Ideas for Selling Horse in this Economy (plus major vent)

[alterfabulous]

My apologies for posting under my alter…I can’t remember my original screen name and password because it’s been too long.

In any case, AWWW! I’m super, super frustrated. I have a great horse for sale, easy, fancy, reasonable price, and I have not had ANY bites. I have flyers posted around the local tack stores, a few trainer friends aware of this horse, and ads up on a few sales sites, but nothing! Granted, in my area the horse industry has been hit rather hard, but I just never expected selling to be so difficult. Is it just me? Am I doing something wrong??

Does any one have any ideas? I bought this horse specifically to train her up and sell. She’s trained up, but she’s not selling. She is a nice girl. So, if I could afford it, I would just keep her, but I need to sell.

[SidesaddleRider]

If you are not getting any nibbles, there are usually 3 causes:

1. Your horse is overpriced.
2. Your advertising (pics/video) are not doing your horse any favors.
3. You are marketing them in the wrong location.

Without seeing the ad, it is little hard to tell which one is the likely culprit.

[findeight]

Just posted on about the same complaint over on Off Course.

Get the horse out off the property to someplace like a show or event and talk her up. Don’t even have to enter anything just get it out where it can be seen.

Horses are moving better then they were. What’s not moving is buyers willing to blow a day and 50 worth of gas to see a single horse offered privately. Not when the can go see and try 6 or more at the same place.

I don’t think tack store flyers are useful for anything over a few hundred dollars and unless this one has a show record it’s just another prospect in a crowd of sale horses with nothing special about them. Sorry to be blunt but you need to find a way to stand out to attract buyers.

Ask your trainer friends to let you know if they have buyers coming and ask to haul yours over to join those offerings- yes that’s going to mean a fee of commission but it is worth it to expose the horse to more potential buyers and those with contacts to potential buyers.

[costco_muffins]

[QUOTE=SidesaddleRider;7108860]
If you are not getting any nibbles, there are usually 3 causes:

1. Your horse is overpriced.
2. Your advertising (pics/video) are not doing your horse any favors.
3. You are marketing them in the wrong location.

Without seeing the ad, it is little hard to tell which one is the likely culprit.[/QUOTE]

I just helped two families sell their horses. You are RIGHT on with this. After I helped them with strategy/marketing, the horses both sold within a week. Seriously.

For one, he was priced really high, had bad pictures, a bad description, and their dreamhorse search criteria were all off. For example listing “trail riding” as a skill instead of “jumping” for their made kids hunter. Seriously.

For the other, she was priced well, they had bad pictures, and a bad description and video. This horse was priced higher, but worth it. They had a ten minute video of the kid walking the horse around, but nothing of it jumping a SS course, with a kid, getting all its changes. Again, they listed skills that were not marketable and were unlikely to get hits. A little strategic marketing, photo selection, and video and the pony was snatched up.

[AliCat518]

I agree–this market is tough.

IMO, flyers are pretty useless. I put ads up on equine.com, equinenow.com and craigslist. All 3 sites have gotten me interested buyers.

I think the most important thing is pricing the horse appropriately AND for your area. I had my guy priced a bit higher and have since lowered his price a little and have gotten many more emails. I also am 100% honest about everything, including his flaws. I also included in the ad that I need to sell quickly and that price was negotiable–I think that helps as well. (I had multiple appts set up for people to view him when he came up a little off, so I am just now rescheduling those appointments!)

Good luck.

[ace]

[QUOTE=findeight;7108887]

Horses are moving better then they were. What’s not moving is buyers willing to blow a day and 50 worth of gas to see a single horse offered privately. Not when the can go see and try 6 or more at the same place.

Ask your trainer friends to let you know if they have buyers coming and ask to haul yours over to join those offerings- yes that’s going to mean a fee of commission but it is worth it to expose the horse to more potential buyers and those with contacts to potential buyers.[/QUOTE]

This - my sister just finished the search for her new dressage horse, and she only went to sales barns or breeder’s farms where she could view several horses at once - travel is too expensive to go way out of the way to see a single horse.

Also - unfortunately it might be the price. Breeders my sister met on her shopping trip said currently they are getting half or less what they would have sold prospects for 15 years ago.

[alterfabulous]

Okay, folks. After reading the responses, I think my problem might be the price of my horse. So, let me ask all of you, what do you think would be a reasonable price for a horse with the following criteria:

Under 8 y/o OTTB chestnut mare. Clean legs, sound, underwent race training, but did not actually race. W/T/C quietly, leg yields, flying lead changes. Trail rides quietly. Can handle riders of various levels (beginner - advanced). Just started jumping 2’ courses. Nice form over fences, shows scope when free jumped, nice mover. Great brain (probably the quietest horse I’ve worked with in a long time).

Horse located in midwest. Ideas on a reasonable price?

[lrp1106]

Probably not as much as you have her priced for. Does she have potential to be a fancy horse? Is there any way you can spend more time training her jumping skills? And at least get her made at 2’?

[Jleegriffith]

Under $5k would be my guess of what the market is out your way.

[findeight]

I dunno…3500 to 5k maybe? If it has shown (successfully)it would be more, maybe up to 7500. Know that’s a big range but hope it helps.

I would cut the prose down in your description. Just say pretty chestnut, unraced, approx 15.2/3 ( or whatever), quiet and willing, started over fences, good on trails. The rest is just your opinion and describes things that are not really skills people will be looking for when searching the ads.

Try not to get too personal with the description. Statements like “best horse I ever owned” are worthless, a reader has no idea what you have owned so its a waste of words.

