How we all see different things.

[be positive]

Looking on another thread I am amazed at the variation in comments and what people see by watching a short video, some saw a confident, well started young pony, others see a worried pony that lacks confidence, others see some unlevel strides, are we watching from different viewpoints, having varying levels of expectation or are some just not looking beyond a pretty face.

I am not putting my opinion on yet, I pm'd the OP rather than post on the thread, I know the asking price which has not altered my opinion but wonder if it may alter other peoples?

What do you look at first when viewing a potential horse on video, I am about to make a sales video so am really interested in what you would like to see.

 

[Polar Bear9]

Saw and posted on that thread. I suppose I firstly just go for an overall impression, don't look at anything in particular, just get a feel. In that video the overall feeling was that it was on edge and straight off the boat. Then look more at specifics like paces, conformation and tack, none of which were that great in that video. It is funny how people see different things and I do wonder how many people didn't see past the pretty colour and quiet rider (not saying my judgement was right, just that a lot of people get dazzled by flashy looking horses and riders and don't look any further).

In a sale video I would mainly like to see the horse preforming the task you are advertising it for, for example I wouldn't look at something advertised as a 1.20 jumper without the video showing it jumping 1.20 minimum. A nice addition would be footage of it doing that at a show. I would also like to see a variety of activities if possible with the horse looking relaxed and capable. Personally I don't like shows of 'bombproofness' like having 2 people on it, riding with loose horses, standing on backs etc. Not sure why, it just seems like trying to hard. I also like to see conformation shots and good close up photographs, not just blobs in the distance wearing rugs.

 

[FlyingCircus]

Ideally in a sales video, i'd like to see horse doing what it is advertised to do, so maybe some show footage. Then W/T/C and maybe jump (depending on if it jumps) on both reins on a decent surface (even flat field is fine).

Depends what exactly it's advertised for, but I think additions such as showing horse loading, being clipped, with farrier, are nice additions but not 100% necessary.

Saw a video once where they showed horse being caught, brushed, tacked up, ridden (on flat and around course), clipped, loaded, with farrier and hacking down fairly busy road. Definitely showed that horse was totally chilled out with all these things.

Am also not one who likes people showing off how bombproof the horses are by jumping dangerous jumps, shaking tarp around while standing on horse..etc

 

[Moomin1]

Saw and posted on that thread. I suppose I firstly just go for an overall impression, don't look at anything in particular, just get a feel. In that video the overall feeling was that it was on edge and straight off the boat. Then look more at specifics like paces, conformation and tack, none of which were that great in that video. It is funny how people see different things and I do wonder how many people didn't see past the pretty colour and quiet rider (not saying my judgement was right, just that a lot of people get dazzled by flashy looking horses and riders and don't look any further).

In a sale video I would mainly like to see the horse preforming the task you are advertising it for, for example I wouldn't look at something advertised as a 1.20 jumper without the video showing it jumping 1.20 minimum. A nice addition would be footage of it doing that at a show. I would also like to see a variety of activities if possible with the horse looking relaxed and capable. Personally I don't like shows of 'bombproofness' like having 2 people on it, riding with loose horses, standing on backs etc. Not sure why, it just seems like trying to hard. I also like to see conformation shots and good close up photographs, not just blobs in the distance wearing rugs.

I would say the last thing that horse was was 'flashy' in all honesty. What I saw was a very bog standard run of the mill horse which had done very little and was very under developed, and most probably lame. For me, the whole video smacked of wheeler dealer trying to make a quick turnaround.

Overall impression, including seller/rider, environment and conformation are the first things I will look at. I will then usually keep looking for an idea of how sound it is and well established.

Can't stand these ads where they show babies sitting on the horse or some idiot standing on the back.

 

[Honey08]

I didn't watch much of the video, I got bored v quickly - so make a sales video interesting. I don't need soundtracks or photos with hearts and stars round the horse, just decent footage of the horse reasonably close up in all paces on both reins and jumping if advertised as a jumper. Links to other vids of competitions if a competition horse, but generally to the point (not ages of warming up, more workmanlike footage).

 

[be positive]

I didn't watch much of the video, I got bored v quickly - so make a sales video interesting. I don't need soundtracks or photos with hearts and stars round the horse, just decent footage of the horse reasonably close up in all paces on both reins and jumping if advertised as a jumper. Links to other vids of competitions if a competition horse, but generally to the point (not ages of warming up, more workmanlike footage).

