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

[McGurk]

Agree with a lot of advice posted here.

There is a general misconception about where and when value is added to a horse, and how much. You’ve added some value to the horse in taking it from an unraced TB to a greenish novice friendly show prospect, but the real uptick in value comes with show mileage and a show record or finishing it in its discipline. The training period where this mare moves from where she is now to where she can pack a timid rider around 3’ with auto changes is where the value curve steeply ascends. (Partly because it’s more difficult and fewer horses are capable, partly because it’s an expensive journey.)

I bought horses like this for $1500 - 3500; kept them in my lesson string for the better kids, put working students on them, hauled them to local shows if there was space on the trailer and got as much mileage and exposure on them as cheaply as possible. At the end of 18 months, I might have a career school horse, a nice local 7 - 10K horse or possibly a prospect for fancier things.

I agree with hauling to horse to a pro barn where a buyer can look at her along with some other prospects. Lots of people aren’t willing to burn gas and time to look at one horse at a time.

JMO, as far as her description, the thing that jumped out at me was that she has leg yields and flying changes plus just started jumping 2’ - that’s an odd combo. Are you primarily a dressage rider trying to market a hunter? Is she only a beginner friendly horse on the flat? While I personally would rather have a horse with the better flatwork foundation and less jumping experience, a more typical training progression would have her jumping more before establishing changes. It may make sellers wonder if there’s a reason why she’s only jumping 2’.

Also, if you say she has good form over fences and shows scope free jumping (that’s another odd one - I want them to have scope when I’m ON them!) have a GOOD photo of her jumping that backs up that assertion. I might pass over the ad as written without a photo, or if the photo showed meh form.

Good luck with selling her, she sounds like a nice girl.

[goodlife]

I would pay $3000 for said horse above without anything that really grabs my attention otherwise. As others have mentioned, you’ve got some stereotypes working against you. I’m not saying that any of those stereotypes are accurate (I have a chestnut mare that is worth her weight in gold) but this is what Sally Amateur buyer probably has in her head when she goes horse shopping:

• Chestnut mare = crazy biatch (can I say biatch here?)
• OTTB = lame, crazy or both
• Under 16hh = basically a hony

What you need, other than the right price point, is an ad that sells the horse well visually. Get a good 2 min (no longer!) video of the horse at its very best. Show the buyer that the horse is actually quiet, willing and scopey. Dress up in some show attire if need be and get some really high quality pictures of the horse. I’m way more likely to click on an ad that has a professional quality picture of a well turned out pair over an attractive looking fence, rather than someone wearing shorts and chaps, no helmet, jumping a makeshift water barrel and broomstick jump (not implying that this is you - just using extreme examples).

[WildandWickedWarmblo]

Paint/dye horse grey or pinto or some odd color. Horse will see then despite any performance or conformation issues. It is sad that good horses don’t sell nowadays. Unfortunately most people choose color (or a pretty mane:confused:) over conformation and breeding and performance.

Oh and oddly, the higher the price, the more people in our area will look at the horse. (In SE USA) The idea here being, the higher the price, the better the horse.

Good luck. Show horse as often as you can, to expose it to more people.

[roamingnome]

As someone else said, the thing that’s most working against you is probably 3 words: TB Chestnut Mare.

Don’t get me wrong, I love chestnuts, 80% of the horses I’ve leased/owned have been chestnuts, but when looking for prospects, those 3 words (put together!) makes me move on, really, really fast. Sorry

[Jealoushe]

I just paid $1200 for a TB Chestnut mare that has evented Training level (once) but successfully. Needs lots of flat work but huge jump. This is the price range for this sort of thing now…not a great re sale project.

[KSquared]

I am not a big fan of Bays and Chestnuts either and I would move on as well, thus why I suggested a flashy color. “Brand new penny colored Chestnut” or “Liver chestnut” “Ginger chestnut”

But I currently have a Liver Chestnut that is the best guy I have ever owned. If was shopping for a chestnut it would be one with a flaxen mane and tail (With good credentials of course, not just color). I am not a fan of the red on red. Myst seems to be one of those wild chestnuts where he has kind of a swirl of chestnut coloring, a brindle Chestnut, that is the word I was looking for and his mane is very dark auburn with some highlights.

