Are wanted ads worthwhile?

Yes, I did.
I got a massive response and from people thinking about selling their horse without being bothered to advertise. I'd say at least 50% of responses fitted the description of what I wanted.
I managed to find my horse after just 2 days of viewings. I did one Devon/Cornwall trip and then on Gloucestershire/M5 corridor trip
 
yes, but also be prepeared for all and sundry ringing you to offer you anything but what you asked for
 
I suppose if you are very specific about what it is you are after, then yes, maybe! For example, specifying that you are after something capable of/currently competing at a certain level?

We have however, placed previous 'wanted' ads for ponies & been inundated with replies from every nutter under the sun trying to offload their completely unsuitable equines on us!
tongue.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
yes, but also be prepeared for all and sundry ringing you to offer you anything but what you asked for

[/ QUOTE ]

That's what i was worried about! We have already had lots of fruitless trips to see unsuitable horses that sounded fab over the 'phone. I thought perhaps a wanted ad might be better as people wouldn't bother going to the effort of ringing you if their horse wasn't suitable.
 
Be very specific about what you want, learn the right questions to ask over the phone! And try and see a few horses in one day in one geographic location, then if you have a dodgy one you won't have wasted much time.
 
I sold my horse to someone who'd placed a wanted ad. I wasn't even planning to sell until I saw the ad, and it described him perfectly.
 
Thanks all, I think I'll give it a go.

I know we are asking a lot as we lost an absolute saint of a horse last year and are looking for another one but if people were a bit more honest over the phone I wouldn't have to waste their time either as it's not just me who has a wasted hour or so, they have to turn up to show the horse too.

I think the advice about being very specific is spot on, as hopefully this may put a few of the unsuitables off!
 
I put in a wanted ad and got only the one call. I bought the horse at the price I wanted to pay, not the price the seller wanted and he has been an absolute superstar.

Good luck with your ad!
 
ah, not much puts off a true nutter
smile.gif


i.e. i see you were looking for a young eventer with great potential, i have here for sale a 21 year old unbroken 3 legged moose which will suit you down to the ground...
 
I put a wanted ad in Horse and Hound and got a very good respose. True, people do ring up with horses that are nothing like what you've advertised for! Also, I put 100 miles radius of Northumberland, and lost count of the number of calls I got from Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wales etc! All the horses were of course worth travelling for! I would certainly do it again, sooner rather than later if I can't find what I'm looking for the the minute.
Good luck!
 
It did with us. We placed an ad on project horses. Got a call 5 hours after ad going live looked at horse next day and picked up last week. Have also had a lot of other calls from the same ad all of which we would have looked at if we had not bought the first one!!
 
I put a wanted horse ad on horse mart and got a mixed response nothing really fitted the bill, I clearly stated no vices and during the phone calls alot said well he windsucks, but put a collar on and he's fine, or he weaves if he is left alone.

So I am going to try again and do another one on a different web site, would you put your max price or not?
 
Ive bought horses through Wanted ads. Usually though Ive only put them out for cheapo "project" ponies Ive wanted so quite a lot of ponies fit the bill! I got a few calls but often I find something amongst them. Worth doing long-term free ones (in free newspapers etc.), I never pay for a wanted ad!
 
probably not, because people will ask whatever youre willing to pay, even if they wouldnt have asked as much as that, if you see what i mean?
 
We put a wanted ad on horsequest almost three months ago and I'm still getting calls. As is sods law, we found a pony who hadn't been advertised very close to home and he's a star.. Down side is horsequest, despite requests, haven't taken the ad down but I guess that's the best sort of problem!
 
I have replied to a wanted ad recently as i have a horse coming up for sale - i think you do have to be specific with your requirements and maybe a guide price and i think an email address is good as people can send you pics and description easily or call.
You are bound to get a few nutters whatever you put though!!!
Good luck with yor search
 
Sorry I'm hijacking your post

But I live in Derbyshire and need to put on again a wanted as, thought about Horse Quest but the horses on there seem miles away, I don't mind travelling say 100 miles, I'm just wondering if I will get any replies.
 
Wanted adverts are a great way to find a horse if you're looking for something specific. Often the best horses (especially schoolmasters) never go on the market, but can be snapped up with a wanted ad.

[ QUOTE ]
Down side is horsequest, despite requests, haven't taken the ad down but I guess that's the best sort of problem!

[/ QUOTE ]

We sold a pony 2 weeks ago, and within 24hrs of emailing them to put "sold" on the advert, they'd done it. They'd probably prefer to put "horse found" on your ad than remove the advert - it makes their website look effective! It's definately worth another shot, getting loads of calls when you've found/sold a horse can get really tedious!
 
I have bought 99% of my horses/ponies from wanted ad's - usually on Horsemart as it's a very reasonable price. Yes, you get a lot of 'random not good's' but I weed them out by communicating via email first. I only buy though not loan as often wanted ads are flooded with people wanting a 'freebie'!
 
When our 14.2 pony went lame we advertised in the H & H and had a fantastic response. People sent us videos and photos and we eventually chose one from Cambridge ( we live in cumbria) and the people brought it up to Arena UK for us to try and we drove down in a horse box. They were so trusting with their super pony. We later ended up buying him and he now lives in north cumbria. I would recommend it every time.
 
Thanks everyone, as you can see by the number of posts I'm new to this forum so it has been really nice to get such constructive replies. Lets hope my wanted ad gets such a successful response -keep your fingers crossed!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top