This is a delicate situation. The horse world is small, I think you have to assume that the first buyer or their trainer will see the ad for the horse, and that they will likely have a reaction to you re-selling the horse, and that potential buyers will find out the “other side” of the “backstory” from other sources either through word of mouth or research and messages via social media.
The best way to handle this situation is to not sell the horse yourself but to send the horse to another professional to be sold. There are several benefits to this. First of all, the people who are willing to potentially badmouth you are less likely to badmouth / disturb the business activities of another trainer that they don’t know. Secondly, it adds another professional to the mix that is willing to stand behind the horse, which would be helpful to the horse’s reputation. Lastly, it makes things less personal. How can you possibly sell this horse and explain what happened with the previous sale without badmouthing that customer? (That’s a position you don’t want to be in, badmouthing a prior customer to a new customer.)
I think you also have to think realistically here. It’s easy to blame the people who bought the horse for it not working out. I don’t doubt that the first buyer and their trainer were not optimal for this horse. But the vast majority of shoppers are juniors and amateurs who require a horse that is somewhat forgiving. Very few horses are lucky enough to get matched up with their ideal rider. Also, many h/j trainers do teach a riding style that involves more contact and more leg pressure. It’s no longer consistently in vogue to teach a crest release that protects a horse’s mouth when jumping. You may need to take a discount on this horse to make it more available to a rider that is well suited to it.