[TheJenners]

I just bought a horse similar to yours by way of age/ability, she jumps a bit higher and went to a three-day last year, for the lower end of what has been mentioned. But she had raced, does not have clean legs, and is a die-hard cribber. So I think most peoples’ estimates of $3500-$5000 are pretty close on.

However.

I had been boarding at the same barn she had been for a bit over a month, so I had seen her with her hair down, so to speak, and she was being sold to me by my trainer. I did a better than 20 percent PPE because of the negatives I listed, but seeing her nearly every day while waiting on the vet appt was a big bonus. I even got to ride her a couple times beforehand, with permission, but outside of a lesson environment.

Maybe you can board her with a trainer or at a big barn that does h/j/event for a while? Let people see her?

[Alternative1]

Advertise the horse as a TB not an OTTB (this seems to turn some people off). Also you are dealing with the fact that she is a chestnut mare and not very tall and the fact that she is 8 years old with no show experience and only jumping 2’ does not help you either. Maybe keep her a little longer and get her some show experience that will help her to stand out a little more.

[deacon_s_mom]

Alterfabulous: You seem to be getting some solid advice here.

I just purchased a pony after searching for months and months. I was looking for a pony for the grandchildren who was a step up from a backyard nag but below Finals Show Pony. I skipped ad after ad because they were awful. Poor photos, not enough information to peak my interest, and/or a poorly written description.

The ad for my pony listed the pertinent information (age, gender, riding abilities, experience, height and price) and the pictures were most flattering. There were only four but they showed a confirmation shot, a show jumping shot plus a schooling jumping shot, and an under saddle shot. I contacted the owner and received four more pictures. Two showed “personality”. One was two children leaning on him while grazing and another showed his rider kissing him after his win. I also received a short video clearly showing his three gaits.

It was a very well done presentation. I purchased the pony, had him vetted, and shipped him to a friends farm (to get him closer). I finally met him almost a month after I purchased him. He is even better in person!

[AndNirina]

IMO, it may help to mention her size (and if you did somewhere I’m sorry I missed it!). I am on the taller end, 5’9" with really long legs, so the first thing I notice in an ad is height. If she’s under 16hh and really stoutly built (i.e., can take up a taller rider’s leg), mention that. To me when I see OTTB with no height mentioned, I err on the side that he or she is under 16hh and with light bone, which is too small for me.

A video that is straightforward and of good quality is a definite bonus. Show the buyer how willing she is to move laterally in a short clip if that’s a skill, but a concise WTC video with a small course thrown in is an asset.

[alterfabulous]

[QUOTE=Mel0309;7109199]
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.[/QUOTE]

Mel0309 - you are correct. To everyone - the description I included in an earlier post is [I]not[I] how my sales ad reads. I wrote up a small description only to give everyone more info so people could provide me with info on what those type of horses in the Midwest are currently selling for. I hope this clears up any confusion. The actual horse in question is 5 y/o and currently 16 hh, though still growing.

[alterfabulous]

[QUOTE=McGurk;7109266]
Agree with a lot of advice posted here.

There is a general misconception about where and when value is added to a horse, and how much. You’ve added some value to the horse in taking it from an unraced TB to a greenish novice friendly show prospect, but the real uptick in value comes with show mileage and a show record or finishing it in its discipline. The training period where this mare moves from where she is now to where she can pack a timid rider around 3’ with auto changes is where the value curve steeply ascends. (Partly because it’s more difficult and fewer horses are capable, partly because it’s an expensive journey.)

I bought horses like this for $1500 - 3500; kept them in my lesson string for the better kids, put working students on them, hauled them to local shows if there was space on the trailer and got as much mileage and exposure on them as cheaply as possible. At the end of 18 months, I might have a career school horse, a nice local 7 - 10K horse or possibly a prospect for fancier things.

I agree with hauling to horse to a pro barn where a buyer can look at her along with some other prospects. Lots of people aren’t willing to burn gas and time to look at one horse at a time.

