An Interruption to Your Regular Programming...

...to chat about fantasy horsey Christmas gifts. Now we all know our ultimate gift would be a new horse, or a barn, or a trailer...I am talking things that are slightly more attainable. Slightly. So here are some of the (admittedly personalized) best fantasy Christmas gift ideas for that lovely horse-lady in your life:)

10. Newmarket Dress Sheet

What english rider hasn't coveted them at one point or another? And the best part is now you can more than the original gold/red/black! $125.99

9.) Ariat Bristol Jacket

 

Flattering fit, looks expensive and the most convenient color you can wear to the barn--brown! You can wear it to the barn, wash it and throw it on with your skinny jeans and cute boots for a darling winter look. OH so versatile ;) $109.95

 

 

8.) Pessoa Gen X XCH Saddle

 

Gorgeous leather, nice balance and a not terrible price makes this a lovely saddle for just about anyone. Price point is right there in the middle ground. $1519.00

7.) Custom Name Plates

The one I've listed is brass and is ALSO magnetic, which makes it ideal for metal barns, or for those of us who show and like to have name plates on our show stalls. A very thoughtful, and very REASONABLE gift:) $14.99

6.) Customized Padded Halters

This is one I don't have, and wish I did. Tons of colors to choose from, and endless fonts and styles of name plates. This particular brand is affordable and seems to be a nice quality. $99

5.) Cordoba Andalusian Riding Boots

Found at SmartPak, these gorgeous boots fit right in with out of the barn trends, while still being functional barn boots. Plenty of heel and rubber sole make them safe for riding, thick quality two-toned leather makes them good for wear, and the looks are certainly stand-out. Want! $274.95

4.) IRH Switch Tab Helmet

Safety, comfort and style? Check! The resurgence of the helmet came about a couple years ago when a well-known dressage rider Courtney King was injured in an everyday accident where her mount slipped and fell and caused her brain damage. Thank god for her, because I've always thought we should all be wearing helmets, but of course nobody thought it was cool. Now not only is it okay to wear a helmet, it can be downright stylish! The IRH makes one good helmet, nicely shaped and well-fitting and this one brings it to a whole nother level. You can satisfy your need for bling and color while at home, and still have the ability to change out that center tab to black or silver if you want to show in your helmet--as you should:) $99.95

3.) Gersemi Full Seat Breeches

Lovely fit, good quality and soooo cute! At $178.95 they really aren't terribly priced either, for good quality breeches!

2.) Oakcraft Plaid Tack Trunk

WANT. NOW. But seriously, so gorgeous, and useful too! Yes, I am aware they are as much as some horses, but these will LAST. Right? The price tag on this baby is $934.95

1.) Artemis Black/Brown Padded Bridle

I love this bridle. With it being brown and black you can use it with both your hunter and your dressage saddle, just remove the flash! Classy, flashy and still not obnoxious. This baby runs $179 and is totally worth it!

That is all! If I had everything on this list, I'd be one spoiled girl! Maybe someday!:)

-Tara

 

 

Make An Effort!



One thing that I see a lot these days, thanks to Craigslist, is people thinking they can slap a list of attributes up, say how much they love their horse, and post some random picture and expect to get $5000 for their horse. When someone makes them a reasonable offer based on the effort amassed in the advertising of their horse, they get offended.

I'd like to share a story of a friend of mine.

She had a nicely bred, cute little mare. She got her from a dispersal sale along with another mare. She planned to work with both of them, and keep the one that suited her more as a barrel prospect. The one that didn't, she would work with and sell.

The mare she kept was a little older, and a little stouter. The little mare was nicely put together, smart, and bred nicely to be a speed horse. She had worked with the two and just preferred the personality of the bigger mare. 

She started out trying to give her away to a good home that would use her.
She advertised her lightly (by word of mouth, on Facebook)with a little interest, but couldn't quite get someone to bite.

I suggested she let me take some photos of the mare, and help her throw some ads out there. I offered to do it for free, so really there was no reason to say no:)

The mare, although quality, was a little rough. Had a bit of sunbleaching, and her coat/tail/mane a bit brittle. She had been halter broke and thrown out to pasture for 3 years, so though she was coming around, she didn't love being messed with. Very no-nonsense kind of girl. Friend groomed her up the best she could, and I found the best places I could to take pics.

It was late summer so the grass was dead, no real flowers to speak of and the farm didn't have much in the way of clear wall-space or areas without fences competing for attention. Because she was still wary of new people, and situations we opted to do photos in the round pen and arena so as not to overwhelm her.

Here is what pic my friend had been using to advertise her mare:

 

 

If you have a good eye you can see the quality here, but really it's just a picture of the mare eating. Not much to attract you to her over a million other chestnut QH mares right?

 

So about an hour total spent grooming and photographing garnered these photos:

 

Really did the mare some favors. She originally listed her on July 1, 2012. We did photos the end of August, and she was sold by Oct. She got $700 for her and she is getting saddle broke and loved in her beautiful new home. My friend checked references, was very honest and had the buyer sign an airtight contract--even for $700 (ESPECIALLY! for $700) to ensure her mare didn't end up going to slaughter, or starving in someone's mudpit of a pasture.

It really pays to take the time to properly advertise!

 



Writing Ad Copy--Craigslist Style!

