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| Discussion on Advice on selling a horse | |
| Author | Message |
| Member: Sparky |
Posted on Sunday, Nov 12, 2006 - 7:40 pm: I am in need of advise from fellow members. I am trying to sell my 9 yr old QH gelding. I have not sold a horse in over 20 years. I started out advertising him as a better than green broke trail horse for $2500.00 - had a couple of inquires but nothing came of it.Here is his history. Born and bred on our farm Broke at age 2 – did two weeks with a trainer at our farm preparing for a Doug Mills clinic - went to clinic and he was used as the model horse – Doug said he had not seen a horse with a kinder eye in a long time. Rode him a very small amount between age 2 and 4 He developed a sarcoid in his ear at age 3. At age 4 I decided to try a herbal program from Austraila instead of the usual cancer injection treatments. I boarded him at a facility that had an indoor arena and started the 14 week program and rode and did ground work with him 5 days a week. Treatment was not really working. At Week 12 he was kicked in the right hind splint bone and it was shattered. We operated and removed the bone and fragments and proceeded with healing. He was laid up for a year as it took months to get on top of the infection that developed. He was rehabbed for 26 weeks doing the usual program with walk 5 min etc. He is totally sound on the leg except he stocks up on it if stalled but it comes down right away with riding or turn out. While at the clinic to be operated on the vet had a co2 laser come into the clinic for a demo and he lasered the sarcoids off and they have not returned since. That has been 5 years now. During the year of injury and rehab he was at the vets, home and the boarding stable to manage his injury and different farriers were trimming him all the time. He was done regularly. He is long in the pastern and tends to run under slung heels and long toes if not kept on top of. He is very flat footed and can be ridden barefoot with boots but is better in shoes. I have ridden him up country chasing cows and on trails and he is very good. Can get a little hot once in a while but stays totally contained and soft in the bridle. He has not been ridden a lot or very consistently. Last year my old gelding (23) developed a pretty good cough from the hay – looks and smells fine! – and this gelding also coughed on it. They did not cough on different hay. So since they have been on pasture all summer and we still are not feeding hay I don’t know whether I am supposed to mention that or not. In the last couple of months I started taking lessons with him and the trainer said that he should really be a western pleasure horse. That he has a true 3 beat canter and is very pretty to watch and incredibly smooth. She has ridden him and describes him as well broke but not finished and could compete in the top western with some finishing. He does have some fairly large splints on both front legs. She said he would be up in the $6000.00 range without the splints and to advertise him for $4900.00. We made a video of him and took some pictures. I had a lady (30) come and try him and they got along really well. She was fairly green and he worked well for her. She wanted her trainer to see him so I hauled him over to where she takes lessons and they tried him there. I talked to the trainer before the lady arrived and said I was not too sure if it was a good match as the lady was so green and the trainer said that she was not really encouraging her to buy but to take more lessons and maybe lease for a while. So I was not really expecting a sale from this trial. The trainer at the barn and another trainer there both apparently liked him but said that they would not touch him because of the splints. The lady would have purchased him because she had absolutely fallen in love with him. He is very sweet and loves people and is very pretty. As I said he is very smooth and I feel has a huge amount of potential. The trainer had told the lady that most owners would not have revealed as much information as I had. I even mentioned the cough. After loading him into the trailer I sat there and burst into tears. I so want to find a good home for him. I don’t know which way to advertise him or what price to ask. I have been told I am not asking enough and that I am asking too much! The western pleasure people won’t even consider the ad if the price is too low!! I definitely don’t want to put him thru an auction. I have 4 horses at my parents farm 15 minutes away from my house. I work full time, have a husband and two children 13,10, help coach some of the school teams they are on and can only spend so much time riding. I am selling him because he really did not turn out small enough for what I want. I purchased a 14.1 hand 5 yr old QH buckskin mare that is those one of a kind matches for me. My gelding is a full 15.2. He really is going to waste in the field and I would love to find him a home where he can be put to work and loved. I would appreciate any comments any of you have with regards to how to sell a horse that is not perfect. I don’t think any horse out there is perfect because when you start talking to people and they start describing all the idiosyncracies of their horses I think well it shouldn’t be that hard to sell mine! Being so honest is more of a hindrance than a help but I just can’t not disclose everything. Thanks Janet here is the link to the video https://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=4639694511284345539&hl=en-CA     
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| Member: Lhenning |
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| Member: Terrilyn |
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| Member: Erika |
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 15, 2006 - 4:04 pm: Janet, I think he is a lovely horse. I also admire your honesty--but don't be too honest to the detriment of your horse.I am not a WP expert, but he looks far better trained than a "better than green broke trail horse". I have seen similar horses termed "push button". Secondly, the sarcoid is a non-issue. The horse has been well for what the American Cancer Society considers it cured, I wouldn't even mention it anymore. Please, don't anyone misunderstand me here. I am not "horse trading". I just think that no horse is perfect and if it doesn't affect the soundness or completion of the work, one is not obligated to tell. Just like if you had an ugly horse, you still wouldn't tell the buyer he's ugly  . My advice is to look at ads for similar horses and see what they are asking. Then have a friend that likes your horse show him to people. They will be more inclined to point out his good qualities without feeling boastful. Then get rid of the trainer that talks people OUT of buying your nice horse! |
| Member: Stevens |
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| Member: Gwen |
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| Member: Tangoh |
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| Member: Sparky |
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| Member: Gwen |
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