Just curious. I know every horse is different and not all sell as quickly but what is a good estimate to the average time a horse is on the market? TIA
For me,one horse, 5 years… Really. For some of the TB flippers, 12 hours.
It really depends if you have what everyone wants priced well, with good xrays etc and it’s easy. Or do you have a horse that’s a “butter” horse.
Example: Oh he’s a 3’ horse BUT his changes need works AND he has a funky xray or 2.
Ex 2: She’s a lovely mare who can do whatever you ask BUT she’s a chestnut and she’s a bit marish.
Emily
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On average, most horses are on the market for 6-12 months before being sold. It can take less or more time depending on the individual horse. I’ve seen some horses sell with 12 hours and some that don’t sell for years. As a general rule, you will typically have a much easier time selling a junior/amateur packer than a green horse or a horse that needs time and money put into it. Unfortunately, most people in the market for a new horse want a horse that is ready to win NOW, so those diamond-in-the-rough green horses get looked over and stay on the market for a longer amount of time.
You also have to take into account how well they vet. A horse that has imperfect x-rays will be much harder to sell than one that vets clean. You just can’t seem to convince new buyers that just because a horse doesn’t vet 100% clean doesn’t mean that it won’t be sound. :rolleyes: It’s hard to sell a horse when people expect perfection when vetting. In reality, 98% of horses will NOT vet 100% clean.
Being honest here, selling a horse in this market is a huge pain in the butt. Unfortunately, too many people expect to get a “unicorn” for next to nothing and will try and talk you down to half of what you are asking for the horse. If you want to sell a horse relatively quickly, try sending it to a consignment barn down in Florida or any good professional. Selling a personal horse by yourself is definitely HARD!
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The answer is “it depends”. Well established sales barns that get a lot of traffic might turn over a horse in 3-6 months on average. While a horse being offered by a private seller might linger on the market for years.
Horses that are priced a bit below market often move faster than ones that are priced in line with the market. Geldings generally move faster than mares. In our sandbox, horses over 16H are more desirable. A proven show record with an ammie or a junior also facilitates faster turnover.
If the horse doesn’t have a “clean vetting” he will take longer to sell. Often a lease with an option to purchase is the way to go. As always, vet the buyer, require insurance, have a good contract and check up on the horse.
Know your market. Understand what similar horses are selling for. Listings on bigeq.com and other sites represent the “asking prices” – they aren’t always the sales price. Get good media. Seriously get good media. It is the first thing a potential buyer will want to see. If the advert says the horse is showing at XYZ height with an ammie, try to make sure you have the video to back it up. Try to use an actual camcorder for the video. Phones are lovely, but the quality of the video usually leaves a lot to be desired.
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It definitely does have a lot of variables. And sometimes it just doesn’t make sense. Years ago, I had a tiny (15.1) greenbroke TB mare, even a titch on the old side (she was six, I think) that sold in six weeks from the time she stepped foot in our barn. And the first person to try her, bought her. She wasn’t gorgeous, and while she was cute, she wasn’t “OMG” in anything other than she had a quiet temperament (fun fact! She did eventually go on to NAYRC!). Around the same time, we had a lovely, handsome, experienced, GORGEOUS imported Irish gelding in the barn. He was quite the looker, a beautiful mover and jumper, hunted, evented, show jumped, was quiet, could back a big ammie guy around but also took care of kids. He was just lovely. Took YEARS to sell him, and even when we did finally sell him, he was ridden by the kid that bought him for ages before her parents wrote a check.
Certain things DO help, but patience helps the most.
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I’ve sold 4 of our “long term” horses this past year. All were very different individuals and I believe I found the perfect match for each one of them. The hardest of the two to sell where seasoned show horses because both had an opinion on how they wanted things done. I screened potential buyers hard, so none of us wasted our time. The first horse sold to the first person that tried him and he has been cleaning up with them, including ribbons at the Hampton Classic!! The second was my personal show horse that went to the perfect home and was the second person to try her. The ponies were easier to sell and both were easy enough that ANYONE could do anything with them. They sold themselves and one went to the first person that tried her and the second sold sight-unseen with a trial because it was for a little kid. Both horses were on the market a few months due to no fault of their own. Both ponies were on the market less than a week.
The easier your horse is to live and work with, the easier it is to sell them. You also have to be realistic on price. All were priced reasonable for what they were. The last pony to sell I literally had over 50 messages in the course of 24 hours. The hardest part was screening for the type of situation I wanted for her. Everyone wanted her, but I didn’t want her going to a lesson barn and get pounded into the ground. I also think she was a bit under priced, but I didn’t want to sit on her the rest of winter either.
To get the fastest sale -
Get GOOD conformation pictures - not just them eating grass in the field. Make sure the horse is clean, clipped, and looks ready to step into the show ring.
Get a great video showing exactly what the horse can do. If it is jumping 3’, show it doing that on the video. Lead changes? Show it doing them!
Get back to people right away.’
Make sure your horse is priced realistically.
I HATE selling horses and I’m so happy to be done with getting ours placed into excellent homes. I think I would rather pull my own teeth out without sedation than sell a horse.
