Mini Horse Blogs

Mini Horse Blogs - January 30, 2015

Helpful Hints -Marketing Your Miniature Horse

By Karen Rudolph – www.minihorsesales.com

Be a cheerleader! Does your horse have a winning show record? An awesome temperament? Is he a PROVEN producer? Does he/she have a CHAMPION pedigree (close-up, as in champion SIRE, DAM, grand sire, grand dam or champion siblings) – those are all worth bragging rights. Just be sure you have proof to back it up (If you are selling, OR buying a lot, subscriptions to AMHA & AMHR Studbooks are extremely valuable. Even if the horse won the aforementioned awards before you owned him, his winning show record belongs to the HORSE and you can use it to promote his sale.

Be realistic. You can’t be “barn blind” when selling horses. Pedigree is important, but it is not the “end all” – your horse needs to stand on their own merits. A “great great grandson” of some famous stallion is NOT enough to justify a huge price tag.

Be Professional. Always. Selling can be frustrating – people can be frustrating. Don’t be offended by offers, A lower offer from someone who will show and promote your horse/breeding may be worth considering (and remember you can always counter offer) and don’t get frustrated by emails from “kids” – they are the future & CAN be prospective buyers.

Be thorough - PHOTOS are what FIRST attract buyers – ONLY post ones that flatter your horse. I’m a big fan of nice pro photos. They will draw the potential buyers in and get them interested in finding out more about your horse – BUT also have available OTHER non-pro photos ready. Foreign buyers, especially, want to see GOOD photos of your horse - left & right side, front and back, and bite. When you take these photos, be sure you are level with your horse, NOT looking down, as that distorts the horse’s proportions. MOST people cannot see through 2 inches of hair (myself included) so if you cannot provide photos of your horse clipped, consider holding off on selling until you can – OR be prepared to take LESS money for your horse. A VIDEO is also extremely important for any horse – ESPECIALLY one that is selling as a driving horse.

Be patient. Some horses sell fast and others may not, but don’t sound desperate or you may scare off potential buyers. Then refer to #1 – are you being realistic on your selling price?

Be honest. This should probably be #1 on the list. Don’t make outrageous claims that are false (“unbeatable in the show ring” for a horse that has never been shown; “perfect conformation” for a horse that has many visual flaws) If your horse has issues that may affect the sale, don’t “forget” to disclose them (locking stifles, retained testicle etc.)

Be responsive. REPLY to requests and questions! Sounds simple – but it’s hard to keep up sometimes. Check your “spam” folder (or “other” mailbox if you are posting on Facebook) I run an active sales site for Miniature Horses and get messages EVERY day from people – telling me they messaged the owner of horses for sale on the site with no response. Hard to sell a horse that way.

Be prepared. HAVE those good “pasture” photos & bite photos handy! Want to really be on top of the game? – how about a VIDEO of the horse being measured, so buyers know your facts are accurate. Be prepared to answer lots of questions – the higher the selling price, the more questions the buyer is apt to have. There are LOTS of nice horses on the market today. If you want to sell YOURS, be prepared to work for the sale.

Be grammatically correct. Use spell-check to check spelling before you post your ad AND then DOUBLE CHECK spelling. Your horse should have correct CONFORMATION, not conFIRMation. You need to SELL your horse, not SALE your horse. It’s a good idea to let someone proofread your work before it is posted. YOU know what it is supposed to say, so you may be skimming over errors in the text (I’m REALLY good at that!)

Be positive. If you horse is priced right, sound, sane & as advertised, with flattering photos and a clear, factual description, he/she WILL sell.