How to sell a horse

Selling a horse well is mostly preparation. Buyers want to know what the horse is, what it has done, what it costs to keep and whether it is sound. The more of that you show up front, the fewer calls you take from the wrong people and the faster the right one arrives.

Decide the price

Look at what similar horses have sold for: the same discipline, level, age and region. A horse that has done the job in the show ring is worth more than one that could. Be honest about level; a horse listed a level above where it is will be found out at the trial. Foalioo's Plan page shows median prices by discipline for the horses on it.

Show the horse

Buyers look at photos first. Use a clean conformation shot from the side on level ground, a photo under saddle doing the job, and a video of walk, trot and canter both directions with a jump or a movement if that is the horse's work. Bright light, a clean horse, no clutter behind.

Write the description like you are telling a friend: what the horse is like to ride, what it has done, what it needs in a rider. Leave out the superlatives. Say what it is not good at; buyers trust a seller who does.

Answer the questions early

Every buyer asks the same things: age, height, breed, level, soundness history, vices, how it loads, clips and stands for the farrier, and why it is for sale. Put the answers on the page. Keep vet records and the last Coggins ready to share with serious buyers, and be straight about anything in the history.

Handle the inquiries

Ask each buyer their level, budget, timeline and where they are. That sorts the tire kickers from the trials. Reply the same day. Offer a video call before a long drive. Keep a note of who has seen what so you do not lose track.

The trial and the exam

Let the buyer see the horse ridden by its usual rider first, then ride it. Expect a pre-purchase exam by a vet the buyer chooses, at the buyer's cost; you do not have to be present, and you should share prior records with that vet.

Close

Agree the price, what is included and the date. Use a written bill of sale, take payment before the horse leaves, and hand over the papers, the Coggins and the records. On Foalioo, mark the horse sold and enter the buyer's email; they claim the record and the page goes with the horse.