Adverts that put you off a horse

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Clannad48

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A quick question, what would put you off a horse when first reading an advert. I know that there are people saying that there is nothing out there to buy so when looking for a horse what makes you consider looking into it further.

Anyone out there any good at writing adverts btw
 
One thing that puts me off everytime, is when you see a child popped up on a horse without a hat!! See the horse is completely bomb proof... Hmmm yeah right!
Pictures are really important to me, one conformation shot, flatwork and maybe a jumping if that's what the horse is advertised to say it can do.
Keep the advert simple, true and not over detailed, the rest can be over the phone :)
 
Rubbish photos, no hat, inappropriate riding wear.

As above really, keep it simple and to the point.

Also, when people write them from the horse point of view. Nothing worse.
 
I'm looking at the moment, and there isn't that much out there. So if you are selling feel free to PM me!

Anyway what makes me look twice at an ad?

- Good clear photos, I want to be able to see the horse clearly and what it can do. Ideally one proper confirmation shot, one ridden flatwork picture at least and at least one jumping picture. I like to see one of the pictures with no boots or bandages so i can get an idea of how much bone the horse has.
- I like all the information to be in the ad, I'll go to the next one if it misses out something crucial.
- I like a phone number AND an option to email or PM as I am often late home from work and don't like to make on spec calls at the sort of time when people are putting the kids to bed. I'd rather make a very quick email enquiry and then phone if the horse is available etc.
- I like an indication of geographical location so I know how long I will be looking to travel. A location at the right end of a county may be worth travelling to, the opposite end might put me off. If you say in the ad I'm more likely to look more closely.
- If you say not a novice ride say why.
- I like to the point ads that get the message accross, not ones written from the horse's perspective, ones two lines long or ones that go on about irrelevent stuff.
- Get the breeding right, if your horse is of unknown breeding fair enough, but it really puts me off when someone puts their horse in a breed category that it clearly isn't. The worst are the coloured cobs filed under irish draught! It makes me think the owner is trying to mislead me when they do this.
- Wacky photos or show off photos put me off a bit. I want to see what the horse does normally and how it works, not that you can sit on it bareback in a sun hat. Loose jumping photos are a bit pointless if the horse jumps under saddle and I'd rather see a picture of it doing that well than launching over something massive as a one off.

Hope that helps a bit!
 
No price, makes me think its mega expensive and wouldnt want to ring as would be embarrassed if I couldnt afford that much, also head shots only.
 
well I always said I didnt like adverts with no ridden photos and no price but what did I buy from.... yep an advert with no ridden photos, no proper conformation shot, horse had been out of work and said open to offers but he is the perfect boy for me so it has worked well. His advert just stuck in my head so I went to see him and he was just what I was looking for.
 
Definately rider on the horse with no hat, bad photos, POA, not novice ride, has been seen to 'weave, crib', 'not been ridden for a while', needs confident rider, open to offers, hunted for so many seasons that age of horse means it was hunted as a 3 year old(!), must have company, had injury then turned away & anything else not doing the horse any favours!! Think that it!
 
I hate the following:-
Adverts written by the horse.
POA
A big block of writing with no paragraphs, full stops etc, it's too hard to read, so I can't be bothered.
They say the horse is a great jumper but the photo is of it jumping a twig.
The horse has some issues & they say you're getting a bargain at only £5000, if it didn't have any issues it would be worth £20000 - how do they know that? I see this a lot on Project Horses - you can keep your dangerous, over priced rubbish!
 
I buy broodmares and youngsters, all I want from an advert is the age, height, type/breed, gender and colour of the horse/foal.

As for the rest, I have a tongue in my head, I phone up and ask questions then I email and ask more questions, get registration details and more photos etc, etc, etc.

Photos? I really don't care what the rider/handler is doing, what they are wearing, or not wearing, or what is in the background, I just want to see what the horse basically looks like. I am considering purchasing the horse, not the yard/the owner/the rider/their tack/opinions or anything else...I judge the horse I see infront of me and nothing else. I go with a trailer and cash, if I like the horse I come home with a horse and minus some cash, if I don't like the horse I leave empty and stop for a meal somewhere to spend some of that cash.

I advertise along those lines, the plain facts, not an essay, nor do I justify why I am selling. If someone is interested, they'll ask what else they want to know. I also never give out my phone number, email enquiries only in the first instance, I can generally weed out the tire kickers that way;)

I give:
breed (specific bloodlines if it will attract more attention)
age,
height (or expected height)
colour,
gender.

+ the usual UTD shots, feet, de-worming, no vices, comes to call, sound and sane, ties, leads, loads, bumph,

decent photos of head, both sides and an action.
 
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A:odverts that say 'readvertised due to time waster'. I always think someone else has probably found a problem with the horse. Adverts that say 'no time wasters' also put me off a bit as I always think they will think you are a time waster if you don't buy the horse, even if you don't like it or it turns out to be unsuitable.
 
POA - just put the darn price.
Pictures that do not reflect what they are advertising them for, e.g. great jumper no shots of horse jumping.
Good broodmare - then does not put breeding
Bad spelling - shows time has not been spent thinking about the advert
 
recently passed a 5 stage vetting. Why did the people getting the vetting not buy then?
Not a novice ride. Why not? What specifically does it do?
POA. Why not just tell us the price, to save our time and yours with wasted phone calls?
 
Again - don't care less what jockey is or isn't wearing - hat/no hat, trackies or bikinis - if the horse is a good horse it's still a good horse!

One phrase that puts me off instantly though is "for sale on behalf of a client"! Always sets alarm bells ringing for me.
 
