Dogwood's tips for those with horses for sale

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Preparing and advertising a horse for sale takes more time and consideration than you would think.

You can advertise your horse for sale in an equestrian publication, a general classifieds publication, at the riding stables or through an online classified section such as Dogwood's horses for sale.

Start by drafting a good classified ad. Your ad must stand out and you must convince buyers that yours is the best horse for sale as it will be competing heavily against thousands of others.

Also, the sooner that you sell your horse, the sooner you will start saving money on horse feed, renting of horse stables and fields, vets bills, shoeing, clothing, horse tack, saddlery and insurance.

Here are a few areas that you should consider when creating a classified ad:

Photograph ads

Include a good quality photograph that shows your horse in the most flattering light.

Whether your horse is for sale at £1,000 or £25,000 people want to see what they are buying.

The photograph does not have to be taken by a professional but try to get a good shot of the entire horse. Make sure that the photograph only contains your horse as any other horses or people in the picture may distract the buyer's attention.

It is useful to take a photograph with a digital camera since it can then be sent by email to the advertiser. If you do not have a digital camera then you can simply scan a regular photograph.

Text ads

All-text classifieds advertising horses for sale are up against ads containing photographs. A buyer's eye will not be immediately drawn to an all-text ad and they are usually placed after ads with photos.

A funny, original or controversial headline may help to attract people to your ad. I recently read an ad titled: Promising-ish show horse. They weren't exactly singing the horse's praises but it sounded honest and it certainly stuck in my mind.

Time, planning and details

Don't rush when writing your ad; it should be a good concise overview of your horse.

Include its age, breed, training, physical attributes (such as its height in hands), temperament, disposition and anything else relevant to the particular horse for sale.

Whether it is a show jumper, dressage horse, thoroughbred, gelding or mare sure that you highlight your horse's strengths, experiences, achievements, skills potential and even it's quirks.

It is important to be completely honest because you won't sell a horse that sounds too good to be true and any amount of truth stretching will always be revealed eventually.

Bloodline

This is a fantastic selling point. If your horse has significant parents or ancestors in its lineage then your horse should sell in no time. Buyers that are looking to buy a certain lineage will search though horse's for sale and finding your horse listed could lead to an instant sale.

Pricing

Make sure that you consider the price long and hard before publishing it. Read other horse for sale classifieds, ask advice from any friends or acquaintances that buy or sell horses regularly or seek guidance from equestrian experts. If you over-price your horse, buyers will think that you are trying to rip them off which will draw out the sale. You may even end up having to sell your horse at a price lower than its worth to pay for your mistake.

The waiting game

After your ad is published it is a good idea to check your email and voicemail as regularly as possible for any queries, requests or other interest from potential buyers. A quick response could mean that you are in with a chance of making a quick sale. A buyer may have their heart set on your horse so don't give them time to change their mind.

Be aware

Whether your horse is for sale online or offline, whether you know the buyer or not, horse sale scams are unfortunately fairly common. This doesn't just apply to slippery salesmen; there are just as many dodgy horse buyers out there. So, never release your horse until you have the money in your hand or at least had confirmation from the bank that the money has been deposited into your account and cleared.

If at first you don't succeed...

It is a good idea to place your ad in a variety of locations. Some, like Dogwood's horse for sale section, are free to advertise in, but others can be expensive, especially if you don't wseel you horse in the first week and have to re-submit the ad every few weeks or months if you don't make a sale straight away.

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