[Dakotawyatt]

When I lived in GA, a reasonable price for one like that would be around 5K. Under 8, does that mean the horse is 7? So a 7 year old ottb just now learning to jump around 2’? Yes, between $3500 and 5K depending on how nice of a mover/jumper.

[EnjoyThe_Ride]

$3k or less without a show record.

[alterfabulous]

[QUOTE=Dakotawyatt;7108974]
When I lived in GA, a reasonable price for one like that would be around 5K. Under 8, does that mean the horse is 7? So a 7 year old ottb just now learning to jump around 2’? Yes, between $3500 and 5K depending on how nice of a mover/jumper.[/QUOTE]

Horse is 5 y/o. I was trying to be as vague as possible to keep my description from sounding like a sales ad.

[alterfabulous]

[QUOTE=findeight;7108969]
I dunno…3500 to 5k maybe? If it has shown (successfully)it would be more, maybe up to 7500. Know that’s a big range but hope it helps.

I would cut the prose down in your description. Just say pretty chestnut, unraced, approx 15.2/3 ( or whatever), quiet and willing, started over fences, good on trails. The rest is just your opinion and describes things that are not really skills people will be looking for when searching the ads.

Try not to get too personal with the description. Statements like “best horse I ever owned” are worthless, a reader has no idea what you have owned so its a waste of words.[/QUOTE]

Thank you. This information is actually quite helpful to me. It’s become apparent that I have overpriced the horse.

[horsetales]

What the others have said as far as price. Unfortunately you are also competing against stereotypes - chestnut, TB mare :no: You don’t mention if she is flashy or a plain chestnut. Also size, a true 16hh or better is easier to sell. Is she a hack winner? Maybe get a show or 2 under her belt and have a friend shoot video. If you can show off her movement plus a great temperament in a show environment, that can go a long way and put her in a better price bracket

[ybiaw]

[QUOTE=alterfabulous;7108948]
Okay, folks. After reading the responses, I think my problem might be the price of my horse. So, let me ask all of you, what do you think would be a reasonable price for a horse with the following criteria:

Under 8 y/o OTTB chestnut mare. Clean legs, sound, underwent race training, but did not actually race. W/T/C quietly, leg yields, flying lead changes. Trail rides quietly. Can handle riders of various levels (beginner - advanced). Just started jumping 2’ courses. Nice form over fences, shows scope when free jumped, nice mover. Great brain (probably the quietest horse I’ve worked with in a long time).

Horse located in midwest. Ideas on a reasonable price?[/QUOTE]

Zero dollars. Please send her to me, kthx.

[CrittersMom]

Personally, I wouldn’t pay much more than 3-5k depending on her size. I sold a 15.3h QH last year, nice mover, show record in the 2’ schooling shows, trail rides beautifully, great personality, dependable, etc. for 3,500, and there are quite a few nice OTTBs out there. That said, if she gets trained up more and puts in a good showing at some of the larger show (even larger schooling shows) you may get more.

[KSquared]

I had trouble reading your ad actually. It didn’t flow well, was rather disconnected and choppy. I lost interest with the “under 8”

Why are you trying to avoid it sounding like a sales ad? It is a sales ad, you want to sell the horse, so you need to SELL the horse…

"Under 8 y/o OTTB chestnut mare. Clean legs, sound, underwent race training, but did not actually race. W/T/C quietly, leg yields, flying lead changes. Trail rides quietly. Can handle riders of various levels (beginner - advanced). Just started jumping 2’ courses. Nice form over fences, shows scope when free jumped, nice mover. Great brain (probably the quietest horse I’ve worked with in a long time).
"

5 year old OTTB Copper Chestnut mare (Or liver, or whatever color chestnut) Great legs and sound. Never raced but w/t/c. Shows promise for Beginners, but can also be ridden by advanced riders, enjoys trail riding but excels at jumping. Currently jumping 2’ courses with great form. Animated mover and eager to learn.

[2horseygirls]

[QUOTE=findeight;7108969]
I dunno…3500 to 5k maybe? If it has shown (successfully)it would be more, maybe up to 7500. Know that’s a big range but hope it helps.

I would cut the prose down in your description. Just say pretty chestnut, unraced, approx 15.2/3 ( or whatever), quiet and willing, started over fences, good on trails. The rest is just your opinion and describes things that are not really skills people will be looking for when searching the ads.

Try not to get too personal with the description. Statements like “best horse I ever owned” are worthless, a reader has no idea what you have owned so its a waste of words.[/QUOTE]

As a new horse owner, I disagree.

I am a negative novice (below ground zero) when it comes to navigating sales ads, but I recently helped a friend look at/evaluate horses she looked at when she was in the market.

I like the description the OP provided. It shows me that the seller actually knows the horse, and has tried a variety of levels & disciplines.

It sounds like this horse might be bored with a newbie owner like myself, but as a 42 year old rerider and first-time horse owner, the following is also important for me to know, especially going into a boarding barn in consideration of the BM/BO and crew that will be taking daily care of the horse:

Overall Health; Ground Manners; Stall Manners; Trailering Skills; Companionship / Pasture Manners; Manageability for Routine and Medical Care; Basic Riding Skills; Ideal Career (borrowed from CWER “report card”)

Just my $.02

[Mel0309]

[QUOTE=KSquared;7109129]

Why are you trying to avoid it sounding like a sales ad? It is a sales ad, you want to sell the horse, so you need to SELL the horse…
.[/QUOTE]

I believe she meant she is trying to avoid sounding like a sales as in her post on here as to not violate the no advertising rule. I don’t think that was her actual ad.