Where to advertise a tricky horse for sale?

quirky

quirky

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I have a horse who is pretty talented, is stunning (so I keep being told) but can be a bit of a terror.

He is 8, I've had him since 3 and he's worn me down. I think the only way is for me to sell him, reluctantly.

Where would you advertise him and how can I word it so as not to put people off?
I think if I could get people to come and see him/try him, then he might sell.

What I don't want to do is lose them at the first hurdle!
 
Personally, I'd want the largest audience possible...so I think it'd be worth investing in an advert in H&H...and then be brutally honest! there's no point in lying or using clever wording, it could potentially lead someone to get hurt. Sell him as a talented project, an ask for sensible offers.
 
second project horse but advertise anywhere ...local tack shops ect. and be completely open about his problems otherwise you may get the wrong kind of people contacting you or waste peoples time coming to see him and not knowing i know i would be really anoyed if i turned up to try a horse that hadn't been advertised truthfully and openly
 
I'd have said Project Horses as well. It's a great site, and a place where you can be REALLY honest with the issues.
 
If being honest puts people off then I would be honest! there is nothing worse than having someone ring up to find the horse isnt quite as described etc- there will always be someone who will take on a quirky horse- I am one of them!!
 
I like quirky too and he could go to the wrong home for him if your advertise without telling the full story.Should have sold my boy about 8 times cant do it keep hanging on.
 
I would advertise as normal. Would never stick a horse on project horses as if I had a talented stunning horse but tricky it will go if worded and priced correctly.
 
Just a suggestion but have you thought of sending him to a professional for sales preparation. They would iron out some problems, have good connections of people looking for these horses and would probably get a better price for the horse. It might give the horse a better, more competitive future than if you try selling him privately with faults, you might get a few numpties coming to try him because they're after a cheap horse.
 
That's an idea KVS but sometimes you have to accept that a horse is what it is and find the right home accordingly. Some things can be ironed out but some horses just have these funny temperaments and 'ways' just as people do. I have one too and he will not be ironed out I can assure you!!!!
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I would be honest as others have said and advertise him as wide as possible. Possibly even contact some trainers and ask them to ask around...they may have some clients looking for a challenge.
 
personally i tend to prefer tricky horses, as it gives me a sense of achievment when we overcome things.

personally i would never advertise a horse on project horses as i think that is already limiting the amount of people open to the horse. also imo a horse is not difficult, but that it just needs time and dosent fully understand. however, i am a firm believer in the best most talented horses are often the "difficult" ones, so would always view a horse to see the quirks fully. - i would never write off a horse because of his tempermant (except if it was really genuinely insane and dangerous) understand your point of view, and i would also sell if a horse has become tiresome - riding is meant to be fun:p

advertise him on h&h and other places like tackshops and local newspaper so that you have the widest audience; for example, my friend's pony is incredibly quirky but his personality matches hers, so they get on together.


also what are his quirks?
 
i bought my mare after a thread was posted about her on this site.... rears bucks stamps strikes bites kicks flattens you... previous owner was very truthful and i bought her as a project horse as shes also grade c jumper, in 2 months shes a different horse.

id say be honest, you will put people off but then your only get serious enquiries. i think price will play a huge ppart aswell, my mare had been advertised for 7 months, and i have to confess ud faint if you knew what i paid!
 
How is he tricky ...
1.Doesn't like being groomed - bites.
2. Not 100% to load but I do have a method that works with 1 person loading.
3. Spooks at everything, own shadow included, how ever many times he sees it.
4.Will/can jump but is not consistent.
5.Knows every evasion trick in the book - once you've overcome one, he throws another at you.

Basically, nothing is easy with him!

KVS - have thought about sending him to a sales producer but I don't know one that could be recommended. When is a sales producer not a dealer?

Project Horses - would not even consider advertising on here.
 
So what could you reliably "show" a potential buyer to make them want the horse? I'm not being smart, I'm merely trying to suss out your situation.

I specialised in starting and "fixing" horses where I used to live and did occasionally make them up for sale. I usually assessed the horse and then told the seller what we could reasonably produce to show to buyers, with full disclosure, of course. I won't lie, it's tricky. You cannot be less than 100% honest - even aside from the ethics you're asking to be sued - but there has to be something buyers will find attractive and hopeful enough to take the risk, usually more than just a relatively cheap price.

Can he show? That's the best route - people will forgive a horse anything if he can get results. In which case show him a bit and advertise him as any other horse. Otherwise your options is to price the horse reasonably and just advertise as any other horse and hope the price tips people off before they call.
 
Both my jumping and dressage instructor say I should ask £4500 for him. He does have good breeding, he is a W x TB, 16.1HH and a tobiano.

I have shown him, once at the British Elite show and one local show. On both occassions, he was pretty good on the go round but got very edgy on his individual show, when he leapt around and generally rushed. Local show judge was pretty rude about him but Britsh Elite judge who had qualified for HOYS that year in coloured classes came to speak to me after the class and said not to become disheartened as he had alot of potential.

Problem is, because he is such a pain out, I don't enjoy it and we probably don't go out as much as we should. So I'm in a catch 22 situation.
 

Rather than considering sending him away to a producer, have you thought about having a behaviourist/whisperer from your area come out to you?

it would cost you less than it would add to his value, and when he's reformed you may even decide to keep him after all!

Do we get a picture of the tricky boy?
 
