Been looking at horses for a while now, I will admit- these ISO ads drive me crazy! It seems people list all their criteria for their “unicorn” horse with a beer budget of $3500, and expect others to magically show them the perfect horse with no effort involved. Also, what is the deal with “Interested if OP passes”?? Does the person who made the post have some right of first refusal by some unwritten fb etiquette rule? If the horse is for sale, anyone can move on it at anytime, right? No need for the person who posted an ISO ad to pass first.
It just irks me when people don’t want to put the time, effort or money into finding a good horse.
Okay, horse shopping rant over.
Looking at one today. As soon as I find one I am leaving all these ridiculous groups on fb 
As someone selling a horse, what drives me crazy is that they are looking something in the 4’s or low 5’s and don’t list a location. Not likely that someone is going to spend half their budget on transport across the country. I assume when people are more into the mid-5 budget, they are willing to look more broadly. And then people ask for video or other details, I send them a DM and they don’t even bother with a like or a thank you, so I don’t even know if they got the info.
Again as a seller, if the OP of the ISO ad is expressing keen interest, I would sort of give them priority, but would send the info to anyone else who asks. It’s not like I can’t be communicating with all of them at the same time.
Right…location sees like an obvious thing to include. If I was interested in something someone listed under an iso ad, I would just DM the seller and not post anything.
Some of the responses are too precious though- nothing over 15- and the response is “Ive got a 20 year old who’s foundered but he acts like he’s 5 and has loads of life left”. Sure he does.
Sometimes those ISO responses show horse that I would not have seen otherwise, so I always check them to see who has what. I am casually shopping now, and am also looking at the ISO ads to try and find a new home for my three year old spicy filly. If someone posts an ISO that I think she’d be a fit for, you bet I’d respond with her info. So far though, that hasn’t happened.
And she isn’t listed for sale yet, precisely because I don’t want to answer stupid questions - Is she broke yet? No, that’s why the ad says not yet started under saddle. Is she safe for my grandma? No, I’m a grandma and she’s not safe for me, thus why she is for sale to a better fitting home. And so on.
I agree that some are just downright unreasonable though - they want a safe, broke, teenaged unicorn for the husband and kids to ride, budget is 1k! Still, sellers respond, probably thinking the OP will actually pay more to get what they want.
This is sort of unspoken FB etiquette that makes more sense for physical items that aren’t alive - if you’re going to glom on to somebody else’s ISO post instead of making your own, don’t swipe the item out from under them. But a lot more thought goes into an appropriate home for a horse than say, a saddle pad or some collector’s item. The person posting this is just trying to be courteous.
It’s a FB thing for inanimate objects, I feel like horse sales are different entirely because you aren’t missing out on a picture frame or a couch, it’s a potential connection to a live animal. I think sellers are perfectly within their rights to go ahead and contact that person and gauge their interest.
Agree on the ISO ads for majikal rainbow-farting unicorns at rock-bottom prices tho. “It will have a forever home” or other such nonsense. No one can possibly make that guarantee, shit happens. Pay up for the creature you are seeking or buy lower and send it to a trainer. Bothers the crap out of me.
Someone in my local group is trying to foist off a young, unsound horse because they “need the stall”.
Good luck horsey.
I think I’m getting the horse I saw today. Pending PPE. Maybe I can soon move on from the fb groups! This guy is 5, a bit younger than I had wanted, but is quiet and listened well. He will stay at trainers for a few more months. My last sale fell through due to the PPE so fingers crossed on this one. He’s also under budget! 
Two things: I found my current horse with an ISO on Facebook. Believe me, a person looking can get ridiculous responses.
“ISO a horse with confirmed changes”
“He’s just a yearling but he’ll be great!”
“ISO a horse within a few hours drive of San Francisco.”
“I have your perfect horse – he’s in the Czech Republic!”
I could go on.
“It will have a forever home” or other such nonsense
I had a very nice saddle for sale at a tack swap, asking a reasonable $2100. Some woman offered me $900, assuring me she’d give it a good home. I said, “Pay me $1900 and for all I care you can put it on the front lawn and set it on fire.” We did not reach an agreement, lol.
People definitely want something for nothing and moreover, many seem to feel entitled to it!
Also off putting is the sob story to try and garner sympathy for a good price. And don’t get my started on people selling the “perfect horse” who os 24. Just pleeease keep this poor animal and see it through!
I didn’t exclude ridiculous sellers on purpose, but this thread is specific to buyers 
I see those too and honestly a lot of the answers that don’t match a buyer’s needs are actually nice little hidden gems. I’m in several Irish Draught groups and the number of people who want to try before they buy or specifically state they need to stay under $30k who get replies for horses on the other side of the water (esp those who might not even be registerable in IDHSNA) is just silly.
Their are some insane ads of Facebook.
My favorite lines are below, I mashed them into one ad for fun.
Looking for my next Grand Prix horse budget of 5k but a 5 star home! Must be over 16.2 and no older than 10. No mares! Preferably a warmblood, no TBs or QHs. Must be kid safe for my 2 year old that plays in the pastures.
what a bizarre thing to say. Are we afraid our saddles will be abused?
I know! Probably just trying everything she could think of to get me to sell her a saddle she couldn’t afford at a price she could afford.
To be fair, there are some circumstances where the owner cannot see it through. Maybe financial difficulty or some other reason that precludes them from keeping the horse. I have a 23 year old appy gelding who belonged to my late husband. Although he is broke and safe, he’s not a horse I enjoy riding and he really doesn’t have a lot of resale value. I will probably euthanize him within the next year to avoid him ending up in a bad way if it comes to that.
My friend said something kind of out there. I’m hoping to move in the next year and I want to have my gardens looking their best for curb appeal. She asked me if I’d be upset if the new owners didn’t take care of them. I told her they could burn the place down for all I cared.
One more, not a horse ad. I’ve been selling a lot of my husband’s tools and had one guy offer me $25 for a $400 (new price) chop saw. I told him add on $300 and we’ll talk about it. He declined.
Yes iso ads for $3,500 maybe annoying but sometimes those that post find the unicorn in the rough. And yes, it’s courtesy to say if OP passes please send info as it’s someone else’s post. Make your own iso post for what you’re looking for. 
Strangely, I did get a steal on a saddle (asking $2250, paid $550) because the lady wanted it to go to a good home. She definitely had some kind of sentimental attachment to it and I wasn’t going to argue.
That’s great! 
I don’t mind them. I use it to see what is out there for myself or a client, if I’m shopping. If I’m selling, it’s another avenue for me to post the horse I have for sale and get more eyes on it.
I get the annoyance- but it’s just another way to market and spread the word as to who has what for sale!
I just laugh at most of the ISO ads I see. The most recent one the person had about 30 “must haves” for their new horse, including specific color, markings, height, etc. And then didn’t list their budget. Maybe I’m just too practically minded to believe I’m going to get a horse with a laundry list of wants without having a 6 figure budget. More power to these people posting these kind of ISOs though.