JMO, as far as her description, the thing that jumped out at me was that she has leg yields and flying changes plus just started jumping 2’ - that’s an odd combo. Are you primarily a dressage rider trying to market a hunter? Is she only a beginner friendly horse on the flat? While I personally would rather have a horse with the better flatwork foundation and less jumping experience, a more typical training progression would have her jumping more before establishing changes. It may make sellers wonder if there’s a reason why she’s only jumping 2’.

Also, if you say she has good form over fences and shows scope free jumping (that’s another odd one - I want them to have scope when I’m ON them!) have a GOOD photo of her jumping that backs up that assertion. I might pass over the ad as written without a photo, or if the photo showed meh form.

Good luck with selling her, she sounds like a nice girl.[/QUOTE]

Haha…I am primarily a hunter rider, but have been accused by many to really be a dressage rider that happens to jump. I like to have a really, really, really nice solid foundation on the flat before jumping. So, horse in question is much more advanced on the flat than over jumps. Does that make sense?

Your suggestions are very helpful. Thank you.

[Ponyplusaninch]

I have to disagree with a few of the posters on bare minimum info–if the horse is nice and quiet and has excellent ground manners, like, I could let my non-horsey mother walk it around and feed it without worrying, DO include some kind of statement in the ad about that. Personally, as an amateur, I am at the point where after doing my dues as a junior/working student, I like something with manners that I don’t have to train or retrain on the ground. If I know up front from the ad the horse has good manners and a quiet temperament, I’m more likely to try the horse and even pay a bit more.

Just an amateur’s two cents.

Best of luck with your mare. I leased a chestnut mare for a number of years–darn best mare I’ve ever known. Totally defied the stereotype.

[Dewey]

Definitely put in your ad that the horse loads, clips, and ties (assuming it does).

[JustThatSimple]

Be concise. I don’t want to buy your pet, I want to buy the horse you have for sale.

As someone mentioned previously- it is a Thoroughbred. There is not breed such as Off The Track Thoroughbred- it’s not necessary and if it’s JC registered everybody can figure out it’s background if they need to- or will ask. I don’t market my previously dressage horse turned hunters as UTBADHDW. (Used to be a dressage horse dutch warmblood).

Once you’ve got your price range figured out make sure your media is as good as possible. No clutter in the background. No music in your sales ad. And don’t post 7,000 photos of her nose. If you need to take photos take a confo shot, a flat shot, an over fences one if she is cute.

Less is more. If they want to know more, they will ask for more.

[seabreeze]

As someone who has been browsing lots of ads lately, here are some things that turn me off in an ad:

1. Bad photos. Show a good conformation shot and a quality u/s shot.
2. Poor turnout. Make sure the horse is well-groomed (mane pulled, clipped neatly, bathed and “polished.”)
3. Useless verbiage. I’ve gotten so when I see “in your pocket,” “puppy dog personality,” and “10 mover,” I just move on to the next one. If I wanted a puppy dog personality, I’d be shopping for a Golden Retriever. And if a “10 mover” is being sold in my low-budget price range, then there is something else seriously wrong with him.

I think most AA shopping your type of horse are most impressed with sensibility (safety), a solid foundation (isn’t going to have to spend months at a trainer to get “fixed”), willingness, and good ground/loading/hauling manners (hauling out for lessons and shows are stress-less, enjoyable experiences). Emphasize those points.

Good luck!

[Kyzteke]

While there are some great ideas posted here, I don’t agree that one of the reasons is always that the price is too high. But it DOES have to be realistic.

Higher priced horses sell more slowly…in my experience it’s FAR easier to sell 5 $5000 horses than 1 $25K one; simply because more people have $5k…especially in this economy.

Also under the “harder to sell these days” banner are young horses not yet started (I use to sell ALL of my horses as foals…not any more), older horses not yet started, and horses that aren’t really bred/suited for a particular discipline or “mutt” horses (unless those “mutt” horses have a performance record, then it’s a whole different deal…).

