How to Write a Proper Horse Ad

Anyone selling a horse online should have a bare minimum of information in their ad.  If it was laid out in a simple format, so much the better!

Please note; if someone is searching online to buy a horse, they are looking for the right horse for them.  You should be looking for the right home for your horse.

They already have a general capability list, age, personality and look/breed in their head.  Well, at least they should!  They want a horse to fit their needs and their lifestyle.  So whether they’re looking for a bomb-proof older been-there-done-that trail horse or a high-end show jumper — they know what they want.

Bare Minimum

• Breed
  (If you don’t know, it’s a grade horse but “QH-type grade horse” or something similar is acceptable — if it’s a cross-breed, list the breeds — don’t blend two breed names together to make one word — ie. Arapaloosa.)
• Papers: y/n
  (Do you have the actual registry papers? Can it be registered?)
• Age
  (Don’t guess.  If you aren’t sure, say approximately XX years old.)
• Height
  (In hands, measured properly — if you don’t know how, ask your vet the next time he\she’s out — there’s nothing worse than seeing “15.4HH” in an ad!)
• Professional Training
  (How many months or years, in what discipline; how long ago)
• Discipline
  (List what discipline the horse has done, and/or is suited for.)
• Shots / Vet
  (When and for what were the horses last vaccination, how it handles being around the vet.)
• Farrier
  (When last trimmed, does it wear shoes or go barefoot, how it stands for the Farrier.)
• Shows
  (Has the horse been shown and in what discipline, also this is a great spot for fairs, parades, etc.)
• Health Issues
  (A simple “no health issues, horse is sound” could suffice, if you’re being honest — if the horse tends to colic, then say that!)
• Personality
  (Easy to catch, in your pocket type or aloof, mischievous, or what?)
• Other Info
  (Easy or hard keeper, always manages to hurt itself, etc.)

Extra Help

• Photos
  (I am a firm believer in uploading a photo.  There are many sites that allow free ads with photos.  Find one.)
• Videos
  (If your horse is being sold as an “amazing jumper” or something along that line, and especially if it has been shown — have a friend take a video then upload it to youtube and link back.  Everyone has this easy ability, and the more you’re asking for the horse, the more people should be able to see of it.)
• Weanlings
  (If you are selling a weanling, please include photos of the dam and sire — as well as their pertinent information –all the info listed above for each would be nice!)
• Geldings
  (All male horses should be gelded.  Period.  The only reason the horse shouldn’t be gelded is if the horse is worth more than $5000.00, has shown / raced / whatever and wins consistently, and is a perfect specimen of the breed!)
• Jumping
  (There is a difference between free-jumping and jumping with a rider — explain what you mean.)

And please, USE SPELL CHECK!!!

Sites

Please see list under “Trying to Sell Your Horse” for the page containing links to sites for advertising your horse, or click here.

Remember

This is a living breathing animal.  It is an animal that is very large and expensive to keep.  Don’t lie in your ad to make the animal more appealing.  This only leads to:

• Buyers getting frustrated when they go any distance to see the horse and it’s not as advertised
• Buyers being disappointed when you’ve tricked them into buying something that is not right for them
• Your horse ending up in a home it is not suitable for
• Your horse possibly ending up in a truck bound for slaughter

The best way to sell a horse is with a contract.  You should be willing to take the horse back if it does not work out.  See under tab at top for contract samples, or click here.

(Most information taken from http://notabreed.wordpress.com/how-to-write-a-proper-horse-ad/)

Sample Ad

Feel free to copy and paste the table below, and fill in the blanks, but be sure to write a great introductory paragraph as well!

Breed
Type	(Gelding, Mare, Stallion…)
Papers	Y/N
Age
Height
Training
Discipline
Shots/Vet
Farrier
Shows
Health Issues
Personality
Other Info