By GotEquine - 1/5/2011 2:22:54 PMShare on Facebook
It seems that almost everyone has some type of New Year's resolution.
Is yours to sell your horse in 2011? Selling a horse in today's
economy can be challenging at times. Even though times are tough and
money is tight, we have so many more ways to market our horses than
we had twenty years ago. Twenty years ago we could take out a
classified ad in the news paper or horse magazine. But we were very
limited in ways to reach prospective buyers. Today we can reach
millions of people with just the click of a mouse. The Internet
offers thousands of places to advertise horses that we have for sale.
There are many exceptional classified advertising websites that
specialize in assisting us with reaching buyers. Most of these
websites are more reasonable than advertising in a local newspaper.
Today instead of just reaching a few people in a local newspaper, you
can reach millions of prospective buyers all over the world. Many
horse classified advertising websites will list your horse for free.
Many offer the option of loading pictures of your horse that you have
for sale and some of them even offer you the option to upload videos.
It is not uncommon today to have someone 2000 miles away find your
horse on a classified advertising website, watch your videos and look
at the pictures of your horse that you have loaded, and purchase them
site unseen. Transporters stay busy transporting these horses all
over the country.
Now that you have decided to sell your horse, it is time to
prepare your marketing strategy. There are thousands of horses
currently listed for sale on the Internet and in various classified
advertisements across the country. Keeping this in mind, you must
make every effort to catch the prospective buyers eye when they are
searching ads for their new horse. Pictures are a very important
factor in marketing your horse. First of all make sure that your
horse is clean and well groomed before taking pictures. During cold
winter months, unless you have a heated wash rack, it is very
difficult to bath your horse. Brush them well. Clean off all the mud
and dirt. Be sure to brush out their mane, tale and forelock. If they
are tangled you can spray them with Showsheen. Many trainers use WD40
to comb out tangles. It will leave their mane and tail silky and
shiny. DO NOT cut out Also trim their bridle path, muzzle and ears
if you like them trimmed. When taking pictures put a nice halter and
lead rein on your horse. Treat them just like you would yourself if
you were getting your picture taken. You would want to look your
best. Also when taking pictures look for a nice background to take
them in front of. Don't take their picture in front of the trash
dumpster. Find a nice tree or fence to stand in front of. Any nice
background will work. When prospective buyers are looking at your
horse you want them to look attractive to the eye. Take pictures from
different angles. Be careful when taking head on shots. Many times
they can make your horse to appear more narrow across the front than
they actually are. Also be certain that your horses ears are forward.
There is nothing worse than to see a horse in a picture with his ears
flopped straight out. Bad pictures can turn prospective buyers off.
Even though your horse may be what they are looking for, if they
don't like the pictures they may never take the time to read your ad.
You can't stress the importance of a good picture. Your horses
picture is the first thing that prospective buyers see. Videos are
also an excellent marketing tool. If you are selling a trail riding
horse, it is very beneficial to make videos of him on a trail ride.
Video crossing the creek and crossing ditches. Video anything that
would be important to you to see if you were going to purchase him
sight unseen. Again take note of the background that you are using
behind your video. Try to find a pleasant and attractive background.
Do not be talking when making the video. If you are marketing a show
horse it is very beneficial to have a video in the show ring.
Prospective buyers prefer to see the horse in action under pressure
at an actual show. Example: If you are selling a barrel racing horse
buyers will want to see them on video at a barrel race. They will
want to see them come into the arena to see if they stay calm or
become excited when they are put under the pressure of making a run.
Keep in mind that many prospective buyers actually purchase a horse
on video alone, so it is important to make them the best that they
can be.
Pricing is another important factor in selling your horse. We all
know that the economy is not what it used to be and money is tight.
Regardless, there is always someone looking to purchase a good horse.
You hear the stories of how Joe Smith down the road was at a horse
sale last week and horses sold for $50 and there were some horses
that they couldn't even get a bid on and they gave the horse away.
This may be true, but most likely if you would have been there to see
them sell they would not be anything comparable to the horse that
you are selling. Regardless of how bad the horses market may be you
can always sell a good horse if you price it fairly. You don't want
to over price your horse but you do not want to under price it
either. Do your homework. Look at other horses comparable to yours
for sale on the websites that you are considering advertising on.
Remember to compare apples to apples and not apples to oranges. In
other words, if you are selling a palomino registered 10 year old
Tennessee Walker trail riding gelding then search for comparable
horses to get an idea of how you should price him. Don't look at a 10
year old sorrel. Horses with color will generally sell easier and
bring more money than a plain colored horse. They may not ride better
just because they are loud colored but most people like to ride a
pretty horse.
It is time to think about writing your actual ad. Be as honest as
you can when describing your horse. Tell prospective buyers the most
important attributes of your horse. Describe as thoroughly as
possible your horses training and what he is best used for. When you
are writing an ad de\scribing your horse it is very similar to
writing your own resume. When writing a resume we strive to make
ourselves look our very best for prospective employers. It is no
different when writing an ad describing your horse. Take time to read
some other horse classified ads to get some idea of how to write your
ad and what to say in it. When writing your ad be certain to tell
prospective buyers the best way to get in contact with you. When
describing your horse, tell prospective buyers the level of riding
skills needed to ride him. Whether or not he has any soundness issues
and if he is current on all vaccinations. Include and information
that would be important to you if you were considering purchasing
him.
When receiving inquiries from prospective buyer regarding your
horse, answer them as quickly as possible. Even if you have already
sold your horse, be courteous enough to answer each inquiry. Many
prospective buyers will request a pre-purchase vet exam on your horse
before purchasing him. These exams are normally paid for by the
buyer. These exams are good for both the buyer as well as the seller.
With the veterinarians examination everyone involved in the sale has
the assurance that the horse being sold is sound at the time of
purchase, therefore if he comes up lame after the buyer gets him home
they know that something has happened to him after leaving the
sellers facility. A horse can very easily be sound today and get
injured tomorrow.
It is important to prepare a “Bill of Sale” when selling your
horse. Everything discussed and agreed upon between the buyer and
seller should be included on the “Bill of Sale”. If a
pre-purchase vet exam has been performed this should be included. Any
guarantees should be stated on the “Bill of Sale”. Also if the
horse is being sold “As Is”, this should also be included as
well. The “Bill of Sale” should be signed by both the buyer and
seller and both should receive a copy.
There will be thousands of horses sold in 2011. With a good
marketing plan, yours can be one of them. There is absolutely nothing
wrong with advertising your horse on several websites. Consider your
advertising budget and choose the websites that you feel will give
your horse the most exposure. Also advertise on free classified
advertising websites. You have nothing to lose. With a great ad,
pictures and videos, your horse could be the next one marked SOLD!