Looking for a guide on how to sell your horse? This is it! Selling your horse can be a challenging experience. For one, getting to the decision of selling your horse is emotionally difficult given the connection that you have built with the horse. To be successful at selling your horse fast, you need to know all the options available to you and the steps you should take.

In this article, we’ll cover the following:

Why sell your horse

The 3 ways to sell your horse

Required preparations

Steps to advertise your horse

Horse for sale scams to watch out for in the process

Be sure to bookmark this page so that you can easily come back to it in the future as you gather all that you need. At the end of this article, you’ll have all the knowledge you need to sell your horse with confidence.

Why Sell Your Horse

You may have your reasons for selling your horse but in case you’re still on the fence, here are some reasons why you may want to sell your horse. No one can tell you when to sell your horse but here are some reasons why people sell their horses.

• Selling your horse because you can no longer take care of him. Life happens and we’re put in a position where we cannot fulfill our obligations. This could be because of an illness, family/job commitments or even moving. In such cases, you may want to sell your horse so he can be cared for by someone else.
• Selling your horse to recoup your investment. There’s nothing wrong with selling your horse in order to put the money into something else. Breeding horses can be viewed as an investment and by selling, you get the money to use for paying for medical bills or other things.
• Selling your horse because you no longer need him. When you no longer need your horse for the task you have been using him for, it’s ok to sell him.
• Selling your horse because he is injured or sick. In certain special cases, you may want to sell your horse to a buyer who can provide your horse with the care required after an injury or illness. Be sure to disclose the health status of the horse to potential buyers.

Ways To Sell A Horse

Before you market your horse, it’s important to know all the available channels that you can use. In our world today there are a few ways that you can sell a horse. Each of these channels has its pros and cons so it’s important to understand them and figure out what options will work for you in your area and situation.

Sell your horse privately

Selling your horse privately is usually the easiest way to get started for many horse owners. It is simple and straight-forward and thanks to the Internet, it can be done at any time of day or night. Selling a horse privately gives you the most control over every aspect of your advertising and should be used to gauge the market.

Pros:

• When you sell privately, you get to control all aspects of the transaction including the price you set and all the details you share through your horse for sale ads,
• You get to interact with potential buyers and get a feel for who they are and if they will be a good fit for your horse,
• You can quickly determine the price and demand for your horse and adjust your advertisement accordingly.

Cons:

• It can be time-consuming setting up advertisements online and offline. You’ll also need to spend time replying to dozens of potential buyers.
• Advertising online in horse for sale platforms brings you head-to-head with competition with other horse owners selling their horses and this can bring down the cost/interest of your horse.

Selling your horse through a dealer

Horse dealers are professional horse sellers who are knowledgeable and have local connections in the industry. Over the years horse dealers have gotten a bad reputation because of misrepresentation of their clients’ interests so it’s important to do your due diligence before committing to working with one. Still, local horse dealers offer valuable help when you are selling your horse.

Pros:

• Horse dealers are experienced and know people in the horse industry and that can make the process of selling your horse easier.
• Because horse dealers handle the selling for you, you don’t need to devote time out of your day to answer potential buyers.

Cons:

• You need to take extra precaution when hiring horse dealers otherwise you may end up with a bad deal.
• You will generally make less money because you will be paying commission to the horse dealer.

Selling your horse through auctions

Horse auctions have existed for a very long time and are a great way to sell your horse. Although horse auctions happen locally, you can also participate in online auctions. Horse auctions attract huge groups of potential buyers and this increases the chance that you’ll sell your horse.

Pros:

• Your horse gets great exposure during the auction which increases the likelihood of selling your horse,
• You are likely to sell the horse at a higher price due to the demand at the auction

Cons:

• Horse auctions have listing fees and when you actually sell your horse there will be a sale fee (usually 5.5% – 10%) which can cut into your profits,
• You have to travel to the horse auction which, depending on where you live can be quite far

Preparations Before Selling A Horse

Now let’s look at the preparations you need to do to get your horse ready for sale. Here’ what you need to have:

1. Determine the price of your horse. This can be a big challenge because there are a lot of factors that determine what you’ll price your horse. A simple way to determine the price is by looking at comparable horses for sale in your area as listed on online platforms.
2. Gather all the horse documents including registration paperwork and health checkups,
3. Take the best photos of your horse. Thankfully many smartphones can take very good pictures. Before you take pictures, it’s important to clean and groom your horse and get him show-ready.
4. Record an action video showing your horse’s gait, discipline, and tasks that he’s used to doing. This gives potential users a chance to see what your horse in action.

Steps To Advertise A Horse Online

Selling your horse online is the easiest and most straightforward way to get exposure for your horse. There are a number of great platforms that you can list your horse for sale and have all communications come to your email or phone as you engage potential users. To get the most out of your horse for sale ads, follow these steps:

1. Determine the 2 or 3 horse for sale platforms that you’ll list your horse on. For example, MyHorseForSale.com serves US and Canada while Horse & Hound serves the UK. There are other smaller horse for sale sites that serve smaller regions that you can use as well. Once you decide on the platforms you’ll use, move to step #2.
2. Register on the platform and create your ad. Your horse for sale ad should have all the important details about your horse. Take extra time to craft a great title because this is what people will see first before they click to view the ad details. Next, focus on the description of your horse. Instead of just mere descriptions, tell the story of your horse, what makes him great and who will make a good fit for your horse.
3. Once your horse ad has been published, keep an eye on your email and/or phone for messages from potential buyers. Set aside time to respond to your prospects promptly so that they know you’re still interested.
4. By this time you have a few serious inquiries. Serious buyers will want to come to see the horse. Set up trial sessions where prospects can come to examine and ride the horse. Be sure to have signed waivers from each person before they get on the horse to cover you in case of any accidents in the process.
5. Next, negotiate the price, shipping (if required) and closing date with the potential buyer. Get the agreement in writing. It’s important to use the services of an equestrian attorney to put together a purchase contract so that you’re legally covered. Discuss the transfer of funds and ownership of the horse, at which point the sale is complete.

Seller Beware

While advertising your horse online is pretty easy, so is being scammed. We have an excellent article on horse for sale scams which you should check out but here are the main points:

• Deal locally as much as possible because it’s easier to verify and qualify potential buyers.
• If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is. Insist on verifying potential buyers’ information and contacts. If a potential buyer sounds flaky about providing information, move on to the next buyer.
• Avoid buyers who are trying to rush a sale. Genuine buyers take their time to check out the horse and go through due diligence.
• Insist on getting paid in full and let the check clear before transferring ownership of the horse. Alternatively, you can use a local escrow service.

Conclusion

I hope you find this article useful. Whether you use our platform or not, I wish you all the best. Please share this article with friends and family so they too can have success selling their horses.