Selling for the First Time :(

[atropa]

Over the past few weeks I've been doing some serious thinking about my current riding life and what I want to achieve, and whether my current horses will take me there, and I'm coming to the conclusion that they won't, or at least not for a very long time.
Therefore I'm consider selling my two younger horses and buying one to replace them.

However, my problem is that I am firmly in the 'these horses are my pets as well as to ride' camp, and therefore I am finding it difficult to actually contemplate writing their sales ads. Does anyone have any tips on how to get over this hurdle? I have viewed a few ads online for horses that might be suitable for what I want, do I use the search for my new horse to concentrate on and take my mind off of selling my two? Should I cut the attachment now and send them to sales livery?
I've never sold before, only kept the previous horse and bought another to add to it, but unfortunately budget and space won't allow for that this time.

 

[Lipglosspukka]

If you have facilities where you are and the horses are straight forward enough, then I would think sales livery is a waste of money.

Have a friend who knows the horses well, write up adverts for you perhaps?

It's the best time to sell.

 

[Kaylum]

Look for wanted ads on local horse fb groups?

 

[dixie]

I'm similar to you in that I view my horses as being with me for life. However, I recently sold a horse I had about 2 yrs as felt he needed someone who wanted to do less jumping/competitions.
It was the best decision I made in a long while. I found someone fairly local who adores him and he looks very happy too and I have a new horse who I gel with much more.
I advertised on HorseQuest and FB and whilst I was inundated with adverts, viewing was problematic as it was around the lockdown period. You need to not get stressed with the million of questions and timewasters. It's not something I would hurry to do again but do feel it was definitely the right thing to do.
I don't think I would have liked him to go to sales livery as I wanted to get a feel for the new potential owner and make sure he went to the right home and not one similar to mine.

 

[bubsqueaks]

We are about to do the same!
My advise would be that you are in control of their destiny so hold out for the home you ideally want for them - previously we found by asking for a riding video of interested viewers it really did reduce the timewasters - also we were totally honest in disclosing all history & issues up front.

 

[PSD]

Look for wanted ads on local horse fb groups?

This is what I did.

I really didn’t want to sell my fell youngster, I’m very much a “a horse is for life” person however she just wasn’t the one for me despite trying with her for a year. I found a lady looking for a fell and I had a good chat with her and she was happy to buy her unseen for the price I asked for. It worked out perfectly, I sorted the transport (buyer paid for it) and took a deposit. The rest of the money was transferred the day before she was due to leave me and it all went perfectly and she’s smitten with her. I found that so much easier than having to deal with advertising and doing viewings.

It was hard to make the decision but once I’d made it I didn’t change my mind. Took me about 6 months to actually do it, but I’m glad I did now as I now have a wonderful horse who is more suited to me. Everyone is happy! There is no point in keeping a horse for sentimental purposes, so many on here advised me that life is too short and the hobby is too expensive to be unhappy with a horse.

 

[Birker2020]

Over the past few weeks I've been doing some serious thinking about my current riding life and what I want to achieve, and whether my current horses will take me there, and I'm coming to the conclusion that they won't, or at least not for a very long time.
Therefore I'm consider selling my two younger horses and buying one to replace them.

However, my problem is that I am firmly in the 'these horses are my pets as well as to ride' camp, and therefore I am finding it difficult to actually contemplate writing their sales ads. Does anyone have any tips on how to get over this hurdle? I have viewed a few ads online for horses that might be suitable for what I want, do I use the search for my new horse to concentrate on and take my mind off of selling my two? Should I cut the attachment now and send them to sales livery?
I've never sold before, only kept the previous horse and bought another to add to it, but unfortunately budget and space won't allow for that this time.

I've never sold, my horses were always forever home horses but with the current market you will have no problem, good luck.
My only tip is to get a video of horse in trot towards and away from the camera as well as on the flat in trot on short side of arena as well as long side and a couple of circles in trot and canter, finally a nice walk. And jumping if that is what yours do.

It really helps a buyer out seeing a video, and potentially a wasted journey. The amount of horses I've seen lately on Horsequest for sale that are dog lame, there's one at the moment, as soon as you see it walk its a big no no.

 

[RushpolePony]

I definitely think that looking at wanted ads is a great idea. The horses that I've bought based off of someone sending me details in response to a wanted ad have always been perfect for me.

Depending on what you have done with your horses, are there any friends or friends of friends or just people you know looking for a horse? That way you know the buyers full intentions, what they are like and can stay in contact quite easily etc.

Otherwise, just write everything you can think of. Don't think too much about what you write, write everything you can think of about them. Just write it with the emotional attachment. I find that adverts written like this have everything you need to know from possible quirks to the perfect way to get the horse to be your brst friend for life. Then once you've written it, get a couple of friends to read it, make it more concise and take out any bits where you just go on and on.

