How much detail on an ad

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catherine22

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I am trying to write an ad for my friends horse, but how much detail do you put on an advert. A lot i've been looking at are a couple of lines, horse, height, age, xc, sj and dressage, whereas some are the horses life story, not sure which generates most interest
Can anyone give me some tips on what to put on there please? can PM it if anyone would like to help!

I do have chocolate digestives on offer!
 
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I would say that the most important info is: height, age, breed/type. Then the key selling points: discipline, competition record, temperament.

Colour is immaterial IMO but helps build a picture if you haven't got a photo.

Stuff such as good to shoe/box/clip etc can be included. Likewise snaffle mouth etc

Regarding vices, I am not sure whether it is neccessary to include these on the advert, but they must obviously be disclosed when someone comes phones: I'd be annoyed if it was had vices they'd not mentioned before viewing.

I think that less is more: if you put the important information then you can gauge whether the person buying him is suitable when you talk to them on the phone, and hopefully save everyone a waste of time if the horse is unsuitable for them or vice versa.
 
When I was looking I liked to see - sex, age, height, breeding, experience e.g. have they competed? Have the been professionally schooled? How are they to box, shoe, clip, catch etc. What sort of horse are they to ride and to handle. Whether they will hack alone and in company, how are they in traffic. I always trusted the ones that acknowledged some failing more e.g. good to load in box but not trailer.

If the horse is up to date with jabs, teeth and back then worth mentioning this. Also if you can (and it's not a bad response) then how long they've been owned for and reason for selling.

Make sure you put the rough location in the advert as nothing more annoying than not knowing or having to google the area code of the phone number!

A good amount of photos too - ideally one conformation shot, one ridden on the flat (at a show if they've competed) and if they jump one of them jumping (ridden not free schooled).

Any help?!?
 
Photos, certainly :) I wouldn't go near an ad that didn't have a photo and make sure if you describe it, it fits the photo! I once saw an ad that described a chestnut horse and the photo was of a grey.
Although I've never bought a horse, I often browse and sigh over the ones I would buy!

Personally, I like to know the horses name, but that's just me :P
Any quirks, height, age, if it's competed, what it's good at, what it needs work on etc.

I don't know about everyone else, but I like to see them laid out like this:

"Name
Age
Breed
Height
Good in traffic
Jumps nicely
Hacks alone or in company
Or whatever else the horse does

Then you can go into a bit more detail and perhaps do a 3/4 line description of the horse. Maybe saying how long you've had it, why you're selling etc etc. This way, people can read the short snappy bits and decide if they'd like to read the longer description. Perhaps you took it to a competition and it won second, maybe it's got good breaks? Maybe it's helped teach a novice to ride? I don't know :)"
 
Thats all really helpful, thank you. Photos are being decided on, we have a conformation one and a sponsored ride one (as she only really hacks), do have a jumping one but as thats not a selling point is it still worth putting in?
Are bullet points preferable to 'text'?
Tina - I know the feeling, this goes from a page to 2 lines!!
 
catherine22 said:
Thats all really helpful, thank you. Photos are being decided on, we have a conformation one and a sponsored ride one (as she only really hacks), do have a jumping one but as thats not a selling point is it still worth putting in?
Are bullet points preferable to 'text'?
Tina - I know the feeling, this goes from a page to 2 lines!!
Click to expand...

I think it is if she will happily pop over a log out hacking. Many hacking homes don't jump seriously but like to have the option and it shows she can :)
 
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