heartbraking sale. How does this ad sound?

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DressageDiva1983

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Hi, My dressage horse has been diagnosed with arthritis and is no longer able to work at such a level so i need to find her a home. My vet has said a hacking home would be ideal as she would still be mobile, but have no undue stress on her joint. Just wondering what people think of my ad and more importantly price (this is or was should i say a £10,000 plus horse)
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do happy hackers really exist? and if so where should i be advertising???? All opinions gratefully recieved :

A rare opportunity for the right person to purchase a stunning, talented dressage mare with fantastic TB bloodlines including grandsire shadeed and grt grandsire Nijinsky as well as numerous county show winners on the dam's side. Perky has competed and trained to a high level, consistently scoring in the 70's every time out from prelim to medium and has won numerous local championships and qualified for a regional. She is now looking for a slower pace of life due to an old pastern injury which has started with arthritic changes (hence price.) The changes have been treated but she can be slightly unlevel at times, this can be managed with Bute. She doesn't jump but would make somebody a fantastic hack or pleasure ride horse, proving to be 110% on the roads; she may also be able to do RC prelim tests. She is sane and sensible, will go first or last, never gets strong even out in a large group, will canter over open fields sensibly and her temperament is to die for and therefore she would also make someone a fantastic quality broodmare. She is an 8 year old, 16.2 thoroughbred mare and has been produced by myself. 100% hack, turnout, catch, clip, trim, pick feet out, lead, load and travel. If you’re looking for a sweet, easy to do, RC prelim/ fantastic hack, look no further! This special mare is for sale to good home only at a drastically reduced price.
£2000 Home more important than price
 
Ad reads well but this is what I would miss out;

TB breeding - is it important? Most TB's are traced to Nijinsky/Northern Dancer etc somewhere in their lines. Selling her as an RC/Hack makes it irrelevant.

Did she compete affiliated - were those results unaffiliate or affiliated?

Price - I think you are asking a lot for a TB mare that can't jump, can really only hack and do the odd prelim. At the moment competition horses are selling from 2k upwards. I know she migh of been worth 10k but I think realistically you will struggle to find someone who will pay 2k for a hack. Reading the ad, I honestly thought she was to loan/free to a good home.
 
imho i think £2000 is too much to pay for an unsound horse no matter what breeding she has, but good luck finding her a nice home she sounds like a lovely horse.
maybe loaning her out might be another option?
 
I'm sure that you will sell her without any trouble - she sounds gorgeous. It must be heartbreaking for you to sell her. Would the arthritus prevent her from breeding? If she has such good bloodlines, that could be an option. Good luck with finding a new home for her.
 
yeah i agree in hindsight about price, thought i would leave myself haggling room! but home really is more important than price. she sound most days but becomes lame if worked to hard, needs 3 days off then sound again. When slightly unlevel (usually really cold weather) she levels up with a bute a day.
 
I think she put bloodlines on incase someone choses to make her a broodmare babe-(I missed that bit first read too.)
Think advert reads well, she sounds lovely. If only I had the money-sigh!
Good luck
x
 
I would reword it so that the fact that she needs a hacking home is nearer the top, yes her scores are all very well and show she is well schooled but I would instead say something like.....

Stunning well schooled TB mare needing a quieter hacking/lower level life... then say mare has competed up to medium with good scores, 100% in traffic (get rid of the 110% v annoying!) etc etc.

Then explain about the pastern injury a bit more.

I think that would make the ad read better, so say what home she needs, what her past is schooling wise and why she would be a good hack, and then the injury

I also think her breeding is not relevant.

and yes £2k is too much I think
 
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I think she put bloodlines on incase someone choses to make her a broodmare babe-(I missed that bit first read too.)
x

[/ QUOTE ]

The thing is with TB's anyone really wanting a broodmare is more interested in the dam line, and would want a full 5 gen pedigree. Saying "Nijinsky lines" with a TB is pretty similar to saying "Human for sale, can trace lines to Adam in the garden of Eden".
 
i have a full 5 gen pedigree for the dam line too, they just not as well known! You are right zoeshiloh, i put the sire line in to attract attention and hope the viewer would carry on reading!
 
if you want to include breeding can you just put the parents, anyone can then look them up, or her registered name?

