Following are tips sent in by BAEN advertisers. To share your own tip, please email it to info@bayequest.com with the words "ad tip" in the subject.  If we publish it here you'll receive a FREE photo ad (value $38.00).

Photos! The old saying a "photo is worth 1000 words" was never more true than in a "horse for sale" ad. That said, there's some prep that needs to happen before you take the photo. First, do diligence in the cleanliness department. If you and your horse are not "show focused," but rather family-pleasure type participants in the sport, then you don't need to do all the fancy stuff like clipping and braiding, but CLEAN is important, as is well groomed and recently shod (or at least trimmed if barefoot is the norm). A little conditioner (after the bath?) especially on the mane and tail doesn't make you a sissy, but it will leave your horse's coat with a nice appearance and anyone who's read the fun horse book, "The $700.00 Pony," already knows how much impact a good looking tale can have on some buyers . (For the uninitiated, I'd say, what makes this particular quirk of the business so funny is that it is TRUE...I've personally experience/witnessed it in action!) 

If you are selling a horse as a show horse, then by all means, prepare him or her as though you were going to present them to a judge. If a potential buyer IS looking for a horse to show, they will appreciate seeing your horse at its potential best in the ad before spending the time to see them in person.

"Dress your best" means pick the head gear that makes the best impression. If you are selling a fine boned, Arabian filly, don't hang a clunky nylon web halter on her. If your horse's head is a bit more "Romanesque" then a halter or bridle with a wider noseband, etc. will be more in keeping, proportion wise, then a finely rolled leather show halter or bridle.

So now your horse is clean, well shod or trimmed, coat shiny, and mane and tail free of tangles. Time to grab the camera. First, select your background. If you have access to an uncluttered pastoral setting, use it. If not, the side of a barn with isn't covered with graffiti will do. Whatever background you select should have nothing to distract the viewers eye from your horse (no telephone poles or trees growing out of the horse's head, withers or croup). If there is a fence in the background, a knowledgeable buyer can get a rough idea of the horse's true height. This is an important "small detail" because sellers often only guess at the height of a horse, rather than measure them accurately. Buyers who've spent much time looking come to realize this unhappy fact and quickly learn to search a photo for clues to the true size of the horse they are looking at so they can keep them from wasting hours driving to see a horse advertised as 16 hands, or 15.2 only to find the horse is really only 15 hands horse or worse, 14.3.

If you have only one shot, position yourself opposite your horse's withers, stand back from your horse about 20 feet, fill your "frame" with the horse, his nose almost touching the front edge of your lens image and his tail close to the right edge of your lens image. This will give you a balanced shot of the entire horse. When positioning your horse, keep in mind your horse's breed standard. For instance, unless your horse's breed is normally presented "stretched" (saddlebred, Morgan, Arabian, Tennessee walker, etc.) DON'T allow your horse to "park out" behind itself with its hind legs; rather try for the "square table" look, where the horse's legs seem to come straight down from the shoulder and hip, forming a balanced "rectangle" appearance to the horse. If possible, off set both the front leg (backward) and the hind leg (forward) on the side of the horse furthest away from the camera, but JUST A LITTLE BIT. This will allow the viewer to see all four legs of the horse (a good thing unless you're trying to cover up some flaw). Also, make sure your horse is positioned either on level ground, or with his or her front feet on slightly elevated ground. This insures the horse's top line will be "up hill" (a desirable trait in all but racing quarter horses). The positioning of the horse's head and neck should be based (again) on the breed. "Up headed" breeds should be posed to show the best relationship of the neck to the shoulder. Breeds who are not naturally "high headed" such as the warmblood, thoroughbred, quarter horse, appaloosa, paint horse, etc. should be encouraged to extend their necks in a nice relaxed way from their withers, with the nose a little in front of the vertical line and of course, the ears pricked forward attractively.

A horse who "leans" forward, moving most of its weight to its front legs when extending it's neck in the above described manner will not present a balanced image, so when getting your horse to drop his or her head and neck, don't drop it too low as that will encourage the horse to lean as well.

A centered photographer position will give the viewer the best angle to assess both the shoulder and the hip angle of the horse as well as the top line. If the photographer positions them selves a little more toward the front of the horse, the photo will end up emphasizing the horse's length of neck and shoulder (forehand), while positioning the photographer more toward the hip or rear of the horse will play up a strong, muscular hindquarter (a desirable trait on quarter horses).

Shots taken in the early morning, at dusk or on a cloudy day are likely to have the most flattering light. Try to stay away from the middle of the day especially on sunny days when the sun's direct light creates harsh shadows which can distort the final image.

Donna Snyder-Smith, www.donnasnydersmith.com

When taking a photo of a horse it is best to have the horse clipped, bathed, nice halter or bridle on, and a clean nice background. No one wants to see bad fencing or trailers etc. in the background. The picture can be of the horse being ridden but a lot of people like to see the horse without tack so they can see the horses conformation. When taking a conformational picture the horse needs to be squared nice, not with feet going every which way, you want to have a good angle on the horse, don't stand below or above the horse as this distorts the horse, you want the picture to be a direct side view. If you are to far in front of the horse this makes the horse look like it has a small hind end and a big head, to far behind makes the horse look like they have a big hind end and small front end. As for riding pictures same can be said. You want a direct side view of the horse so the horse doesn't look distorted. Again clean tack, clean horse, good background, and the rider needs to be nicely dressed. Image is important. People are visual. A good picture is going to catch the eye.

