Horse trading is very competitive and the buyer of a horse can be very critical. The person looking at the horse wants to be sure that the animal is sound and sturdy not to mention healthy. When it comes to selling your horse take some time to groom the horse well and make it look nice and clean.
Selling a horse may not happen right away. You may need to put several ads out before the right buyer comes along for your horse. If your horse has not been worked with for awhile you should take some time to work with the horse so it behaves better. There are a lot of horses out there for sale that are not worked with and therefore do not behave well. Not many horse buyers will take the sellers word ” He’s a wonderful horse but hasn’t been ridden for awhile.” The buyer wants to be able to test the horse to see how well it rides.
If you want to get a good price for your horse you need to get the horse in shape otherwise don’t expect to get much for your horse. Point out the horses positive side and direct your sale to what your horse does best. For example if the horse does well when his hooves are worked on then take time to show that to the customer.
Your prospective buyer is going to ask questions. Be ready for them and know what you will answer. Does the horse spook? How well does the horse trailer? Is the horse healthy and sound. What bad habits does the horse have? Answer the questions honestly.
Be prepared for the person to want to ride the horse if you are selling a trained horse. The buyer is going to want to see how the horse feels when being ridden. If your horse hasn’t been ridden for some time you should take the horse out for a ride before the buyer comes to see the horse.
Clean the horse up nicely before you sell it. Brush the horse down and clean up the hooves. Put on a nice layer of hoof coating to make the hooves look shiny and healthy.
There is a large number of old out of shape horses on the market. These horses are referred to as backyard horses. If your horse fits the description of a backyard horse you may have a hard time selling it.
The best time of year to sell a horse is in the spring when the riding season is starting. In the fall the potential buyer is thinking that they will need to care and feed the horse all winter and that they might as well wait for spring to buy a horse. If you must sell a horse in the fall or winter you will need to sell if for a lower price then in the spring.