Location is an issue sometimes, as is the quality of the ad and the placement of the ad. For instance here is a well done ad:
http://www.warmblood-sales.com/HorseDetail.asp?HorseID=29847&UserID=543

Excellent pics, good video, lots of information. For the quality of the horse, not a bad price, although not a cheapie either.

But on the same site I found a just-turned 3 yr old (forgot the breeding, but it was pretty good) who just has w/t going and they wanted $35000!! And the pics shows a teenager dressed in jean shorts, rubber muck boots and a “wife-beater” type top riding the horse in a round pen!!

Seriously?!? IMO your disrespect your horse AND your buyer when you put up ads like that…

The other thing is placement of the ad(s) so they can be seen…the poster who spoke about using the right prompts in an ad to help searchers is right on.

But sometimes it’s just the way it is. I have a super talented 2yr old filly (dressage) who has been for sale for over a year. Granted, because of my health problems I’ve only had her ad in afew places and it’s been a chore getting new photos & video (if they are good, it’s alot of work), but I’ve only had afew nibbles on her.

Luckily I haven’t been desperate to sell, but some of the OTHER things I’ve done is offer rebates to buyers who perform with the horses, offer a payment plan, and reach out to the owner of the sire(s) to spread the word.

If it helps at all, a breeder friend of mine is horse-seller extraordinaire (sells about $200,000 worth of horses per year) who has the process down to a science, didn’t sell a horse for over 6 mos this past winter.

Granted, to HER a “cheap” horse is $7000, but still…

So have someone look at your pics, your videos, your ad placement, price, etc.

And, while I have often sold horses pretty quickly, MORE often it takes months & months.

Good luck…it’s a tough market now for sure…even for quality animals.

[Kyzteke]

[QUOTE=JustThatSimple;7110029]
Be concise. I don’t want to buy your pet, I want to buy the horse you have for sale.

Less is more. If they want to know more, they will ask for more.[/QUOTE]

I disagree on these points.

While I have a natural tendency toward verbosity ;), I don’t want to sell my horse to just anyone, and it’s important to me that the buyer/horse MATCH.

Not because I’m particularly high-minded person, but because when it goes South, they always blame the horse (when the human is usually the issue).

I discuss temperament, inclinations, what they know, etc.in my ads. If they are especially good in something, I mention that. I once posted a video of me wrapping a horse in a hay tarp to show how quiet she was (even though she was marketed as a dressage horse). I give my opinions on their future nature, if they are youngsters. I say what sort of buyer would fit best.

So it’s not just the first guy with a checkbook who gets the horse. But more than that, it’s saving MY time by not emailing/talking to the buyer with all these details till they have decided they want to move forward.

If they DO want to move forward, they almost always are serious, because I’ve given them so much info. So they contact me and then… I interview them :D.

That’s why I include as much info as possible in both the ad AND the video. I aim for about 5-7 mins in the video.

Because honestly? If a person can’t read what amounts to less than 1 page of copy and pay attention enough to sit through a 5 min video, I don’t really want them buying my horse either.

[Kyzteke]

To the OP: I don’t know what you were asking for your mare, but if you have a race track or two within afew hours of your place, TBs are not considered that valuable until they have far more training. Also, I would want to know the quality of her feet, since this is often an issue with TBs.

In general, I would say she should be priced at under $5k until she has more miles and/or a show record.

[PaintedHunter]

[QUOTE=seabreeze;7110165]

3. Useless verbiage. I’ve gotten so when I see “in your pocket,” “puppy dog personality,” and “10 mover,” I just move on to the next one. If I wanted a puppy dog personality, I’d be shopping for a Golden Retriever. And if a “10 mover” is being sold in my low-budget price range, then there is something else seriously wrong with him.[/QUOTE]

I kind of disagree with this too - personality is important to me as an ammie who wants to really connect with my horse on a personal level as well as under saddle. Personality is a big reason why I picked my current horse over an equally well-suited horse who I looked at first. On paper, they were pretty much the same in terms of training, ability and quietness - as well as price. I picked the one who melted my heart with his goofball nature!