Step 4:
Pricing is always perhaps the hardest part when it comes to selling a horse.
Perhaps the number one key is LEAVE EMOTION and ATTACHMENT out of the price determination process. Just because you like or love the horse, doesn't make him valuable to someone else.
The first thing you want to do before pricing your animal is to shop the market and see what a comparable horse of the same breed is actually selling for. You need to compare Apples to Apples to get a clear view!
Identify your market. If you are looking to sell your horse to the endurance crowd, or the cutting horse crowd, do your research there! Find out what a 'prospect' generally sells for, what an accomplished horse sells for, and then evaluate your horse.
Here are some things to ask yourself (you might want to write this down)
· What would YOU pay for the horse?
· What is the physical quality level of the horse compared to what you have seen?
· Is the horse a 'Prospect' meaning he might be good for ___ (cutting, reining, jumping, western pleasure, etc?)....
· Does he have a show record?
· Is his pedigree filled with Champions and is he Champion Sired? Is the pedigree filled with Hall of Fame horses?
· Is he a Champion? (He had to win a class at a show to be a Champion!)
· Is his conformation good and true to his breed type?
· Good disposition?
· Can kids, beginners, non-horsy spouses or novices ride him?
· Have they produced well? ( breeding stock )
· Is he registered? Are the registration papers free of liens or problems?
· Has he been professionally trained
· Has he competed and done well
· Is he sound?
· What is his age
Those are just a few questions to use to price a horse.
For example if you have a 15 year old Arabian broodmare with a mix of common Domestic breeding, with nothing terribly rare or fancy, she has been a backyard horse, been a trail horse, had a couple of foals, but the kids and beginners can ride her, You might find her priced between $1000- 2000.00, depending on her individual looks.
Now if you have a mare that is similar and of a rare and sought after pedigree, has produced offspring that have either had championship wins, or exported to a foreign country, she is probably more valuable. You could probably expect to pay $7500- $10,000.00 and more for a mare like that.
The same thing could be said about a gelding that is a backyard trail horse, and a gelding with a good pedigree and an extensive show and training record.
STEP 5:
Now that you have good photos and a video created and saved onto your computer- Now what?
Take out a pen & paper or open a Word document, make a list of all the good things about your horse ranging from his disposition, size, color, training etc.
Now make a list of your horse’s weaknesses, examples: he hates plastic bags, he doesn't like turning to the right, etc. He chews wood, whatever.
Now, make a list of your horse’s accomplishments. These can be anything from, he has learned to tolerate having his ears clipped without restraint, and on a young foal maybe they lead, load in a trailer, tie and allow their hooves picked up. Maybe your horse has a show record, maybe he/she has produced beautiful foals- whatever the case may be, write it down.
Now write down what your horse would be capable or suited to doing. Honestly evaluate your horse. If he is a 14.2hh Arabian gelding, he may not be suited to higher levels of show jumping. If he is a 16.2hh thoroughbred, he might not be well suited to reining- you get my drift. If you need help, ask a friend or get help from a trainer.
After you have compiled this data on your horse, start writing a classified ad.
Here is what you ALWAYS want to include breed, name, age, sex, size, temperament, color and the level of training, and the level of the handler and rider. You also want a brief description of the horse's accomplishments and/or capabilities or prospects. Don't write a novel, some people dislike reading and a long ad may actually discourage them from reviewing your advertisement.
Here is a good example ad:
Chestnut Arabian Gelding, 5 years old, 14.3HH 'Chester' is an energetic, kind horse that needs an intermediate rider, who is confident and calm. He has had 90 days professional training; he is doing very well and has completed 1 25 mile endurance ride. With more conditioning, he could easily be capable of doing a 50 mile ride. He would also make a great hunter pleasure horse. $3500.00, offers considered. Video available 555-555-5555
Now let's look at Chester's ad...
The prospective buyer knows he is 5, chestnut and he is 14.3, they know he has been professionally started, that he is doing well for a green broke horse, according to the ad, and has begun a possible career in endurance. They also know that he is energetic, but kind, and needs a calm intermediate rider, so this will weed out the people looking for a beginner's horse. By putting offers considered at the end of the ad, it shows the buyer that you are negotiable.
Let's write another ad for a broodmare...
Black 15.2HH Arabian Mare, 15 Years old. 'Shana' is a beautiful, conformationally correct mare with a gentle disposition. She is sired by Ali Babba and out of Sheena. She has produced 4 halter champions out of 6 foals. She foals easily, breeds easily and has had no problems she is open for 2008. She is also broke to ride, she needs an experienced rider as she can be very hot, has been used primarily as a brood mare only. $8500.00, Video available 555-555-5555
Let's see what information we gave our prospective buyers on Shana.
