they actually need.[/QUOTE]
And what was your selling price point?
Emily
I don’t think anyone should hesitate to pull someone off their horse. I had someone try my horse for lease who fell off TWICE in about ONE MINUTE of total riding time. I reiterated about 50 times while tacking up that he was “forward and sensitive.” She told me she grew up in H/J lessons and rode bareback at a ranch out west.
I could tell something was wrong as soon as she walked off… reins too long, hands awkward. He broke into a trot and her posting was unbalanced, and she just went right off the side. I stupidly put her back up (for her good! gotta git back on!) and told her to circle tightly around me. Again he started trotting as she went off down the long side, then cantering (told her to pull back on the reins but I think she was freaking out), and he made a quick turn to avoid a jump standard and she fell again.
Thankfully she was unhurt and didn’t want to sue me, but I could EASILY see how that could happen. Next time I will remove the person within 5 seconds of ride time (on a longeline), to heck with hurt feelings.
[QUOTE=Foxglove6;8918805]
OP, I could have been one of your potential buyers. When I was horse shopping, I mostly looked at appropriate but not right for me horses. One of the horses that I looked at was very not right for me because the seller and I were just speaking different languages and had different definitions of forward and sensitive. I understand now because I’ve taken time to educate myself and learn more. But at the time I just didn’t understand, having only ridden lesson horses and a dead-head, bomb-proof QH lease. The potential horse was just too much for me. And to the seller’s credit, she did not pull me off but talked me through my panic and convinced me not to bail off the horse who did nothing more than what I was asking him to do.
I don’t know what the magic question is to ensure that you are on the same page as your potential buyers. But maybe you could ask to see some video of them riding as well to get some idea of where they are coming from. Ask detailed questions about their riding experience. The fit should go both ways. Best of luck to you![/QUOTE]
This is a really good point! I just bought a very nice horse for a steal because (in the seller’s words) he’s “quirky and sensitive and rushes at the canter and should be restarted”.
Brought him home, hopped on and did w/t/c with minimal issues. I had to WORK to keep the horse cantering. I still can’t figure out what the seller meant…
I thought buying and selling your own horses doesn’t affect amateur status? Did that rule change or did I just not read it correctly? It’s been years since my amateur status mattered…
[QUOTE=CupcakeTough;8919167]
I thought buying and selling your own horses doesn’t affect amateur status? Did that rule change or did I just not read it correctly? It’s been years since my amateur status mattered…[/QUOTE]
You can sell your own. No issue.
Emily
I am 5’11 with long long long legs and my mare is just 15.3 with her shoes on. I bought her as a resale and I knew better, which makes me think I jusy wanted to keep her from day one. I couldnt sell her. Shes a bit forward and shes a sensitive ride but she can trot 3’6 fences and shes brave to everything. Shes won a quite a few 3’3/3’6 jumper classes but no bites at a fairly low price. I kept her.
I sold a saint of a TB who was 15.2 and jumped around BN with a complete ammy. He was cute and would go easy in a frame. He was a track pony and was bomb proof. He sold for $3500 to the second person who sent her trainer and had him shipped north without riding him in person after a vetting. Such a cool horse but was passed over on his ad by people commenting “I wish he was bigger!!” Or “He’d be perfect if he was 16.2”.
My old gelding I got on a deal because he was small. He had high withers and sticked at 16.1 but his back was much lower. He was a packer at training with 2 prelims under his belt and he was under 20k. He was with a pro and people loved him but kept passing because they wanted something bigger.
Under 16hh is hard to sell because people think they need 16.2 or 17hh. I personally like the smaller ones but not great for resale. My trainer wants to beat me when I bring my “honies” to her for lessons.
I had a 17hh horse slip and fall on me in January on course, (not his fault, I asked for him to trot and he just lost his back end) and it reminded me that Id rather have small and catty any day.
Selling both of mine. One is in training, so think ‘commission’ style. Then decided to sell my other horse, which I am doing myself. My one thing is that I feel that I am not the greatest rider when showing him, but I am selling him as a project.