That is pretty much what I plan to do, short, sweet no frills just enough to show what it can do without getting boring.

 

[be positive]

I would say the last thing that horse was was 'flashy' in all honesty. What I saw was a very bog standard run of the mill horse which had done very little and was very under developed, and most probably lame. For me, the whole video smacked of wheeler dealer trying to make a quick turnaround.

Overall impression, including seller/rider, environment and conformation are the first things I will look at. I will then usually keep looking for an idea of how sound it is and well established.

Can't stand these ads where they show babies sitting on the horse or some idiot standing on the back.

I think your opinion of the horse was much the same as mine, my pm was probably a bit more blunt that I would have posted, it did nothing for me and I was surprised at some of the posts saying how sweetly it was going.

Everyone seems to be in agreement, babies sitting on for no reason whatsoever, endless trotting round, ponies with rugs on and jumping 1ft when selling a show jumper will probably mean you move on to the next ad.

 

[alicesmith]

Something that seems to happen a lot (though obviously not so much in ads with videos) is a horse is being sold as a jumper and every single photo is of them jumping. I want to see some flatwork photos, and a nice head shot or two!

 

[cptrayes]

Front, side and back stills.

Video towards and away in a straight line in walk and trot.

Walk trot and canter UNEDITED on a good surface. On the video which inspired this thread I was very suspicious of what had been cut out at one point.

Jumping if it's being sold as a jumper.

As a buyer, that's what I want to see, but it really can reduce your viewers unless the horse is perfect


I didn't get beyond five seconds in the last one i was sent, the horse plaited in front and that's a huge no for me.

As a seller, I've never given video and I would avoid it if I could. Not because I ever have anything to hide, but because it's too easy for something silly and immaterial to stop a viewing where the buyer might completely fall for the horse's character when they see it.

 

[Dunlin]

Well the internet wasn't around when I was buying horses so I just looked at 1 or two bad quality pictures in a magazine or notice board with a description. I much prefer this because then you go to view with a clear mind and you can ask to see the horse doing x ,y and z.

With regards to the horse in the video of that post, I can see what the seller is trying to do, trying to show the horse ridden, around another horse, good with traffic etc but it didn't work because I felt the horse looked really worried the whole time. This is why I don't like viewing videos. That would have put me off, but horses go differently for different people and as someone said above, I wouldn't just jump on him and go, I'd turn him away and start fresh next year, but the video would have still put me off and I would have gone to view with that in mind which is a negative thought.

One final point, music for me is a big no in videos. I watched a video sometime last year for a horse for sale, had horrendous loud club music on it and in the YouTube bar to the right under related links I saw the original video entitled "raw version" and watched it with no music on it and no edits or special effects. Ohhhhhh dear. The rider screamed and growled at the horse the entire time and cleverly edited out of the video was after each jump the horse stopped dead and threw it's head between it's knees actually dumping the rider more than once, there were also edited out rears and bucks for the schooling parts of the video showing off the paces. Of course with the music on and the special effects and edited out parts you thought it was a good horse, 3 nice paces, well schooled, good manners, jumping nicely with a nice quiet rider and the horse was advertised as, you guessed it, "Lovely Schoolmaster". NOT the case at all!!

 

[AdorableAlice]

I like to see the horse stood up so all four limbs can be seen, as you would in front of a judge. Not stretched out or 'forced' in anyway. Followed by the camera walking around the horse with a back view, tail out of the way, and a front view including the feet.

Then a walk away and trot back. Under saddle I would want to see transitions up and down, the horse moving in front of the leg and looking through the bridle. If the horse is advertised as 'made' for whatever job I would expect to see lateral work for dressage horse and some jumping from a event/sj horse, on both reins.

That would be it for me. I am not interested in seeing it load, lunge etc and would judge temperament when I tried it and handled it.

 

[splashgirl45]

as others have said , see the horse stood still sideways on,,then walk, trot and canter and jump ..no music or special effects...no silly shots of kids sitting on or standing up....I hate the videos which don't show the transitions as makes me suspicious that it has taken ages to get it on the right leg.. so many videos don't show the walk which I think is a very important pace..also try and zoom in so the horse is closer rather than further away....