As to the above, I will say that a lot of the horses that I worked with to sell (in many cases because the owner had been seriously injured, not just lost confidence or come to the end of his/her rope) often ended up being kept successfully by their owners once they began to see results. It was almost as if, having made the decision to sell, the owners stopped feeling so personally involved and pressurised and remembered what had attracted them to the horse in the first place.

What I really loved was when an owner came regularly to see the horse go and saw it start to turn into the horse he/she had always dreamed of. As the owner started to see how to personally and positively affect the situation and gained confidence the question of selling often resolved itself. Even the people who still decided to sell (I was pretty blunt about suitability, future predictions etc.) often really gained from the experience of working through at least some of the horse's "quirks". It also taught then a lot about what they might want in a next horse and how not to fall into the same trap again.

If you're not sure about selling see if you can get someone to work with you AND the horse, either at home or somewhere you can get to easily. You might be surprised!

Good luck.
 
Well Weezy, you might not pay that but 3 years ago I was offered £7K for him when he wasn't even for sale and was even more badly behaved than he is now. Also a dealer was delivering a horse to a yard I was on just over a year ago, only saw him in the field, not ridden and said I'd get alot of money for him! If only I'd reached the end of my tether earlier!!!

Lilpinkso - horse whisperers ... I'm still on the fence about them. I did have one to load him when he was 4yrs, wasn't cheap and didn't work! I know I shouldn't write them all off after one bad experience but I'm just not sure it's not throwing good money after bad.

I have tried to post a pic but I'm incompetent .. If you tell me how, I'll pop one on.
 
If someone is willing to give you the money then grab it
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You could get yourself a super horse that will fill your criteria with that sort of money so I honestly hope you get it
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Worth getting back in touch with the dealer and see if he is willing to take him on?

As for posting a pic - upload picture to www.photobucket.com (make an account - it is free) then once the piccie is on there copy the 3rd line of code underneath (all will become apparent) and paste in a post et voila, one posted piccie
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id have to agree with weezy, a horse that has so many issues i think your be lucky to get someone to view him let alone get on his back, horses have peoblems for a reason and normally they are man made (that is not directed at you)

his breeding is worthless really as hes a gelding, if hes just a horse that evades everything and isnt actually dangerous to ride you will find some one to take him on, how about dressage? or maybe you just need to go right back to square one and re educate him.

as for value? i dont think you can even consider the figure you put.. a grand maybe.
 
Is it jsut his colouring that makes him worth what you have been offered???

as has been said before, if he is tricky then surely he would be worth less.

I do not mean to cause offence by this comment, but its not as if he can be bred from or anything.
 
I'd also say get back in touch with the person who made you the good offer. Did they ride him/see him go? People "offer" all the time and it never comes to anything - I really wouldn't use that to value your horse.

As to "horse whisperers" what the difference between that and a really good trainer? Any one really successful does a mixture of both, whether we all want to admit it or not. Training isn't just about "how" it's about "why" and "when" and anyone with a real talent for helping horses does a lot more than sit on them and tell them what to do.

Anyway, to make the horse marketable he has to show something, at least for people coming to try him. If you can't get him attractive for the money you want you won't get the money, simple as that. Give it a shot and see what happens.

One thing I can say, you will have to judge yourself what level of rider you let try him - I find "quirky" horses often bring in riders who have, um, inflated ideas of their own ability and I've seen some VERY hairy situations. I've showed a couple where we were completely honest about their complications and yet still had people fresh out of riding schools or buying for their kids wanting to try them. I guess the "bargain" is so attractive some people just want to hope for the best.

I can also guess that most people who are really able to sort such a horse out reasonably quickly won't give you much for him simply because they know the time, risk, and potential for a less than satisfactory outcome. Those sorts of people can usually make horses up from scratch themselves, which is usually easier and cheaper than trying to fix something, so they won't invest heavily in an unknown quantity.

Sorry if I sound like the voice of doom but I've had this conversation a hundred times. It's quite difficult to sell a horse with a problem, especially if, like yourself, you care what happens to the horse. I can tell you so many horror stories of "problem" horses ending up in even worse shape through some less than pleasant attempts to cure them. I know you're at the end of it and want the horse gone but I still feel if you want a good-ish outcome you may have to invest more and if you simply want him to go away you may have to resign yourself to a substantial loss. I'm really sorry you've got to this point. It sucks and it's far more common than you'd think.
 
In answer :-

His breeding is Bazaars Texas x TB P2P mare.

Was I offered 7K because of his colour, that I don't think so. It was because when he does work nicely, he works extremely nicely. The person who offered that was from Holland (nobody well known unfortunately) and I wouldn't even know where to contact them. He is very intelligent and picks up things very quickly, he has a paddy when he doesn't know what is being asked of him but once he gets it, he's away.

Cruiser - you say about riders having inflated ideas when it comes to ability. This I found out when I offered him out on loan when pregnant. Ad clearly stated he needed a competent, confident rider sympthetic to his way of going. The numpties I had turn up were out of this world. I think some people just seem to see it as a challenge. Well, they didn't get the chance as I wouldn't let them on him. Those that did ride him frightened me and him!! I ended up riding him till 7 months gone and got back on when baby 4 weeks, so he had 3 months off ... it didn't do him much good .... but that's life I suppose.

I am not bothered about making a loss on him, that's not the issue. What I won't do is sell him for stupid money to somebody to work on him a bit then sell on. He doesn't settle when moved and he deserves better than that.

I would rather keep him and be miserable than the thought of him moving from pillar to post.
 
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