Barrel Racing, Team Roping, Calf roping, Bull Dogging, Team Penning, Breakaway, Goat Tying and Western Pleasure has joined Reining, Cutting and Reined Cow Horses on Search for the Perfect Horse…..even more …. Ranch Horse and Mustang Competition.

FREE PHOTO ADS for all judged and timed event western performance horses for sale at Search for the Perfect Horse. Don’t limit your market when selling your horse - reach All competitors from the show pen to the rodeo arena.

VIDEO ADS!

Horse for Sale Ads have new options ~ upgrade to a Featured Ad to sell your horse fast! Add a YouTube video to let everyone see your horse in action. Click on the link below to learn how to upgrade your ad!

UPGRADE YOUR ADS NOW!

1. Condition and groom your horse until he is fit for a halter class.
2. Use a professional equine photographer for your advertising photos.

   They have wide angle lenses and filters with the knowledge to produce those top quality professional shots.

   

3. If you do not have your horse with a trainer, find a trainer who will assist in marketing the horse to other trainers and competitors where the horse is best suited.
4. When working with a trainer, included your commission in your sale price so you get the price you want.

   Trainers work within a huge network and many times make a large portion of their income from commissions on sales. This is an important part of their business. They develop a portfolio of good clients and customers.

5. If you have your horse entered in an auction, DO NOT RELY ON THEM TO PROMOTE THE SALE OF YOUR HORSE.

   List your horse on key classified ad websites for sale with complete information on the sale : date of horse sale, lot number, contact information for the sale, sale website, your website with the horse listed, how to bid by phone, contact number or email to reach you and special conditions on the sale of your horse. Include earnings, points, achievements and all trainers. Use online horse classified ad websites that are willing to assist you with writing a professional ad AND will allow you to provide information on the sale where horse is consigned. Some online classified ads will not allow you to list a horse that is consigned to a sale.

6. Do not use one avenue to sell your horse.

   Reach out to all the resources available within the industry when marketing - trainers, online classified ads, horse auctions, friends, breeding farms (owners of horses sire or dam), local advertising and national horse magazines/newspapers. One suggestion, offer your vet or farrier a commission if they can bring you a buyer from their clientele.

7. Have performance videos of your horse before you place an ad so they can be sent "immediately" upon request.

   You never want to delay when someone is requesting information - buyers have a huge market available. Sell them on your horse "first". Be willing to send the video free of charge when you believe they have a interest in your horse. If the horse has been shown in competition, ALWAYS send a video of your horse in competition. DO NOT CUT AND EDIT. The video should be ongoing from start to finish. Many buyers like to see the horse being saddled and handled from the ground. Pick up his feet, load him in your trailer, etc. Think about the normal things you do each day with your horse and include it for that extra little something they are not expecting. A young girl fell asleep sitting in the stall with her horse. That picture sold the horse. Think outside the box !

8. Young unstarted horses should be videoed as follows -
   1. standing unsaddled, scan the entire horse in a complete 360 degree circle for conformation
   2. show horse moving freely in round pen or on a lounge line - walk, trot, canter both directions
   3. walk your horse straight towards the camera and away from it
   4. young started horses should be shown at a walk, trot, canter (both leads), stop, backup

   Be certain to allow horse to remain quiet and relaxed. DO NOT CUT AND EDIT. The video show be ongoing from start to finish.

9. Have professional advertising posters with quality photos for display…

   at shows, arenas, boarding stables, trainers barn, feed stores, and all equine related businesses where posters are allowed on bulletin boards. Be certain complete contact information if available - emails and websites are very helpful.

10. If your horse has been turned out or not ridden for some time, be certain to give him a minimum of 30 days for tune-up and conditioning before advertising him for sale.

     

11. The feet should be in excellent condition, trimmed or shod, when the horse is listed for sale.
12. The vaccinations should be current, on a regular worm schedule and a recent coggins tests.

    Provide the name and phone number to prospective buyers of your veterinarian if they ask.

13. All registration papers, transfers, bill of sales and any other necessary paperwork should be complete and in order when horse is being offered for sale.
14. If horse is boarded or with a trainer, have all training bills and board bills paid including veterinarian and farrier.
15. Check into shipping costs to provide additional information on available haulers and their rates for prospective buyers.
16. If your horse has any lameness problems or other concerns, be certain to address them with the prospective buyer before a vet check is performed.

    They will be revealed. A sure way to kill a sale. If the buyer knows and is still interested, then you and your vet can provide all the necessary information for their satisfaction.

17. "Promptly" return calls and emails to buyers enquiries with complete, simple, straight forward, honest answers.
18. Assume the buyer is a knowledgeable horseman.

    This shows respect and makes you more accountable to the buyer.

19. Be certain your horse is ready to be shown to a prospective buyer 24/7.

    Buyers often show up unannounced to avoid horses being medicated or misrepresented prior to their visit.

