I know selling horses is difficult in this economy, however I have not had a problem selling any horses this past year, nor did I have to drop prices. They sold for what they were worth and for what I was asking, even the one plain, grade gelding I listed. I am sick and tired of reading craigslist ads that are RIDICULOUS! People asking $2000 for a horse with Doc Bar in its pedigree (whoopdy doo. And I'll bet its six generations back too), who are standing in the mud, not set up at all, head down in a hay pile and feet that have't been trimmed in a month, and some that are even underweight. (Sigh)....Anyways, these are some strategies that work for me.
BE HONEST! I cannot stress this enough. Do not decide to not mention your horse has bad skin allergies and hope he does not have an episode while a potential buyer is looking. Do not withhold the fact that your mare is fearless except when she sees squirrels and then hope she does not see one when the customer is on a test ride. It makes you look bad when the customer finds out you are a liar and they will. And they will walk. I can not tell you how many people will outright lie to you when trying to sell horses. I have gone to see many who have not lived up to their owners claims. "Bombproof " horses who spook at plastic bags and mail boxes, etc. "I do not know what got into him!" Yeah right. You now look like a worthless scam artist.... Just tell the truth.
CLEAN UP OUR HORSE! If you are selling your horse for $1000, brush and bathe the damn thing. Get a helper to square up and hold the horse for photos. This is the very least and is not that freaking hard unless your horse is terrified of you, aggressive or so unmanageable you can not handle it at all. In which case it is certainly not worth that price and you are a moron for thinking it is. Even better are GOOD pictures of it moving at liberty and under saddle. No one is impressed with your photos of furry, mud-caked horses nibbling dirt OR a photo of a moron riding a 2 year old in a huge shanked bit in sandals and shorts. Be professional and make a real effort.
DONT OVERPRICE. Just because your backyard Quarter Horse has Poco Bueno in its bloodlines does not make it worth $2000. Thousands of horses have Poco Bueno in their bloodlines. Pedigree means nothing if your horse is ugly and untrained. Your horses legs can't be crooked as all hell, or its back as long as a bus and still bring high dollar. Do not delude yourself. And just because you can walk, trot , and lope a horse (very basic) does not give it a $2000 price tag either. Is it trained to yield laterally? Vertically? Spin? Work cattle? Haunch turn, tackle obstacles? Other special skills? Be realistic. If it has a high price tag and is not broke or green, it better be very well built and have a great pedigree of winners/money-earners very close up. Not five generations back. And fantastic color doesn't mean a thing if the horse is still mediocre or an outright POS. Pretty markings on a fugly horse does not make it less badly put together. Its like brushing a dead cat. It may be shiny but it is still dead.
Lastly, if you know nothing about caring for or riding horses don't own them in the first place. If I see ad photos or go to look at a horse and see thin horses, uncared for feet, unsafe pens/fencing, signs of physical abuse, or filthy conditions (knee deep in poop, etc) the cops will be called and photos will be sent to the ASPCA. Both have the authority to cuff you for neglect or abuse and you will be surprised how "touchable" you really are.
BE HONEST! I cannot stress this enough. Do not decide to not mention your horse has bad skin allergies and hope he does not have an episode while a potential buyer is looking. Do not withhold the fact that your mare is fearless except when she sees squirrels and then hope she does not see one when the customer is on a test ride. It makes you look bad when the customer finds out you are a liar and they will. And they will walk. I can not tell you how many people will outright lie to you when trying to sell horses. I have gone to see many who have not lived up to their owners claims. "Bombproof " horses who spook at plastic bags and mail boxes, etc. "I do not know what got into him!" Yeah right. You now look like a worthless scam artist.... Just tell the truth.
CLEAN UP OUR HORSE! If you are selling your horse for $1000, brush and bathe the damn thing. Get a helper to square up and hold the horse for photos. This is the very least and is not that freaking hard unless your horse is terrified of you, aggressive or so unmanageable you can not handle it at all. In which case it is certainly not worth that price and you are a moron for thinking it is. Even better are GOOD pictures of it moving at liberty and under saddle. No one is impressed with your photos of furry, mud-caked horses nibbling dirt OR a photo of a moron riding a 2 year old in a huge shanked bit in sandals and shorts. Be professional and make a real effort.