And like what others have said, use videos. When looking at horses for sale, an honest seller is everything. If I get thousand of videos, pictures, FB post links, then I am a very happy potential buyer. Showing everything a horse has/hasn't got to offer is often the best way to guarantee a good home.

And to end a long reply. See if you can get references for the potential buyers. Definitely stops timewasters and means that you can get a good understanding of what the buyer is like. Oh, and this is from personal preference but having a buyer out a few times to try the horse seems to give pretty good results. Or if you can wait, a trial for a few weeks seems to be quite popular because as we know horses can change their behaviour just based on moving yards and/or having a different rider.

Good luck and I hope that if you do sell, your horses end up in very happy homes.

 

[Havital]

I’ve been there and it was horrible. I never really quite moved on from her and luckily I ended up buying her back. She is going to stay with me till the very end now no matter what.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Feeling your pain OP. I've only ever sold one horse who was a lovely boy but at the time I had him just wasn't right for me then.

However, roll on a few short years, and yes he would have been ideal!

I felt really awful that I'd sold him; yes I knew I'd sent him to a very good home where he'd be loved and cherished. He was a ride & drive - but wasn't broken to ridden work until he was 8, and I always suspected he'd much rather be driving; with his previous owner he'd done a lot of high-level competition with HDT so it was good to be able to pass him on to a home where he'd be doing driving and not ridden work any more!

But I still missed the little guy........

What I'm saying is, yep OK so the two horses (youngsters?) you have now are not what you want, for now, but that isn't to say that give it a year or two and they just might be all-singing-and-all-dancing and everything that you want them to be???

Whereas if you replace them with just the one horse - you might just be putting all your eggs into one basket?? Do you see where I am coming from??

Is having professional help or sending them away for schooling an option?? Would turning them away for the winter and seeing how they come back in the Spring be an option?? Or even a winter loan??

Oh dear....... sometimes decisions are difficult; but I really do sense you are really very fond of these two and don't want to part with them........ I follow the "Trace my Horse" FB group and keep seeing these really heartwrenching posts from people who've sold their darling horses and can't sleep at night for thinking about where they ended up......

 

[Sugar Plum]

Atropa, I don't envy you. Like others on this chain, I am very emotionally attached to my boy and would really struggle, but know I would do it if I wasn't right for him. It doesn't always have to be that a horse is right for you, it can be the other way around. There are an awful lot of us horsey folk out there that love their horses just much as we do so sending to a sales livery wouldn't be my first choice unless I had no try out facilities. I went to see a horse once and there was no access to an arena, ended up not buying, because I couldn't see the horse at its best (or worst)

 

[Otherwise]

One thing that helped me when I was selling was the fact every horse I've owned I've bought off someone else. If no-one was willing to sell I (along with most other people) would never have the opportunity to own a horse.

 

[catembi]

It's very hard but it's also rewarding when they find totally the right home. I have accumulated 6 (!) as I was of the 'home for life' mindset, but then someone was coming to see one of them to loan, then it occurred to me that one of the others, whom I've had forever, would actually be a better fit. So he's gone on LWVTB, she totally loves him, and instead of being a spare part here & just another one to feed, rug, try to keep alive etc he is now utterly cherished & doing a job.

 

[Wheresthehoofpick]

I've just sold for the first time. I also buy horses for life but Covid and family issues means that my riding life has changed completely and my lovely horse just wasn't getting the life he deserved with me. At the vetting I was really emotional. The vet said to me - "It's wonderful what you have done with him. You have been part of his story. He is happy, healthy and confident and ready for his next chapter."

He has gone to a wonderful home.

I wrote an advert and circulated it to all my horsey friends who I feel have the same ethos as me. He sold through word of mouth. I had one horror show viewing - I thought the person was known to me but actually she had FB stalked a friend. She was completely unsuitable. Everyone else who came (3 of them) were perfectly suited. They had already been "vetted" and knew what to expect of him.
I really thought that my inexperience of selling meant I had to use a sales livery. In actual fact I know my horse, so actually managed fine and was the best person to sell him.

 

[Jellymoon]

It is very hard, but can work out really well for everyone if you make a real effort to make sure they find good matches. You can’t control their future, which is the hardest thing, but at least if you’ve made a good match they are unlikely to be sold on. This is harder to do if they are on sales livery. I have used sales livery before and neither horse ended up in their forever homes, but the ones I’ve sold from home, where I was very picky and really vetted people, are still on those homes.
The problem is, the sales livery ones were there because they weren’t straightforward so I didn’t feel I could show them off myself. The ones I sold from home were straightforward. So whether that has a bearing on them sticking in their new homes, perhaps…
Anyway, I used Right Horse Right Home for my last one, and really liked that system. Puts the buyer in control and let’s you assess applications before you allow viewings. I had 15 applications via email, narrowed it down to 3, first person wasn’t the right match (she agreed so all fine), second person was exactly the right match, had to cancel the 3rd person, who was gutted! Horse is very happy as is his new owner.