20. Be a good steward of your horse - provide for your horse as if you were in his steel shoes.
21. "A picture is worth a thousand words" -

    The very best photos and even better, an excellent video will sell your horse online or advertised in a magazine faster than anything else you can.

With rising fuel prices and costs, online marketing is becoming a very effective marketing tool for selling quality horses. Watch for upcoming information on our world class performance horse online auction.

Contact us at Search for the Perfect Horse for more information and "Good Luck".

Association and Affiliate information all in one place!  All the major associations are listed, with links to their home pages, newsletters, and affiliates.

"Talking With Terry"  - Read interesting articles and add your comments on our blog page!

Coming Changes

Search for the Perfect Horse is broadening its scope of Reining, Cutting and Reined Cow Horses to now include "Barrel Racing, Team Roping, Calf Roping, Bull Dogging, Team Penning, Breakaway, Goat Tying and Western Pleasure horses."

March 16, 2008 the Sunday Oregonian published a troubling article concerning the growing wild horse population on the Northwest Indian reservations. Their swelling numbers are causing serious habitat damage as they compete with livestock and wildlife the tribal officials stated.

To further compounded the problem, this ever growing wild horse population crosses over onto the neighboring rancher land and BLM lands, destroying fences and crops. This in turn creates over grazing and loss of revenue for ranchers. Additional concern is raised over their competition with wildlife on the reservations, BLM lem lands and private land.

Wild horses have become a symbol of the West and Native Americans. The majestic animals have long symbolized the history of the West with its freedom and wide open spaces.

As asked in the Oregonian - are they a symbol or a nuisance? You must understand the changes that have taken place in order to answer this question. The Bureau of Indian Affairs states they are no longer the original Cayuse horses but a hodgepodge of breeds and their numbers should be reduced. Some of the Natives still consider them to be sacred tribal horses. Yet others say they are feral horses released into the wild herds or were turned loose.

The Northwest tribes used to periodically round up these horses for their own use and selling them off the reservations. The changes in government regulations on slaughter facilities have played a role in the loss of reverence for the wild horse and their ability to run free. Presently the problem facing the wild horses is the lack of an adequate market for these animals. The tribes struggle with an answer on how to control these numbers. In the past the Yakima and Warm Springs reservations would gather the wild horses and castrate the stallions. Many were put up for adoption and some had to be shipped to slaughter facilities. The last horse slaughter facility in the US shut down their operation in 2007. This has created a glut on the market for unwanted horses and wild horses.

Wild horse herds have grown at a rate of approximately 20% each year. Not all are suited for adoption or use on a ranch. The old horses are hard to get rid of with the current inflated horse population we are experiencing today. Costs to the tribes run as much as $300 a head for disposing of these unwanted animals.

The Northwest tribes will be meeting soon to discuss their options of dealing with the large wild horse numbers. There has been mention of building a tribal slaughter facility. They need to do something to find an outlet for these unwanted wild horses.

Keeping all these concerns in mind, I would like to take you back to 1994. Bobby Ingersol, a California horse trainer and National Reined Cow Horse Hall of Fame inductee, adopted a wild mustang stallion for $125. In his book, The Legendary California Hackamore & Stock Horse, he states “Looking at bloodlines alone, some horses do not have a chance to find out what abilities they have.”

Bobby went on to prove this statement. First in 1983 he trained and showed a Half-Welsh mare at the National Cutting Horse Association’s Novice Championship. Then in 1994 he trained the wild mustang, Kiger Cougar, he adopted. Kiger Cougar performed well enough to win one three year old snaffle bit futurity, and placed well in the NRCHA World Championship Futurity held annually in Reno, Nevada. Bobby further states in his book, these horses performed well, in part, because of correct conformation. Good conformation can make training much easier…..even a wild mustang.

To this day I can remember Bobby riding into a herd on the little mare and hear her let out a squeal of delight. The little welsh mare would do this “every time” as she dropped down to work her cow. She was unique and tough to beat. Just like Kiger Cougar, the wild mustang, they had to be “better than the best” for judges to a horse of this type of pedigree when competing against hundreds of “world class” horses.

Photos courtesy of Bureau of Land Management

The question remains, is there a place for these wild horses in our horse industry today. Do you have any suggestions on how they can be preserved and not become a detriment to the Native Americans and ranchers? They are part of our western heritage? Do we want save them? Would you rather see these horses adopted and taken home? Should they be eliminated? They have a place in our history. Do they have a place in our future?

Please add your comments to this article here!

 The following links will give you more information on wild horses.

• U.S. Department of Interior - Bureau of Land Management
  
• Wild Horses an American Romance
  
• The Wild Horse Sanctuary
  
• Bureau of Land Management - Adopt a Horse
• Wild Horse Pass Resort
• The American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign
• The Pacific Wild Horse Club
• Wild Horses.com
• Kiger Mustang Ranch