Photos by Aislinn BranderSelling horses is perhaps the most common idea people have to make money with horses!
How you sell, will affect your end price!
The way a horse is marketed will have the biggest impact on your bottom line.
Let's start at square one. You have a horse you either have purchased at a low price with the plan to re-sell or you've owned this horse for a while and you have now decided it needs to find a new 'employer'.
Step 1:
You are going to be needing the basics of tools when you sell a horse, photos, videos, pedigree ( if registered ) list of accomplishments, progeny records and accomplishments if applicable, etc.
Plan on inviting a friend over for step one, two and maybe even three.
“A clean horse is a SOLD horse..."
Start by getting your horse clean, sounds strange, but clean up your horse. Grab your Brushes & Combs, Groom him, bathe him, and clip him. Add show sheen and or baby oil on his coat to make shine, add some baby oil to his face to darken around his eyes, and on his muzzle. Prepare him as if you were going to a show!
For low prices on all your grooming needs we have ben shopping this one store for over 10+ years and always have gotten the BEST pricing: Visit the Jeffers Equine Super Store!
Grab your show halter! Remember to polish it up! A well presented horse that is groomed to perfection is more likely to catch a buyer's eye and hopefully their heart.
Step 2:
Then grab your camera and take some photos of him!
Get some good ones of his head, his body and a decent action shot (trotting or running or jumping) with today's digital cameras, you can take lots of photos and you will come away with at least a few good ones to use for marketing.
When photographing a horse, look for a clean, uncluttered, pleasant background. We don't all have beautifully manicured facilities, but I am sure we all have a nice tree or a bush, or a nice barn wall, if nothing else, use your front lawn. If there is something unpleasant in the background, try to position the horse's body in front of it so it covers it up.
Most digital cameras come with a video capability; you only need about 2-3 minutes of video footage of a horse. Also, you can take still frames from the video as well.
It is hard, but try to keep a steady hand and familiarize yourself with your camera's video shooting capability before you video your horse.
Make sure you know how to turn it on, off, how to record, how to zoom in and out and how to turn off the audio recording if you don't want that horrific wind noise and talking in your videos. Nothing can turn off a buyer like a windy video or someone screaming "Come on you old Nag!" or other things you don't want potential customers to hear. READ your camera's instruction manual. If you don't have one, the internet is a vast resource of information.
Now, you have some photographs and video of your horse. These are key tools for you to utilize when you are selling a horse. Today's horse buyer is an internet shopper who wants to see the horse and know as much as possible about it and your farm at the click of a mouse and ANY time of day.
STEP 3:
Review your Photos and footage.
Be honest, do they look good? Would you want to buy this horse based solely on one or two photos? Think that way, because your customer does!
Is the background OK?
You didn't shoot directly into the sun, causing dark shadows or worse, glare?
How does the horse look? Bored, Silly, irritable, nervous?
How about the leg placement? Is it pleasant to the eyes, is he standing square and under himself correctly so he looks as though he can win- or has the conformation to jump, rein, halter, etc.
*** Here is some homework to do, prior to selecting your final photos. SHOP the other horses of a similar breed type on the internet, How have they shown ( in the photo ) the horse, choose the ones that draw you in, take notes, you don't have to write it down, just observe more than a pretty horse. How is he standing? How is the background? Is he clean or is he dirty and standing in a mucky corral with green pipe panels? Most importantly- would you want to buy him? ***
Choose a headshot that best reflects your horse's good points and beauty, if his ear is cocked to one side or his eye is closed, don't use it. Imagine you are buying a horse picture for someone as a gift, which one would you choose? Then, get a second opinion.
The same goes for the video. You only need about 2 minutes of good footage. Much more than that can bore people. If you are pretty savvy, you will know how to hook your digital camera to your computer to 'capture' the video file. What I prefer is to capture the video on to a memory card that can be read from a media reader.
How you sell, will affect your end price!
The way a horse is marketed will have the biggest impact on your bottom line.
Let's start at square one. You have a horse you either have purchased at a low price with the plan to re-sell or you've owned this horse for a while and you have now decided it needs to find a new 'employer'.
Step 1:
You are going to be needing the basics of tools when you sell a horse, photos, videos, pedigree ( if registered ) list of accomplishments, progeny records and accomplishments if applicable, etc.
Plan on inviting a friend over for step one, two and maybe even three.
“A clean horse is a SOLD horse..."
Start by getting your horse clean, sounds strange, but clean up your horse. Grab your Brushes & Combs, Groom him, bathe him, and clip him. Add show sheen and or baby oil on his coat to make shine, add some baby oil to his face to darken around his eyes, and on his muzzle. Prepare him as if you were going to a show!
For low prices on all your grooming needs we have ben shopping this one store for over 10+ years and always have gotten the BEST pricing: Visit the Jeffers Equine Super Store!
Grab your show halter! Remember to polish it up! A well presented horse that is groomed to perfection is more likely to catch a buyer's eye and hopefully their heart.
Step 2:
Then grab your camera and take some photos of him!
Get some good ones of his head, his body and a decent action shot (trotting or running or jumping) with today's digital cameras, you can take lots of photos and you will come away with at least a few good ones to use for marketing.
When photographing a horse, look for a clean, uncluttered, pleasant background. We don't all have beautifully manicured facilities, but I am sure we all have a nice tree or a bush, or a nice barn wall, if nothing else, use your front lawn. If there is something unpleasant in the background, try to position the horse's body in front of it so it covers it up.
Unless you are an experienced photographer, try to avoid shooting photos of the horse in direct sunlight. A Good rule of thumb is to have the sun at your back, and not behind the horse.
