Writing a "horse for sale" advert

Expert advice on how to write a classified advertisement that will bring the buyers flocking to see your horse

Simplicity is the key to writing a classified advertisement to sell a horse on the internet. It can sometimes be difficult to decide what to include and what to leave out, but focus on the essential information first and avoid the temptation to include the horse's life history.

Apart from giving your horse's vital statistics, (see list below) the advert should draw attention to anything that makes your horse sound special. A horse's breeding can attract interest from some buyers, so it may be worth mentioning a famous or successful sire. If your horse has proven competition success then make sure you say so, or if his best asset is his unflappable nature then include that.

Think carefully about your advert title - this needs to catch the eye to make potential buyers stop and look at your advert. Ask yourself, what type of buyer you are looking for and then put yourself in their shoes - what would interest them? If you are selling an child's first pony then safety may be the key so try SAFE FIRST PONY, or if your horse is a good all rounder that can do most jobs then say so by using a title like SUPER ALL ROUNDER. Generally descriptive titles are more successful than ones that simply state the horse's height as in most cases buyers will have already specified the height they want in their initial web search.

Good quality photographs can give prospective buyers an idea of the horse's looks and ability so can cut down on time-wasters, but it is important that the photos show the horse at its best. Ideally you want to include action pictures of the horse demonstrating his jump as well as working on the flat, plus a side-on shot of the horse stood up in hand without a saddle or rug so buyers can assess his conformation and possible a nice head shot as well. Remember that proofs and professional photographs can only be used with the photographer's permission due to copyright laws.

Most buyers have a budget and many are put off if a price is not given or if "substantial price required" or PAO (price on application) are used. There is no point in people responding to your advert if they do not have the funds to match your asking price. Not giving a price will also exclude your advert from any online search where a potential buyer asks for horses within a specific price range.

Remember to include the area of the country where you are based at the end of the advert and list a landline telephone number as well as a mobile if you can. An email address can also be a useful means of contact, although you may find yourself receiving scam emails, so be careful if you decided to go down this route. Any emails refering to your horse as an "item" or in broken English should not be responded to.

Once you have written the advert ask yourself: would it persuade me to go and see the horse? If the answer is no then you need to rethink the advert.

What to include

The vital statistics which you should include in any advert include:

• Height
• Breed
• Sex
• Age
• Price
• Telephone numbers
• Area in which you live

You could also consider including the following information:

• Colour and markings eg: stunningly marked skewbald
• Temperament eg: not marish/excellent temperament
• Scope/disciplines eg: competing Discovery/Foxhunter
• Level of fitness and training eg: working at Elementary level
• Competition results/winnings eg: Won £300 BSJA
• Name of trainer/rider if famous eg: competed/trained by . . .
• Breeding if by famous stallion eg: by Clover Hill out of TB mare
• Trial facilities eg: Good trial facilities/seen at livery
• Reason for sale eg: sadly outgrown
• Veterinary status eg: recent vets certificate
• Vices eg: no vices/cribs at feed times