A good example of the type of photo NOT to use in a CL ad:) (Me and my Rescue Ellie)

This blog will be a quick one!

When writing an ad for your horse on craigslist, please refrain from doing the following:

IceeZ is my favorite pony. She is pritty when she stands out in the pasture. She doesn't really do anything but eat. She is 10 years old, and I 've ridden on. her two times bareback. She knows how to jump 6', I know because she jumps out of the pasture all the time! She is 14.1hh so she's the perfect heighth(not a real word folks!) for anyone, or Could even be a kids pony!!!!!! I think she cld be a great 4-H prospect!!!< I'm asking $100 for her and she comes with all of her tack, even a pink Wintec saddle! To good home only....no slotter people!!!:(

The biggest mistake here is that the asking price is just asking for a kill buyer to come pick your pony up, and make some money on her. Not ONLY do they get a pony for a good price, but they get all of her stuff with her which they can also sell and make a profit on. If you insist on a low asking price, please perform a proper site check, references and a signed and notarized contract (all of which will be covered in another post).

Here is an example of what this person could write instead:

Iceez is a 10yo 14.1hh large pony. Very attractive and would make a fantastic project pony. She is not broke to ride, but has had ground work done. She has shown some talent for jumping, but would suggest anybody interested in a hunter pony come out and take her through a jump chute and see her move. Good minded, but very green. Will require site check, references and a contract. Her tack is available for sale at a nominal fee to buyer. $500 OBO

And that, folks is how you write a professional sounding, concise ad!



Photography 101

The first and most important blog post is going to be a simple guide to taking good, clean photos that will advertise your horse at it's best. Or at least the best it can look at that point in time. I will give my three biggest hints on photographing here. I am by no means a professional, just an amatuer who loves to play around, but I've found a good picture doesn't take long to get if you know your basics.

1.) Shoot your photographs from a chair.

I kid you not! When you take your photos from a chair and at a distance it takes all the guesswork out of the height of your photos. If you are a tall person like me it is easy to make the horse look short, ugly and any number of other distortions that make for an unappealing photo. The horse in the photo below is 14.1hh on a good day. I took his photo from a chair from about 100 feet away with a long lens. He looks like a good height, and there are no distortions (ie his body looks well balanced) so his legs look like a normal length, his head doesn't look large and his hip (which is slightly weak) doesn't look terribly so.

2.) Pick an aesthetically pleasing, but not distracting background.

Most people will tell you a wall, or some sort of greenery is preferred, and in most cases I agree. However if the wall you have available is an ugly color, dirty and/or otherwise not aesthetically pleasing, don't do it! I personally prefer to find a pretty bush, some nice trees or a nice flat area in front of a pretty garden or view (mountain, pond, etc). Ideally photos would be on gravel or pavement clear of weeds and manure, with some sort of nice background. Proof that background makes a difference (now wouldn't this photo be prettier if there wasn't a manure pile behind her?--yeah that's my fault):

3.) ALWAYS clip and bathe prior to photos.

I don't care if it's the middle of winter and your horse is a fuzzy yak, they should be clean and have no whiskers. If your horse doesn't clip--use scissors to minimize the old-man beard. If they have nasty dirty legs--wash them! I don't care if it's super duper cold--legs are SUPPOSED to be cold. Wash the legs, and rub them dry with a towel. Soft scrub soap with oxi-clean works well and won't leave purple dye on them if you are worried you won't get it all off before they are done. If they are a hairy yak and it is FREEZING out, curry the heck out of your horse and brush then HOT water and some show sheen in a bucket works--dunk a rag in, ring it out so it is just damp and scrub the horse in circular motions. Then when they are dry, take a dust rag (the kind that are sort of static-y?) and spray with show sheen or use a bit of baby oil and show sheen combined and wipe em down! Baby oil on face, baby oil or quick braid applied to tail head, mane forelock, and ears makes a nice neat appearance. Hint: don't go to heavy on the baby oil!:) A little show sheen or baby oil on the feet if you will be in grass or on pavement or non-dusty gravel makes a nice finish. Amazing what a tiny bit of baby oil does for a head, even if the rest of the horse is scruffy and suffering from oild man beard syndrome. Note: this is my retired horse--she lives in a pasture so has to keep her whiskers:)

 

Okay folks, that is all for today! But no worries, I have plenty to share to improve your photography skills--and help you sell your horse!

The Reasoning

So I am soooo tired of people complaining about how they can't sell/re-home their horses. I know this economy is terrible, but as far as I can tell if you put some effort and time into it you can sell/re-home just about anything. This blog will be my attempt at educating the masses, and improving the horse market one sale at a time!

Each blog post will be one hint at how better to advertise your horse. Topics will range from Photography 101, to ad copy 101. Each blog will teach you how to best photograph your horse, where your horse ought to be advertised, how to price your horse, how to write a clear concise ad that won't seem like you are over or under selling your horse, hwo to communicate with potential purchases, how to perform a site check, and what kinds of documentation you'll need to ensure you are fully protected once the sale is finalized.

I plan to make this super-simple to read, and as the blog materializes I'd love to add your success stories (ie before and after photos, great sales stories and rescues) for proof that my advice has helped at least one of you!

So onward and upward we go! Enjoy:)