Advert phrases that put you off

[rascal]

Competition home only bugs me. Not everyone wants to compete, but that doesn't mean they are a novice, or would be over horsed.
I have used "no novices"in an advert but that was selling a young, inexperienced horse, so clearly a novice would be unsuitable.

 

[meleeka]

'Great potential in the right hands'

This. Advertised for a silly price because it has potential.
£xx to good home. I always think "How much a bad one then?"

 

[SpringArising]

whats it to you what i do with horse afterwards.. really winds me up....... because I wouldn't sell to you if that was your attitude. Some people care about their horse's future, where they will go to, who will ride them & what they will be doing. Selling a horse is easy, but to the right home isn't.

My horses are competition horses & a novice would be over horsed. The horse would probably be moved on quickly as they wouldn't be able to handle him. They aren't dangerous but when a novice tries to ride them it would probably be a recipe for disaster.

Eh? What does competing have to do with making sure someone's a good rider or not?

If people choose not to compete that doesn't mean they aren't good riders.

 

[Goldenstar]

whats it to you what i do with horse afterwards.. really winds me up....... because I wouldn't sell to you if that was your attitude. Some people care about their horse's future, where they will go to, who will ride them & what they will be doing. Selling a horse is easy, but to the right home isn't.

My horses are competition horses & a novice would be over horsed. The horse would probably be moved on quickly as they wouldn't be able to handle him. They aren't dangerous but when a novice tries to ride them it would probably be a recipe for disaster.

Not all experianced people compete .

 

[Goldenstar]

My complete put off is a photo of say a five or six year old on the lunge .

 

[windand rain]

My complete put off is a photo of say a five or six year old on the lunge .

Usually on some contraption to make it work on the bit. On the forehand and looking awful

 

[cundlegreen]

whats it to you what i do with horse afterwards.. really winds me up....... because I wouldn't sell to you if that was your attitude. Some people care about their horse's future, where they will go to, who will ride them & what they will be doing. Selling a horse is easy, but to the right home isn't.

My horses are competition horses & a novice would be over horsed. The horse would probably be moved on quickly as they wouldn't be able to handle him. They aren't dangerous but when a novice tries to ride them it would probably be a recipe for disaster.

Totally agree !! I've got two nice 6 yr olds for sale, need to sell one of them, as now have accumulated 7. My "classy eventer" has had 3 people come to ride him, all of whom told me they had competed at BE100. None of them could ride at all well (think basic riding school), yet he went like a saint for them. No way I'd sell to anybody like that, not fair on a willing well schooled horse when it's a TB, therefore more like a ferrari than a morris minor! I tend to put "to approved home only", that gives me a get out clause if they can't ride. Several didn't even know what a drop noseband was, let alone how to fit one. it's a minefield out there!!

 

[SpringArising]

Totally agree !! I've got two nice 6 yr olds for sale, need to sell one of them, as now have accumulated 7. My "classy eventer" has had 3 people come to ride him, all of whom told me they had competed at BE100. None of them could ride at all well (think basic riding school), yet he went like a saint for them. No way I'd sell to anybody like that, not fair on a willing well schooled horse when it's a TB, therefore more like a ferrari than a morris minor! I tend to put "to approved home only", that gives me a get out clause if they can't ride. Several didn't even know what a drop noseband was, let alone how to fit one. it's a minefield out there!!

So surely that's proof that 'competitive homes' actually doesn't equal 'good/competent' rider?

 

[NZJenny]

POA (if you have to ask, you can't afford it)
No timewasters (you mean me?)
10 years old with tons of potential (done nothing)
Arab (person who lives in Arabia)
Not mare-ish (still don't know what this means)

And bad photos.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I spoke to someone from the AHS (the Arab Horse Society) at HOYS once re arab v arabian and they said they were interchangeable and that it comes down to how posh you are! They definitely had their tongue in their cheek mind you.

 

[s4sugar]

Don't forget the light work companion adverts showing horse jumping or cross country.
Just be factual and state what it is, what it has done & at what level.
A little extra like good around children for a childs pony but photos of hatless kid will not endear.

 

[Smellycob]

POA firstly. Then its more a lack of important info like no height, no age and a cruddy head shot instead of a full conformation shot.

 

[npage123]

I really don't like it if the dealer/seller describes all the horses for sale in exactly the same way, as if any two horses are alike! And calling all of them a 'paragon of a virtue'. Grrr.

 

[Redders]

Something I have discovered from reading a different thread that now annoys me: calling something (everything) super safe and bomb proof. I don't think any horse ever can be that safe, there will always be 'that one time' when they react, and I think calling it 'bomb proof' lulls an owner into a false sense of security and they stop thinking or they take unnecessary risks (standing on horses back, not wearing a hat, not wearing hi viz; of course as adults we can choose to do these things) and then BAM 'that one time' happens when they least expect it. I think it's important to have your wits about you and be sensible about your safety responsibilities to yourself and your horse.

 

[SpringArising]

Any of the ones on Dragon Driving that start "Here she is boys, you know this filly..." etc.

Was just browsing DD and came across this. Enjoy!

http://www.dragondriving.co.uk/horseforsale-94734.html

 

[GemG]

"First to see will buy" ...

 

[Amye]

Was just browsing DD and came across this. Enjoy!

http://www.dragondriving.co.uk/horseforsale-94734.html

haha!!

"I would never sell this filly" also why bother putting that ?


I should answer the original question. When I was looking, POA put me off straight away. If the horse is expensive I can understand POA, and if I had a large budget I would probably ask if they sounded suitable. But POA makes a horse sound expensive so it puts people off.

