Dos and Don’ts on how to sell your horse

When you next advertise a horse make sure that you create an impactful and successful advert with a few helpful Dos & Don’ts from Horsezone.co.uk

DO

Photography

• Use current clear photography under saddle and in hand – if you do not have any great photography, ask a friend on a sunny day to take some especially if you are at an event. Ensure that buyers can clearly distinguish the horses markings and conformation in the photos – so make sure the horse is not in a muddy field covered by a rug or 100 metres away in a blur!

Description

• Be clear and concise but ensure you are providing the buyer with as much relevant information as possible. No buyer wants a diatribe of the horses full nutritional history however it is important to detail what the horse has done in terms of competing especially winnings, what the horse is talented at, any vices and of course relevant medical history. Be open and honest, ensure your description explains away most questions a buyer might have. 

• An example of a particularly poor ad received recently was as follows :

‘For sale good allrounder – 4 years old, has hunted 3 seasons. Soft nose. POA’  

 

This ad clearly is factually incorrect and does not provide the buyer with much information. It is important to include all the basics, height, sex, pedigree if know and of course what it has actually done or has the potential to do. Detail is good, waffle is not!

 

Price

• We would advise always putting a price to avoid time wasters – you may get more enquiries with a POA however many people will just be nosey so be honest and highlight how much you want.

Videos

• It is becoming increasingly important to include videos – these are a great way of showcasing a horses ability and also showing a horse in alternative environments eg. a show – if you can have someone video you, even if just on a phone.

Checking and updating

• Like studying for your GCSE’s at school you are always told to leave five minutes at the end for checking, same rule applies for online advertising. Nothing looks worse on an ad than poor spelling and punctuation!

• Check back on the listing regularly and keep it updated.

DON’T

• Use professional photographs without consent of photographer – water marked photos can be removed

• Use old photo’s of the horse – especially if the horse is 18 and you have shown photographs of when it was 5!

• Lie! Sounds obvious but if the buyer is sensible they will do their research. If the horse hasn’t jumped BE100, chances are if you have put that in your ad someone is bound to notice!

• Be realistic with your price expectations, if you are unsure do some research on similar horses and their pricing. If you significantly over price your horse it is very unlikely to sell! 

Using online advertising is a great way of show casing your horses for sale. Ultimately you can gage the success of your advertising by the number of genuine enquiries who actually try out the horse. The better your advert the better chances you are of selling your horse quickly and efficiently as well as reducing the number of time wasters!

Check out Horsezone.co.uk now and start selling your horses today.

Until Jan 1st 2015 you can list your first horse for free with the discount code BOTSWANA100% at the check out. 

Horsezone.co.uk in association with Tattersalls Ltd Europe’s Leading Thoroughbred Auctioneers