If you are selling a horse or writing a horse for sale ad, consider these points. Sometimes, if I see a bad picture or certain words, I will not read any further.

Including a bad Picture -The old adage, a picture is worth a 1000 words is true in your horse for sale ad. If your horse for sale ad has farm machinery, mud, gunk and beer bottles strewn in the background rethink your picture. Wire fences, metal gates and farm machinery do not make for good backgrounds. have a clean background, solid wall or pasture or trees in the background.
photo credit: quiet perspective

A bad picture of the horse may be the horse is missing a leg, or the horse’s ears are back or sideways. Take the time to groom the horse, and stand the horse correctly to get a decent picture with a decent background.

Have a current picture. If it is July and the picture you have has snow on the ground, unless you are in Australia get a current up-to-date photo for your ad.

A poor description – I recently looked a horse for sale ad for a horse that was 14.7hands high. Oh boy, I thought. How tall is this horse? For the uninitiated, horses are measured by hands. A hand is 4 inches. so if you own a horse it can be 14.2hh or 14.3 hh – OR it can be 15.0hh NOT 14.4hh.

By posting an incorrect measurement, it signals to me, as a potential buyer, that you know absolutely nothing about horses, or you have incredibly large sausage fingers.

Have you ever gone to look at a horse which was described as 16hh and then arrived to see a 15hh horse? I have. What they told me was, and get this, they measured her, but someone cut the bottom of the measuring stick off! Needless to say I was quite angry when I was expecting to see a 16hh bay mare only to find a 14.3hh mare which may on a good day with wedge shoes, finish at 16hh.

Seeing the words “Experienced Rider Only” – When I see these words, I see a run-a-way. If you only want the horse to be ridden by experienced riders put in the ad “Serious Inquiries Only”. I am an experienced rider and when I see ‘experienced riders only’ I will stay away! If I see ‘serious inquiries’ I get the feeling the owner has put the time effort and training in a horse to get experienced riders. When the ‘experienced riders only’ comes up, I envision a horse which is unsure and possibly unsafe.
photo credit: Five Furlongs

A possible alternative is ‘not suitable for beginner riders’ as this may indicate the horse is trained but not accustomed to beginner riders.

Seeing Spelling Mistakes and Bad Grammar  – We all make them and we all see them but if you are selling a horse please spell correctly or at very least have a knowledgeable friend with some horse sense or grade 5 education read over your horse for sale ad. I am not talking there, they’re, their. I am talking gelding (gelden, geldin), load (lode) on a trailer, farrier (ferrier), saddle (sadle), broke (broak to ride).

Before posting your horse for sale ad, take a look at some advertisements you like and review the things they have included and put them in your own advertisement. Take note of the things which got your attention and things which made you shy away.

What things would you include in an advertisement which would make you buy a horse?