No jumping pic if the horse is advertised as being able to do so

dodgy looking overbitted/overgadgeted pics, with description saying "snaffle mouthed for all phases, never strong"

Photos where the rider looks like they have no idea

POA - what's the point?!

bad spelling/grammar. I like the adverts to look like the seller really wants to find the horse a good, SUITABLE home.

also agree with above re "readvertised due to timewaster" - they may well not have been timewasters and it just makes the seller sound bitchy.
 
benson21 said:
Not a novice ride. Why not? What specifically does it do?
POA. Why not just tell us the price, to save our time and yours with wasted phone calls?
Click to expand...


Completely agree.

I also agree with whoever mentioned "readvertised due to timewasters" above - I do automatically think they found a problem with the horse! Which is a bit unfair really, given that I've had timewasters come to look at my horses before. Plus I once put mine out on loan only to demand him back 3 weeks later after his loaner didn't feed him... I know the fact I was readvertising a month later must have looked really bad on him, even though he was completely innocent!
 
Poor photos, I like to see a conformation shot and an action shot of the horse moving - I hate pics of the horse standing in a field grazing, a head shot over a door, or people doing silly tricks - it doesn't take a mo to get a couple of decent pics does it??

Another thing that puts me off is mention of the word "parellied" - no thanks, waaaaay too many issues to sort out!! I want decent unruined projects thanks!

The words "stunning" and "HOYS potential" seem to crop up attached to some unlikely animals too. Also 10 year olds plus being advertised as "potential" blah blah blah - if it had any don't you think we'd have seen it by now?

And "fairy story" ads - all I want to know is it's height, colour if no pic, mare or gelding, age and a quick run down of good to hack shoe, box etc etc....I don't need it's whole life story, it's favourite treat or it's favourite colour and bedtime story thanks!!
 
I also hate ad's written by the horse, headshot photo's of it over the stable door or in a field with a rug on.

Other pet hates are horses being advertised as ride and drive, yet the owner doesn't have a cart so you can't see it being driven, anything that is out of work "due to lack of time", and my BIG, BIG gripe - the ones that are about 15 years old, yet have "potential" to go far in the right hands.
 
What puts me off an advdert for a horse is if they say "flashy looking" that to me denotes a very sharp flighty horse and "ridden/hunted by teenager" again when you are that age you ride anything - the madder and flashier the better I know I certainly did not want an old dobbin when I was younger!! What would encourage me is the comment "hunted/ridden by mature lady!" As I have had a couple of experiences with flashy and flighty horses I have now become more sensible as I realise I don't bounce as well any more :eek:
 
POA = unaffordable/overpriced

Not a novice ride - I'm no novice, but most horses arn't novice rides and this phrase usually makes me think rears/bucks/bolts

Re-advertised due to timewasters/first to see will buy - the owner thinks that by arranging to come see the horse you are entering into a contract to buy it, and will make nasty accusations cause their horse couldn't possibly be not quite what you're looking for/just not quite right. They will make it very difficult for you to leave without purchasing. Not worth putting yourself through the stress of dealing with these people.

Recently had/passed 5 stage vetting - So either someone vetted it and didn't take it, why? Or you just bought it and are already wanting rid of it, why?

Tbh all I want is a factual advert. Age, height, gender, what it does (shoe/box/clip), what it's done in the past with some good clear photos of the horse. What the rider wears doesn't bother me so much, but I would be put off by someone who doesn't bother to present a for sale horse in a neat and tidy manner, and would definately be put off by tracksuit bottoms instead of jodphurs.
 
Thanks for all your input - it has certainly made me rethink the advert that we are planning to put together - I agree with a lot of what you say. Unfortunately we are selling this horse on behalf of a friend so will have to think what to say. - when I went looking for our own horse I must have physically gone to see about 20 horses - I was replying to adverts that said things like -

rising 10 - turned out to be 20 if it was a day
suitable for beginner - now I would no way say I am an expert but my god - wouldn't put a professional horse breaker on it
quiet and docile - yeah if you give it a load of anaesthetic
jumps well - hmm - does crashing through the jump count
ideal first horse - doen't even get me started on this one
been there, done that - knackered and should really be retired (This one I wanted to bring home just so that it could have a rest it was 21 - yes I know that it is not 'old' but seemed to have been worked hard every day of its life)


Please people just be honest.

One question though - if I truly believe that the horse we are going to be advertising is not a 'novice' ride - because it is very green and has through no fault of it's own acquired some habits that need a seasoned rider to take time to correct and work through- why should that put people off. I Intend to be truthful and accurate - I don't want to waste people's time by advertising what he is not.

I truly believe that this horse will do very well - but most of all we want him to go to the right home.
 
I would put that explanation of "not novice ride" in your ad. A lot of people will think - ok, I can cope with that. If you just put not novice ride they may imagine all sorts of things.
 
Ridden horses without any ridden shots.

"Do you want to WIN???" - this just annoys me.

"Rosette/jumping/xc machine" - this again annoys me

Spelling and grammar errors.

"Perfect in all ways" - really?
 
I avoid POA adverts, or ones that don't have the age on. Its nice if the ad says where they are roughly -especially with a mobile no.

Pictures - clear and with the horse near - some are dots in the distance.

Wording - precise summary of horse and what its done - "potential" puts me off in anything over 10. I want to see results by then. Honesty is always a good move...but some people over explain problems too much - best to speak to someone that rings up about any little issues, rather than puttin them in the ad...
 
I hate to see:- 4 year olds that have won and done so much at a young age {no thanks} or 3 year olds described as bomb proof/ novice rides :confused:
 
- No photos
- POA
- 'Not a novice ride' when it has just said it's bombproof and snaffle mouthed... If it's not a novice ride, say why!!!
- When the horse is far cheaper than it should be... Suspicious!
- When the photo is of a hairy horse stood out in the field grazing... Makes me think they can't get close enough to get a decent photo!
 
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