WRONG:
This could potentially be a gorgeous mare/gelding. It looks like she has a very nice hip on her and a great slope to her croup, is big barreled with a deep chest floor, and I THINK she has a nice shoulder angle. But guess what? I THINK is what pops into my head about most of this horse because I really can only make a guess at what things appear to be like! Is she level over the topline, is she proportionately balanced? I haven't the slightest clue as she is almost turned away from the photographer with her head buried in a stack of hay. Also, I know it is winter, but you could at least clip her up a little and brush the damn horse.
RIGHT:
This horse might not be a perfect conformational example of a horse, but he/she is CLEAN, clipped, and very professionally presented with a nice background that isn't distracting. The horse is posed perfectly to judge its conformation, it isn't on a hill, and you can clearly see its entire leg from top to bottom, including the feet. I can evaluate this WHOLE horse without any illusions made by weird angles or uneven ground. The only thing I would change would be to square the horse up, but I also like the fact the horse is standing the way it naturally wants to, which gives me an indication of the way its legs naturally want to go.
LEARN TO SPELL! It is not a "mear"or a round "pin", it is a saddle not a 'sattle", it is trade not "tread" idiot, and "veary" pretty makes you sound like a backwards redneck. People are going to judge your intelligence and horse skill equivalently: VERY LOW. So if you can not spell past a 4th grade level LEARN, and in the mean time, get someone literate to write or spell/grammar check your ad. 
This could potentially be a gorgeous mare/gelding. It looks like she has a very nice hip on her and a great slope to her croup, is big barreled with a deep chest floor, and I THINK she has a nice shoulder angle. But guess what? I THINK is what pops into my head about most of this horse because I really can only make a guess at what things appear to be like! Is she level over the topline, is she proportionately balanced? I haven't the slightest clue as she is almost turned away from the photographer with her head buried in a stack of hay. Also, I know it is winter, but you could at least clip her up a little and brush the damn horse.RIGHT:
This horse might not be a perfect conformational example of a horse, but he/she is CLEAN, clipped, and very professionally presented with a nice background that isn't distracting. The horse is posed perfectly to judge its conformation, it isn't on a hill, and you can clearly see its entire leg from top to bottom, including the feet. I can evaluate this WHOLE horse without any illusions made by weird angles or uneven ground. The only thing I would change would be to square the horse up, but I also like the fact the horse is standing the way it naturally wants to, which gives me an indication of the way its legs naturally want to go.DONT OVERPRICE. Just because your backyard Quarter Horse has Poco Bueno in its bloodlines does not make it worth $2000. Thousands of horses have Poco Bueno in their bloodlines. Pedigree means nothing if your horse is ugly and untrained. Your horses legs can't be crooked as all hell, or its back as long as a bus and still bring high dollar. Do not delude yourself. And just because you can walk, trot , and lope a horse (very basic) does not give it a $2000 price tag either. Is it trained to yield laterally? Vertically? Spin? Work cattle? Haunch turn, tackle obstacles? Other special skills? Be realistic. If it has a high price tag and is not broke or green, it better be very well built and have a great pedigree of winners/money-earners very close up. Not five generations back. And fantastic color doesn't mean a thing if the horse is still mediocre or an outright POS. Pretty markings on a fugly horse does not make it less badly put together. Its like brushing a dead cat. It may be shiny but it is still dead.
Lastly, if you know nothing about caring for or riding horses don't own them in the first place. If I see ad photos or go to look at a horse and see thin horses, uncared for feet, unsafe pens/fencing, signs of physical abuse, or filthy conditions (knee deep in poop, etc) the cops will be called and photos will be sent to the ASPCA. Both have the authority to cuff you for neglect or abuse and you will be surprised how "touchable" you really are.
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