The more I see it the more the phrase 'first to see will buy' - it's just a sales tactic to rush you into buying! Even safe horses might not be 'the one' for some people so the first to see won't buy.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I really don't like it if the dealer/seller describes all the horses for sale in exactly the same way, as if any two horses are alike! And calling all of them a 'paragon of a virtue'. Grrr.

Agree with this! There's a dealer I've been warned about who uses the same stock phrase for EVERY single horse he sells! The classic phrase "has hunted in Ireland" always features in his ads, in order words yes it probably was taken to a meet when (or even if) it was in Ireland, but no-one's around to tell the tale of whether it behaved or not!! LOL.

The other phrase allied with this that puts me off is the classic phrase has seen hounds". Yep, possibly it did, but probably turned itself inside out when it did so and behaved deplorably which means that it will be a total loon if taken out again. We've all seen horses who've been taken to their first meet and blow every fuse they've got, then lo and behold in a week or two up pops an advert of "has seen hounds" and you suspect you already know the horse for sale!!

"Handled regularly by children" and/or "ideal family pony" doesn't impress me either, saw a really nasty little Appy back in the summer thus described which tanked its owner through some leccy fencing and was a nappy little so-and-so when asked to leave the yard (bronked). It had obviously been spoilt to death by kids and was sick of the whole shamboodle.

"Good mother/daughter prospect" (or indeed anything which uses the word "potential" or "prospect" TBH) doesn[t impress me either. If its done something then say so, but the words Prospect and Potential don't actually say what the horse has DONE, only what it might do - with perhaps a fair bit of wishful thinking on someone's part - and isn't a track-record of proven success, whereas "been to Pony Club camp" or "competed locally" for e.g. gives more of a measureable indicator of what the horse/pony is capable of. Also easier to check up on how it did and whether this is in fact true.

I've been looking for something even half decent since the beginning of the year, and the more I look at adverts, the more I tend to take it all with a big pinch of salt TBH. I have only seen two horses that came anywhere near what the advert said - and both of those the vet spun........

 

[smja]

A 13 yr old - with potential to be xxxx........ if it hasnt got there by now it never will.

This, so much.

I like adverts to be factual/fairly impartial - what is it, what has it done, what is it like - rather than flowery and descriptive. The best ones are well laid out, too, in paragraphs as opposed to rambling wall of text types.

Also, if you're going to message price and videos to everyone who expresses an interest without any qualification, save my time and yours by just putting them on the advert!

 

[D66]

I hate, "one not to be missed", it's just sales puff, doesn't mean anything.
Also please say where the horse is - county will do. Whilst some may be happy travelling the world for their next competition mount, I'm not going to drive to the other end of the country for a happy hacker.

 

[southerncomfort]

Not so much off putting but confusing.....I saw an advert the other day for an 11 year old horse that was 'currently standing at 15hh'.

Are they expecting it to grow?

 

[PorkChop]

I have loved reading all the replies .... but boy we are an intolerant lot

 

[Peterboy1]

One that puts me off is "10* home only", not because i dont expect to give the horse everything it needs but what the seller sees as a ten star home may be top of the range tack, rugs, expensive livery yards. But then I see a ten star home as safe and able to provide the horse with everything it needs. Other ones are 'POA' and 'no timewasters'

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

"Hurricane proof"...WTAF exactly is that supposed to mean *sigh*

 

[Lintel]

I have loved reading all the replies .... but boy we are an intolerant lot

Snap! The only thing that really puts me off the the blooming price!!!

 

[FfionWinnie]

You want to get as much information across with as few words as possible. There is no need to tell it like a story. I cannot stand "here we have for sale my beautiful", anything about time wasters, "first to see will buy", any fluffy story about anything yet no mention of height and location and other important facts like PRICE! If you want to say no loans, trials, LWVTB etc, then all you actually have to say is "for sale only". It's much neater.

 

[Shantara]

POA - I had such a small budget, I didn't want to be a TIME WASTER for asking the price!
Time waster is another one.

If I ever advertise the mare (Looking unlikely at this point, I love her lots!) I've learnt so much from these threads, I bet I could write a cracking ad

I can't find the ad that made me try her, but it was short and sweet, no nonsense.

 

[Shantara]

Oh yes! No novices.
That's an instant NOPE from me. I don't think I'm a novice rider, but I'm not a confident rider any more and while I don't mind a challenge, I don't want something that will frighten me. I was totally open with the girl I bought Serenity from and told her about my experience, but that I had recently lost my confidence. Although Serenity hasn't given it back yet, I don't feel afraid of her

 

[Shantara]

Sorry to post once more, but the more I read, the more I remembered!

Lack of location. I saw what I thought was the perfect horse, with the perfect price! He was advertised in my search radius too (about 150 miles). Turns out they lived 350+miles away in Scotland!

Companions shown with jumping/show pictures with no hint that it might actually be a companion until you reach the bottom of a very long advert! That happened at least 4 times.

"29yrs young" Ummm...

"Dressage home only" I had replied to an ad that looked pretty good, good price too! I replied that I like the look, would like to do schooling and hacking, maybe pop a jump or two, Only to have "If you'd READ the ad, you see that it's DRESSAGE ONLY!"
Ok, so why isn't that in the title? I could have misread, but I'm sure it wasn't in the ad when I sent my message. When I looked back it was at the very end, a few spaces below everything else. Why is it dressage only? Why can't it hack? Hmph!

Before I started looking for a horse, I was in the mindset that "I'm sure it's fine" but the more I read, the more I began to see, the more cynical I became! It's a tricky business!