Was already told by my trainers that I am mis-representing my horse. :yes: And by that they mean I am making him sound too good to be true? But I am selling him as a project who needs a tune up over fences and some work at the canter as he’s still a bit green (literal words in my ad). But he was a part of a lesson program, has gone hunter pacing and been xcountry schooled. The guy is a saint just hasn’t been in consistent work due to time. If he doesn’t sell my the end of the month, however, I am putting him into a consignment situation with the girl I bought him from.
Never sold before the above but I’ve noticed that it’s at least easy to advertise, but I find making appointments and showing the horse nerve wrecking so I probably would leave it to the pros only if there were ever a next time.
This was my experience as well, back when I was actively selling. And the lower the price, the more nutty the interested parties become. Selective marketing can weed out some of the total weirdos, but there’s just no way to avoid them all. I have seen some really saintly horses put up with prospective buyers that claimed skills far above their reality, although to date I don’t recall a single one that actually purchased the horse. And IMO, consigning a cheap horse to a sales barn does not usually work well in the owner’s favor unless the horse is sold quickly, those fees add up far too fast.
As an aside, if you think selling reasonably priced horses brings out the crazy, do not venture into the <$1k pool. It’ll make you question your own sanity.
FLeventer: “Under 16hh is hard to sell because people think they need 16.2 or 17hh. I personally like the smaller ones but not great for resale. My trainer wants to beat me when I bring my “honies” to her for lessons.”
This is so true!!! We have this conversation at our barn all.the.time. because people are always going on about how they need big drafty horses because they’re 5’7+. Um, no. The second sentence has me cracking up! I have my own tiny and sensitive TB who I just think is the bees knees.
Midwest
I can’t find anything to look at in the midwest as I am in the market. Where should I be looking?
[QUOTE=Chouteau;8917246]
Following, as I will be listing mine in the next few weeks, a first time experience for me. Bad timing, as the season is over in the Midwest, not expecting much of a response actually. Going to hit the local h/j shows over the winter - he would be a great Ch/A jumper too.
Any input on the best places to list would be appreciated.
If I still have him in Feb, I am thinking the Aiken route would be best - suggestions there - to sell and then buy?
& when it comes time to look, I like forward & sensitive;)[/QUOTE]
Be careful sending to a pro…The first horse we ever sold (in 50 years of horse ownership 
) we sent to a pro. Very reputable, we knew her personally, etc. One day we went to visit the horse. He was standing in the dark at the back of his stall. It took him a good minute to come forward to see us and was very shy about putting his head out to visit with us (totally NOT this horse’s personality) Finally he stuck his head out and we were snuggling with him, playing with his big lips, etc. He was starting to relax when said pro came marching down the aisle. She had her stick in her hand which she flipped up as she approached. AS WE STOOD THERE, one on each side of OUR horse’s head, she overhand whacked him, between his eyes, with the handle of her stick. It was the most appalling thing we’d seen in a long time. She then turned to us, all smiles, ‘hey, how ya doin’’. Horse flew to the dark corner again and now we knew why he was so shy. Ya, we took him out of there the next day.
What’s up with that???
Did she hit him hard? Or just a light tap? Either way it sounds like a stupid thing to do especially to what sounds like a friendly horse.
[QUOTE=RiverBendPol;8941422]
Be careful sending to a pro…The first horse we ever sold (in 50 years of horse ownership ) we sent to a pro. Very reputable, we knew her personally, etc. One day we went to visit the horse. He was standing in the dark at the back of his stall. It took him a good minute to come forward to see us and was very shy about putting his head out to visit with us (totally NOT this horse’s personality) Finally he stuck his head out and we were snuggling with him, playing with his big lips, etc. He was starting to relax when said pro came marching down the aisle. She had her stick in her hand which she flipped up as she approached. AS WE STOOD THERE, one on each side of OUR horse’s head, she overhand whacked him, between his eyes, with the handle of her stick. It was the most appalling thing we’d seen in a long time. She then turned to us, all smiles, ‘hey, how ya doin’’. Horse flew to the dark corner again and now we knew why he was so shy. Ya, we took him out of there the next day.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=FLeventer;8917252]
I have a horse for sale and I have just decided to keep him as it is such a darn hassle. I dont need five horses but I have them because the amount of people that waste time and kick tires makes me want to scream.
