How to sell your horse fast (Part 1)

What should you do if you find yourself with a horse you need to sell? Where should you advertise? Should you use the local classifieds? Look no further, as these questions and more are answered below. We will cover pricing, ad type, marketing, photos, and videos, as well as some do’s and don’ts for each section.

Pricing
This is the single most difficult aspect of horse sales. If the price is to high, nobody will contact you, and if your price is to low people will wonder what is wrong with your horse. The easiest way to determine the current market value of your horse (not appraised value, which can be different) is to look at your local market (within 20 miles) and view horses similar to yours and what they are priced at. Jot down a list of horses most like the one you have for sale, and add or subtract from the average price based on points that make your horse more or less marketable than the others. Make sure that you do this carefully, because a mistake here can cost you the sale!

Ad Type
Before we go into details as to where to place our ad, we have to have a well written description of our horse to start with. This should include the age, height, breed, sex, and in some cases the color of the horse. If you have room you’ll want to include any special disciplines the horse has learned, such as Dressage, and to what level the horse has been trained. Make a point to highlight anything special about your horse, like his calm demeanor, talent for sliding stops, or excellent show record. You should have three basic copies of your ad: one that is short, 15 words or less, one that is medium, under 100 words, and one that is a full description of your horse. This way you will be prepared with an ad suitable for your budget at each possible marketing outlet.

• DO remember to include your CONTACT INFORMATION. If a buyer can’t contact you, your horse will never sell.
• DO emphasize your horses good points, and don’t bring up the negative. Remember, the point of an advertisement is to get the potential buyer to contact you.
• DON’T write an ad from the horses point of view (ex. I’m a sweet horse who needs a new buddy…)

Marketing
Once you have a well written ad you can start posting your horse for sale. Here is a list of options to choose from:
• Tack shops/ Stables- turn your ad into a flyer and post it in your area. With this option you will get excellent local exposure.
• Newspapers- generally a higher class of people view these, so your marketing costs may only pay off if you are selling an expensive horse.
• Local Classifieds- generally less expensive than newspapers and often free to prospective buyers, but more expensive horses will be out of place.
• Equine magazines- expensive but they can be worthwhile if the magazines target audience is the same as yours.
• Internet- this is currently the most popular way for buyers to view horses for sale. There are many great web sites available, the most popular being Dreamhorse.com. These sites will get your horse excellent exposure for a minimal price, and often have inexpensive options for photo ads. Horses of all ages and price ranges can be found online.

In the next addition, see how your photo can make or break the sale before you ever get a phone call. Until next time, thanks and God bless!