24/08/2020
When selling a horse, you will want to represent them the best you can. A well represented horse will sell better and bring the most money. Follow these tips to help bring the most bids!
🔹Make sure that your horse is fed well and at a good healthy weight. Overweight or thin horses are not desirable.
🔹Wash and groom your horse as best you can. Try to clean any mud or dirt off especially white areas. If your horse tolerates clippers, you may want to “clean up” around their muzzle, ears, legs, etc. Blanketing in the winter helps reduce the amount of winter coat, if you are trying to sell in the winter time.
🔹Next you will want to take great photos. This is extremely important! Use the best camera you can to take higher resolution photo. Buyers are going to want to see a “WOW” photo that best represents your horse. Take at least 4-10 photos from the front, each side (conformation), and hind. Be sure to take on the level of the horse, on one knee if you can. If the horse is broke to ride, you can take a picture or two with it saddled, but be sure to take some without a saddle too.
🔹When taking your pictures, make sure your horse is squared on the front and hind shots. Buyers will want to see straightness and any issues in these shots. When you take your side shots, be sure to have the horse on level ground and their legs that are away from you, slightly under the horse. This will insure that buyers can see all 4 legs at once.
🔹It is recommended to take your photos in the early morning or early evening for the best lighting. The sun should always be at your back so that your horse will be illuminated. Keep in mind that you do not want to cast your shadow on your horse either. Be sure your horse’s ears are forward and head is up.
🔹Another good tip, is to make sure you have a good background. Example, would be a tree line, fence line, open grass, or barn wall. You don’t want to have any distractions in the photos. Lastly, be sure that your horse’s hooves aren’t covered by tall grass, buyers want to see everything.
🔹Be sure to edit and crop your photos as best you can. Remove any excess background or unwanted objects.
When taking videos, be sure not to make it too short or too long. Buyers want to see the horse in all three gates, any maneuvers such as turns, stops, cattle work, roping, etc. Once again, be sure to represent the horse well in the video as best you can.