1k was what I was expecting to see at the end of the advert as a max tbh.
 
Speaking from experience (having seen a friend recently go though a heartbreaking situation) please could you consider freezemarking her before sale and writing her medical history in her passport? If she is freezemarked she is less likely to become 'detached' from her passport and 'lose' her medical history. This then means she can't be dosed up with bute and sold on as a sound horse.

Sadly there are people out there who prey on people in your situation and seem very plausible and have wonderful homes that they can offer. When you see your horse advertised a week (!) later on an equestrian website for sale at a far higher price, there is nothing you can do - except wait for the next owner to contact you.......

Your mare sounds wonderful and I wish you good luck in finding a lifetime home for her.
 
If the money is not important to you, and you care about her future, then you should find a loan home for her and keep a close eye on her. A young mare like this, being offered at a low price is bound to attract unscrupulous people who will bute her up and sell her for a higher sum of money and the poor creature will be passed from pillar to post.

It would be impossible for you to find out whether the buyers were genuine or not, and once the money has changed hands, you are no longer in control.

If she was sound this would not matter so much because she would have the same chance of a good future, as any other sound horse.
 
Sorry to hear you need to sell her. She sounds like she could make someone a nice happy hack though, if you can find the right home.

Ditto the concerns above about her being passed on as a sound competition horse. Did you claim for loss of use? If so, is she freezemarked with the loss of use mark?

Has your vet confirmed that she can be bred from with this ailment? Personally I would not want to breed from a mare with arthritis.

I think you may be right that around 1k is more realistic.

Best of luck.
 
Hi l don"t know where you are but l have been looking for a horse to do hacking and some funrides and your mare sounds perfect.
I would give her a forever home as l am getting on a bit myself now all l want is a nice quiet ride so if she were to be advertised l would be ineterested.
 
Must admit if she were mine - it would be a loan only home and in my local area. She is far too good a catch for some doggy dealer to re-passport, ship out of the UK and bute up to be sold on at a highly inflated price and tbh £2k negotiated down to £1500 quid - will it make that much differance to your pocket - for peace of mind and knowing where and what has happend to her.

Please have a long hard think - once she is sold - you have no say in what happens to her and not all people give a damn about the poor horse and will do whatever (she could even end up being de-nerved) they can to turn a quid
 
If I were you I would loan her. I have with my mare who will is a little unlevel behind. Found her a lovely hacking home, and may sell her after a long time there. But I couldn't bear to sell her for the very real risk of her getting into the wrong hands and being sold on.

And 2k is too much for a lame horse however good she is- she can't do it anymore, sorry.

Hope you find her a good home.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think she put bloodlines on incase someone choses to make her a broodmare babe-(I missed that bit first read too.)
x

[/ QUOTE ]

The thing is with TB's anyone really wanting a broodmare is more interested in the dam line, and would want a full 5 gen pedigree. Saying "Nijinsky lines" with a TB is pretty similar to saying "Human for sale, can trace lines to Adam in the garden of Eden".

[/ QUOTE ]

not true you can't trace any northern dancer lines in my gelding
 
im in agreement with zoesiloh the bloodlines are nothing special in a TB and 9 ouy of 10 TB's can be traced back to northern dancer, price is rather high just for a happy hack and stress if she is same on the roads/on her own/in company etc
 
I generally agree with Ester, but I'd be inclined to do a separate paragraph about the fact that she could be a broodmare and put her breeding in that.

Her lameness is minor and comes from an injury not an inherited condition. Arthritic changes following an injury are completely different to general arthritis, and have only arisen due to the injury.

I'd also echo the concerns about actually selling her, why not loan with a view to buy so that you can be sure she is going to a genuine home. Or just loan.

I think you will need to drop the price to sell her too.

Might be worth saying whether she would hunt (lots of hunters look unsound but are comfortable and up to the work) if she would this would open up the market a lot.

Also worth considering embryo transfer as a possible home.
 
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