Ive had great luck at horses under 5k but over that it seems like its a heck of a lot harder.[/QUOTE]
The 5-10K range is hard for anyone. I don’t really bother at that range anymore–even for horses sent to pros and just put in the training and competition to get them to 15K plus or higher. I actually can tell which type of horse I need to basically get up to prelim before the right type of buyers will look at them.
I used to be very good at selling horses and did a bunch of it. Now, I don’t have time. It IS a major time suck, you need to generally be VERY good with people and enjoy dealing with people.
But it can just be much easier to send the horse to the right pro to sell. But if you don’t send them to the right pro…it can also suck a lot of money and time too.
I know people who have had a lot of luck sending horses to a pro for whom a significant part of their business is consignment sales. Those types of pros generally have a lot of people coming to look, often on short notice, and nice horses tend to sell quickly.
I think this is very different from sending a horse to a pro who mostly teaches, trains, and shows.
It also comes to reputation of the sellers. If you only sell an occasional horse, you likely do not have a reputation—obviously better than having a bad reputation but it also doesn’t help you in selling a horse. But if you have produced multiple horse up the levels and sold numerous horses that have gone on to be successful in their jobs…and then have a prospect that you say has that potential…more buyers will believe you.
As a buyer, I can look at a bunch of young green horses…but if I look at a young green horse in WFP’s barn, and he tells me that it has potential to go 4*…that carries more weight than coming from someone else or coming from someone who I know exaggerates often (yup some well known pros have that reputation).
When I have a horse to sell…I send to a pro whose reputation I know and trust because I know they will honestly represent the horse AND be honest with me as to how marketable the horse will be. I want the horse sold to a good match…not just to the first person who will write a check. I also want the horse well cared for and improved while in their hands. The good pros who sell horses care that it is sold into a good match because they care about their reputation and they understand that their good reputation is very valuable in the business of selling horses.
Technically I have only sold one horse. Never ever ever again. So I shop VERY carefully for something I want to have around long term.
Horse I had, mare, going well, decent sort. Had a mom bring her kid out who had been riding with a very BNT around here. This was 20 years ago so things were different than now…but anyway… kid rode mare, mare was a saint, did everything kid asked and did it well. They came out and saw mare probably 4 times. Jumped her a good 3’ at one point. Drove out to watch me ride in a clinic some 50 miles away.
I think kid just wanted a pony ride. Never heard from them again. In the end I put mare with trainer to sell. Took SIX MONTHS. Because trainer was let’s just say a flake. By the time I paid for board/training/commission, I had less than zero to spend on a next horse. This was an under $5k horse.
Next horse I “sold” ended up giving away to a friend with better networking than myself and she placed him well, thankfully. But during the time I had him for sale, he was low priced due to some maintenance issues which were disclosed in my ad. I still had people calling who wanted to jump, or do things that would have been woefully inappropriate. I had one lady come out who wanted to ‘cure’ him with woo-woo and herbal concoctions.
It’s incredibly frustrating to be both a seller and a buyer.
As a buyer, I want what a lot of you think you can’t sell: shorter, not terribly fancy, and low budget (under 5k). Not because I’m a flake or a tire kicker but because that is just my reality. I am not afraid of a project, but because of my price point I wade thru so many ads where I would be afraid to even pick up the phone, let alone go see the horse.
‘Forward’ is great, but what exactly does it mean? Words we use to describe can mean something so different to somebody else. It could mean anything from a polite way of saying ‘he runs off’ to the correct description of ‘nicely in front of your leg’.
Luckily for me I now have an amazing trainer who is willing to help me with this headache.
“Overhand whack” is what I meant-it was no tap, it was a hard, single whack like you might give your experienced Intermediate horse stopped at a training water. Except the handle is what made the contact. Ya, it was stupid alright, especially with the 2 owners standing right there.
[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;8941432]
What’s up with that???
Did she hit him hard? Or just a light tap? Either way it sounds like a stupid thing to do especially to what sounds like a friendly horse.[/QUOTE]