We know she is good sized, 15.2, Black, Arabian mare. We also know she has had 6 foals, 4 of which were halter champions. We know that she hasn't had any problems breeding and we know she hasn't been bred for 2008. We are aware that she is broke to ride, but she is hot and has been just a broodmare. The sellers also gave a brief pedigree on her as well. That is a good, informative, brief ad.
Now you know how to write a good short classified ad.
STEP 6
Now that you have your photos, your video, your classified ad and a list of your horses attributes you are ready to advertise.
Where do you advertise? Well, like most horse owners, the obvious answer is either the internet or the local paper. If you are going to advertise on the internet, it is best to advertise where a photo can accompany your ad. Also, breed specific papers, magazines & websites may also be a good venue.
Here are some great websites to advertise on: Dreamhorse.com : Equine.com : EquineHits.com : Craigslist.com : Horse.com : and there are many many others! Do a 'Google' search for photo Horse Classifieds, this should yield more results.
Start with EquineHits.com, it is free and you can ad up to 4 photos. You can upgrade your ad for a few dollars. Then go to Dreamhorse.com, it costs a few dollars to get a photo ad, but it is worth it, the same with Equine.com.
If you need a faster sale, try your local newspaper, however you may not get as much for your horse as you might with an internet buyer.
The important key to being successful at marketing on the internet is being able to have all the resources available at a click of a mouse. Your internet shopper wants to know everything they can before they decide to contact you. This also helps weed out the serious buyers from the "lookey loos."
STEP 7
When your customers contact you by email, or phone, this is where your attribute list comes in handy. You are also going to want to keep any show records, pedigree and registration papers on hand to answer any questions, on breeding stock, having a progeny report is handy too. Keep this information next to the phone or computer.
It is IMPORTANT that you have this information readily available should they ask you. Organize it into a folder or a binder so that it is easy for you to find answers.
This makes you look professional and PREPARED. You obviously care enough to take the time to be ready.
Being prepared BEFORE you advertise will help you sell your horse while the interest is hot!
If you don't have photos, video or other things helpful to selling your particular horse and the buyer has to WAIT, they will find a seller that will give them photos, etc- and they will have BOUGHT a horse by the time you get around to it!
The other key thing is, if you are going to place an ad, don't go out of town for 2 weeks right afterwards! You want to make sure you are available to answer emails, to return phone calls. If you work during the day, specify a good time to call.
Being prompt is probably the BEST tool you can utilize when selling a horse. The buyer may have seen the ad on the internet, is very much swept into the idea of buying your beautiful horse, if you delay, they may decide they don't need another horse, etc.
When they call BE HONEST.
If you are selling the horse because you don't get along, tell them! Just phrase it carefully.
It is not WHAT you say it is HOW you say it.
If you are selling the horse because he is too hot, you might want to say something like, "I like him a lot, however, I need a calmer horse and he can be a little too much for me."
If you are selling a broodmare or stallion because he/she is no longer the quality you are after, you might say “She is an excellent broodmare and a great mother, however our breeding program is changing, and she no longer meets our needs..."
The other thing is this, DON'T VOLUNTEER negative information. If they don't ask, don't tell. It is my opinion that it is the Buyer's responsibility to thoroughly inspect, ask questions and carefully consider before they buy. If your horse paces, and they don't ask if he has any vices like cribbing or pacing- don't volunteer it!
However, if your horse has DANGEROUS vices, such as kicking, charging, bucking, striking, etc. YOU HAVE TO DISCLOSE IT! You can be held legally LIABLE for not disclosing a dangerous vice.
If your horse is dangerous, you may want to sell him/her via auction. There is no liability on you because all animals are sold "AS-IS". If after you have disclosed the information and they still swant the animal, make them sign a release form holding you harmless for accidents, injuries and death.
Thankfully for us, dangerous horses are few and few in between, but they are out there.
Many a time I have purchased horses without asking the right questions and have ended up with animals that I was less than thrilled with. From that, I have learned that it was no one's fault but my own. No one ripped me off, I just didn't ask enough questions.
Offer to mail a video if they are interested after talking to you. Be sure to mail it that day, the NEXT Day or Monday if it's the weekend. Get their address and phone numbers.
Allow a few days for them to get and review the video and then give them a follow up call. Ask them what they thought, then ASK for the sale.
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