Selling responsibly

So, you've decided to sell your horse and you'd like to avoid the nightmare scenarios you've read about on the internet.  Where do you start?

I'm a firm believer in the "right" buyer answering the ad - if someone speaks your language and feels comfortable with what you're selling, they are more likely to pick up the phone and call.  If you're selling a 3rd level dressage horse, you're not going to discuss how fun it is to track cows with him - and if you're selling a barrel horse, you're not going to talk about his lovely flat-kneed trot and ease of collection.  You're going to talk about your horse's good points in the discipline he's trained for; let people know all the reasons they should come look at YOUR horse as opposed to the fifty other ads they've read today. 

Take good, flattering photos of your horse after a good grooming - most cheap digital cameras do a horrible job unless you aim at a point just behind the wither/shoulder area and you're standing square to the horse.  That whole "first impression" thing is true - if a photo makes your horse look cow-hocked, hammer-headed, straight-shouldered and dumpy, you're probably not going to get a lot of phone calls.

If the horse has papers, the papers go with him.  No exceptions, no extra charge.  Papers help ensure your horse an identity, even if he changes hands a dozen times in his life.  It drives me absolutely crazy to see:  "Price is without papers.  Papers will cost you an extra $200."  Great, keep the horse from being able to show, keep any offspring if it's a mare from being able to be registered, affect the horse's value for the rest of its life -- might as well ship him to slaughter now.

Don't be offended when potential buyers discuss vet checks and trial periods.  This is a great sign that your horse is on the right path to well-prepared new owners who are asking all the right questions -- and who have probably been burned in the past. 

If you're giving a horse away for "free"...realize "free" without references and a site (home) check and reference checks can be a death sentence - whether giving your horse to someone who sees "free" without realizing the cost of caring for a horse, or whether one of the local dealers sees the per-pound value of your "free" horse.

A right of first refusal / buy-back contract between seller and buyer is legally binding and can help ensure the horse never ends up in a bad situation; whether the horse is outgrown or the new owner runs into financial difficulties, the seller has the right to buy the horse back.  Several simple contracts can be found through Google.

Finally, remember that "gut instinct" -- and listen to it.  You have the right to tell someone, I've decided not to sell or I'm sorry, I think he's sold -- if the situation doesn't feel comfortable to you.