Christa Petrillo, John & Josh Lyons Certified Trainer, www.christapetrillotraining.com

1) Conformation shots look best if taken in front of a soft background, like a bush or tree, or grass - don't take them in front of the barn, or tie rails, or fences!

2) Read ads for horses similar to yours, and really think about what the market wants to know about your horse in your text. What you think is cute and interesting may not be the attributes that sell your horse. For example, the picture of your horse rearing may look awesome. but if he isn't a bronc or trick horse, it isn't going to help him sell.

3) Also, be careful in using negatives to qualify your horses attributes. For example, it is better to find a positive word, like "This horse is easy going and unflappable" instead of "This horse has no buck or spook." If someone is just scanning text, the negative words jump out at you in the text, instead of something positive.

4) Fill in your horses information fully. Many people do search by height or breed or age, so it should be in searchable boxes, not in the text of the ad, or left out completely.

5) Do not 'guess' on the height of your horse. I have literally gone out to see a TB for sale advertised as 17.3 who was maybe a solid 16.3. The people that owned him were used to 15.2h Qtr horses, and he seemed like a giant (of course they thought their 15.2h Qtr horse was 16.1h. so <shrug>)

6) If your horse is well bred, or a popular breed, include the breeding in the ad!

7) Don't be too wordy. Some of the best ads, for the most interesting horses are one excellent picture, a title that says exactly what the horse's market is, and a few lines. You don't need to say this horse won at this show, and was 3rdat that show. just say competitive or winner at AA level (or whatever market your horse is competing for). An ad is to catch the eye and interest.

8) But be ready to follow up with a more detailed phone conversation or email, promptly. Have an email address and check it often. Have additional pics ready and a video (preferably).

9) This last is a personal pet peeve, but I don't know if anyone else would have the same reaction. I hate it when owners put an obviously high price on the horse, and of course the horse doesn't sell for months and months and the price gets whittled down. Trainers, give your clients a realistic number for that horse! When an ad goes up for the first time, there is an initial buzz of interest from those already in the market. Once they realize that the horse isn't what they want at that price, and the owner starts getting desperate and lowers the price, you have wasted several people's time, and lost a share of the market. When I see a horse that looked interesting at a price above what I am willing to spend, I pass by the ad. But most shoppers remember the ad, and when that horse is lowered by a couple grand every couple of weeks. I just think it was an interesting horse that must have some problems, not that I am getting some wonderful bargain because the owner has come down in price. If I see a horse priced at $15,000 and I am only looking at 10K and under, I pass the ad by, I am not going to go see a horse because maybe the owner will come down in price, because maybe they won't and I don't want to waste my or their time. So then two months go by and suddenly the horse is 7500. I just think it was a 15K horse that someone vetted and it came up with something, or that had riding issues that made trying the horse result in a lower price, not that the owner priced it at 15K hoping that a sucker would come along, or that someone would come look at a horse they couldn't afford and make a 10K offer on it. 

Bobbi Tilton

There are so many ads posted, and human nature is to make a quick judgment based on first impressions. If you don't catch a buyer's eye, they aren't going to bother reading your ad! I find the best thing you can do to catch a buyer's eye and make a quick, good first impression is to include a good QUALITY picture of your horse. In the sport horse market, that needs to be an action shot - either under saddle, or for youngsters, in hand or at liberty. Motion catches the eye, and good movement makes a good first impression. Ideally, you'll follow that up with a good conformation shot, and even a video. A good picture means the horse is clean, well groomed, perhaps even braided. The background is uncluttered and attractive without distracting from the horse. The horse is on LEVEL ground - if your picture isn't level, edit it to make it level. If the horse is under saddle, have show appropriate tack on, and make sure the rider is neatly dressed. For conformation shots, again the horse should be clean and presented on level ground, and in proper stance to judge conformation, with picture taken straight on at the center of the horse - don't present pictures taken at odd angles, it distorts the horse. Remember, the first impression is often the only chance you have! 

Michele Dodge, www.MysticOakRanch.com

Without a doubt the most important marketing tool is a great photo! No amount of wording, low price or other ploy gets people's attention quicker. There are so many horses available, good or bad, most shoppers just move on to the next ad without a photo that instantly conveys the horse's attributes. As a buyer the picture determines whether I go any further. As a seller I've had more than one person tell me "if the horse looks as good as the picture, he's sold". And I love BAEN, the only horsey website I live on!

Mary Dukes

Composition of Ad: 1. Get to the point- make it concise, but supply all necessary information. 2. A picture is worth a thousand words! A photo ad is always helpful, as is a video. 

Hanna
 

When you write your ad, be very precise and detailed about your horse's career, training and personality so you will hit the right person and your horse will get the right rider. Plus, you won't waste your time showing him to the wrong match. That's my experience...and of course, put the add in Bayequest!

Nathalie Guion, www.scequestraining.com