If you can, invite a friend over who has a camera and ask them to photograph your horse as well. If they can, have they hold the horse while you photograph the horse and vice versa. Sometimes, a new perspective on your horse will yield amazing results! If you have someone else to help, it is great for 2 people to photograph the horse at different angles.
If you horse is acting bored or listless, use some props to get those bright eyed, alert shots. Some of the props I have used are: a plastic bag tied to the end of a lunge whip, a bottle (from bottled water, juice or even milk) with a few coins and a few small stones also known as a "shaker jug" This works great with Arabians and Saddlebreds! Also some people have used mirrors, umbrellas; I have also had great success with a peacock feather!
Have care when using the props, you don't want to scare them, only make them interested and alert. When shaking the shaker jug, just a couple of times should work. If they dance around and get nervous, don't shake as hard or as often. Unless you want that wild-eyed look, some breeds look great presented that way like Arabians.
After you have taken a ton of photos of them standing, turn them loose into an arena or a round pen for some action shots. This is where your 'shaker jug' will really come in handy, as they will likely want to roll and dirty themselves. When you see them start to roll, shake the jug at them to keep them moving while you shoot some video, or some moving shots.
Video, an important addition to Step 2:
If you can, invite a friend over who has a camera and ask them to photograph your horse as well. If they can, have they hold the horse while you photograph the horse and vice versa. Sometimes, a new perspective on your horse will yield amazing results! If you have someone else to help, it is great for 2 people to photograph the horse at different angles.
If you horse is acting bored or listless, use some props to get those bright eyed, alert shots. Some of the props I have used are: a plastic bag tied to the end of a lunge whip, a bottle (from bottled water, juice or even milk) with a few coins and a few small stones also known as a "shaker jug" This works great with Arabians and Saddlebreds! Also some people have used mirrors, umbrellas; I have also had great success with a peacock feather!
Have care when using the props, you don't want to scare them, only make them interested and alert. When shaking the shaker jug, just a couple of times should work. If they dance around and get nervous, don't shake as hard or as often. Unless you want that wild-eyed look, some breeds look great presented that way like Arabians.
After you have taken a ton of photos of them standing, turn them loose into an arena or a round pen for some action shots. This is where your 'shaker jug' will really come in handy, as they will likely want to roll and dirty themselves. When you see them start to roll, shake the jug at them to keep them moving while you shoot some video, or some moving shots.
Video, an important addition to Step 2:
Most digital cameras come with a video capability; you only need about 2-3 minutes of video footage of a horse. Also, you can take still frames from the video as well.
It is hard, but try to keep a steady hand and familiarize yourself with your camera's video shooting capability before you video your horse.
Make sure you know how to turn it on, off, how to record, how to zoom in and out and how to turn off the audio recording if you don't want that horrific wind noise and talking in your videos. Nothing can turn off a buyer like a windy video or someone screaming "Come on you old Nag!" or other things you don't want potential customers to hear. READ your camera's instruction manual. If you don't have one, the internet is a vast resource of information.
Now, you have some photographs and video of your horse. These are key tools for you to utilize when you are selling a horse. Today's horse buyer is an internet shopper who wants to see the horse and know as much as possible about it and your farm at the click of a mouse and ANY time of day.
STEP 3:
Review your Photos and footage.
Be honest, do they look good? Would you want to buy this horse based solely on one or two photos? Think that way, because your customer does!
Is the background OK?
You didn't shoot directly into the sun, causing dark shadows or worse, glare?
How does the horse look? Bored, Silly, irritable, nervous?
How about the leg placement? Is it pleasant to the eyes, is he standing square and under himself correctly so he looks as though he can win- or has the conformation to jump, rein, halter, etc.
*** Here is some homework to do, prior to selecting your final photos. SHOP the other horses of a similar breed type on the internet, How have they shown ( in the photo ) the horse, choose the ones that draw you in, take notes, you don't have to write it down, just observe more than a pretty horse. How is he standing? How is the background? Is he clean or is he dirty and standing in a mucky corral with green pipe panels? Most importantly- would you want to buy him? ***
Choose a headshot that best reflects your horse's good points and beauty, if his ear is cocked to one side or his eye is closed, don't use it. Imagine you are buying a horse picture for someone as a gift, which one would you choose? Then, get a second opinion.
The same goes for the video. You only need about 2 minutes of good footage. Much more than that can bore people. If you are pretty savvy, you will know how to hook your digital camera to your computer to 'capture' the video file. What I prefer is to capture the video on to a memory card that can be read from a media reader.
Once you have the file uploaded you can now edit it. There is various video editing software packages out there, but Microsoft windows usually comes with Movie Maker. This is an easy to use program with great effects and features that allow you to add music, photos and titles.
If you are unfamiliar with Movie Maker, take the time to read the tutorials- they are great! One word of advice, the program runs best when it is the only program open, save your progress often and have fun! There are also several FREE online tutorials to show you how to operate Movie Maker.
We are going to have an article all about Movie Maker and where to find help soon, so check back!
Selling Horses Part One, Quick Review:
Take good clear photos and video if you are able
Make sure the horse is clean
Write down your horse's attributes, accomplishemnts and faults ( keep this by the phone or computer so you have a quick reference )
Use Good, Brief informative Ads
Price your horse according to average market value
Treat every inquiry as a serious one
NO NOT EVER put 'SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY' in an ad!
Be prompt with your responses and courteous.
SEND VIDEOS & PHOTOS PROMPTLY
Ask for the sale!
Get a Deposit
Mail, Fax or email the contract!
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